The advanced module ger231 offers basic training in medieval studies and is compulsory for students with the study objective 'Teaching Qualification for Grammar Schools' and with specialisation 2: 'Literature and Linguistics - Literature-oriented'.

The module consists of two courses, each with two semester hours per week: In the basic seminar, which is offered in the winter semester, you will acquire the basic skills to be able to understand and translate Middle High German texts by reading them. In order to do this successfully, it is also necessary to acquire important knowledge of the history of the language. In the basic seminar, you will also acquire medieval work techniques and gain an initial insight into the diversity of genres in medieval German literature through the selection of sample texts.

In the advanced seminar, which is attended in the following summer semester, you will deal in depth with a literary topic from medieval studies. The examination consists of either a written exam covering the entire module or a seminar paper of 10-15 pages on a topic arising from the seminar. The examination is assessed by the lecturer of the specialisation seminar, who does not have to be the same lecturer as the lecturer of the basic seminar you attended (exception: if the basic seminar focuses on 'Middle Low German', the specialisation seminar must also have this focus).

MiddleLow German: From the winter semester 2020/21, Prof. Dr Doreen Brandt will offer basic and in-depth seminars with a focus on 'Middle Low German' in module ger231. They can normally be credited towards the Low German certificate.

In summary, the following scheme applies to module ger231:

Bonus system:

In the basic seminar, you have the opportunity to voluntarily earn a grade bonus by successfully completing documented tests and homework, which you can use to improve (but not worsen!) the grade of the examination performance (written exam or seminar paper in the seminar) by 0.7 or 0.6. If you would like to take advantage of this option, please sign the relevant form by the second session of the basic seminar and declare that you are willing to do so and would like to acquire the grade bonus. To earn this bonus, you must successfully complete a certain number of assignments.

At the end of the semester, you will receive a certificate from the lecturer of the basic seminar documenting that you have successfully completed the corresponding tasks. You hand in this certificate at the end of the following summer semester together with the written exam or seminar paper; the corrector will then take this into account with a bonus of 0.7 or 0.6 in the grade of the overall examination performance. For example, you can turn a grade of 3.0 in the seminar paper into a 2.3 overall examination grade.