The Language Sciences (= LS) are the interdisciplinary association of all subjects concerned with the phenomenon of "language" (including, first and foremost, linguistics and the national philologies). Language offers a wide range of possible approaches, as it combines structural, social, cognitive and technological aspects. If each of these is considered in isolation, a large part of the linguistic phenomenology remains unrecognised. The LS opens up the possibility of making language understandable from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students are given the opportunity to engage intensively with the questions of the structural diversity and unity of languages, the variability of languages, their social embedding, their technological use, their acquisition, loss and processing. This examination takes place on a multilingual basis and always in direct relation to current research discussions. Students are encouraged to carry out independent academic work and are integrated into existing research contexts. The LS are predominantly research-oriented and are aimed primarily at students who can imagine an academic career as a professional field.

Later extracurricular fields of activity

Graduates of the LS are very suitable candidates for activities in the field of "language research" in the broadest sense. They are suitable for activities at university or non-university institutions that deal with basic research or language technologies.

Programme sections / course content / module descriptions

The degree programme is designed to train capable young academics who can deal with the topic of language in an interdisciplinary way. You will learn how the various specialised "language sciences" can be related to each other and what opportunities arise for expanding knowledge in this way.

Programme plan

The profile module is the main focus of the first semester. In the profile module, students are brought up to the same level in terms of content, the specialisation areas are introduced and a general orientation for further studies is provided. The free module, which is to be compiled by the students from the entire range of courses offered by the universities of Bremen and Oldenburg in consultation with the module coordinator of the LS, can be taken from the first semester onwards. In the second to third semesters there is the compulsory elective area, in which students must choose their specialisation by completing at least two (but no more than three) modules from one of the designated specialisation areas. The Master's thesis must also be written in the chosen specialisation. At least one module, but no more than two modules, should be taken from an area other than the specialisation area. The fourth semester includes the final module, which is used to write the Master's thesis.

Compulsory, elective and optional subjects

The compulsory area comprises 30 CP and consists of the profile module and the free module. In addition, there is the final module (Master's thesis) with 30 CP. The compulsory elective area covers the 2nd-3rd semester and consists of four modules totalling 60 CP.

Typical types of courses / forms of teaching / teaching profile

In the LS teaching programme, seminars are offered as part of the two-semester modules (2nd-3rd semesters), which are occasionally combined with lectures and/or exercises. In addition, there is student project work, which is organised in consultation with the lecturers, as well as a lecture tutorial during the profile module.

Study specialisations / areas of specialisation

The specialisation areas of the LS are:
* Language Description and Comparison (SuS)
* Language, Society, Politics (SGP)
* Computational Linguistics and Natural Language Processing (NLP)
* Language and Cognition (SuK)
Students select these specialisations by completing at least two modules from the respective specialisation area.