This module offers students of German the opportunity to develop their reading knowledge of a German text (normally chosen from a short list) and their research and study skills, under the guidance of an academic supervisor. Students will produce an initial research preparation assessment (comprising an academic bibliography on the text, a short summary of one relevant item of secondary literature c. 250 words, and a brief commentary on the opening paragraph of the text, c. 500 words) and followed by an essay of 1500 words on a self-devised topic.
Together these assessments guide students through the process of researching a topic, and the preparation assessment will allow them to receive feedback on each aspect of research (wider reading and bibliographic work, engaging with critical literature, and close literary analysis) before tackling the final essay.
Students will work under the guidance of an academic supervisor, meeting them at regular intervals to agree a plan of reading, to discuss progress and to prepare their assessed work. Students will also submit as formative assessment a plan of their essay to their supervisor for feedback before completing the assignment. The module is required for students German as a major or single subject, and can be taken by students studying German ab initio, for whom the commentary exercise will compare the English-language translation of the text and the German original. Together with the module MODL250, this forms part of a research pathway designed to develop research skills in preparation for the MODL307 dissertation in final year.