English Studies: British and American Studies Major Subject (Academic)

If you are interested in the world of English-language literature and media, the English Studies: British and American Studies programme is for you. Authors such as William Shakespeare, J.K. Rowling, Mark Twain and Jack Kerouac are examined, researched, analysed and discussed in this programme.

At the beginning of the programme, students gain a broad grounding in the fields of language, literature and culture. In the second half of the programme, students then focus on a particular area of specialisation, which should be geared towards their future career aspirations. Throughout the degree programme, the teaching of subject-specific skills is closely linked to the teaching of intercultural and communicative key skills.

English Studies: British and American Studies can be studied with different specialisations. Depending on their career aspirations and subject interests, students can choose further modules in linguistics, British and North American literatures and cultures, global Anglophone cultures, media and communication, and literature and culture in education. In all cases, students deal with Anglophone linguistic, cultural and literary forms from different regions of the world and thus acquire intercultural and interdisciplinary skills in addition to text and media analytical competences. The academic focus of English Studies at Bielefeld is not limited to Great Britain and the USA. Rather, it also includes the language, culture and literature of linguistic and cultural communities in Africa, the Caribbean or India and of countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or Scotland in its research and teaching.

Students who complete a degree programme in English: British and American Studies have many different career options. Like many other humanities subjects, this Bachelor's degree programme is not geared towards a specific career goal. The skills acquired during a degree programme in English Studies are used by our graduates in a variety of ways, for example in cultural institutions such as museums or archives, in adult education and in municipal institutions or private companies in public relations, communication or media analysis.