Structure and Aims

We offer several modules that focus on helping students assess whether a job in the literature and culture industries could be right for them. Our modules provide students with theoretical insights on different book-related areas, but they also allow for practical experience in literary institutions such as writers' museums, publishing houses, festivals and others, in Britain, Germany and elsewhere. The courses and self-study units that are part of the modules address a variety of topics and give students the opportunity to learn, among others, about authoring and editing in journalistic and book-publication contexts, about literary heritage and the practices of its conservation and display, about the literary industry more generally - historically and contemporary - , and to study the theoretical premises of the modern literature market.

An important part of the modules is a placement in a literary or cultural institution. Students can work as interns at, for example, a literary museum, a publishing house or a literary festival. Placements are a vital component in the training of future professionals in the literature industry at the start of their careers, and we are keen to ensure that the experience is a successful and valuable one both for our students and for the host institutions. We cooperate with various institutions in Germany and abroad, and our endeavour is to find the right placement for each of our students.

These modules are open to BA students in the Department as part of their Optionalbereich. Students enrolled in the Master of Arts programme can take them as part of their core curriculum. MA students can choose a special study focus on Literary and Cultural Management; the modules can also be taken singly without any special focus.