The German Language in British Higher Education

Book excerpt: The discipline of German Studies in English-speaking countries is in crisis and the situation in British Higher Education can be seen as a paradigmatic example. Symptoms of the crisis are a dramatic decrease in the number of students, financial difficulties and the resulting closures of German Departments. Furthermore, the language skills which finally emerge from universities are not always satisfactory. The present book sheds light on key aspects of the institutionalised teaching and learning of German language in the UK. The first part - the macro-context - surveys the socio-political developments that have recently affected the sector of modern languages and specifically the discipline of German Studies. The second part - the micro-context -, zooms in to the teaching and learning as experienced from both students' and teachers' perspective. Ultimately, by linking the macro-analysis with the micro findings, the present book proposes a number of strategies which could contribute to the optimisation and enhancement of teaching and learning German in British Higher Education.