German studies
![]() |
German studies is an academic field that researches, documents and disseminates German language, literature, and culture in its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies therefore often focus on German culture, German history, and German politics in addition to the language and literature component. Approaches to the discipline vary by country. Modern German studies is usually seen as a combination of two sub-disciplines: German linguistics alongside Germanophone literature and cultural studies.[1]
Common names for "German Studies" for the field within German-speaking countries are Germanistik, Deutsche Philologie, and Deutsche Sprachwissenschaft und Literaturwissenschaft. In English, the terms Germanistics or Germanics are sometimes used (mostly by Germans), but the subject is more often referred to as German studies, German language and literature, or German philology. Academics who specialize in German studies are referred to as Germanists.
German linguistics
[edit]German linguistics is traditionally called philology in Germany, though most German studies departments house linguists whose focus relates to German or Germanic language(s) in both their historic and present forms. The periods of German's philological development are roughly divided as follows:
- Old High German (Althochdeutsch) 8th–11th centuries
- Middle High German (Mittelhochdeutsch) 11th–14th centuries
- Early New High German (Frühneuhochdeutsch) 14th–17th centuries
- Modern German (Standard German, German dialectology) 18th–21st centuries
In addition, the discipline examines German under various aspects: the way it is spoken and written, i.e., spelling; declination; vocabulary; sentence structure; texts; etc. It compares the various manifestations such as social groupings (slang, written texts, etc.) and geographical groupings (dialects, etc.).
German literature studies
[edit]The study of German literature is divided into two parts: Ältere Deutsche Literaturwissenschaft deals with the period from the beginnings of German in the early Middle Ages up to post-Medieval times around AD 1750, while the modern era is covered by Neuere Deutsche Literaturwissenschaft.[2] The field systematically examines German literature in terms of genre, form, content, and motifs as well as looking at it historically by author and epoch.[3] Important areas include edition philology, history of literature, and textual interpretation. The relationships of German literature to the literatures of other languages (e.g. reception and mutual influences) and historical contexts are also important areas of concentration.
German literature studies benefits from the particularly rich printing tradition of the German-speaking world. Given Johannes Gutenburg and thus the modern printing press originates from German-speaking Europe, Germanic texts have historically enjoyed a heightened status among scholars. Other prominent historical figures, such as Martin Luther have also marked the history of literature through his dissemination of the Bible and thereby an increasingly literate German-speaking public compared to other European publics.
Much like other literature-centered fields, German literature studies is concerned with hermeneutics, ecocriticism, feminism, narratology, psychoanalytic criticism, reader-response, semiotics, sound studies, speech acts, spatial theory, structuralism, symbology, postcolonialism, postmodernism, post-structuralism, and queer theory.
German Cultural Studies
[edit]The study of German culture encompasses issues related to German politics, German history, Holocaust studies, national identity, German art, art history, migration, film studies, museum studies, memory studies, German Literature, and media. The sub-field is highly interdisciplinary drawing from both the humanities and social sciences to examine issues related to contemporary German-speaking countries. Such approaches are often focalized through the lens of the German-speaking nation at present. Thus, the study of countries such as Austria and Switzerland, as well as other German-speaking groups, are often focalized not only through their shared German linguistic and cultural heritage, but for their distinct national and diasporic contexts. German cultural studies therefore incorporates the historical areas of German influence across Europe and overseas as it relates to both migration and colonization.[4]
DAAD Centers for German and European Studies
[edit]German cultural studies is most common in departments located outside of a German-speaking country, acting in many forms as a form of area studies related to the German Sprachraum. A heightened focus on German cultural studies became apparent following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and has increasingly been tied to the field of European Studies. In the years following the fall of the wall, the German federal government established Centers for German and European Studies throughout North America.[5] This effort sought to increase transatlantic political, cultural, and academic cooperation between the United States and post-Soviet Europe, with a strong focus on Germany's increased importance within the European Union as a reunified state. Sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Services (DAAD), these Centers for German and European studies mark a distinct departure from traditional German studies programs and are often housed within broader internationally oriented departments dealing with international affairs, area studies, or public policy within North America. The DAAD Centers for German and European Studies in North America are listed as follows:
DAAD Centers for German and European Studies beyond North America include the following:
- Institute of German and European Studies, Tongji University, Yangpu District, Shanghai
- Haifa Center for German and European Studies – University of Haifa
- European Forum at the Hebrew University - at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Center of German and European Studies - Pontifical University of Rio Grande do Sul and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
- Center for German and European Studies at the University of Tokyo
- Center for German and European Studies at Chung-Ang University in South Korea
German teacher education
[edit]At least in Germany and Austria, German studies in academia play a central role in the education of German school teachers. Their courses usually cover four fields:[6]
- Linguistics of German (Sprachwissenschaft)
- German language and literature of up to about 1750 (Ältere Sprache und Literatur)
- German language and literature since approximately 1750 (Neuere Literaturwissenschaft)
- Specifics of the didactics of teaching German (Fachdidaktik)
Several universities offer specialized curricula for school teachers, usually called "Deutsch (Lehramt)". In Germany, they are leading to a two step exam and certificate by the federated states of Germany cultural authorities, called the Staatsexamen ("state exam").
History
[edit]As an unsystematic field of interest for individual scholars, German studies can be traced back to Tacitus' Germania. The publication and study of legal and historical source material, such as Medieval Bible translations, were all undertaken during the German Renaissance of the sixteenth century, truly initiating the field of German studies. As an independent university subject, German studies was introduced at the beginning of the nineteenth century by Georg Friedrich Benecke, the Brothers Grimm, and Karl Lachmann.
The Nazi period, and immediate predecessor periods before and after World War I, left large parts of the field, which had drifted off more and more into race-biological thinking, greatly compromised and damaged, as major proponents on both the literature (e.g. Prof. Josef Nadler in Vienna) and the linguistics side (e.g. Prof. Eberhard Kranzmayer in Graz) were actively working for the Nazi Party (Kranzmayer, Höfler) and their racist goals (Nadler)[7] While great efforts have been made in the denazification of the field, some biases are suggested by overseas Germanist to have remained.[8] After all, post-war academia, with "Nazi party membership among university professors greatly exceed[ing] that of the population at large,"[9] was not a complete restart, least of all, in German philology, where 90% of university teachers were NSDAP members.[10]
University departments and research institutions
[edit]- Austria
- Institute for German Studies (Institut für Germanistik), University of Vienna
- Institute for German Studies (Institut für Germanistik), University of Graz, the first Germanistik in Austria[11] founded at the request of Anton Emanuel Schönbach[12] in 1873
- Bénin
- Département d'Etudes Germanique (DEG), Université d'Abomey-Calavi[13]
- Botswana
- Department of Education and Language Skills, Botho University
- Brazil
- Department of German Language and Literature Studies University of São Paulo, Brazil[14]
- Canada
- Department of German Language and Literature, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario[15]
- Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Toronto[16]
- China
- Department of German, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Haidian District, Beijing
- Czech Republic
- Department of German and Austrian Studies, Charles University in Prague[17]
- Department of German Studies, Palacký University in Olomouc[18]
- India
- Ireland
- Department of Germanic Studies, Trinity College, The University of Dublin, Ireland[20]
- Department of German, National University of Ireland – University College Cork, Cork, Ireland[21]
- Germany
"German studies" is taught at many German universities. Some examples are:
- Germanistisches Seminar der Universität Bonn, Institut für Germanistik, vergleichende Literatur- und Kulturwissenschaft, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn[22]
- Institut für deutsche Sprache und Literatur I & II, Albertus-Magnus-Universität zu Köln[23]
- Institut für Germanistik I & II, Hamburg University[24]
- Germanistisches Seminar, Heidelberg University Faculty of Modern Languages
- Institut für deutsche Philologie, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich[25]
- Germanistisches Institut, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster[26]
- Deutsches Seminar, Tübingen University Faculty of Modern Languages
- Greece
- Faculty of German Language and Literature, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens[27]
- School of German Language and Literature, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki[28]
- Russia
- Department of Area Studies, Moscow State University[29]
- South Africa
- School of Languages and Literatures, University of Cape Town[30]
- Department of Afrikaans and Dutch, German and French, University of the Free State[31]
- School of Languages, North-West University[32]
- Ancient Modern Languages Cultures, University of Pretoria[33]
- School of Languages and Literatures, Rhodes University[34]
- Department of Modern Foreign Languages, University of Stellenbosch[35]
- Department of Foreign Languages, University of the Western Cape[36]
- Department of Literature, Language and Media, University of the Witwatersrand[37]
- Spain
- Área de Filología Alemana, University of Salamanca[38]
- Uganda
- Department of European and Oriental Languages, German Studies, Makerere University[39]
- United Kingdom (UK)
- Department of German, University of Oxford
- Department of German, University of Cambridge
- Department of German, University of Manchester
- Department of German Studies, University of Warwick
- United States of America (USA)
- Department of German Studies, University of Arizona, Tucson[40]
- German Program of the Department of World Languages & Literatures, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville[41]
- Department of German Studies, Brown University[42]
- Department of German, University of California, Berkeley[43]
- Department of Germanic Languages, University of California, Los Angeles[44]
- Department of German Studies, University of Cincinnati
- Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO[45]
- Department of Germanic Languages, Columbia University[46]
- Department of German Studies, Cornell University[47]
- Department of German Studies, Dartmouth College
- Department of German, Duke University
- Department of German, Georgetown University[48]
- Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, Harvard University[49]
- Department of Germanic Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL[50]
- Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign[51]
- Department of Germanic Studies, Indiana University
- German and Scandinavian Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst[52]
- Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI[53]
- Department of German, Scandinavian, and Dutch, University of Minnesota[54]
- Department of German, New York University[55]
- Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill[56]
- Department of German, Northwestern University[57]
- Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio[58]
- Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Pennsylvania[59]
- Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages, Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania[60]
- Department of Germanic Languages and Literature, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania[61]
- Department of German, Princeton University[62]
- Department of Germanic Studies, University of Texas at Austin[63]
- Department of Classical & Modern Languages, Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri[64]
- Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee[65]
- Department of Germanic and Russian, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont[66]
- Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Virginia[67]
- Department of Germanics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington[68]
- Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri[69]
- Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic, University of Wisconsin – Madison
- Department of German, Yale University[70]
- Department of Linguistics & Germanic, Slavic, Asian and African Languages, Michigan State University[71]
- Zimbabwe
- Department of Languages, Literature and Culture University of Zimbabwe[72]
See also
[edit]- Area studies
- German National Honor Society (Delta Epsilon Phi) in the US
- German Studies Association
- Germanic philology
- Germanisches Nationalmuseum
- New Objectivity
- Sturm und Drang
Bibliography
[edit]Books
[edit]- Atlas Deutsche Sprache [CD-ROM]. Berlin: Directmedia Publishing. 2004.
- Die Deutschen Klassiker (CD-ROM).
- Berman, Antoine: L'épreuve de l'étranger. Culture et traduction dans l'Allemagne romantique: Herder, Goethe, Schlegel, Novalis, Humboldt, Schleiermacher, Hölderlin. Paris: Gallimard, 1984. ISBN 978-2-07-070076-9.
- Beutin, Wolfgang. Deutsche Literaturgeschichte. Von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart. Stuttgart: J. B. Metzler, 1992.
- Bogdal, Klaus-Michael, Kai Kauffmann, & Georg Mein. BA-Studium Germanistik. Ein Lehrbuch. In collaboration with Meinolf Schumacher and Johannes Volmert. Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt, 2008. ISBN 978-3-499-55682-1
- Burger, Harald. Sprache der Massenmedien. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1984.
- Ernst, Peter. Germanistische Sprachwissenschaft. Vienna: WUV, 2004.
- Fohrmann, Jürgen & Wilhelm Voßkamp, eds. Wissenschaftsgeschichte der Germanistik im 19. Jahrhundert. Stuttgart: J. B. Metzler, 1994.
- Hartweg, Frédéric G. Frühneuhochdeutsch. Eine Einführung in die deutsche Sprache des Spätmittelalters und der frühen Neuzeit. Tübingen: Niemeyer, 2005.
- Hermand, Jost. Geschichte der Germanistik. Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt, 1994. ISBN 978-3-499-55534-3
- Hickethier, Knut. Film- und Fernsehanalyse. Stuttgart: J. B. Metzler, 1993.
- Hickethier, Knut, ed. Aspekte der Fernsehanalyse. Methoden und Modelle. Hamburg: Lit, 1994.
- Hohendahl, Peter Uwe. German Studies in the United States: A Historical Handbook. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2003.
- Kanzog, Klaus. Einführung in die Filmphilologie. Munich: Schaudig, Bauer, Ledig, 1991.
- Muckenhaupt, Manfred: Text und Bild. Grundfragen der Beschreibung von Text-Bild-Kommunikation aus sprachwissenschaftlicher Sicht. Tübingen: Gunter Narr, 1986.
- Prokop, Dieter: Medienprodukte. Zugänge – Verfahren – Kritik. Tübingen: Gunter Narr, 1981.
- Schneider, Jost, ed. Methodengeschichte der Germanistik. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2009.
- Schumacher, Meinolf. Einführung in die deutsche Literatur des Mittelalters. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 2010. ISBN 978-3-534-19603-6
- Shitanda, So. "Zur Vorgeschichte und Entstehung der deutschen Philologie im 19. Jh.: Karl Lachmann und die Brüder Grimm", in Literarische Problematisierung der Moderne. Medienprodukte : Zugänge-- Verfahren-- Kritik, ed. by Teruaki Takahashi. Munich: Iudicium, 1992.
- Van Cleve, John W. and A. Leslie Willson. Remarks on the Needed Reform of German Studies in the United States. Columbia, SC: Camden House, 1993.
Journals
[edit]- Acta Germanica
- Arbitrium[73]
- German Life and Letters[74]
- German Studies Review
- The Germanic Review[75]
- Germanistik[76]
- Germanistik in Ireland
- The German Quarterly
- Goethe Yearbook[77]
- Journal of Austrian Studies[78]
- The Journal of English and Germanic Philology
- Journal of Germanic Linguistics
- Lessing Yearbook[79]
- Modern Language Notes (German Issue)
- Monatshefte[80]
- Michigan Germanic Studies
- New German Critique
- Oxford German Studies[81]
- Publications of the English Goethe Society[82]
- Seminar[83]
- Teaching German (Unterrichtspraxis)[84]
- Text+Kritik
- Transit[85]
- Zeitschrift für interkulturelle Germanistik[86]
- Zeitschrift für Germanistik[87]
References
[edit]- ^ https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/cipdetail.aspx?y=56&cipid=89535
- ^ https://cir.nii.ac.jp/crid/1130000798038236416
- ^ https://www.britannica.com/art/German-literature
- ^ https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/cipdetail.aspx?y=56&cipid=89535
- ^ https://www.daad.org/en/about-us/network/german-centers/
- ^ See e.g. the left navigation at the web page of one of the Cologne University German studies institutes at http://idsl1.phil-fak.uni-koeln.de/
- ^ Dollinger, Stefan (7 August 2024). "Eberhard Kranzmayer's dovetailing with Nazism: His fascist years and the 'One Standard German Axiom (OSGA)'". Discourse & Society. doi:10.1177/09579265241259094. ISSN 0957-9265.
- ^ Hutton, Christopher. 1999. Linguistics and the Third Reich. Routledge, pp. 2-3.
- ^ Kandel, Eric R. 2006. In Search of Memory. New York: W. W. Norton, p. 30
- ^ Jandl M (2022) Die Germanistik in Graz in der Nachkriegszeit. In: Halbrainer H, Korbel S, Lamprecht G (eds) Der schwierige Umgang mit dem Nationalsozialismus an österreichischen Universitäten: Die Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz im Vergleich. Graz: Clio, pp.157–194.
- ^ "About the Department - Department of German Studies". germanistik.uni-graz.at. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- ^ "Abgeschlossene Projekte - Institut für Germanistik". germanistik.uni-graz.at. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- ^ "Deutschabteilung Benin". 16 May 2023.
- ^ https://www.prpg.usp.br/en/enrolling-at-usp/list-of-courses/740-german-language-and-literature-studies
- ^ "Department of German Language & Literature". 9 February 2006. Archived from the original on 9 February 2006.
- ^ "Department of Germanic Languages & Literatures - University of Toronto". Department of Germanic Languages & Literatures. 20 February 2025. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
- ^ "Katedra německých a rakouských st. | IMS - Institut mezinárodních studií". ims.fsv.cuni.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ^ "Katedra germanistiky". Katedra germanistiky (in Czech). Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ^ "Centre of German Studies". 4 April 2006. Archived from the original on 4 April 2006.
- ^ "German - Trinity College Dublin". university.
- ^ "German - University College Cork". University College Cork.
- ^ "Germanistik Bonn". germanistik.uni-bonn.de.
- ^ "Institut für deutsche Sprache & Literatur". idsl1.phil-fak.uni-koeln.de. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ^ "German Language and Literature". 10 December 2005. Archived from the original on 10 December 2005.
- ^ "Institut für Deutsche Philologie - LMU München". germanistik.uni-muenchen.de.
- ^ Institut, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germanistisches. "Germanistik - Germanistisches Institut". uni-muenster.de.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Welcome Page". www.gs.uoa.gr. Archived from the original on 2 September 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "Αρχική σελίδα". del.auth.gr.
- ^ http://www.ffl.msu.ru/en/about/structure
- ^ "German Language and Literature at UCT". 16 May 2023.
- ^ "Division German". 16 May 2023.
- ^ "NWU German". 16 May 2023.
- ^ "UP German". 17 May 2023.
- ^ "German Studies - What, why how?". 16 May 2023.
- ^ "Stellenbosch German Studies Programme". 16 May 2023.
- ^ "UWC German". 16 May 2023.
- ^ "Wits, Why study German?". 16 May 2023.
- ^ http://www.usal.es/aleman [permanent dead link]
- ^ "German Courses @ MAK". 16 May 2023.
- ^ "Department of German Studies - University of Arizona". Department of German Studies - University of Arizona.
- ^ "German at the UofA - University of Arkansas". german.uark.edu.
- ^ "Department of German Studies - German Studies". brown.edu. 29 April 2024.
- ^ "German Department, University of California, Berkeley". 8 February 2006. Archived from the original on 8 February 2006.
- ^ "Home - Germanic Languages - UCLA". Germanic Languages - UCLA.
- ^ "Germanic & Slavic Languages & Literatures". Germanic & Slavic Languages & Literatures.
- ^ "Department of Germanic Languages". germanic.columbia.edu. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ^ "German Studies | German Studies Cornell Arts & Sciences". german.cornell.edu. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ^ "Home Page". Department of German. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "DEPARTMENT OF GERMANIC LANGUAGES & LITERATURES". fas.harvard.edu.
- ^ "Germanic Studies - University of Illinois at Chicago - UIC". lcsl.las.uic.edu.
- ^ ATLAS - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "Home « Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign". www.germanic.illinois.edu.
- ^ "German & Scandinavian Studies - LLC - UMass Amherst". umass.edu.
- ^ "Germanic Languages and Literatures - U-M LSA Germanic Languages and Literatures". lsa.umich.edu.
- ^ "German, Scandinavian & Dutch Department". German, Nordic, Slavic & Dutch | College of Liberal Arts. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ^ "Department of German". New York University.
- ^ "Department of Germanic & Slavic Languages and Literatures". Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ^ "Department of German - Northwestern University". german.northwestern.edu.
- ^ "Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures". Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures.
- ^ "Germanic Languages and Literatures". ccat.sas.upenn.edu.
- ^ "Welcome! Willkommen! Добро пожаловать! Вітаємо! Witamy! — German". german.la.psu.edu.
- ^ "University of Pittsburgh: Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures". 10 February 2008. Archived from the original on 10 February 2008.
- ^ "Department of German". german.princeton.edu.
- ^ "Germanic Studie Website Redirect". Archived from the original on 14 January 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2006.
- ^ "Modern Language Major". Truman State University. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- ^ "Home". Department of German, Russian and East European Studies. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ^ "Department of German and Russian". www.uvm.edu. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
- ^ "german.virginia.edu -". virginia.edu.
- ^ "Department of Germanics - University of Washington". depts.washington.edu.
- ^ "Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures - Washington University in St. Louis". german.wustl.edu.
- ^ "Welcome". Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures. Yale University.
- ^ "German". Linguistics & Germanic, Slavic, Asian and African Languages. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "Programmes Offered". www.uz.ac.zw. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
- ^ "Arbitrium". De Gruyter. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- ^ "German Life and Letters". Wiley Online Library. doi:10.1111/(ISSN)1468-0483. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- ^ "Journal overview". The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture and Theory. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
- ^ "Germanistik". De Gruyter. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- ^ "GOETHE YEARBOOK". Goethe Society of North America. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
- ^ "Journal of Austrian Studies". Project Muse. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- ^ "Lessing Yearbook/Jahrbuch". Lessing Society.
- ^ "Home: Monatshefte". UW Press Journals Division. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
- ^ "Oxford German Studies". Taylor & Francis. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- ^ "Publications of the English Goethe Society". English Goethe Society. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- ^ "Seminar". Project Muse. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- ^ "Teaching German (Unterrichtspraxis)". Wiley Online Journal. doi:10.1111/(ISSN)1756-1221. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- ^ "Transit". Berkeley.
- ^ "About this journal". De Gruyter. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
- ^ "Zeitschrift für Germanistik". Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
External links
[edit]- BUBL Link (UK-based) Catalogue of Internet Resources Concerning the German Language (well organized; covers many aspects of the language and the study of it)
- University of Adelaide's categorized guide to German Area Studies online
- http://www.dartmouth.edu/~wess/wesslit.html Archived 18 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine (Dartmouth's German-Studies Web links, annotated and arranged by topic)
- https://web.archive.org/web/20051104142631/http://libadm87.rice.edu/ref/german.cfm (Rice University's guide to German studies, including printed literature and links to German newspapers and magazines)[dead link]
- http://www.germanistik.net/ Archived 15 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine germanistik.net (tries to get the user straight to the best sources of help; in German)
- Germanistik im Netz – Erlanger Liste (The 'Erlanger Liste' is currently[as of?] the largest collection of links to the various aspects of G***, including such archives, publishers, etc.; in German)
- Literaturwissenschaft online ("Literaturwissenschaft online" Kiel University's e-learning site with live and archived lectures; free of charge; in German.)
- Bibliographie der Deutschen Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft ("BDSL Online" is the electronic version of the largest bibliography in the field of German language and literature studies. Access to report years 1985–1995 is free of charge.)
- https://web.archive.org/web/20060418211215/http://www.doaj.org/ljbs?cpid=8 (DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals, Literature and Languages)
- https://web.archive.org/web/20060411030830/http://www.sign-lang.uni-hamburg.de/Medienprojekt/Literatur/9.med.analy.html (University of Hamburg site with media studies bibliography)
- Categorical list of German Departments around the world Archived 26 May 2019 at the Wayback Machine
- Departmental Ratings (USA)
- Directory of some German resources in libraries and research centers throughout California Archived 5 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- American Library Association German Studies Web
- Library guides