Reading list for the oral qualifying examination

Book stacked together in a row

Applied linguistics

This list contains titles that are mandatory readings, divided into five sections A–E. Beside, there are additional reference works listed in each section. These works are not meant to be read from cover to cover. In order to prepare for the Oral Qualifying Examination, it is advisable to consult these reference works and read the entries that are relevant for the respective topics covered in the exam.

A. General overviews

Kramsch, C. (2008). Language and Culture. Oxford: OUP.

B. Sociolinguistics and Interactional Linguistics

Johnstone, B. (2008). Discourse Analysis. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. (Second Edition).

Jaworski, A., & Coupland, N. (Eds.) (2014). The Discourse Reader. London: Routledge. (Third edition).

Reference Works:

  • Ammon, U., Dittmar, N., Mattheier, K. J., & Trudgill, P. (Eds.) (2005). Sociolinguistics: An International Handbook of the Science of Language and Society. Berlin/New York: De Gruyter. (2 volumes).
  • Crystal, D. (1987). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language. Cambridge: CUP.
  • Sidnell, J., & Stivers, T. (Eds.) (2013), The Handbook of Conversation Analysis. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

C. Multilingualism

Kramsch, C. (2009). The Multilingual Subject. Oxford: OUP.

Weber, J.-J., & Horner, K. (2012). Introducing Multilingualism. A Social Approach. London: Routledge.

Reference Works:

  • May, S. (Ed.) (2014). The Multilingual Turn. Implications for SLA, TESOL and Bilingual Education. New York/London: Routledge.

D. L2 Learning/Teaching

Kumaravadivelu, B. (2006). Understanding Language Teaching. From Method to Postmethod. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Markee, N. (Ed.) (2015). The Handbook of Classroom Discourse and Interaction. Wiley-Blackwell.

Reference Works:

  • Burwitz-Meltzer, E., Mehlhorn, G., Riemer, C., Bausch, K.-R., & Krumm, H. J. (Eds.). (2016). Handbuch Fremdsprachenunterricht. Tübingen: Narr/Francke. (6. Auflage, überarbeitet).
  • Caspari et al (Eds.) (2016). Forschungsmethoden in der Fremdsprachendidaktik. Tübingen: Narr.

E. Deutsche Sprache und Deutsch als Fremdsprache

Rösler, D. (2012). Deutsch als Fremdsprache. Eine Einführung. Stuttgart: Metzler.

Fox, A. (2005). The Structure of German. Oxford: OUP.

Reference Works:

  • Fandrych, C., Hufeisen, B., Krumm, H.-J., & Riemer, C. (Eds.) (2010). Handbuch Deutsch als Fremd- und Zweitsprache. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
  • Ernst, P. (2011). Germanistische Sprachwissenschaft: Eine Einführung. UTB.
  • König, W. (2007). Dtv-Atlas Deutsche Sprache. DTV.
  • Zifonun, G., Hoffmann, L., Strecker, B., et al. (1997). Grammatik der deutschen Sprache. Berlin: de Gruyter. (3 volumes).

Back to top

Literature and film

Literature
  • G. E. Lessing: Emilia Galotti
  • J. W. Goethe: Iphigenie; Faust I
  • F. Schiller: Maria Stuart
  • Novalis: Heinrich von Ofterdingen
  • H. v. Kleist: Die Verlobung in St. Domingo
  • E. Hoffmann: Der Sandmann
  • A. Stifter: Brigitta
  • G. Büchner: Woyzeck
  • T. Fontane: Effi Briest
  • G. Hauptmann: Die Weber
  • A. Schnitzler: Reigen
  • T. Mann: Tod in Venedig
  • F. Kafka: Die Verwandlung
  • B. Brecht: Der kaukasische Kreidekreis
  • G. Grass: Die Blechtrommel
  • H. Müller: Atemschaukel
  • T. Bernhard: Heldenplatz

Intellectual History
  • I. Kant: Was ist Aufklärung?
  • F. Nietzsche: Zur Genealogie der Moral
  • S. Freud: “Das Unheimliche”
  • W. Benjamin: Ninth Thesis from Über den Begriff der Geschichte

Film
  • R. Wiene: Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari
  • F. Lang: M
  • L. Riefenstahl: Triumph des Willens
  • H. Carow: Die Legende von Paul und Paula
  • R. Fassbinder: Die Ehe der Maria Braun
  • W. Wenders: Der Himmel über Berlin
  • F. Akin: Gegen die Wand
  • O. Hirschbiegel: Der Untergang

Histories of German Literature and Film
  • Hake, Sabine. German National Cinema. London: Routledge, 2002. PN1993.5.G3 H28 2002.
  • Watanabe-O’Kelly, Helen, ed. The Cambridge History of German Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1997. PT 91 .C36 1997.

Literary & Film Theory
  • Culler, Jonathan. Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: OUP. (Second Edition).
  • Faulstich, Werner. Grundkurs Filmanalyse. Muenchen: Fink, 2002, 2008.

General Reference (for consultation on authors, periods, etc., not for in-depth study)
  • Frenzel, Herbert A. and Elizabeth. Daten deutscher Dichtung. Chronologischer Abriß der deutschen Literaturgeschichte. 2 Bde. München: dtv, 1985. PT103 .F7 1985.
  • Garland, Henry B. The Oxford Companion to German Literature. Oxford: UP, 1997. Ref PT41 .G3 1997.
  • Konzett, Matthias, ed. Encyclopedia of German Literature. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2000. Ref PT41 .E63x 2000.
  • (The) Literary Encyclopedia. University of Waterloo Library Online Reference Shelf.
  • Metzler Literaturchronik. Stuttgart: Metzler, 1993. Ref PT85 .M44 1993.

Back to top