A streetscape in a small German town, displaying cobbled streets, white and pink flowers, and traditional timber-and-beam-houses.

Facts & figures

Modern Languages

#1 in NSW
2024 QS World University Rankings

Germanic Studies

Exploring Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein

Immersed in the history, literature, culture and ideas of the German-speaking world.

The language of musicians, philosophers and scientists, German is spoken by more than 100 million people and has a major presence on the European and world stages. Established in the 1850s, our discipline boasts a long history of teaching excellence and has grown to be one of the largest of its kind in Australia.

We offer language studies to beginner, intermediate and advanced speakers, as well as exchange programs with universities in Berlin, Vienna, Munich, Cologne, Freiburg and Constance. Our research areas span a wide range of academic enquiry that includes historic and contemporary German literature, cinema, art, history and German as a foreign language.

Our study offering

Germanic Studies

Study both the German language and culture, including literature, film, history and society. Through exchange programs in Berlin, Vienna, Munich, Cologne, Freiburg and Constance, you will experience exciting opportunities to enhance your language proficiency and deepen your understanding of German culture.

Undergraduate

Germanic Studies (Introductory)*
Germanic Studies (Intermediate)*
Germanic Studies (Advanced)*
Germanic Studies (Honours)
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Languages)
Diploma of Language Studies
Bachelor of Languages

*Available in the shared pool of majors and minors

Research

Doctor of Philosophy
Master of Philosophy
Master of Arts (Research)

Our research

Our discipline has a strong research focus across these areas:

Contemporary German literature, culture and society
German colonialism and nationalism
History of Germans in Australia and the Pacific
German, Austrian and Swiss film
Women and gender studies
German as a foreign language, applied linguistics, educational linguistics
19th and 20th century German history

Learn more about languages and cultures research.

Exchange

Our advanced exchange programs provide life-changing experiences in Germany and Austria where students exercise their language skills and develop an understanding of cultural intricacies first hand.

Partner institutions

Goethe University Frankfurt
Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Freie Universität Berlin
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich
Technical University Berlin
Universität Bamberg
Universität Konstanz
Universität Mannheim
Universität Wien, Vienna
Universität zu Köln, Cologne

Learn more about study abroad and student exchange.

Our people

Academic staff

Key academic contacts

Undergraduate coursework, language level assessment and exchange: tristan.lay@sydney.edu.au
Postgraduate, honours and research: brangwen.stone@sydney.edu.au

Sessional staff

Emilie Kolb
Michael Rieke
Silke Schoppe
Dr Sabina Zulovic

Honorary Associates

Dr Andrea Bandhauer
Associate Professor Franz-Josef Deiters
Dr Cat Moir Wolfe
Professor Tony Stephens

Germanic Studies

Diploma of Language Studies

Flexible pathway program

Chair

Dr Brangwen Stone

Visit Dr Stone's academic profile

Contact

Phone

1800 SYD UNI (1800 793 864) (in Australia)
+61 2 8627 1444 (outside Australia)

Email

slc.enquiries@sydney.edu.au

Address

School of Languages and Cultures, Room 506, Brennan MacCallum Building A18, The University of Sydney NSW 2006

Social media

Connect with us

Scholarships

Opportunities from the School of Languages and Cultures

Featured news

Group photo at the 2024 School of Languages and Cultures Awards Ceremony

Awarding student excellence in languages and cultures

The School of Languages and Cultures hosted its 2024 Awards Ceremony to recognise 61 students for their outstanding performance in language and culture studies with special guests, donors and officials from around the world.

Typed letter in Indonesian from the early 1950s, collected at the National Archives of Australia

Re-imagining Australia using a multilingual lens

'Opening the Multilingual Archives of Australia' project hopes to mobilise under-utilised non-English resources from over 50 languages to highlight the multilingual nature of Australian history.

Seated guests and presenters in the MacLaurin Hall watching a mezzo-soprano singer and pianist performing

Community celebration of student excellence in languages and cultures

With special guests including benefactors and official representatives from various countries, the School of Languages and Cultures held its 2023 Awards Ceremony in recognition of 94 high-achieving students for their academic performance.

19 January 2023

Charlie Chaplin dressed in character as Hitler

Performing Nazism: Why would you wear the Holocaust like a costume?

Ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day, Dr Benjamin Nickl, in the School of Languages and Cultures, explores the use of Nazi uniforms in popular culture. He argues that Nazi costumes can wear out our moral responsibility.

13 December 2022

Frame of world globe lit against blue evening sky

5 reasons to get the Diploma of Language Studies

Gain sought-after skillsets from the state’s leading institution for Modern Languages.* Our flexible pathway program allows you to learn a language (or more) during or after your degree at your own pace.

13 October 2021

Magnifying glass over the land of Australia on a globe

Rethinking Australia in many languages

Understanding Australia requires more than knowledge of the English language. Professor Adrian Vickers highlights the wealth of non-English sources and cross-cultural exchanges that can reorient our perspective on the Australian story.

Stained glass window in the Great Hall

Celebrating student success in languages and cultures

The School of Languages and Cultures hosted its 2021 Awards Ceremony to recognise 136 students for their outstanding performance in the academic years of 2019 and 2020.

16 December 2020

Bird's eye view of the University's Quadrangle and surrounding buildings on campus

Recognising high-achieving students in language and culture studies

The School of Languages and Cultures congratulates 75 students who have received scholarships and prizes in 2020.

15 December 2020

Collage of book covers

Smart Summer Books

We asked the Heads of Schools in Humanities to nominate some of the must-read academic books of 2020. Grab a cup of tea and get into them.

16 November 2020

Reflection of Quadrangle on the New Law School Building.

ARC success for University of Sydney researchers

The Australian Research Council (ARC) has announced University of Sydney researchers will receive funding for more than 50 new Linkage and Discovery projects.

11 November 2020

Collage of language graduates

How languages help you stand out from the crowd

From law to tech, public health to environmental policy, meet some of our language graduates who are making an impact across various fields in Australia and beyond.

09 September 2020

Collage of eight language students from the University of Sydney

Learning languages at Sydney

At the University of Sydney, we teach languages through cultures. From extracurricular enrichment to scholarship support, our students share some highlights and key opportunities from their language learning experience.

Vice-Chancellor Dr Michael Spence and students in the University's Quadrangle

Learning languages opens our minds

Vice-Chancellor and Principal at the University of Sydney, Dr Michael Spence, recently graduated with a Diploma of Languages (Korean Studies) at the very university he leads.

Colourful assortment of world flags with poles stuck into a sun-lit concrete bluish-grey wall

How studying languages can expand your world

In this interconnected era, cross-cultural and multilingual skills are integral to navigating the world around us. We talk with two of our former students who are making their mark through languages.

Sandstone building of the University of Sydney's Quadrangle with purple Australian native flowers in the foreground

Five minutes with Yixu Lu

In the lead up to the University's first multilingual conference on world literature, we speak with Professor Yixu Lu, convenor of the World Literatures and Global South Conference, about the cultural and linguistic diversity of international literary works.

20 November 2018

Large pile of boxed packages in an old warehouse

The lost voices of WWI: German internment in Australia

The story of Australia's 'German Concentration Camps', as they were called, is a little-known episode in the history of the First World War. Now, 100 years on, a collection of letters written by these internees have been translated into English for the first time by students from the University of Sydney's Department of Germanic Studies.

Stock image of stack of books.

Grants success for University of Sydney humanities researchers

Humanities academics from the University of Sydney have secured the largest number of 2018 grants awarded by the Australian Academy of the Humanities.