Which courses should I take in the first semester? Where can I find the course catalogue? And how do I have to register?

These are probably the most pressing questions you have at the moment. You will find all necessary information and deadlines on this special page of the Starter Kit.

In lectures, communication is mainly one-directional, i.e. the lecturer (usually a professor) shares input with a large number of students. This does, however, not mean that lecturers do not encourage students to be involved, for instance through shorter discussion phases, Q&A parts or polls.

Seminars live off interaction, communication and discussion among a smaller number of students and, of course, the instructor.

Tutorials usually take place in the context of another course, either a seminar (as with the Basic Module Liteary Studies) or a larger lecture. In a tutorial, you meet with a smaller group of students and a tutor, who is usually a more experienced student, in order to talk about what you learned in the course or ask questions. In the Basic Module Literary Studies tutorials, the tutors will also, and most importantly, instruct you on general skills that you need in order to study successfully, such as writing, giving presentations, or using the library. These skills are basic academic skills that you will need in your futher course of studies.

The suggested coursework is a general recommendation. Your individual circumstances might call for a different schedule. If, for example, you need to fulfill special requirements for your second subject, learning Latin or another language, your course of studies will change.

Taking the Basic Modules Academic English and Literary Studies is the absolute minimum for your first semester. Please try to not take fewer courses unless you have very good reasons to do so. In case you have to choose, please take the Basic Module Academic English, i.e. the course "Language and Use," instead of the Basic Module Literary Studies because the latter comes in a module consisting of a lecture and a seminar with a joint tutorial. It is not possible to split the Basic Module Literary Studies and take individual courses of the module in different semesters.

You want to take more courses than recommended because you have more time on your hands? The lecture in the Basic Module Linguistics titled "Introduction to English Linguistics" is normally recommended for the second semester and should only be taken in the first semester if, for whatever reason, you want or need to take further courses in English.