Frequently asked questions

Yes, if there is space. But please check on Campus if there is still space in the course before writing to me. If there is space, then write me an e-mail. Include your name, matriculation number, and course of study.
If the course is full, you have to join the bottom of the waiting list. It would be unfair not to let other people in who registered in time, but let you in who didn't.
You can find out if there is space on Campus by clicking on the course you want to do. Then look down for the link Belegungsinformation. That will tell you how many places have been taken and if there is a long queue. If there are some exceptional circumstances why I might be willing to accept you anyway, then write to me and explain why. For example, if you are an exchange student, you probably can't register in the usual way. Just write to me, I'll do my best to help.

Then go onto Campus and read what the preconditions are. I have to assume that you know a bit about how grammar works; you can't start as a zero beginner. It is therefore a precondition that you have done a PS in grammar or a related field. A PS Intro Syntax is fine, PS Minimalist Syntax is fine, PS Structure and Meaning is also fine, a PS in sentence processing would be fine too.

Basically, no. This would be okay in a lecture in which one person stands at front and talks for an hour and a half, and then everyone leaves the room. But everybody is expected to take full part in a seminar so there isn't really a place for people to be in the room but not part of the course. And there is usually no spare space anyway

Probably, yes.   I offer two sorts of supervision: if you are doing something which I am actively interested in, then I can offer 'active' supervision, which means that I am fairly involved in what you do and give detailed advice.  But if you want to do your own thing, I would offer 'passive' supervision.  This means that you basically do it all yourself, though I am of course available to talk to you about it.  If you have active supervision, then of course I expect you to achieve a much higher standard.  If I have only passively supervised you, I will of course be much more tolerant of mistakes and gaps.  I am fairly open about topics: if you have done a Hauptseminar with me and you want to do something which is in my areas of interest, come and talk to me about it.

Write me an e-mail and explain why. I understand that people sometimes need to work in the holidays, others go abroad at the end of term. It is more important that you make the most of your six months in Australia than that you hand in your paper strictly on time. Write me an e-mail and explain. I'll be sympathetic if you have a good reason.
I would rather you took a couple of weeks more, and wrote a really good paper, than you hand in a poor, hurried paper. But bear in mind that the longer you leave it, the more difficult it gets.  The new term brings new commitments.

Yes, probably. To import a course, it must be 'equivalent' to what we do here.  That means:
1. It must have enough ECTS. You can put together credits from multiple courses.
2. It must be in a 'core' linguistic area that we do here, mostly that means it must be Linguistics, not too far in the direction Applied Linguistics.
3. For a seminar, it should require active participation, not just sitting listening like in a lecture.
4. For the Hauptseminar in the Focus Module, it must have a written component in the Prüfungsleistung.
5. We can be fairly flexible about the size of courses.  For example, if you want credit to count for an Advanced Module which has a Proseminar for 6 points and an Übung for 3 points, it's fine if you do two courses with 5 points.  I would also accept two courses with 4 points each; I would overlook the one missing point.

Yes, this is tricky. When the degree scheme was designed it was intended that the Linguistics Proseminar would be complemented by a Vorlesung or Übung on a related topic. Unfortunately, this is difficult to achieve in practice because our B.Ed. students do so many different second subjects (Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Maths, Catholic Theology, Protestant Theology, Islamic Theology, Latin, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Turkish, Geography, History, Politics, Economics, Sport, Art, Music, ... there may be more). So it is very difficult to find times for two linked courses when even most people can come. In practice therefore, while some Proseminar courses offer a related Übung or similar, others don't. In this case you can do just any other Linguistics course which is advertized as an Übung (but ungraded and thus with a reduced workload).

Go and read the Prüfungsordnung. Don't come and ask me questions like this without first reading the rulebook. It's a available on the website of the faculty. And if you have further questions, go and ask the departmental helpdesk. If there is then a real question outstanding, they will pass you on to me.

Yes, if I know you, for example because I have taught you. Come to my Sprechstunde or write me an e-mail and I will tell you how we will go about it.

Send me a pdf.  I don't want a paper copy.  The examination office may insist that you submit a paper copy, but I don't actually want it.

If you think it is a question which should appear here, send me an e-mail to tell me.