Courses are held in English (75%) and German (25%). Each participant can choose to write his or her dissertation in the language agreed upon with his or her supervisor.
The deadline for applications is 1 February every year. In some cases – for example, if the applicant will not finish her/his degree until after 1 February – it is possible to extend the deadline to 1 May after consulting the IPP.
The International PhD Programme (IPP) "Literary and Cultural Studies" at Justus Liebig University Giessen offers a clearly structured and research-oriented, three-year doctoral programme focusing on four research areas:
Participating departments include English and American Studies, German Studies, Romance Studies, Slavic Studies, Comparative Literary Studies and Theatre Studies.
The IPP curriculum grants postgraduate students the opportunity to develop their academic profile in a wide range of courses designed specifically for (international) PhD students in the fields of literary and cultural studies. Core modules, seminars, workshops and Master's classes with renowned scholars from all over the world acquaint postgraduate students with state-of-the-art concepts, theories, methodologies and approaches. At the same time, IPP members are encouraged to pursue independent research from an early stage in their academic careers onwards. International Summer Schools and Conferences organised within the framework of an expansive international network with high-ranking universities from around the world integrate IPP members into national and international academic communities. The languages of instruction are German and English.
IPP members benefit from the programme's close integration into academic structures at Justus Liebig University (JLU). The IPP and the Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture (GCSC) jointly organise parts of their programmes. Additionally, IPP members are welcome to join junior research groups at the Giessen Graduate Centre for the Humanities (GGK) and to publish in the GGK/GCSC's online review journal KULT_online.
IPP members not only find support in developing an international academic profile, but may acquire additional academic and practical qualifications that pave their way to academic as well as non-academic job markets. The GGK/GCSC Career Service offers chances to strategically plan life after the dissertation even while pursuing your degree and to facilitate the transition from postgraduate studies into the professional world. The GCSC Teaching Centre assists PhD students in acquiring valuable didactic skills, which are relevant in academic teaching as well as in many non-academic professions, and supports PhD candidates in elaborating their own teaching portfolios.
Multi-track supervision and mentoring structures encompass professorial supervisors, postdoctoral mentors and peer-group coaching. Our international participants benefit from tutorials and language courses especially designed to pave their way to involvement in the German academic community. Social and cultural activities, such as excursions or theatre visits, complete our programme and facilitate strong bonds with peers.
Set in an intellectually stimulating and international context, the IPP provides extensive supervision and mentoring structures. The programme offers multi-track supervision and mentoring systems revolving around professorial supervisors, postdoctoral mentors, and peer-group coaching. The mentors provide advice not only on the dissertation, but also on scholarships, on applying for conferences, writing articles and similar activities.
The IPP offers a rich and promising environment for pursuing your PhD and guarantees support and guidance in all matters relating to your PhD throughout the three years of membership. Personal supervision is complemented by participation in our curriculum: regular colloquia with fellow PhD students, professors and post-docs allow an ongoing discussion of one's own project, as well as those of others, from an early state of inception to the submission of the PhD thesis.
Master's classes and workshops with high-ranking academics from around the world offer PhD students the chance to present their projects to specialists in the field, to benefit from their feedback, and to establish valuable international contacts.
A broad spectrum of courses conveys essential skills e.g. in time management, in writing styles and techniques, in the handling of software tools for publishing, and managing bibliographies.
PDF DownloadSelected IPP members will be invited to partake of our PhDNet programme, which offers the PhD qualification as a Cotutelle. The selected candidates have the opportunity to participate in regular symposia with their peers from other institutions and will spend part of their PhD studying with one of our partner institutions: Finnish Graduate School Helsinki, University of Stockholm, University of Graz, University of Bergamo, Catholic University of Lisbon, or University of Warwick. For more information, see: https://www.uni-giessen.de/en/faculties/ggkgcsc/graduateprogrammes/phdnet/phdnet.
An internship is not part of the programme.
Members have the possibility of teaching in Faculty Five: Language, Literature, and Culture. Together with the Teaching Centre, the IPP offers didactics training and a co-teaching programme, which pairs PhD students with professors and faculty members to deliver undergraduate seminars at JLU.
The IPP also regularly runs its workshop series, which offers members the chance to deliver a two-hour workshop on a subject of their expertise. This work is remunerated.
314.87 EUR
Approx. 900 EUR
Students wishing to apply to the IPP "Literary and Cultural Studies" must hold a university degree in Literary Studies (e.g. German Studies, English/American Studies, Romance Studies, Slavic Studies, Comparative Literary Studies, Theatre Studies) with a GPA (average/final grade) well above average. Applicants should either hold a "Diplom", "Magister", "Erstes Staatsexamen" or Master's degree if obtained in Germany or a university degree equivalent to the German Master of Arts with thesis if obtained abroad. Furthermore, sound knowledge in either English or German is required.
For most disciplinary areas, the language of the dissertation and the dissertation defence is either German or English. The PhD Committee may accept the language of your respective discipline (i.e., French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese) as well.
Even if the language of the dissertation is other than German, basic skills in German need to be acquired in the course of your studies. The IPP offers courses and training in German, English, and French. We would warmly advise you, however, to acquire a basic knowledge of German before coming to Giessen.
The deadline for applications is 1 February every year. In some cases – for example, if the applicant will not finish her/his degree until after 1 February – it is possible to extend the deadline to 1 May after consulting the IPP.
Prof Dr Dr hc Ansgar Nünning
International PhD Programme (IPP) "Literary and Cultural Studies"
Giessen Graduate School for the Humanities (GGK)
Justus Liebig University Giessen
Otto-Behaghel-Str. 12
35394 Giessen
Germany
Halls of residence and private accommodation: www.uni-giessen.de/acc
Career Service and special opportunities for international students: https://www.uni-giessen.de/en/faculties/research-centers/zfbk/career_services/career_services_inhalt_en?set_language=en
Founded in 1607, Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU), Germany, is a comprehensive university with a longstanding tradition which attracts around 26,000 students. JLU is offering the full range of traditional and modern subjects with top-level teaching and research ‒ extending from classical natural sciences, law and economics, social and educational sciences, linguistics and cultural studies to a unique selection of life science subjects such as human and veterinary medicine, agricultural, environmental and nutritional sciences and food chemistry. The leading personae who carried out research and taught at JLU include a number of Nobel Prize winners, such as Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (Nobel Prize for Physics in 1901) and Wangari Maathai (Nobel Peace Prize in 2004). Since 2006, research at JLU has received continuous funding from the Excellence Initiative schemes and the Excellence Strategy of the German Federal Republic and Federal States.
With around 94,000 inhabitants, Giessen has one of the highest student densities throughout Germany. Four higher education institutions with altogether 40,000 students provide a unique college-town atmosphere. The city offers plenty of leisure options for students, such as canoeing on the Lahn river, walks and picnics in its multiple green areas, cinemas with student concession tickets, the municipal theatre with a programme consisting of plays, opera and ballet as well as swimming pools and sports facilities, and a variety of pubs, restaurants and night life venues. The great thing about Giessen is that it's an easy place to navigate and, when the mood takes you, to escape into the picturesque surrounding countryside or the metropolis of Frankfurt am Main, which is about 60 kilometres away.
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