The Department of Germanic Languages and Cultures

The Department of Germanic Languages and Cultures was created in 1994. The main objective of the department is to train highly-skilled teachers of German language in universities and schools, translators, as well as specialists in linguistics and intercultural communication.

From 1994 to now on the department was headed by professors T. Yudina, D. Dobrovolsky, N. Mironova, V. Zakharov.

A wide range of theoretical courses has been created on the department, among which there are “Lexicology”, “German philology basics”, “History of the German language”, “Grammar theory: morphology and syntax”, “Textual linguistics”, “Theory of translation”, “Theory and practice of teaching the German language”. The course known as “World of a language” consists of courses in history, culture and literature of Germany and Austria.

The following special courses and seminars are read on the department: “Modern ways of creating tests in foreign languages”, “Contemporary trends of the development of the German language”, “Political vocabulary in mass media of Germany and ways of teaching it”, “Argumentation as an interactive resource”, “Analysis of the newspaper text”, “Synchronic and diachronic analysis of the German language vocabulary”, “Military organization, special forces and law enforcement in the Federative Republic of Germany”, “Informational technologies in teaching German as a foreign language”. Dozens of graduate and postgraduate papers have been written and successfully held under the supervision of department professors.

All curriculum programs developed on the department include a sociocultural part, which allows to learn not only the German language, but also the mentality of its native speakers, what currently is the main requirement for the training of high-skilled linguists in various spheres. The problems of the German-speaking world, as well as of intercultural communication between Russians and Germans are deeply studied on the department of the Germanic languages and cultures.

Thanks to the international connections of the department, students and teachers have a possibility of going to the universities of German and Austria (Augsburg, Würzburg, Göttingen, Mannheim, Vienna, Salzburg) as exchange students or teachers.

The department closely cooperates with such organizations as:

• German academic exchange service (DAAD);
• Austrian academic exchange service (OeAD);
• Goethe-Institut;
• German history institute (DHI) in Moscow. 

DAAD and OeAD lecturers, as well as assistant teachers from the Vienna university, work for the department, and German and Austrian exchange students study regularly at the faculty.

Head of the department – Doctor of Historical Sciences, professor Vladimir Vladimirovitch Zakharov