History of the Department of British and North American Studies in Greifswald

By Prof. Dr. Käthe Kluth (1899-1985)

Already in the mid-18th Century, the English language was taught by tutors, later called lecturers,. From 1800 onwards English linguistics and literature were taught by professors from various subject disciplines, until the Department of Modern Languages was founded in 1853 and the Modern Languages Seminar in 1882. [...]

A first senior lecturer position was created in the budget for summer semester 1881 and in 1908 a full professorship for English Linguistics and Literature was brought to life. From thereon in, the Department of English in Greifswald experienced rapid growth. Before the Modern Languages Seminar was founded in 1882, the English courses were mainly based on English language courses. The basis for the linguistic exercises were individual works of English literature. One of the first works, which was read from summer 1780 onwards, was Milton’s Paradise Lost. Furthermore, English literature works were interpreted regularly, such as Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Macaulay’s History of England.

In 1853 the modern language received a better fundament as part of the Department of Modern Languages. Lecturer Dr. Bernhard Schmitz also gave private lessons in English writing and speaking. Prof. Schmitz was Greifswald’s first modern linguist, who looked at the study of Old English in his courses.

During the last third of the 19^th Century the study of modern languages and literature in Greifswald became increasingly important. In 1882 the Modern Languages Seminar was created, which was made up of a Department of French and a Department of English. The founding of the Modern Languages Seminar marks the start of actual modern studies of English Linguistics and Literature in Greifswald. The course’s emphasis was on historical grammar, Old English literary history and Old and Middle English language practice. Translations of German texts into English and English conversational practice completed the students’ education.

In 1886 the first Englishman was employed as a teacher at the Department. George Herbert Clarke from Clare College in Cambridge gave courses in English linguistics and on modern English literature. Lecturer Edmund Crosby Quiggin gave a lecture on American literature in the winter semester 1899/1900, which was the first course taught on American literature in Greifswald. From 1898 onwards, regular courses were given on English history and geography. Phonetic exercises began in summer semester 1902.

The separation from the Romance department was finally completed with the founding of the English Seminar in 1911. In 1923 the English Seminar moved from the Domstraße into the building in the Wollweberstraße 4 and was relocated to the University Main Building in 1930.

The research group for English history and geography (“englandkundliches Archiv”) was created in 1937; its goals included maintaining German-English cultural relations [...] and the cultural and political instruction of the students. Again a war inhibited the Department’s work, although lecturing was continued.

In 1951 the English Seminar was transformed into the Department of English. At this time, special emphasis was placed on the linguistic training of the students. Phonetics and intonation exercises with the analysis of gramophone records were introduced. In 1951 the specialisation of the Department of English was completed with the creation of a linguistic and a literary branch. The length of studies was increased to 5 years.

The Department of English has been located at Steinbeckerstraße 15 since 1948. Students have access to the comprehensive library in the same building, whose oldest work (George Sandys’ A Relation of a Journey begun An. Dom. 1610) was published in 1637. On the 9^th January 1956 the Department of English’s library was home to 10,564 volumes.

(Source: Prof. Dr. Käthe Kluth, in: Festschrift zur 500 Jahrfeier der Universität Greifswald, 17/01/1956, Volume 2).