All You Need to Know about B.A. German Studies in Universiti Putra Malaysia (2020/2021)

For years, I have been receiving a lot of the same questions over and over again. All involving the course that I am studying; Bachelor of Arts Foreign Language (German). Some query about the university that I studied in, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). Some, they just don’t get the idea of studying this course. Via this blog, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and even Gmail, I have been receiving altogether repetitive questions. It wasn’t until now that I realized that I could’ve just compiled all the frequently ask questions about this course and provide the answer altogether. I am honoured to offer my help and provide ask many clarifications when it’s due. Anyways, should you are looking into Bachelor of Arts Foreign Language (French) instead, please take a look at this video by my faculty-mate. Hopefully, it benefits you.

Behold, the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on B.A. German Studies:

1. What to expect from this course?

For starters, expect to be able to speak German of course. You can read, write and speak in German. Even when you are not the most proficient, three and a half years studying German will give you that. If you are a history enthusiast, you can expect to study the history of Germany in details. You will also learn a lot about the Middle Age in Europe. Not to mention an exposure of Nazi Germany and the reunification of West and East of Germany. If history is not your thing, maybe culture is. You can explore the everyday norms of a German family. What are the stereotypes of a German? Typisch Deutsch or typical German. That might entertain you while learning.

If there’s anything to highlight, I would see this is a degree course. You should also expect to be independent. You will be occasionally required to conduct a presentation in German. You will also be asked questions in German. If you’re lucky, you will also have the freedom to conduct projects such as visiting German diaspora in Malaysia etc.

2. Do we need to have German basic to enrol in this course?

Absolutely not! Although having them will give you an extra edge, it is not necessary. This is because after all, you will be learning the language from scratch. From the alphabets to the numbers, all will be exposed on your first semester. So don’t worry, even when you don’t have any exposure to German, you can always learn it in your first semester.

I do, however, recommend you to try to give a little bit exposure on the language before your first class. Try YouTube online lessons. It is always good to have an edge in class.

3. Do you find this course to be tough?

This is quite subjective. Personally for me, not really. Probably it’s because my English is good and the German language has a lot of similarity with English which actually helps me a lot to compare and contrast between the two languages. Other than that, I can also say that language stream is always about you studying the grammar structure, the linguistic feature of language and its functions. Which generally, people find it easier than dealing with more scientific courses like Pure Science or Engineering. However, this is just my personal view.

It can be tough if, you don’t really practice the language that you just acquired. Take English for example. Most of us can easily master this language generally because it’s easier for us to practice it anywhere and anytime in Malaysia. The same cannot be said about the German language. Which is why it can be tough in that aspect.

4. How are the lecturers? Are they cool?

I assume that this question will not age well. People come and go. So does lecturers. If you take my experience solely, then I will say it is cool. Most of German lecturers in UPM are German natives. So for those who had never seen a European vis-à-vis, this will be a feat for you. I can assure you during my time, my lecturers are all fun and funny. They talk about their typical German problems which are fun to take note to. Some of them taught us the history of Germany where their grandfathers were in the Nazi and such. It’s fun to hear their stories.

Of course, some are very strict too. They are westerners after all. They won’t compromise our known culture of delaying time. I still remember one of my first class in German, one lecturer said: “I know it’s in your culture to be late into class, but please be punctual.” That’s an actual burn there.

5. What are the differences of German Studies between UPM and Universiti Malaya?

I might be wrong, but as far as I know, UPM and UM are the only IPTA that offers German as a degree major. Other IPTA might offer them as minor, though. Big difference there.

Now for the distinction between the two courses:

	UPM	UM
1	German Language Skills (Three semesters)	German Language Skills (Six semesters)
2	German Writing Skills	German Writing Skills
3	German Reading Skills	German Reading Skills
4	German Literature	German Literature
5	German History	German Civilisation
6	German Communication Skills	German Speaking Skills
7	German Grammar	German Phonetic & Phonology
8	German Text Translation	–
9	German 20th Century Arts	–

As you can see, not much difference honestly. Note that the subjects in italic are the same but with a different name. Bear in mind that the syllabus of each subject can also be different according to which university you choose. I mean, they have the autonomy to devise their own syllabus.

P/s: As far as I know, UPM’s course structure is also closely supervised under Goethe-Institut. This is a German equivalent of Malaysia’s Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP). Hence, you can say that this course is well-regulated. Unfortunately, I am not sure whether it is the same case for UM though.

6. Is it hard to be accepted to UPM? Will there be an interview?

I’m honestly not sure what you mean by ‘hard’, but as far as I am aware, what you see in the requirements are what is needed for you to be enrolled in BA German. Believe me, if you fit the given criteria, and BA German is your first choice, definitely you’ll be selected. And NO, there won’t be any interview for this particular degree so you are safe.

I believe when people claimed UPM is ‘hard’ or ‘tough’, it was referring to our dean’s list which is at 3.75 as opposed to UiTM’s 3.5 and UM’s 3.7

7. Will I get the chance to study in Germany?

If we are referring to a student exchange program throughout your study, my answer depends. This is because you need to work for what you want. UPM does not really offer the chance for its German students to study abroad for a semester. We currently do not have a bilateral tie with a German university that focuses on language. The only opportunity for you to travel to Germany during your degree study is a study trip. Given that you and your classmates really worked hard to raise funds and make it happen. Or, you can consider what I did. A two to four weeks of class in Germany via Goethe-Institut. So far, that’s the least we can do to step foot in Germany. But who knows? Maybe it was your luck that during your time in the future, UPM will actually offer a student exchange program.

Unfortunately, even if you did, it is highly unlikely for UPM to fund your study. They will probably provide you with a small amount of money still. Just be grateful. It will ease your finance a bit and it’s better than nothing.

Will there be any guarantee that you can travel to Germany during your degree? All I can say is that guarantee is a big word. If you performed well, however, there’s definitely a guarantee for you. Say, you can speak German very fluently and you have good grades. There’s a high chance for you to study there. If you ace, there will be a guarantee.

8. How are the course structure, assignments and assessments?

I’ll list the courses that I recall for now. (Bear in mind there might be changes every semester)

-GERMAN LANGUAGE

-GERMAN HISTORY

-GERMAN GRAMMAR

-GERMAN COMMUNICATION SKILLS

-GERMAN CULTURE

-GERMAN LITERATURE

-20th CENTURY GERMAN ARTS

-GERMAN FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSE: COMMERCE

-GERMAN FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSE: TOURISM

-GERMAN FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSE: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

I hope from the list of subjects above, you get the general idea of what you will be discovering in BA German. Don’t worry, this course is specially made for Beginners hence making it easy for you to acquire it during your first and second semesters.

I don’t think so I can really share with you the assignments and assessments. As these things can change over time. Especially when lecturers come and go.

9. Where can I go for an internship as a German student?

When it comes to internship, you are not limited to find any German related fields. The thing with the internship program is, it’s just there to help you get some working experience. In fact, in my case, I was an intern in Yayasan PETRONAS. Obviously, my German was not applied at all then, but you should realize that internship is just UPM’s effort to help you be more employable. That’s all. There’s a lot of places you can try to go for internship, maybe Istana Budaya, Museums, Pejabat Pelajaran Daerah (PPD) and any private companies. Everything is fine, seriously.

10. What are my career opportunities?

Talk about Job Prospects, this is an extremely subjective topic so don’t count on me 100%. However, the general idea is, a language stream graduate is the most employable and flexible graduate you can have. You can be in any industry that you favour. Teaching, Human Resources, Administration, Journalism, Public Relations, Marketing and anything else, just name it. I’ve been through job interviews a couple of times, believe me, you can be in any industry especially when there’s an opportunity. Not to mention, you have a third language; German. That will surely give you an edge. Consider this, there are 1000 degree graduates out there, what makes you stood out against the other 999 graduates? My bet would be you can speak more languages than them. The need for that language will come when the opportunity arises. So be proud of what you have gone through.

11. Can I further for Master Study with this Degree?

If you are considering to further for Master’s degree, you can always stick with German studies. UPM is the only university to offer a Master in German studies. However, it is limited to only Master by Research. Just so you know, I am currently in the process of furthering my Master in German studies too. Also with your German degree, you can further anywhere you want to. Maybe Master in English studies, maybe in Applied Linguistics, or maybe even in Journalism. With a degree, you definitely can further anywhere. This is also not limited to overseas like Germany. That is, however, a story for another time.

12. Can you list some of the benefits of studying German?

All I can say is that you are learning a very rare language for a Malaysian in Malaysia. With that language, you can make some extra pocket money or even help people in need. Even in my case, I used to receive an offer to teach the German language in a private tuition centre. Apart from that, you can discover a new culture. A German culture. You can also make new friends with many German natives. Even better, you might be able to host German tourists when they visit Malaysia.

Things are not all cupcake and rainbow. Therefore, it is we who need to bake that cupcake and form a rainbow. If you are lucky enough, you can even fly to Germany. Last but not least, the many job opportunities you will have as a language graduate in general.

13. Will you recommend this course to the future generations of Malaysia?

Yes, definitely! In fact, I will encourage them to take any foreign language of their desire too. Maybe French, Japanese or Korean. Go for a foreign language course. You see, I live with the principle that Linguists Bridge the World. Without people who preserve these many languages of the world, some knowledge will be isolated and cannot be shared with the other part of the world. This is how important language people can be. Even perhaps, we helped the doctors before they save lives. That is the power of language.

Not to mention, I also believe in Globalization. It is coming and we cannot play safe by solely having English as our second language. We need a third language so that we can reach out to more people and as I said earlier, bridge the knowledge and share to the others. Many Europeans that I befriended speaks more than two languages. Scientifically, it is proven that multilingualism helps students to perform better too. So it is never a waste to learn.

14. Do you have any regrets in taking this course?

Initially, it was a yes. People keep on asking me where to go after this. Is German language in-demand in Malaysia? What can you do with German? All that kind of questions. It demotivates me. I had even given a thought to actually change my field of study to English Linguistics. My first year in taking this course was demoralizing all because I failed to see the positivity of this course and the bigger picture.

I forgot to enjoy the fun part in a class where you conduct a German play, singing German songs, researching about football history in Germany and more. I also forget to see that most of my closest seniors are now employed. Two of them became German lecturers in German Malaysia Institute (GMI) and UPM Language Centre respectively. One had even completed her PHD and will be a lecturer in UPM. All these people show where you can go as a German graduate. Some of my friends, they were even offered to be a part-time tourist guide for German tourists visiting Malaysia. That is not the only cause, though. I experienced it too. I was offered to teach the German language in a private institution while I was only in my fifth semester. I kindly declined due to time constraints. As of today, I had a very good experience as an intern in Yayasan PETRONAS and they are considering to re-hire me as a permanent employee. It shows how employable I am given that I am just a German graduate. Heads up fellow German students!

My Personal Advice and Disclaimers

If you’ve read this far, you are probably interested in furthering your degree in German Studies. My pieces of advice would be, always be prepared. This is a foreign language. There’s nowhere to utilize this language other than in your classrooms. However, you can always be smart by looking up far exercises and practice online. Keep in touch with your lecturers, ask for tips to keep you motivated. It can be tough if you are not serious in your study. So be serious, always aim for the max. I will not deny that things can be tough. Especially when you need to write your thesis in German. Your German writing skills will definitely be tested. There will be a time when you don’t understand what your lecturer said in class too. Hence, never be afraid to ask even if the question sounds stupid. We are here to learn. We want to be good in German and helps make Malaysia a globalized country. Play your part.