Romance Studies

Students of Romance Studies at the University of Bayreuth can expect an international, intercultural, and interdisciplinary study experience. At the heart of the curriculum is the diversity of the French language, literature, and culture in Francophone Countries, therefore encompassing not only France, but also America, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Possible study programmes include the French-language Master’s programme “Études Francophones: Afriques Multiples”, which is a unique study programme in Germany due to the research focus of Romance Studies in Bayreuth:

The "Chair of Romance Literary Studies and Comparative Literature with Special Reference to Africa" ("Lehrstuhl für Romanische Literaturwissenschaft und Komparatistik unter besonderer Berücksichtigung Afrikas") focuses on literatures in French from Africa (including Maghreb and the Indian Ocean), the Caribbean and North American writers and its various interconnections regional and intermedial interconnections. Seminars are often linked with practical work in cultural events and management. In addition, the research extends to comparative approaches linking the French speaking regions with thematic fields in Spanish or Portuguese regions in African and Latin American cultural areas.

The focus of the Chair of Romance and General Linguistics (“Lehrstuhls für Romanische und Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft") lies in the diversity of French outside of Europe. A special interest is taken in the characteristics of French in sub-Saharan Africa and North America, but also in the Caribbean and in the Maghreb. This results in a variety of interesting questions about the regional, social, and contextual use of French, as well as its contact with other languages such as English, Spanish, or African languages.

Contact us

Prof. Dr. Ute Fendler
Phone: 0921 / 55-3567
E-Mail: ute.fendler@uni-bayreuth.de

Antje Baumann
Secretariat
Phone: 0921 / 55-3566
e-Mail: antje.baumann@uni-bayreuth.de

Dr. Maroua El Naggare
Phone: 0921 / 55-3537
E-Mail: maroua.el-naggare@uni-bayreuth.de