• Module 1: Introduction
• Module 2: Theoretical foundations of media
• Module 3: Methods
• Module 4: Socio-technical constellations
• Module 5: Business in media and publication
• Module 6: Reception and utilization
• Module 7: Marketing and marketing management
• Module 8: Organizations and services
• Module 9: Research perspectives
• Module 10: Bachelor’s thesis

In the first two semesters, students learn the fundamentals of the subject in modules 1 to 4. Here, you will learn what text-based media are, how communication via written media is structured and which resources are required for this to work. You will learn theoretical approaches that will help you to understand what writing, media and communication actually are, for instance, and you will receive an introduction to methods that will act as tools for you to answer questions relating to book studies.

The first study phase is completed with the Grundlagen- und Orientierungsprüfung (GOP) examination at the end of the second semester. This requires you to complete modules 1 to 3 successfully by passing the relevant examination achievements.

In the next two semesters, you will gain a more in-depth knowledge of the subject by completing core modules 6, 7 and 8. During lectures, you will receive an introduction to the essential aspects of the communication processes behind text-based media, and continue to explore these in more depth in seminars. You will learn about communication processes and their influencing factors and controlling mechanisms, discover more about the cultural technique of reading and learn about the various actors who are involved in ensuring the continued manufacture and distribution of text-based media.

In the last two seminars it is your opportunity to show what you have learned. In module 9, you work independently to develop questions relating to everyday life and strategies for answering them. This can then lead to your Bachelor’s thesis. Module 5 and internships you complete during your studies give you the necessary practical experience. You can choose to complete your internships either in Germany or abroad.

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Book Studies is an undergraduate degree completed after three years of study (six semesters).

The following modules are planned:

• Introduction to book studies
• Theoretical foundations of media
• Methods
• Sociotechnical systems
• Business in media and publication
• Organizations and services
• Reception and utilization
• Marketing and marketing management
• Research perspectives

The most important thing is that you are interested in the subject and its content, that you are enthusiastic and open to tackling new or challenging concepts, and that you are fully committed.

We would like you to take an open approach to media that we take for granted and often encounter with preconceived notions. During the program, we take a critical approach to books, magazines and newspapers and investigate how they became what they are today, which opportunities and risks are linked to the various formats, distribution channels and cultural techniques, and which status they have had in the past, have now and may possibly have in the future.

You should have the desire and the will to work independently: we are not teachers driving you from one test to the next, it is up to you to motivate yourself and tailor your studies to suit your own interests.
We also expect you to enjoy reading academic texts. This includes engaging with them and feeling elated at how they produce insights that help you progress – not just in the current seminar or semester, but even going beyond your studies.

In media companies, especially in publishing houses, there are openings for graduates in all departments such as editing, marketing and sales, press or licenses, but attractive opportunities are also available in executive positions such as an executive assistant or in corporate development. IT departments are becoming increasingly important. At the distribution level, i.e. in the book, press or general media trade, the focus today is on the logistics of physical and digital media, information management and customer service. Other specialized alternatives are communications agencies, communications departments of large companies or cultural institutions. Additional specialization comes from your second subject in the Bachelor’s degree program and from internships you have completed during your studies.

Possible combinations without overlaps

• Archaeological Sciences
• Art History
• Business and Economics
• English and American Studies
• French Studies
• German studies
• Greek Philology
• History
• Indo-European and Indo-Iranian Studies
• Islamic Religious Studies
• Italian Studies
• Japanese Studies
• Latin Philology
• Medieval Latin and Neo-Latin
• Philosophy
• Political Science
• Scandinavian Studies (BA)
• Sociology
• Theater and Media Studies

With these subject combinations, there are generally no overlaps in the timetable.

Possible overlaps in the timetable

• Chinese Studies
• Computational Linguistics
• Cultural History of Christianity
• Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
• Education
• Geography: Cultural Geography as a two subject Bachelor's degree program
• Hispanic Studies
• Oriental Studies

If you combine these subjects, individual courses may overlap in your timetable. For this reason, you can only combine the following subjects with your chosen subject after a consultation. Students are responsible for ensuring that the combination can be studied and that the deadlines set out in Section 11 of the ABMStPOPhil are met. When enrolling, proof of a corresponding consultation with the Central Student Advisory Service or the Student Service Center (Faculty of Humanities, Social Studies, and Theology) must be submitted.