Regional specializations
Students are introduced to Southeast Asia as a region, while they also specialize in one of these three areas. This area determines the first language to be learned from the 1st semester onwards, while in the 3rd semester, an additional language has to be chosen:
- Austronesian Studies (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines)
with Indonesian as the first language
and Thai, Vietnamese, Sanskrit, or Arabian as the second language; - Thai Studies (Thailand, Laos)
with Thai as the first language
and Indonesian, Vietnamese, or Sanskrit as the second language; - Vietnamese Studies (Vietnam)
with Vietnamese as the first language
and Indonesian, Thai, or Standard Chinese ("Mandarin") as the second language; - in specific cases, other secondary languages – like Filipino (Tagalog), Lao, Khmer or languages from one of the other specialization branches – might be approved upon request. (Please ask the respective student advisors about this in advance!)
Each specialization is interdisciplinary, with a focus on humanities, and includes a semester abroad in one of our partner universities. (Information on the semester abroad is to be found in the "Enrolled students" section of our website.)
Studying – and enjoying exciting experiences – in Southeast Asia aims at giving an excellent command of a language, and a deep understanding of a culture which needs to be "lived" outside a classroom!
Combined with a critical knowledge of history, religion, and societal issues, theses studies allow students to engage professionally in different fields of activities and to work in companies related to Southeast Asia. (A link to information on career perspectives is provided in the menu on the right side of the page.)
Please select one of the links below to receive the information you require – or watch one of the videos below the links for a brief glimpse into some of the languages taught at our department (videos in respective language and German only – no English!):
