This course classifies and filters the classic German essays with an awareness of problems. The articles are selected from a variety of sources, of which the authors are philosophers, writers, artists as well as sociologists, historians and natural scientists. The main themes are a few ideological red lines, such as the Enlightenment and Romanticism, the artist problem and the question of the Jews, the question of the German national character and the normalization of Germany. Reading these classic essays not only helps deepening the understanding and respect for the German nation gifted with numerous poets and philosophers, but also encourages people to reflect upon certain thought-provoking problems of Germany. Many articles are the confirmation to the statement "the beauty of the language lies in a thinking mind.”
Other Languages and Literature
为了与汉语言文学和英语专业区分开来，在此将“语言文学”定义为除汉、英之外的外国语言与文学专业，即“小语种”专业。小语种是相对英语这类应用面很广用者甚众的外语而言，是只在少数国家应用的外语语种。小语种的定义一般有两种。一种是指除联合国通用语种（英语、法语、俄语、西班牙语、阿拉伯语、汉语）外的所有语种（该定义被多国教育机构采用）；而大多数人通常认为英语是通用语种，其它语种都是非通用语种，因此小语种的另一种定义就是指英语以外的其它语种。按第一种定义统计，目前中国各高校开设的小语种约有30种。
