[antithesis]

Literary- and film science won't cover any linguistics or history, but it is more dedicated to analyzing stories. I'll be specializing in either literature or film starting in the second year. I like linguistics, but is it really necessary (or helpful, for that matter) if you want a job in writing?

The English major will include language acquisition, analyzing literature, linguistics and philology. It has specializations in the latter three. This combination is just perfect for me, but... it's not German. I'm better at English, but I appreciate German more.

German will be hard at first, but I'll have mastered the most awesome language in the world at the end. The problem is that it sacrifices part of the focus on the language for a focus on the culture and history. The English major also includes British history, but only in relation to how the language changed through the ages, as part of the philology courses. The German course will cover courses like historical science and courses completely dedicated to Germany in a cultural context. I prefer focusing purely on the language.

The first dilemma is between a course focused on literature, and one focused on a language in general. What's more useful overall?

The second dilemma is which language I can already read English texts in their original language, while I really want to be able to read Kafka, Goethe and Kant in their original language. For that reason, I'm inclined toward German. However, if I pick English, I'll have a major of which every aspect interests me, and I can simply learn German by the side. The skills I'll learn from studying English, will I be able to apply them to German? Will it be the same?