As of November 2022, the team of Jun.-Prof. Dr. Judith Rauscher (American Literature and Culture) coordinates the department's exchange program with the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures at the University of Rochester, NY, USA.

Students at the University of Cologne can apply for the two scholarships/TA-assistantships that the program offers each year.

What makes the program special is that, in two semesters (August-May), stipend holders will complete an M.A. in Comparative Literature at the University of Rochester while teaching introductory German language courses and recitations for the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures.

Please note that in order to obtain the M.A., students must write a 10-page term paper in conjunction with a course on American Literature and Culture taught by Judith Rauscher (lecture or seminar), for which the credit will be transferred to the University of Rochester. This term paper is ideally written in the summer semester before the exchange year. The transfer credit is due in December/January of the exchange year.

Fluency in German (native level or equivalent), as well as a pronounced interest in American Literature and Culture as well as one other field of literary and/or cultural studies offered at the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, is required to apply for the program. 

An info event for the 2026/27 exchange will take place in November 2025. 

For more information about the exchange program, please contact Verena Wurth (verena.wurth[at]uni-koeln.de).