French and Italian (Literature) This course is a pre-university course in literature aimed at students who intend to pursue literature, or related studies, at university, as well as at students whose formal study of literature will not continue beyond this level. This course provides many opportunities for encouraging independent, original, critical and clear thinking through an exploration of works of literary merit. Students are encouraged to see literary works as products of art and promote a healthy respect for the imagination and a perceptive approach to the understanding and interpretation of literary works. The comparative framework for the study of these works will help students to see the differences in expression, perspectives across cultural, political and linguistic borders and explore the underlying unity of human preoccupations. This approach to the study of literature aims to enrich the international awareness of IB Diploma students and to develop attitudes of tolerance, empathy and a genuine respect for different viewpoints. German (Language & Literature) In this course, students study a wide range of literary and non-literary texts in a variety of media. By examining communicative acts across literary form and textual type alongside appropriate secondary readings, students will investigate the nature of language itself and the ways in which it shapes and is influenced by identity and culture. Approaches to study are wide ranging and can include literary theory, sociolinguistics, media studies and critical discourse analysis among others.