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The Chair of Medieval and Early Modern Literature and Culture deals with German literature and culture of the Middle Ages from the beginnings of written records in the German language (around 800) to the end of the 16th century. The subject of medieval and early modern research is a broad spectrum of texts, from literature in the narrower sense to non-fiction texts. Medieval literature, whose points of reference can be the courts of various rulers, the growing cities, but also the monasteries, is characterized not only by its proximity to the exercise of power, but also by the mixture of secular and spiritual references. Embedding the literary tradition in these contexts and understanding the close relationship between them and medieval and early modern culture is one of the central aims of the study. Precisely because the Middle Ages, but also the early modern period with its social and cultural order, have become alien to us, the texts can only be understood in relation to the culture surrounding them. At the same time, however, they also teach us about the limits of our own culture. The texts covered range from medieval texts from the Bible and legends to teachings on nature, secular love poetry, heroic epics, courtly novels and sacred dramas through to Reformation writings and the prose novel of the early modern period.

In order to be able to interpret the breadth of these texts, a variety of methods are taught and theories are presented with which they can be explored. Aspects of textual transmission are discussed as well as approaches from literary theory and literary sociology.