Program Requirements (Choose from three concentrations)
1. Concentration in Literature and Culture
This concentration is designed for students who want to focus on the literary, philosophical, artistic, and cultural history of German-speaking countries, and hone their linguistic proficiency by doing upper-level work in German.
Prerequisite: Second-Year German
Requirements:
● Three Third-Year German courses (GRMN 21XXX)
● GRMN 22124 The Cultural History and Politics of Postwar Germany
● Three courses in literature or culture taken in German*
● Three additional courses in German literature and culture**
● Complete the Practical and/or Advanced Proficiency Assessment through the Office of Language Assessment
* One may be a course with a Languages Across the Curriculum (LxC) session taught within the Department of Germanic Studies; one may be an additional third-year course.
** Two may be relevant Germanic Studies–oriented courses in other departments.
2. Concentration in Comparative Germanics
This concentration is designed for students who want reach intermediate to advanced proficiency in another Germanic language besides German (i.e., German and either Yiddish or Norwegian) and develop fluency with their cultures.
Requirements:
● Second-Year German sequence (GRMN 20100-20201-20301 Deutsche Maerchen; Grünes Deutschland; Kunst und Kultur) or Intensive German sequence (GRMN 12001-12002-12003 Intensive German I-II-III)
● Three courses in first-year Norwegian or Yiddish, or above
● GRMN 22124 The Cultural History and Politics of Postwar Germany
● Three additional Germanic language, literature, and/or culture courses*
● Complete the Practical and/or Advanced Proficiency Assessment through the Office of Language Assessment
* One may be a relevant Germanic Studies–oriented course in another department.
3. Concentration in Germanic Studies and Allied Fields
This concentration combines German Studies with another discipline in a coherent program of study. The course of study is designed individually by the student with the Director of Undergraduate Studies (or departmental advisor) and must be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Prerequisite: Second-Year German
Requirements:
● Two Third-Year German courses (GRMN 21XXX)
● GRMN 22124 The Cultural History and Politics of Postwar Germany
● A minimum of three courses in the Department of Germanic Studies (GRMN 211XX and above)
o At least two courses must be taught in German (this may include one additional third-year-level language course)
● A maximum of four cognate courses in a related field such as Philosophy, History, Music, Cinema and Media Studies, Art History, Linguistics, Jewish Studies, Religious Studies, Political Science, etc. Students must demonstrate these courses have a significant German dimension and have them approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
● Complete the Practical and/or Advanced Proficiency Assessment through the Office of Language Assessment
Honors Track
Germanic Studies majors who wish to pursue a BA with honors must complete the following requirements in addition to the requirements for one of the three concentrations:
● IRHU 20100 Introduction to Humanistic Inquiry and Research Design (Winter Quarter of second or third year); or, in exceptional cases, if students miss IRHU 20100, then IRHU 29600 Research Proposal Colloquium (Spring Quarter of third year).
● GRMN 29900 Capstone Project (Autumn or Winter Quarter of fourth year)
● Completion of Capstone Project
● Have a major GPA of at least 3.5 and cumulative GPA of 3.3 at the time of graduation
Students interested in pursuing honors should take IRHU 20100 in the Winter Quarter of their third year. They should be in contact with the Director of Undergraduate Studies at the beginning of the Winter Quarter about their plans of pursuing honors, as they must file a petition with the Department of Germanic Studies by the first week of the Spring Quarter of their third year. With the help of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, students will then secure the consent of a Germanic Studies faculty member to serve as their adviser. Students’ Capstone Project proposals (minimum of five pages) must be approved by their advisers by the end of Spring Quarter. Students are expected to begin research for the Capstone Project during the summer between their third and fourth years. The department will assist them in obtaining support for their research over the summer if necessary.
Please note that completion of the Capstone Project does not, in itself, guarantee honors in the major. Honors are awarded by the College on the basis of a departmental nomination of exceptional Capstone Projects.
Details of the Capstone Project
The Capstone Project may consist of a BA Paper or a creative project. Examples of such projects include (but are not limited to) an original translation, a creative writing text, an app or a podcast, an online exhibit, a website, or a documentary film. For these undertakings, students need to have sufficient previous experience with the relevant medium (e.g., artistic, digital, etc.), either through previous course work or independent practice. For the Capstone Project, students will have the opportunity to pursue their own individual intellectual interests, cultivate new skills and modes of communication and presentation, and potentially engage wider audiences for their scholarship. Projects must demonstrate substantial engagement with German-language culture(s), including the use of German-language sources, and they must include a written summary and reflection (at least five to seven pages). The written component of the creative inquiry project must contain a clear statement on the issue or problem the student is tackling, and it must provide background information on the chosen field (e.g., other translations, alternative digital designs that exist, etc.). Furthermore, the written component must include a critical self-analysis of the undertaking, and it must reflect on methodologies employed and contributions to the chosen area of inquiry.
A BA Paper typically is a research paper of at least 25 pages. While the paper may be written in either English or German, it must include a bibliography that makes significant use of Germanic-language sources.
A first draft of the paper or the written reflection is due by Week 5 of Winter Quarter, and the completed Capstone Project must be submitted by Week 2 of Spring Quarter. Each student needs at least one adviser from within the Department of Germanic Studies.
Germanic Studies will accept a Capstone Project used to meet the BA requirement in another major, under the condition that original Germanic language sources are used. Students should consult with both chairs by the earliest BA proposal deadline. A consent form, to be signed by both chairs, is available from the College adviser. It must be completed and returned to the College adviser by the end of Autumn Quarter of the student's year of graduation.
Outstanding Capstone Projects are eligible for the department’s McKenzie Prize.
Please visit the College Catalog for more details.