Directors: Professor Albert A. Kipa and Associate Professor Franz Birgel

Major Requirements

Students majoring in German Studies must successfully complete GRM 204 Intermediate German II and any previous language courses with a grade point average of at least 2.000 or demonstrate an equivalent command of the language. All majors must maintain a grade point average of at least 2.000 in all courses attempted in the major. Normally, GRM 220, 221 German Civilization will fulfill the College’s writing intensive requirement in the major.

Majors take nine courses beyond GRM 204 Intermediate German II, including:

GRM 220, 221 German Civilization
GRM 251, 252 Masterpieces of German Literature I
GRM 253, 254 Masterpieces of German Literature II
GRM 316, 317 German Cinema
GRM 301, 302 German Conversation & Composition OR
GRM 303, 304 Advanced German Conversation & Composition
Four additional courses selected from:
GRM 310, 311 Business German
GRM 355, 356 The Faust Theme in Literature, Music & Art
GRM 360 The New Germany
GRM 365 Germans & Jews Since the Holocaust
GRM 400 Introduction to German Literature
GRM 412 German Prose
GRM 413 German Drama
GRM 414 German Lyric Poetry
HST 448, 449 Modern Germany
MUS 227 Opera
PSC 230 European Politics & Government

Minor Requirements

Students minoring in German Studies must successfully complete GRM 203 Intermediate German I and any previous language courses with a grade point average of at least 2.000 or demonstrate an equivalent command of the language. All minors must maintain a grade point average of at least 2.000 in all courses completed in the minor.

Minors take six courses beyond GRM 203 Intermediate German I, including:

GRM 220, 221 German Civilization
GRM 251, 252 Masterpieces of German Literature I
GRM 253, 254 Masterpieces of German Literature II
GRM 204 Intermediate German II OR
GRM 301, 302 German Conversation & Composition
Two additional courses selected from the German Studies program offerings.

360. The New Germany*
An examination of the cultural, geographic, and social structures and the intellectual currents and issues of reunited Germany as well as an exploration of their traditions and historical roots through reading and analysis of pertinent texts and works of literature, film, and art. Taught in English.
Meets general academic requirement H.

365. Germans & Jews Since the Holocaust
After a substantial overview of the history and culture of Jews in German-speaking lands, this course will examine the postwar history of German-Jewish relations as viewed by both German and Jewish historians, journalists and literati. Topics to be discussed are: the politics of reparations, relations with the state of Israel, the Bitburg controversy and the historians’ debate, relations with the former GDR, Jewish life in Germany today and its implications for tribal vs. citizen-based national identity. Germans and Jews in a post-national Europe, the politics of historiography, the dynamics of collective memory, and the significance of the nation in a post-nationalistic age. Taught in English.

* Course will contain an additional language component for students pursuing a degree in German Language and Literature. Those students will meet with the instructor for an additional session per week when the subject matter will be discussed in German.

Information on Studying German (Provided by the GOETHE INSTITUTE)