Campuses:
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Morris Campus
German Studies B.A.Division of Humanities - Adm
Division of Humanities
This is an interdisciplinary program housed in the Division of the Humanities. The program is administered by the German studies coordinator and the chair of the Division of the Humanities.
The German studies curriculum includes the language, literature, film, linguistics, history, and culture of German-speaking countries and Germanic languages. The courses are designed to enhance students' understanding of their own language and culture through introduction to another. Our courses expand students' ability to think by giving them a new tool with which to do so. The courses are carefully sequenced to incrementally increase student aptitude in the one skill upon which everything else they could possibly do or study relies: language. Expansion of thought in any field of study requires the acquisition of new language. Learning the German language provides students with direct access to the world's fourth largest economy as well as the sister economies of the other German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Additionally students gain intimate knowledge of a linguistic tradition and culture that has produced innovation in almost every field of study pursued on campus, thereby benefiting students regardless of their main area of concentration.
Objectives - Learning an entirely new linguistic idiom increases one's ability to think, and neurological studies have shown that it actually grows brain cells. Our primary goal is to enable students to become culturally competent. We have constructed the curriculum to increase students' confidence and social skills by capitalizing on their innate and extant ability to use language and by demonstrating to them that they can acquire another language, while also providing an understanding of language itself that will enable them to acquire further languages. The intellectual and practical skills enable students to gain a deeper understanding of the roles of individuals in society, as well as building upon their capacity for integrative learning. Our program aims to provide students with opportunities that will enable them to directly apply newly acquired linguistic abilities, cultural knowledge, and social skills in their chosen area of study through study abroad, internships, and professional exchanges.
Program Student Learning Outcomes
• Students will be able to understand the main idea and most supporting details of written or listening texts in the target language.
• Students will be able to express themselves, in speaking and in writing, in the past, present, and future in the target language.
• Students will be able to interpret cultural artifacts, texts, and films with accuracy, demonstrating knowledge of the target cultures that produced them.
• Students’ work will reflect an awareness of their own cultural biases and articulate the inherent complexities, worldviews, and values of other cultures.
• Students will be able to locate, apply, and cite effective secondary materials in their own work.
Study Abroad
In light of today's increasingly interdependent world, the German faculty strongly encourages study abroad in combination with a German Studies major or minor.
Program Delivery
This program is available:
Admission Requirements
For information about University of Minnesota admission requirements, visit the
Office of Admissions
website.
General Requirements
All students are required to complete general University and college requirements. For more
information, see the general education requirements.
Program Requirements
Students are required to complete 2 semester(s) of
German.
with a grade of C-, or better, or S, or demonstrate proficiency in the language(s) as defined by the department
or college.
Elective plans must be designed to ensure that there is sufficient depth of coverage in the chosen German studies electives. For many students, a double-major (or minor) in a closely related disciplinary major is desirable. For some majors, electives can be selected in such a way that many of the courses in a coherent German studies elective plan also count toward the second major. An advising sheet for recommended course combinations and areas of focus is available.
In addition to the requirements for the major, students are encouraged to complete at least one year of instruction in another foreign language.
No grades below C- are allowed. Courses may not be taken S/N unless offered S/N only.
A minimum GPA of 2.00 is required in the major to graduate. The GPA includes all, and only, University of Minnesota coursework. Grades of "F" are included in GPA calculation until they are replaced.
Selection of Elective Courses
Other elective courses, not listed below, may be appropriate to add depth and provide more theoretical context for the German studies coursework (requires written approval of the course instructor and the program coordinator).
Elective Courses
Take a total of 20 elective credits for the major. Take 8 or more credits from courses taught in German. An additional 12 credits may come from courses taught in English.
Take exactly 20 credit(s) from the following:
Electives Taught in German
Take 8 or more credit(s) from the following:
·
GER 2993 - Directed Study
(1.0-5.0 cr)
·
GER 3011 - Readings in German
[IP]
(4.0 cr)
·
GER 3101 - Introduction to German Literature and Culture
[HUM]
(4.0 cr)
·
GER 3601 - Studies in German Literature
[HUM]
(4.0 cr)
·
GER 3993 - Directed Study
(1.0-5.0 cr)
·
GER 4001 - Culture and Society
[HIST]
(4.0 cr)
·
Electives Taught in English
Take 0 - 12 credit(s) from the following:
·
ARTH 3132 - Castles and Cathedrals
[FA]
(4.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3201 - Nineteenth-Century Art in Europe
[FA]
(4.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3211 - Modern European Art from Impressionism to Surrealism
[FA]
(4.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3222 - History of Twentieth-Century Design
[FA]
(4.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3274 - Modern Art in Germany
[FA]
(4.0 cr)
·
ENGL 3021 - Grammar and Language
[HUM]
(4.0 cr)
·
ENGL 3411 - Critical Approaches to Literature
(4.0 cr)
·
ENGL 4004 - Research Seminar: Old English Literature and Language
(4.0 cr)
·
HIST 3161 - The Enlightenment
[HIST]
(4.0 cr)
·
HIST 3204 - Nazi Germany
[HIST]
(4.0 cr)
·
PHIL 2117 - Existentialism
[HIST]
(4.0 cr)
·
Take at most 4 credit(s) from the following:
·
ARTH 2103 - Art and Archaeology of Ancient Rome
[FA]
(2.0-4.0 cr)
·
HIST 2132W - History of Fairy Tales and Folklore in Europe
[HIST]
(4.0 cr)
·
HIST 2151 - Modern Europe
[HIST]
(4.0 cr)
·
HIST 2708W - Gender, Women, and Sexuality in Modern Europe
[IP]
(4.0 cr)
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Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Prerequisites: | 2001 or # |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Ger 3001/Ger 3333 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 2.0 -4.0 [max 6.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 1.0 -5.0 [max 10.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 8.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Spring |
Credits: | 1.0 -5.0 [max 10.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Fall Even Year |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Spring Even Year |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Prerequisites: | two from 31xx-35xx, # |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 2.0 -4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Spring Even Year |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Spring |