Majoring or Minoring in German Studies

Students - and their parents - frequently ask, "What can you do with a German major?" The answer is, "Practically anything." While a number of Dartmouth graduates are presently teaching German Studies at the university level¹ or German language and culture in secondary schools,² far more are employed in law, medicine, business, government service, the arts, etc., where they may or may not make direct use of their linguistic skills. In this regard, a major or a minor in German Studies is like any other concentration in a liberal arts setting: it serves to broaden a student's horizons and acumen, rather than to provide vocational training. Even those students who engage in post-graduate study in Germany may or may not follow a career path that directly makes use of the knowledge they gain there.³ The study of German does of course include competence in the language, and this ability has frequently opened doors for alumni: approximately 150 of them live in the German-speaking countries, and even more use their knowledge of German language and culture in their occupations (see "Why Study German?"). Nevertheless, as is true of any major within a liberal arts context, German Studies primarily intends to give students a critical understanding of a particular academic area. It should also be pointed out that many students complete a second major in another subject, as well.

At the same time, however, a concentration in German Studies does offer some unusual features. Students not only explore an extraordinarily rich cultural tradition, one that has thoroughly influenced almost every other field of study, but they do so in a very individual and personal setting. The department's small size encourages close relationships between students and faculty, as do the programs in Berlin, which normally form a part of a student's course of study. The Kade German Center, the German Club, and the various internship opportunities in Germany are also part of the mix.

THE MAJOR: The Department of German Studies offers two routes to the major (See "Major A" and "Major B" below). The specifics are designed individually in consultation with a departmental adviser. Each path has the same prerequisites: two courses at the intermediate level (German 6, 8, 9, 10, and 11; or permission of the Chair).

The Senior "Culminating Experience:"

• In the winter term of their senior year, all German majors must take German 65, the upper division seminar being offered. This course will count as one of the eight courses required for Major A and one of the ten courses required for Major B. In addition to regular seminar preparation, senior majors will meet during designated x-hours with the professor to discuss methodology and to develop a research topic. Additional work will culminate in a significant essay, the argument of which will be presented orally in German to classmates and the German Studies Department faculty at a mutually agreeable time at the end of winter term.

The German Honors Program:

• Qualified students are encouraged to participate in the Honors Program by writing a thesis (German 87). Prospective honors students must submit a thesis proposal for approval by the Department demonstrating adequate preliminary knowledge of the area in which they wish to write. Such knowledge would normally be acquired through participation in an advanced course (above German 11) on a related topic. Alternatively, the topic of interest might have been explored in an independent study (German 85) or in the required senior winter seminar. Prospective honors students are expected to provide sufficient written material by the end of winter term to warrant continuation of their project by enrolling in German 87 in the spring term. Students not attaining the required minimum standards for honors work may not enroll in German 87, and therefore may have to take another German course to fulfill the major requirement

With permission of the chair, students are also able to transfer credits from other institutions. Such credits are often an important part of Dartmouth's one-year exchange program through the Federation of German-American Clubs. Each year a German student selected by the Federation comes to Dartmouth, and a Dartmouth student, normally a junior, spends two semesters at a German university, receiving up to 9 course credits. The financial arrangements are very advantageous.

Major A focuses on literary and non-literary texts in their historical and intellectual contexts, and consists of courses offered in German Studies (although, with permission of the Chair, one appropriate course in another department may be substituted). Required are eight courses numbered above 29, including German 86 (German 42 and 43, which are in translation, require additional work in German). From the Foreign Study Program in Berlin, German 30 and 31 count toward major credit.

Major B combines resources of the Department of German Studies with a coherent selection from those of other departments and programs, such as Art History, Comparative Literature, Film Studies, Geography, Government, History, Jewish Studies, Music, Philosophy, and Religion. In principle, any relevant course in the Dartmouth curriculum that is approved by the Department of German Studies may qualify for this major. Requirements: six courses numbered above 29, including German 86 (German 42 and 43, which are in translation, require additional work in German). From the Foreign Study Program in Berlin, German 30 and 31 count toward major credit. In addition, students take four advanced courses from among those offerings in other departments or programs that deal substantially with the culture of German-speaking countries. Just some of the courses that regularly meet this requirement are:

• Art History 41: Northern Renaissance
• Government 41: European Politics
• Government 64: Modern Political Thought
• History 51: Modern European Intellectual History, 18th and 19th Centuries
• History 52: Modern Germany, 1848-1945
• Music 33: 18th- and 19th-Century Western Art Music
• Music 35: Beethoven in Context
• Philosophy 15: Modern Philosophy: Hume and Kant
• Philosophy 17: Existentialism and Phenomenology

Modified Major. The modified major combines German Studies with another discipline in a coherent program of study approved by the Chair of the Department of German Studies. This major is designed individually by the student with a departmental adviser. It often includes Dartmouth's Foreign Study Program in Berlin. The German Studies portion consists of six courses numbered above 29 (German 42-43, which are in translation, require additional work in German). Students also take four courses beyond the introductory level in another department or program of the College.

Minor: A minor in German Studies consists of a total of six courses, including a) two from the intermediate level (German 6, 8, 9, 10, 11) and b) four numbered above German 29 (German 42-43, which are in translation, require additional work in German). Qualified students may, with permission of the chair, substitute an advanced course for an intermediate one. One of the advanced German courses may be replaced with an appropriate advanced course in another department or program, such as Film Studies, Government, History, Jewish Studies, Music, or Philosophy. Students wishing to declare a minor must sign up for it no later than the fall term of their senior year.