Major Requirements:

• Students are required to take a total of eleven credits, seven of which must be earned within the German Studies section of the Department of Modern Languages and Literature.  Students counting both introductory German language courses (101 and 102) toward the major must earn a total of twelve credits, eight of which in the German Studies section;

• Required courses are 201, 202, 233, 301, 302, and 401 which serves as the senior exercise; students may enroll in a second 233 course, German 221, or German 250 in lieu of either 301 or 302;

• German 233, which is taught in English, may be applied toward the major if a substantical proportion of the assignments are completed in German and the student meets regularly with the instructor;

• The remaining credits shall be earned in other departments with the major adviser’s approval and with no more than two credits chosen from the same department.

• As an alternative to the credits taken in other departments, students are encouraged to enroll in the Trinity-approved program with Baden-Württemberg (Heidelberg, Tübingen, Freiburg, Konstanz, and other universities) or Trinity-in-Vienna.  Courses taken in Baden-Württemberg or Vienna count toward the major with the condition that their content be relevant to German Studies and approved in advance by the major adviser.  For courses to be approved, they must require a substantial amount of reading and writing in German. 

Honors in German Studies. Students qualifying for honors in the German Studies major must attain a cumulative average of A- or better in all courses required for the major, including 401. The topic for the final project for German 401 will be agreed upon in consultation with the adviser.

Eligible Courses from other Departments.

• Examples of acceptable courses for the German Studies major that are taught in other departments or programs are listed below; others may be substituted with the approval of the German Studies adviser;

• No more than two courses may be chosen from the same department or program;

• Students are encouraged to integrate German reading materials into their courses of choice. Monthly meetings with the German Studies adviser will be scheduled to discuss German readings and facilitate student interaction within the major.

Language Across the Curriculum—German Studies majors are encouraged to take advantage of the Language across the Curriculum opportunity and earn an additional 0.5 credit toward the major. In collaboration with a member of the department, students may select supplementary readings in German that complement one or more of the courses below. Enrollment in Language across the Curriculum follows the guidelines for Independent Study registration.

Art History 242. 17th Century Art II: The North

Art History 254. 18th Century Architecture and Decorative Arts

Art History 262. Birth of Modern Style: Realism to Post-Impressionism

Art History 286. 20th Century Architecture

Economics 205. History of Economic Thought

History 336. Modern Jewish History

History 310. Germany

History 322. Golden Age of Capitalism: Europe in the 19th Century

History 323. Europe, 1914-1989

History 365. World War II

History 372. Post-War Europe: From genocide to the struggle for Human Rights

Music 124. The Birth of Modernism

Music 164. Mozart and 18th Century Music (only with Language across the Curriculum component)

Music 166. Beethoven: His Life and Music (only with Language across the Curriculum component)

Music 325. Topics in 19th-Century Music

Philosophy 231. The Holocaust

Philosophy 284. Hume to the End of the 19th Century

Philosophy 286. 20th-Century Continental Philosophy

Philosophy 318. Kant

Philosophy 320. Hegel

Philosophy 325. Nietzsche

Philosophy 328. Freud

Philosophy 333. German Idealism

Philosophy 334. The Frankfurt School

Philosophy 335. Heidegger

Philosophy 385. Phenomenology

Political Science 208. Western European Politics

Political Science 220. History of Political Thought II

Political Science 223. Green Thinking and Politics in Germany

Political Science 327. European Integration

Political Science 338. Liberalism and its Critics

Political Science 339. Contemporary and Post-Modern Thought

Political Science 343. Politics in Post-Industrial States

Political Science 404. Building a New Europe

Religion 223. Major Religious Thinkers of the West I

N.B.: Frequent consultation with the German Studies adviser is necessary with regard to the sequence and cohesion of courses and the amount of work required in German.

* Minor in German.  For students who wish to minor in German, this is a sequence of six German courses designed to develop linguistic skills and to give an appreciation of the culture and civilization of German-speaking countries.  In addition, the minor will include either a .5 credit Language Across the Curriculum unit or a .5 credit integrating paper, typically written in conjunction with the last course taken for the minor.  Courses that count toward the German minor are GRMN 101, 102, 201, 202, 233, 301, 302.  No more than one transfer credit may be applied to the minor. 

To declare a minor in German, contact Prof. Johannes Evelein.  Students interested in cross-disciplinary approaches to the study of German culture are referred to the German Studies Interdisciplinary Minor.

In the major, and in the Language Concentration in German, students must demonstrate oral and written proficiency by earning the minimum grade of “B” in German 301. Students with substitute situations (such as foreign study), or those earning a grade below “B” in German 301 will be required to meet the standards by taking the Language Proficiency Exam.