Director of undergraduate studies: Theresa Schenker, HQ 353, 432-6401; Language Program Director: Theresa Schenker, HQ 353, 432-6401; german.yale.edu
The major in German Studies covers a broad tradition of more than five centuries in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and neighboring lands. Students gain deep competence in the German language while also reading celebrated literature, analyzing distinctive artworks in many media, deducing intensive theories, and exploring political, linguistic, and cultural histories. The German faculty works closely with undergraduates to develop their special areas of interest within the rich currents of German culture.
German language courses emphasize listening, speaking, reading, and writing in interaction with authentic cultural materials. The curriculum also introduces students to the basic questions and methods of literary criticism, with a focus on rigorous reading practices for a wide range of works from different genres, disciplines, and historical moments.
German Studies courses are diverse in their topics and highly relevant to other fields of study today. Pioneers in philosophy, political theory, sociology, psychology, history, classical philology, the visual arts, architecture, and music wrote and thought in German, as did founders of the modern natural and practical sciences. Majors discover Kant, Goethe, Beethoven, Einstein, Freud, Kafka, Arendt, and many other thinkers and writers who laid the groundwork for modernity and still hold keys to understanding it.
Germany is the fourth-largest economy in the world, and German is the first language of over 95 million people worldwide. Students with a foundation in the language, literature, history, and intellectual revolutions of Germany are prepared to enter a wide variety of vocations. Majors have gone on to postgraduate study in Germany and the United States, and many have entered top-tier law schools and graduate programs. Recent graduates work in fields as diverse as environmental policy, journalism, arts management, consulting, and engineering, as well as in governmental and nongovernmental organizations and businesses.
Prerequisites
Prerequisite to the major are first- and second-year German or the equivalent.
Course Numbering
Group A coursesCourses in Group A (GMAN 110-159) correspond to Yale's L1 to L5 designation of elementary, intermediate, and advanced language courses.
Group B coursesCourses in Group B (GMAN 160-level and 170-level) are advanced L5 courses. Readings are in German, and the language of instruction is German. There is no restriction on the number of Group B courses that may count toward the major, provided all requirements are met.
Group C coursesCourses in Group C (above GMAN 200) are all other courses. The language of instruction is typically English, but readings may be in German and/or English. Course level and prerequisites vary according to the expectations of the instructors.
Placement Procedures
An online placement examination will be accessible July 1 through August 15, 2022. See the department website for details. Students wishing to take the placement exam in January should sign up with the language director by December 1, 2022. Students may also consult with the director of undergraduate studies (DUS) or the language director for advice about placement and about language study. Regardless of previous German study, students without a score of 5 on the German Advanced Placement test must take the departmental placement exam in order to enroll in any course above GMAN 110 or 125.
Requirements of the Major
The major in German Studies consists of ten term courses, including the senior essay. All majors must complete at least one GMAN course numbered in the 150s, one in the 160s, and one in the 170s, plus six additional courses-four in the area of concentration and two electives-from Groups B and C, numbered GMAN 160 and above. With permission of the DUS, some substitutions and exceptions may be possible.
Areas of concentrationEach German Studies major selects an area of concentration from five choices: (1) literature, (2) media and media theory, (3) history and politics, (4) critical thought, and (5) aesthetics and the arts. The literature concentration gives students access to worlds of thought and action. Students learn to read critically poetry, novels, plays, short stories, aphorisms, songs, and other genres. Courses fulfilling the literature concentration include at least one course each in nineteenth- and twentieth-century literature. The concentration in media and media theory explores a vibrant tradition of experimentation in new cultural forms and media in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Students investigate photography, radio, film, television, and computer media alongside landmark works in media theory. The history and politics concentration focuses on world-altering historical events and thought-altering theories of history from the Germanic tradition. Students become familiar with explosive political and social events, including the emancipation of the Jews and the Holocaust, the world wars, unification and reunification, and concepts and models for development in economy, social welfare, law, and environmental policies. The concentration in critical thought focuses on traditions of theoretical reflection on society, history, art, and language. Students become familiar with authors such as Kant, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, Benjamin, and Habermas. The aesthetics and the arts concentration surveys the rich Germanic traditions in the visual and musical arts, as well as the philosophical study of art beginning in eighteenth-century Germany.
Credit/D/FailA maximum of two courses taken Credit/D/Fail may count toward the major, with permission of the DUS.
Roadmap See visual roadmap of the requirements.
Senior Requirement
Seniors in the standard German Studies major enroll in GMAN 492, a guided senior essay tutorial course. Students meet biweekly with the DUS and staff, and work under the direction of a faculty adviser. The culmination of the tutorial is an essay of approximately thirty pages that gives evidence of careful reading and substantial independent thought. The essay may be written in either English or German, although only native speakers are encouraged to write an essay in German. Seniors typically write the essay during the fall term. A preliminary statement indicating the general area to be addressed and the choice of adviser should be submitted to the DUS by September 8, 2022; a three-page prospectus and a bibliography are due by September 22. A rough draft must be submitted to the adviser by November 3. The completed essay, due on December 8, 2022, is judged by the faculty adviser and a second reader.
Intensive majorRequirements for the intensive major are the same as for the standard major, except that the intensive major replaces one advanced seminar with a second term of the senior essay. In the fall term seniors in the intensive major enroll in GMAN 492 and begin work on their project under the guidance and supervision of a faculty adviser. A significant portion of the research for the essay should involve materials in German. The essay may be written in either English or German, although only native speakers are encouraged to write an essay in German. A detailed prospectus, no longer than three pages, and a bibliography must be submitted to the DUS by October 22, 2022. The student must submit a draft of at least fifteen pages of the essay by December 1, 2022, to receive credit for the first term of the course. The second term, GMAN 493, is devoted to completing the essay, which should be substantial (between fifty and sixty pages); the completed essay must be submitted by April 13, 2023. The senior essay is judged by the faculty adviser and a second reader.
Advising
Candidates for the major in German Studies should consult the DUS.
Graduate coursesCourses in the Graduate School are open to undergraduates with permission of the instructor and of the directors of undergraduate and graduate studies. Course descriptions may be obtained on the German department website or from the office of the director of graduate studies.
Study Abroad
Students are strongly encouraged to study in Germany for a summer, or for one or two terms on the Year or Term Abroad program. Appropriate course credit toward the major is granted for work in approved programs in Germany. Study abroad is valuable not only for achieving comfortable fluency in German, but also for gaining firsthand knowledge of the German cultural context. The department offers diverse opportunities for study abroad and a scholarship program for summer courses at German universities. Members of the faculty advise and consult with any students wishing to plan study in Germany. Students who have been approved to study abroad and who receive financial aid from Yale are eligible for aid while abroad. For information about the Year or Term Abroad program, see Academic Regulations, section K, Special Academic Programs, “Year or Term Abroad.†Students who study abroad for one term may count up to two courses toward the major, with approval of the DUS. Students who study abroad for an academic year may count up to four courses toward the major, with approval of the DUS.
REQUIREMENTS OF THE MAJOR
PrerequisitesFirst- and second-year German or equivalent
Number of courses10 (incl senior req)
Distribution of coursesAt least 1 GMAN course in the 150s, at least 1 in the 160s, and at least 1 in the 170s; 4 courses in area of concentration and 2 electives (numbered GMAN 160 and above) from Groups B and C; Literature concentration-at least 1 course each in 19th- and 20th-century literature
Substitution permittedWith DUS approval, some substitutions and exceptions may be possible
Senior requirementSenior essay tutorial (GMAN 492)
Intensive majorTwo-term senior essay (GMAN 492 and 493)