German Studies Major

Professor Rojas
Associate Professors Colvin, Counselman, Nieto, Wolber
Assistant Professors Lewis Cusato, Paris-Huesca

“Language, aside from its character as a grammatical skeleton bequeathed by tradition, is at the same time a living body experience of a people’s form of life.” — Americo Castro

The curricula in the modern foreign languages are designed to develop skills in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing the language and to impart a critical and creative appreciation of the culture, civilization, and literature of the areas where the language is spoken. The Department of Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) offers majors and minors in French, German, and Spanish, as well as courses in Arabic, Chinese, Italian and Japanese. Students majoring in French or Spanish are required to participate in an approved program of study abroad. Students majoring in Spanish normally attend the University of Salamanca program, which is directed by Ohio Wesleyan, during the fall semester. For programs other than Salamanca, in preparation for study abroad, French and Spanish students must make an appointment with the Chair of the MFL Department to discuss and complete the academic guidelines for studying abroad. Students majoring in German are urged to study abroad in one of the approved programs in a German-speaking area (see “Off-Campus Study Programs”). The department strongly recommends that students minoring in a modern foreign language also participate in a foreign-study program. Financial aid is available for all approved programs. Detailed information concerning billing and financial aid is available in the Office of International and Off-Campus Programs.

Learning Objectives

By the time students graduate with a German major, they will:

Demonstrate strong speaking, reading, listening and writing skills in the target language that enable them to function in an environment where German is used exclusively.
Possess strong skills in translation and interpreting (German to English and vice versa).
Demonstrate awareness and appreciation of the cultural and linguistic diversity within the German-speaking world.
Analyze and interpret authentic literary, filmic and other cultural texts in organized and coherent (written or oral) presentations that reflect an awareness of the socio-cultural, historical and political contexts in which the texts are produced.
Demonstrate awareness of how issues related to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, culture or socio-economic status influence perspectives and power relations and communicate respectfully with people of varying beliefs and diverse backgrounds.

Major Requirements

A minimum of nine units above the GERM 111 level; GERM 225 , GERM 254 , and one course chosen from GERM 352 , GERM 355 , or GERM 356 ; three additional courses taught in German, one of which must be in literature; the remaining three courses (which may be taken in other departments) to be selected with the advice and approval, before pre-registration, of the faculty in German. (Normally, no more than two units may be taken as an independent or individually arranged course.)