Interdisciplinary Major - German Studies

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Universal Curriculum Requirements

To be awarded a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences, students are required to complete universal curriculum requirements in addition to the program requirements provided below. The school universal curriculum requirements can be found on the school Degree Programs page .

Program Requirements

In order to declare the German Studies major, completion of or exemption from the following course is required:

GERM 2020 - Intermediate German II Credits: 3
Students must complete 30 credits (typically 10 courses) beyond the prerequisite course. 5 courses must have German as the language of instruction, three of which must be:
GERM 3000 - Advanced German Credits: 3
3 GERM electives at the 3000-level or above Credits: 9
1 course at the 4000-level or above: GERM 4600, EURS 5000 (Europe in the World), or another relevant course or independent study at the 4000 Credits: 3
5 additional German Studies courses from the following list Credits: 15
GETR 3330 - Introduction to German Studies Credits: 3
GETR 3372 - German Jewish Culture and History Credits: 3
GETR 3505 - History and Fiction, Topics Credits: 3
HIEU 3390 - Nazi Germany Credits: 3
HIEU 3462 - Neighbors and Enemies in Germany Credits: 3
HIEU 3692 - The Holocaust Credits: 3
HIST 2014 - Fascism: A Global History Credits: 3
PHIL 3180 - Nietzsche Credits: 3
RELJ 3170 - Modern Jewish Thought Credits: 3
Other courses, e.g. in Anthropology and Sociology, on racism or migration and other adjacent topics may also be admissible, offering alternative disciplinary approaches to shared questions. Students may consult the DUP to determine if a course is suitable.

NOTE: Students may be exempted from GERM 3000 based on their scores on the German Placement Exam.

German Studies majors will devise in consultation with their German Department advisor and, where necessary, an advisor from outside the German Department an individualized program that guides their selection of GERM, GETR, and other electives.

All majors with the requisite College GPA of 3.6 will be eligible to complete a thesis in the fourth year with the German Distinguished Majors Program.

NOTE: Up to 12 credits may be transferred from other institutions (prior approval required).

Distinguished Majors Program in German Studies

This program is available to German Studies majors presenting an overall GPA of 3.400 and a letter of recommendation from a member of the German Studies faculty. The DMP consists of a minimum of one relevant 4000-level course in the student’s disciplinary concentration or the German Departmen courses below, in addition to the requirements for the German Studies major:

GERM 4998 - Honors Research and Thesis Credits: 0
GERM 4999 - Honors Research and Thesis Credits: 6
Students may elect to complete their 6 credit hours of Honors Research and Thesis in one semester (GERM 4995) or two (GERM 4998 and GERM 4999) in their final year.

In either case, an honors thesis of approximately 40 pages is to be submitted by April 25.

High School Teaching in German

For students interested in pursuing a high school teaching career, there are two options in conjunction with the School of Education and Human Development: a five-year program, in which the student may earn two degrees, a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Teaching, and a 15-month program, the post-baccalaureate Master of Teaching. For more information, contact the School of Education and Human Development.

GERM 1010 and 1020

These two courses are for beginners. All students with any previous background in German who have not taken the SAT II Subject Test or the Advanced Placement test must take the German placement diagnostic (PLACE) if planning to take German at any time in their college career. The sequence of courses is:

GERM 1010 - Elementary German I Credits: 4
GERM 1020 - Elementary German II Credits: 4
GERM 2010 - Intermediate German I Credits: 3
GERM 2020 - Intermediate German II Credits: 3
Once a student has placed in the required course sequence, they must complete each successive course with a passing grade. A student may not skip, for example, from GERM 1020 to GERM 2020. Students may not take more than one course in the sequence at a time. Those who place higher than course 2020 in a language and have successfully taken an advanced placement examination in that language are relieved of the foreign language requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Arts.

Additional Information

For more information, contact the Director of Undergraduate Programs, Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, P.O. Box 400125, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4125; (434) 924-3530; www.virginia.edu/german.