GERMAN STUDIES

Professors: Herbert A. Arnold, Peter Frenzel, Leo A. Lensing (Dean of Arts and Humanities), Krishna R. Winston (Chair)

Adjunct Associate Professors: Annemarie Arnold, Vera B. Grant

Instructor: Noah Isenberg

Director, Wesleyan University Program in Germany, spring 1996: Petra Crosby

The study of German builds a foundation for graduate work in many academic fields that call for a sound knowledge of German language, culture, and history within the international context. It also prepares the student for employment in such areas as teaching, foreign service, journalism, business, translation, publishing, and arts administration. (The chair can provide information on the career paths that recent German majors have followed.) Courses in the German Department stress writing as well as speaking and attempt to develop in the student a sensitivity to language and its relationship to culture.

Both in its classes and in its informal activities, such as the weekly conversation hours, the department tries to create an atmosphere in which awareness of the culture of the German-speaking countries will flourish. All students who are interested in the German language and culture are welcome to take courses in the department and to participate in department-sponsored events.

Major program. To become a German major, a student must have no grade lower than B in any German course above the introductory level. The department recognizes the diversity of majors' interests and goals by allowing them great flexibility in designing their programs of study. A major arranges a course of study in consultation with a faculty adviser in the department. A major may choose to concentrate in either German Literature or German Studies. The concentration chosen will be indicated on the student's academic record and transcript.

Requirements and procedures--German Literature concentration. Humanities 101,102 and courses in history and philosophy are recommended as excellent preparation for this concentration, as is any course on the reading and analysis of literary texts. Majors are expected to adhere to the guidelines on general education. The department requires a minimum of ten full-credit courses, which may be chosen from among the following: German 216 and/or German 217; any German literature course numbered 300 or above; courses taken in the Wesleyan Program in Regensburg or another approved study-abroad program, except language courses; a maximum of two full-credit courses with readings, writing, and discussion in English, to be chosen from courses approved for the German Studies concentration (see below). Students who choose the concentration in German literature are required to take German 301 (Majors' Seminar), offered in alternate years.

Requirements and procedures--German Studies concentration. Majors are expected to adhere to the guidelines on general education. The department requires a minimum of ten full-credit courses, four of which must be courses in German numbered 216 or above. These may include courses taken in the Wesleyan Program in Regensburg or another approved study-abroad program, except language courses. The six other courses may be courses taught entirely in English and offered by the German Department or the departments of art, economics, English, government, history, philosophy, physics, psychology, religion, sociology, and the College of Letters. A list of approved courses is available at the department office. These courses will permit students to explore many different aspects of the politics, the culture, the history, and the scientific, artistic, and intellectual contributions of the German-speaking peoples. Because coherence is of great importance in any such eclectic program, the student must work very closely with a faculty adviser in putting together a program of study. A background in German history is essential. All majors concentrating in German studies are required to take the German Studies Seminar, German 299, offered in alternate years, and to write a senior essay or honors thesis, for which they enroll in a one- or two-semester tutorial.

Study abroad. All German majors are expected to spend at least six months in a German-speaking country with the Wesleyan Program in Regensburg or (by petition) another accredited program approved by the department and the Committee on International Studies.

Criteria and procedures for departmental honors.

1. Eligibility. To become a candidate for honors in German, a student must have maintained a grade-point average of 88.3 (B+) in all German courses credited toward the major and must fulfill the departmental requirement for the Majors' Seminar or the German Studies Seminar as stated above.

2. Candidacy. The senior must sign up for German 409 followed by 410 (Senior Thesis Tutorial). Candidates for honors in German Studies or in German and another major may need two tutors. By the deadline set by the Committee on Honors, the department will formally nominate the candidate if it appears reasonably certain that the project will be completed on time and in the prescribed form.

3. Honors projects. The following are examples of two-semester senior-year projects: a traditional research thesis; a detailed analysis of a text, to be presented in written form; a translation from German to English, accompanied by a critical essay or introduction; a production of a play, accompanied by a written analysis.

4. Deadline. All theses and written projects must be submitted by the spring deadline established by the Committee on Honors. Suitable dates for theatrical productions will be arranged by the department.

5. Evaluation and award of honors. The student's project will be evaluated by the tutor(s) and a designated reader or readers. If honors are awarded, they may be either "honors"or "high honors." The award will be reported to the Honors College and the faculty. A student receiving high honors may, at the department's discretion, be nominated to take the qualifying examination for University honors.

The German House. This small house at 135 High Street, with seven single rooms, sponsors many cultural and social activities. To apply for a place, a student should get in touch with the residents of the house by the end of the first semester.

Department prizes. Students who demonstrate excellence in the study of German may be candidates for prizes given from the Scott, Prentice, and Blankenagel Funds. For information see the department chair.

WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY PROGRAM IN GERMANY

(Regensburg)

The Wesleyan University Program in Germany (WUPG), supervised and sponsored by the German Department in cooperation with the College of Letters, offers a second-semester program under the auspices of a partnership agreement with the University of Regensburg. Since the program is an integral part of Wesleyan's undergraduate curriculum and an organic component of the German Department's offerings, majors in German Literature and German Studies are urged to participate, either as sophomores or, at the latest, as juniors. Up to 24 students from Wesleyan and other colleges and universities are admitted to the program. Open to students who have had at least three semesters of college German or the equivalent, the extended semester is divided into intensive language preparation (February-March) and regular matriculation at the University of Regensburg for the German second semester (May-July). Students choose from a broad selection of University courses, supplemented with group tutorials organized and monitored by the Wesleyan resident director. A series of cultural events includes visits to theaters and concerts, excursions to historic sites and museums, and guest lectures. Students earn two credits for the language course and two or three credits for advanced courses, which may be applied to the requirement for either track of the German major at Wesleyan. The preparatory language course is taught by the staff of the University's Institute for German as a Foreign Language. A Wesleyan faculty member administers all aspects of the program and advises students during their six-month stay in Germany. Under the terms of the agreement with the University of Regensburg, all Wesleyan participants are guaranteed rooms in dormitories and other housing facilities that ensure maximum contact with German students. Descriptive brochures and application forms are available from the German Department, 401 Fisk Hall. The deadline for applications is November 1.