GERMAN
Department of Modern Foreign Languages
Leonard R. Koos, Chair
Vera Niebuhr, Career Advisor
Faculty
Associate Professor
Vera Niebuhr
Assistant Professor
Marcel Rotter
The Program in German
Through courses in German, students gain linguistic proficiency, as well as understanding of the literatures and cultures of the German- speaking world. Laboratory facilities and electronic resources are used extensively to supplement classroom instruction. Upper-level classes are conducted primarily in German.
Double majors are possible, and non-majors may also take advantage of the language program. Students have the opportunity to reside in a campus residence area in which German is spoken and which sponsors various inter-cultural programs. The resident program director of this area is a native speaker of German.
The Department of Modern Foreign Languages cooperates with a variety of overseas study programs, advises and encourages students wishing to study abroad, and helps in planning their foreign study programs. Credits can be accepted from abroad to fulfill major requirements. UMW also offers a summer program in Germany for advanced students. In Fall 2005, UMW entered a partnership with the University of Erfurt, making it possible for students to study a year or semester there.
Graduates in German may pursue careers in government or in private fields in which the knowledge of this language and culture is essential, including interpreting, translating, research, social services, education, or international business.
*For information regarding General Education language requirements for students not currently majoring in Modern Foreign Languages, please see page 53 in this Catalog.
Requirements for the German Major
Thirty-two (32) credits in German including German 311; at least two courses chosen from 393, 394, and 395; and additional German courses at the 300- or 400-level.
German Course Offerings
101, 102 – Beginning German (3, 3)
Grammar, emphasis on gaining rapid comprehension and developing fluency in spoken German. Introduction to reading German. Learning to write German.
201, 202 – Intermediate German (3, 3)
Prerequisites: German 102 or equivalent for 201; German 201 or equivalent for 202. Grammar review, concentration on reading for comprehension. Honing of oral skills and writing German. Readings in German 202 focus on global issues.
311 – Introduction to German Literature (4)
Prerequisite: German 202 or equivalent. Emphasizes texts from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Close attention paid to form, content, motifs, character analysis, and social and cultural background.
313 – Business German (4)
Prerequisite: German 393 or equivalent This course provides students with the basic communicative skills in the German language as used in German business and economics. It introduces students to the economic role of the German-speaking countries in the global economy. Topics include German economic geography, German business and economics terminology in finance, the social welfare system, transport system, the structure of corporations, and the code of behavior in the business world. Students will develop their skills in listening comprehension, reading comprehension, speaking, and writing.
317 – German Civilization (4)
Recommendations: two German 300-level courses. Survey of the culture and civilization of the German-speaking areas, with emphasis on Germany.
320 – UMW in Erfurt (4)
Prerequisite: German 202 or equivalent This is a summer course in German language and culture taught on site in Erfurt, with focus on the various forms of artistic and journalistic expression, as well as the geography, history, and social structure of this central area of Germany, Thuringia, the “green heart” of Germany.
375 – German Literature: the Enlightenment through Romanticism (4)
Recommendations: two German 300-level courses. Representative authors such as Lessing, Goethe, Schiller, Kleist, Novalis, Hoffmann, Brentano, Eichendorff.
376 – German Literature: Post-Romanticism to Turn of the Century (4)
Recommendations: two German 300-level courses. Representative authors such as Heine, Büchner, Grillparzer, Droste-Hülshoff, Hebbel, Storm, Keller, Fontane, Hauptmann.
385, 386 – German Literature of the Twentieth Century (4, 4)
Recommendations: two German 300-level courses. Representative authors such as Hofmannsthal, Mann, Kafka, Brecht, Böll, Frisch, Grass, Handke, Bachmann, Wolf, Arjouni.
393, 394, 395 – Advanced Grammar, Conversation, Composition (4, 4, 4)
Prerequisites: German 202 must be completed before starting this sequence. German 394 is a prerequisite for 395. Intensive written and oral language practice. Designed to expand the student’s active vocabulary and help the student develop his or her own style. Emphasis on global issues in 394 and 395.
485 – Seminar in German (4)
Prerequisites: two German 300-level courses. Selected topics in German literature, German cultural studies, or Germanic linguistics.
491, 492 – Individual Study (1-6, 1-6)
Prerequisite: Approval of the instructor.
499 – Internship (1-6)
Prerequisite: Approval of instructor. Supervised off-campus experience developed in consultation with the department. No credit toward major.