German Major
German Major
The German Department offers students training in the German language and exposure to the literature and culture of the German-speaking countries. Beyond the acquisition of speaking facility, language courses can foster better understanding of how language both reflects and shapes consciousness of the world. In the best liberal arts tradition, language study enhances our ability to deal with ambiguity and cultural pluralism.
A major in German can lead to careers in
teaching, research or translation work, foreign service, international
business, or work in international service organizations. A minor in German can
enhance one’s preparation for professions in communications, journalism, the
natural and social sciences, or any work involving trans-cultural communication.
In considering a major or minor in German
Studies, students should consult early in the first year or sophomore year with
a member of the department about how best to plan meaningful sequences of
courses, ideally including at least a semester of study abroad. The curriculum
is intended to:
- expose students at the intermediate level to varieties of spoken
and written styles;
- encourage active development of one’s written and spoken
facility with German in a broad range of topic areas;
- exercise skills in
intercultural thinking and communication;
- introduce students to the methods
and questions central to the study of German literature and cultural history;
and
- foster critical inquiry into a number of specific areas prior to
Independent Study.
The German Studies major encompasses
inquiries into literary, artistic, historical, and everyday cultural aspects of
German-speaking areas. It includes the study of periods, genres, major themes
of German culture, and questions of cultural theory, and begins with the
history and methods course, German 260. This course, which is offered annually
in the spring, must be taken at the College of Wooster.
The major consists of a minimum of eleven
semester courses beyond the 100 level, including three units of Independent
Study (401, 451, 452). German Studies majors complete German 250 (Advanced
German: Texts and Contexts), German 260 (Kulturkunde: Introduction to German
Studies), two to four of the literature/culture courses offered in German, and
one course on a topic related to German in English [e.g., German 228 (German
Film and Society), History 208 or 209 (European History)]. Majors may also count
German 230 (Theaterpraktikum) [a
theater production course offered every 2-3 years], and approved transfer credits
acquired during study abroad in a German-speaking country towards their major
courses.