Guide to Independent Study in German and German Studies
Department of German
The College of Wooster
Introduction Selecting a Topic Method Writing in German
Form and Format  Organization into Chapters Citations and Style   Your Adviser: Roles and Responsibilities
The Oral Timeline Evaluation  Double Majors, Cultural Area Studies, and Comparative Lit Majors 
Junior IS   Copeland Fund Research Ethics Appendices

Introduction. Independent Study in German and German Studies

            As part of the fulfillment of the graduation requirements for the major in German or German Studies, the Department of German requires a course of Independent Study (401) and a two-course Independent Study thesis (451 - 452). Students normally complete Independent Study 401 in the spring of the junior year; students planning study abroad for both semesters of the junior year should register for 401 in Semester II of the sophomore year. The Senior Independent Study is normally researched and written during Semester I and Semester II of the senior year.

           The Senior Independent Study project represents the culmination of your academic work and experience at the College, and the process of Independent Study offers the opportunity to develop and demonstrate in a significant and sustained way the skills of independent critical thought that are among the goals of a Wooster education. Independent Study should be engaging, challenging, exhilarating, and enjoyable. At times it may also feel overwhelming or tedious. Finally, a successfully completed Independent Study project should give you a sense of accomplishment and pride.

             In order to make the best use of your course work and related experience in preparation for Independent Study, we urge you to familiarize yourself with the Independent Study program as set forth in the College-wide Handbook for Independent Study and with the specific guidelines included in this departmental guide as early as possible after you have declared the major.

Goals for Independent Study
Your Independent Study project should demonstrate that you have learned how to

• select a research topic and indicate its importance within the continuing scholarly conversation about that topic;
• develop a set of research questions that you will address in relation to that topic;
• define a methodological framework or procedure for answering those questions;
• identify appropriate sources for gathering information, including primary texts, secondary literature, interviews, cultural realia and other materials;
• construct an original and creative interpretation that is based on your careful close reading and analysis of primary material and your critical synthesis of secondary literature, that arrives at persuasive conclusions and that summarizes what you have achieved;
• express your ideas clearly in German. [top]

Selecting a Topic
        Your choice of topic will depend in part on ideas and questions you bring with you from courses you have taken in and outside the department or from study abroad. Ask yourself what ideas, texts, themes and issues have especially interested you in your prior encounters with German literature, film, and culture or in related fields and in what way you would like to pursue those interests further. Topics may be generally related to the topic of the Junior Independent Study thesis, but should not be a repetition or extension of that topic. New questions, themes and texts should be explored. At the same time you should have some familiarity with the questions, methods and materials of the topic you select for the Senior I.S.

         Projects in German literature should explore significant questions about literary texts or films, including genres, structures, authors, movements, and themes in their social and historical contexts. Projects with a German Studies focus will explore specific questions of culture, identity, society, and history within the German speaking world, using the perspectives of several disciplines, such as art, economics, history, religious studies, political science, philosophy and music. For such projects, background course work is very important. Your topic should be defined and limited in such a way that it can be completed within the time and with the resources available. Above all, it should pursue questions to which you would truly like answers.

        Most Independent Study work in German has culminated in a major research-based thesis. Projects focused on translation or on fictional or journalistic writing have also been possible, although it is essential that these too demonstrate significant background research and include critical and analytical material. [top]

Method
        While the overall critical/interpretive method used for research on literature and culture is the close reading of texts, you will want to select methods and theoretical approaches which are appropriate to the questions you are asking and the kinds of materials you are analyzing and interpreting. A method is a systematic procedure, technique, or mode of inquiry followed in presenting material or proving a thesis. Methods in German Studies may include analysis of narrative structure, character development, themes, motifs, language, style, verbal and visual imagery and genre.

       All research presupposes certain critical and theoretical premises that inform the analysis. A central premise in German Studies is that language and imagery are not transparent but constructed and therefore warrant critical analysis and interpretation. Your project should demonstrate familiarity with and application of specific forms of critical inquiry or theory. Theoretical perspectives might include those of film studies, socio-historical studies, gender studies, post-colonial studies or cultural studies. Just as with your choice of topic, your methods and theoretical perspectives should be those with which you have some working familiarity.

      Part of your method is of course the way in which you go about the research for your project. Your close reading of literary or film texts, documents, or other primary sources may bring you to preliminary conclusions that suggest new questions to ask and new sources to consult. An important part of any research method is your identification and use of appropriate sources. The German Department Handbook of Information Resources will provide you with references to all sorts of information, interpretation and analysis of importance to your project and some criteria for evaluating its quality and usefulness to your project.

      In researching and writing I.S., you join in a conversation with other scholars who have considered issues related to your topic. An important part of your method will be understanding the work of other scholars and situating your project in relation to it. Therefore it is important that you go beyond merely summarizing and synthesizing the work of others, developing your own critical position. [top]
Writing in German
             The Independent Study project should demonstrate your ability to
          • use the German language competently as a medium for analysis, articulation of an               argument, and synthesis of complex material;
          • to write sustained German prose using correct German grammar, spelling, punctuation               and sentence structure.
All I.S. projects written German and German Studies will be written in German. Projects in Comparative Literature and Cultural Area Studies may be written in German, or portions of them may be written in German, depending on the topic and the language skills of the advisers. At least portions of projects for double majors should be written in German, as agreed upon among the student and the advisers and as approved by the German Department.

          While your adviser is prepared to help with points of German style, it remains your primary responsibility to submit drafts in clear, idiomatic German. Dictionaries of German language and style are indispensable aids to anyone concerned with writing good expository prose. Especially recommended are the Duden series, particularly the Stilwörterbuch, the Sprach-Brockhaus; the New Cassell’s German-English, English-German Dictionary; Wildhagen German-English, English-German Dictionary; and Wahrig, Worterbuch der deutschen Sprache. Consult Dictionaries, Handbooks of Style and other reference materials in the reference section of the Gault Libraries or on-line [Link to descriptions and to on-line dictionaries (coming soon!)].

         It is your adviser’s responsibility to point out typical errors in grammar, usage and style, but not to correct errors or edit your drafts in detail. We urge you to consult with the Department’s Language Assistant, who is available on a tutorial basis, and who can indicate errors and answer questions about particular words, constructions or idiomatic usage.

        Revision is an essential part of the writing process. You should leave yourself enough time to revise individual sections, full chapters and the entire draft at least once. An important part of the revising process is your continuous editing of the material that your adviser has commented on, even as you begin to draft new sections. [top]
Form and Format
            Communicating the outcome of the Independent Study project to others is a significant goal for Independent Study. Communication involves the selection of an appropriate form, generally expository prose, the meaningful organization of the content of the project, and the use of standard conventions for format and citation (for an example of citation style see Appendix III).

     The Independent Study thesis should include the following parts:
             I. Title Page (see sample page in Appendix I)
            II. Acknowledgment page (optional)
           III. Table of contents (see sample in Appendix II)
          IV. Introduction
           V. Body of text divided into appropriately labeled chapters or sections
          VI. Appendices: maps, illustrations, supporting material or documents
         VII. List of Works Cited (see sample in Appendix IV)
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Organization into chapters. Your overall organization of the I.S. into chapters or sections is part of the method and should help you develop your analysis in a way that is meaningful to your readers. In your introductory chapter, you will want to describe your topic, to pose the problems you are considering and the specific questions you are asking and to set out the method by which you propose to approach them. The introductory chapter should also include a statement about the work done by other scholars related to your project and how you are situating your project in relation to it.

           The following chapters or parts of the Independent Study might be organized around individual texts or authors you are interpreting, sections of a work, themes or motifs you have identified, different time periods, or many other aspects of your material. Of greatest importance is that the organization make sense in terms of the materials you are treating and the ways in which you are developing your argument. Transitions between sections should be clear, and it will be helpful to your readers if you explain in the introductory material your choice of organizational principle in relation to your overall interpretation or argument.

           Rather than simply summarizing the contents of the project, the conclusion should build on your analysis to suggest the significance of what you have discovered and to point toward further questions and applications. [top]
Citations and style. The MLA Handbook is the standard professional model for citation of sources in scholarly writing in language, and literature and related fields. If possible you should purchase a copy at the time you begin Junior Independent Study. The Handbook gives detailed information on when to cite and the proper format for citing all sorts of primary and secondary source material, including interviews, film scripts, print and electronic documents, and web sites. Bowling Green State University's Guide to MLA citation

Quotation. Direct quotation should be kept to a minimum and should be used for two primary reasons: to provide materials that are under investigation, especially from primary sources, and to provide an argument that is expressed so cogently in the original that it cannot be paraphrased without being weakened. Please follow MLA guidelines for on quotation style.

Format. To facilitate ease of reading after binding, the thesis should be word-processed in 12-point type, Times or Times New Roman. It should be double-spaced with a 1 1/2 " margin on the left and other margins set at 1".
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Your adviser: roles and responsibilities

          Students have a voice but not a choice in the selection of advisers. The Department will take students’ preferences into account, but the Department Chair will assign the adviser on the basis of faculty interest and expertise, and the equitable distribution of workload. So that students will have the opportunity to take advantage of the perspectives and approaches of different faculty members, your adviser will probably be someone other than the person who advised the Junior I.S.

         Normally you and your adviser will meet at a regular time once a week for half an hour to an hour. It is helpful to forward written material to your adviser well before your meeting time. If you cancel or postpone these meetings or don’t complete the written material you and your adviser agreed on, the deadlines for completion of parts of the project and for the project as a whole will continue to be in effect.

          As indicated in the Handbook for Independent Study from the Faculty Handbook, “On all drafts of the thesis, including the final draft if received by the agreed upon deadline, the adviser is responsible for indicating to the student typical errors of logic, style, mechanics, etc., which may occur. He or she is not required to edit and proofread these drafts paragraph by paragraph and sentence by sentence.”

         Your adviser’s suggestions for revisions of a draft do not guarantee its ultimate acceptability, nor does your adviser’s support and encouragement mean that you will receive a grade of Good or Honors. Your adviser will encourage you to pursue your interests and ideas and will guide, indeed push you hard from time to time, but will not dictate your initial questions, method or conclusions. Independent Study is your project project, not the adviser’s, and the primary responsibility for initiating and completing it are yours. For further information on the role and responsibilities of the adviser see College’s Handbook on Independent Study. [top]
The Oral

         The oral is the final official step in the Independent Study process and also serves as an important factor in the overall evaluation of the project. It provides you with an opportunity to discuss further the materials you dealt with in your Independent Study, to clarify arguments or points you have made, and to pursue questions that you could not address fully in the project. It is also a moment to reflect on the process you followed in completing the project. The oral should be a lively and informed exchange in which you are the expert and in which you and your readers explore further ideas you have developed and set out as part of the ongoing scholarly conversation in field.

         Your adviser will inform you about possible dates for the oral, which may take place anytime in the four or five weeks after spring break. A second reader will be assigned by the department chairperson upon consultation with the student and with colleagues, when the thesis has been turned in. An important part of independent research is the ability to discuss your work articulately with an intelligent outsider who has not been through the day to day process of the thesis. The adviser and student will have developed an inside language with many shared assumptions. Answering the questions of a second reader requires the student to keep in mind that the adviser is not the sole audience to be addressed and that the I.S. needs to be accessible to readers of differing perspectives.

          At least 24 hours prior to the defense, you will receive a commentary and a set of questions from the second reader. These questions are meant to help clarify or extend certain points you have made in the project and to make connections to other aspects of German literature or culture. They will provide a basis for discussion in the oral, although the scope of the oral will not necessarily be limited to these. Your clarity and command of the material in the oral will be considered in the overall evaluation of the I.S. [top]

Timeline
To help students have a successful research and writing experience in Independent Study the Department of German suggests the following timeline. The College deadline and procedures for the submission of the Independent Study are fully described in the College-wide Handbook for Independent Study.

Semester I

           First Week: Consultation with the Department chair about the selection of the adviser; initial meeting with the adviser; discussion of possible topics and agreement on a timetable. You should bring to your first I.S. conference an annotated list of relevant courses you have completed. Include on your list papers you have written for those courses, texts you read, themes you pursued, issues and questions that interested you. This material is an excellent starting point for discussion topics for Independent Study.

          Fourth Week: Your working topic should be selected and focused and your written statement of the topic should be on file with your adviser.

        Mid-semester: By this point you should have a clear sense of your major research questions, the research methods you will use, the resources you will consult, and you should have completed significant reading and some initial drafting of portions of the project.

       Week 13 : By the end of the last week of class, you should have completed the bulk of the research and reading, written the initial draft of at least one solid chapter and submitted a working outline that indicates plans for the completion of the project. In addition you should have prepared a written list of working research sources (primary and secondary literature) that indicates your sense of the relationship between your interpretation and analysis and the scholarship in the field. Failure to submit these materials may result in a grade of NC for 451, requiring you to register for 451 in the following semester and 452 in the semester after that.

Semester II

       Week 2: Submit a draft of a second chapter and a full, annotated bibliography of primary and secondary materials that includes a wide variety of monographs, journal articles, web-sites, and other sources. The annotations should include not only the correct citation in MLA format, but also a description of the content and methodological/theoretical approach of the source and how it is useful to the project.

     Week 5: Submit a draft of third Chapter.

     Week 7: Submit a full draft of the project to the adviser. This deadline enables your adviser to make final comments and suggestions well in advance of the College’s deadline. Your adviser is not expected to work on I.S. drafts during Spring Break.

     Week 11 (Monday after spring break): The final project is submitted to the Registrar's Office by the announced afternoon deadline. Two copies of the bound thesis should be submitted as well as one unbound copy for archiving.

      Beyond these deadlines, you and your adviser may set your own deadlines. Please remember that all of the deadlines are intended to ensure that you make steady progress with research and writing, that you are consulting all the sources you need to; that you are considering how to integrate these sources into the final project; and that you have ample time for revision. Extensions on any of the internal deadlines don't constitute permission for an extension of the final deadline, which is set by College policy. Every extension of departmental or adviser's deadlines simply increases the amount of work to be completed before the next deadline. Extensions of deadlines don't imply that the adviser must rush to turn work around. Above all, bear in mind that everything will take longer than you expect, and plan accordingly. In our experience projects completed in a rush have been less successful. [top]
Evaluation

        Immediately after the oral your adviser will inform you about whether you have passed. Your final grade for Independent Study will be determined by your adviser in consultation with your second reader. You will be informed about your final grade after all Independent Study orals have been completed and after consultation in the German Department.

        Independent Study is not only a product, but also a process. While the main focus for the evaluation is the project itself, the evaluation of your Independent Study will include the process of completing the project over two semesters. You are expected to have met regularly with your adviser, to have followed the schedule agreed on by you and your adviser, and to have submitted work by the deadlines agreed on.

    The criteria for evaluation of your I.S. include
          • topic development
          • theoretical approach and method
          • thesis development: development of hypothesis and interpretation of material that arrives at               an original and meaningful conclusion
          • language and style: correct usage and clarity
         • form and format: structure and organization
         • performance in the oral

       Your ability to reflect on your work, to speak knowledgeably about the area in which you have done your research, and to apply and extend the insights, ideas and knowledge you have acquired are also important elements of Independent Study. Hence your performance in the oral exam will also be an element in your final grade for Independent Study.

I.S. Grades

Independent Study grades are NC (No Credit), S (Satisfactory), G (Good), and H (Honors). The College-wide Handbook for Independent Study defines these grades as:
         NC: unsatisfactory in content, method and form
            S: satisfactory in content, method and form
            G: good in content, method and form
            H outstanding in content, method and form
The Department of German extends those definitions to include:
       Satisfactory: a good job well done; competent and accurate German, topic clearly focused, integration and proper citation of secondary literature and connections made between this project and the work of other scholars in the field.

       Good: contains elements that are clearly distinguished. Effective use of resources. Bold articulation of a thesis. Insightful engagement with primary and secondary sources, good use of German for analysis at the conceptual level.

      Honors: Truly distinguished in every aspect; originality of thesis;
outstanding analysis of topic, broad range of resources and their creative use; excellent use of German, a truly original contribution to the field.

       The German Department is eager to have your evaluation of your Independent Study experience. After the oral and after I.S. grades have been submitted, you will be asked to complete an evaluation of your I.S. experience. Your suggestions and comments about your preparation for I.S. the research, writing and advising process, and the available resources will be helpful in our ongoing assessment of the program. [top]

 
Double majors, Cultural Area Studies and Comparative Literature Majors

        Double majors have offered many Wooster students an opportunity for interdisciplinary work with the breadth and depth of both fields. The materials, methods and perspectives of each field can make important and fruitful contributions to a topic worth exploring beyond the boundaries of a single discipline. Frequent double major combinations have been German and history, international relations, and business economics, but students have also combined German and political science, art history, music, and religious studies in fruitful and interesting ways.

        Double majors must complete the Junior Independent Study requirement in both departments. Combined Senior Independent Study work in a double major in German and another field must satisfy the guidelines of both departments, and will require two advisers assigned by the department or program chairs involved. Topics, materials methods, format and procedures for the project should be identified in consultation with both advisers. Double majors will meet on a regular basis with both advisers, although in some cases only occasional consultation with the second adviser is necessary.

        Students majoring in Cultural Area Studies or Comparative Literature with German as a core department should consult the chair of that program about the assignment of adviser. Normally an adviser from the German Department will be assigned. A second reader, who may be from another department, will normally be identified after the project is completed, but in some cases an earlier assignment, for purposes of consultation, may be advisable. Students should follow the general guidelines and format requirements described in the Independent Study Guidelines of the Cultural Area Studies and Comparative Literature Programs. [top]
Junior I.S.

        Junior Independent Study in German is designed to develop the skills in analysis, research, use of information resources and writing that are required for the Senior Independent Study project. The student will work with an adviser assigned by the Chair of the German Department on a written thesis that will normally range in length from 30-50 pages and will include an annotated list of sources cited. Particular attention will be paid to defining and limiting an appropriate topic, to locating and using information resources, and to the use of German for literary and cultural analysis. The adviser and the student will set their own internal deadlines for the completion of the project. A full draft for the adviser’s final comments and suggestions should be submitted by the end of the 12th week of the semester. Normally the final version of the paper will be due at the beginning of final exam week. The adviser will provide a written critique of the Junior Independent Study project with suggestions for the student to follow in preparing for the Senior project. A copy of the critique will be sent to the Department Chair for the student’s advising folder an will be given to the Senior Independent Study adviser.

         Because course work taken abroad is not designed to prepare students directly for Senior Independent Study at Wooster, we urge students to make every effort to complete Junior Independent Study before undertaking study abroad. Students who find that they must complete Junior Independent Study abroad should consult with the Chair of the German Department about how to proceed. Normally the student will identify one course to be completed for credit abroad as the Independent Study course. That course should include a significant research and writing component and may not double count toward other requirements. Students working abroad may find it helpful to consult Wooster’s on-line German Studies Information Resources Handbook and this Guide to Independent Study in German.

        Members of Wooster’s German faculty may consult with the student about research the student is undertaking abroad, but the grade for that work must be submitted by the faculty member of the course abroad for which the student is registered. Some study abroad programs will arrange an on-site independent study adviser for students undertaking a research project abroad. Such independent study work must be taken for credit as part of the student’s coursework abroad, and the research adviser abroad will assign the grade.

       Students who have completed a research paper abroad should bring a copy to the German Department Chair at Wooster to be handed on to the Senior Independent Study adviser. [top]
Copeland Fund

           The Henry J. Copeland Fund supports extraordinary research expenses for Senior I.S. projects, offering students the opportunity to take advantage unusual research opportunities, including those abroad, that will significantly enhance the project. Proposals should show in what way the funding would enhance the quality and scope of the project beyond the usual limitations and expectations for Independent Study. There are two opportunities to apply to the Copeland Fund: in spring for I.S. research to be started during the summer before the Senior year and in the early fall for I.S. projects already underway. Full information is available at this address: http://www.wooster.edu/vpaa_dean/copelandfund.html
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Research Ethics, Responsible Use of Information Resources and Academic Integrity

       In undertaking Independent Study, students enter into a dialogue with other writers, thinkers, and scholars in German and German studies. One goal of Independent Study is to assist you in engaging that dialogue, understanding the work that has been done by others and situating your project in relation to it. It is understood that you will be familiar with, refer to and cite the work of others. Their work is as much their property, however, as yours belongs to you, and any representation of it as your own, whether intentional or not intentional, violates fundamental principles of research ethics and constitutes plagiarism. It is essential therefore that during the research process you keep careful notes with full references to every idea and quotation you intend to reference and that full credit be given to all of your sources (published or unpublished, written or oral, print or electronic) in the final draft of your Independent Study project and in the oral. Failure to so or any attempt to fabricate data or research material is a violation of academic integrity and will result in a failing grade for both semesters of Independent Study. For further information on Wooster’s Code of Academic Integrity consult the statement of the policy in the Scot’s Key. [top]
Appendices
See the downloadable guide for the appendices (click here).

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