Department Information

Requirements for the Major

German at Colby is a lively academic community with a great deal of interaction among faculty and students. Classes are small, approximately 15 students per class at the beginning and intermediate level, and 5-10 students at the upper-level literature and culture courses. Outside of class a variety of activities enhance the German program including guest lectures, film showings and the weekly German Table. Our language assistant, a native speaker from Munich, Germany, meets with students for informal conversation and is available for tutoring. He or she is also involved in the activities of the German Club and helps with organizing events such as Kaffeestunde and the annual Käsefondue party.

German Table

Every Tuesday 5:30-7:00 PM
Camp Room, Dana Dining Hall

Tutoring in German

The Department's language assistant, Sophie Moser, is available for special help in Lovejoy 452

Students of German enjoy the department's location on the fourth floor of the Lovejoy building. Open doors of faculty offices, a beautiful seminar room, and a state-of the-art Language Resource Center provide an enticing setting for studying German and socializing with fellow students and the German faculty.

The German program offers language instruction from the beginning to the advanced level as well as courses in German literature and culture. In light of Germany's increasingly important economic and political role in Europe and the world, we encourage students to choose German to fulfill Colby's three-semester language requirement. Students who have had one or more years of high school German must take a placement test administered during the orientation period before the beginning of the fall semester. Entering students who obtained a 4 or 5 on the German AP Exam or scored 600 or higher on the German SAT II are exempt from the language requirement.

Requirements for the Major in German Language and Literature (GMLT)

Students who choose to major in German language and literature will broaden their knowledge of German literary and cultural history as well as their understanding of theories of genre Ð from poetry and prose to drama and film. To fulfill the major students must complete nine semester courses in German numbered above German 126, of which two courses must be at the 300 level and one must be a 400 level course. Courses taken abroad and approved by the German faculty count toward the major.

Requirements for the Major in German Studies (GMST)

The major in German studies offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the German speaking countries. While proficiency in the German language is still emphasized, relevant courses taken outside the German program will broaden students' understanding of the formation of cultural identity and of the larger geo-political role of Germany in the world. To fulfill the major in German studies students must complete nine semester courses: six courses in German above German 126 and three additional courses chosen either from the German curriculum or from courses with a substantial German component in other departments. Students must take at least one course in German at the 300 level and one course in German or another department at the 400 level. The following courses are approved for the major in German studies:

English

493 Seminar: Franz Kafka

Government

257 Politics & Government of West Europe
262 German Unification
398 The European Union

History

215 Heresy, Humanism, and Reform
223 European Politics, Culture, Thought, 1789-1914
224 Germany and Europe, 1871-1945
322 Europe and the Second World War
397 German Culture and Politics between the World Wars
421 Debating the Nazi Past

Music

242 Music History II

The following statements also apply:

The point scale for retention of both majors is based on all required and approved courses numbered above German 126.
No major requirement may be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory.
Transfer of credits for courses from other institutions, including study abroad, will be evaluated by the major advisor in German on an individual basis.
All majors must take at least one course in German approved by the major advisor each semester until graduation.
Teacher Certification: Students desiring certification for teaching German should consult the faculty in German and in the Education and Human Development Program.

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last modified: 10/05/05 12:56:28 PM