undergraduate programme
A major in German requires students to take a minimum of *30 to a maximum of *48 at the senior level (i.e., at the 200-level and beyond), of which at least *12 must be at the 400-level. We recommend that students begin with Germ 100 (or 150) in their first year. [Note: although Germ 100 and Germ 150 normally have to be taken to meet the prerequisite requirements, they are not counted as part of the concentration.] All majors in German must take Germ 301. The remainder of the senior courses can be selected according to interest provided that the above requirements are met. Within the degree, students may develop specializations in German Literary and Cultural Studies, German Language Studies, or a combination of the two.
German Language Objectives
German Literary and Cultural Studies: This requires *30 to *48 at the senior level, including Germ 301 and 351/352: *12 in German literature must be at the 400-level. [Note that Germ 352 plus one of Germ 331, 332, 341, 342, 351 are the prerequisites for all German literature courses at the 400-level.]
German Language Studies: This requires *30 to *48 at the senior level including Germ 301 and 306: *12 in German Language/Linguistics must be at the 400-level. 300-level courses may be chosen from Germ 307, 308, 316, 317 and 400-level courses may be drawn from Germ 406, 407, 408, 409, 411, 412, 416, 417, 441, and 442. [Note that one of Germ 306, 316 or 317 is the prerequisite for all German(ic) linguistics courses at the 400-level.]
Combination of 1. and 2: This requires *30 to *48 at the senior level, including Germ 301, 306 and 352. At the 400-level *6 must be taken in German literature and *6 in German(ic) linguistics. Note that one of Germ 306, 316 or 317 is the prerequisite for all German(ic) linguistics courses at the 400-level and that Germ 352 plus one of Germ 331, 332, 341, 342, 351 are the prerequisites for all German literature courses at the 400-level.
Major in German Studies: This requires *30 to *48 at the senior level, including Germ 301, 352, one of Germ 331, 332, 341 or 342: *6 in German must be at the 400-level. Also included must be *12 to *18 at the senior level in approved interdisciplinary courses, cross-listed courses in History and/or Political Science: of these, at least *6 must be at the 400-level.
2. The Honours B.A. in German: This is more specialized and requires a higher academic standard than the B.A. Degree. Honours normally requires a minimum of *54 at the senior level in German, including Germ 301, 351/352, and 505. Germ 331/332 or 341/342 are highly recommended for non-native speakers and Germ 411 and 412 for prospective graduate students. Students who plan to go on to a graduate degree are strongly urged to consider the Honours program because it provides the best preparation for graduate study.
3. The Combined Honours B.A. in German and another discipline: This gives students the opportunity to study two fields equally in some depth. Common combinations in the past have been German/French, German/English and German/Russian; however, other combinations are possible. Faculty requirements stipulate a minimum of *36 in each subject, of which *30 must be at the senior level. The German component must include Germ 301, and *12 at the 400-level.
4. German as the minor concentration: The Faculty requires a minimum of *12 at the senior level, with at least *6 at the 300 or 400-level. In German it requires *6 at the 400-level. Sometimes students choose a minor concentration relatively late in their academic program. In this case, there are several ways of using German as the minor, all of which require Germ 150 or its equivalent as prerequisite:
1. Take Germ 301 in the third year and Germ 441/442 in the fourth year.
2. Take Germ 306 plus one of 307, 308, 316, 317 in the third year and two of Germ 406, 407, 408, 409, 416, or 417 in the fourth year.
3. Take Germ 352 and one of Germ 331, 332, 341, 342, or 351 in the third year and any two 400-level literature courses in the fourth year.
5. German and Scandinavian as a combined subject of concentration: Students in the B.A. Program are permitted to include both German and Scandinavian in the subject of concentration. This combination requires students to take between *30 and *48 at the senior level, i.e. 200-level and above, of which *12 must be at the 400-level (*6 in German and *6 in Scandinavian).
In addition, the department offers two degree programmes jointly with other departments:
6. Bachelor of Commerce in German Studies: In September 1993, the Faculty of Business began to offer a degree program with a major in German Studies. The Department of Germanic Languages is supporting this program fully and participates actively in it. The Faculty of Business' rationale for making Albertans more competitive in the modern world by giving them effective tools for communication and cultural understanding coincides fully with our own ideas to make proficiency in German a significant skill which could help students obtain first-class jobs.
7. Collaborative B.A. Programmes in German and Linguistics: The purpose of these degree programmes is to permit students to develop proficiency in a language (German) while acquiring a sound theoretical knowledge about German itself and about language in general. This objective is best achieved by a combination of courses in German language, theoretical linguistics, and applied linguistics (including contrastive linguistics and psycholinguistics). In order to achieve this integration of the disciplines it is recommended that students in this program enrol in a half-year project course in their final year which involves independent research and a substantial term paper on a topic in German applied linguistics.
General Undergraduate Program Information pertaining to our Department can be found here.