German Program

Academics

 

Major and Supplementary Major

German Curriculum Effective September 2006

Major
Ten courses beyond 20201/20211, seven of which must be taught in German. Four of the upper division courses must be taken at the home institution from departmental offerings and at least two of these courses must be at the 40000-level.

Supplementary Major
 Eight courses beyond 20201/20211, six of which must be taught in German. Three of the upper division courses must be taken at the home institution and must be at the 30000-level or above from departmental offerings.

All Majors
Majors must select at least one course each from clusters A and B (in that order) before taking courses from Cluster C and should take at least one course from Cluster C before proceeding to courses from Cluster D. Courses from Cluster D are intended to serve as culminating (senior-year) courses. For first majors, at least four of these courses must be taken at the home campus; for supplementary majors, three courses must be taken at the home campus.

Minor

Five courses at or above the 20201-level, only one of which may be taught in English.

Minors may take any combination of courses in Clusters A, B and C. The culminating course for the minor may be (but does not have to be) from Cluster D. Students who participate in a study abroad program must take at least one course from department offerings after their return on the home campus.

Placement Exam

Any student with previous German experience MUST TAKE the placement exam before enrolling in a German course. Please note that this includes students who have taken an AP or SAT II exam.

Language Courses

A. Language Requirement (generally defined as successful completion of 20201 or its equivalent)

  • 10101
  • 10102
  • 20201 (Innsbruck equivalent: 20211—Level 1 of the Salzburg Sprachkurs)

B. 20202: Intermediate German/Special Topics
(Prerequisite: 20201 or its equivalent.)

  • Special topics based on faculty specializations, but in all cases designed to enhance students’ listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills to a level that will allow them to succeed in 30000-level courses. (Innsbruck equivalent: 202I2—Deutsch als Fremdsprache II in Innsbruck or Level 2 of the Salzburg Sprachkurs.)

Clusters A-D: Schematic Organization

Cluster A (Conversation/Composition/Reading)
(Prerequisite for this cluster is 20202 or the equivalent)

  • 30102 ABCs of Speaking, Reading, and Writing about Literature
    Offered in fall semester in odd years.
  • 30103 Advanced Conversation
    301IA—Deutsch als Fremdsprache III)
    Offered every spring semester.
  • 30105 Advanced Stylistics and Composition
    Offered in fall semester in even years.

Cluster B (Introduction to Culture and Literature)
(Prerequisite for this cluster is at least one course from Cluster A)

  • 30107 German Cultural History (Kulturgeschichte)
    Offered every spring semester.
  • 30108 Survey of German-language Literature (Literature von gestern and heute)
    Offered every fall semester.

Cluster C (30000-Level Literature, Culture, Linguistics & Professional German)
Variety of courses offered as dictated by student needs and faculty specialization.

Cluster D (40000-Level Literature, Culture, Linguistics & Professional German)
Variety of courses offered as dictated by student needs and faculty specialization.

German Curriculum Prior to September 2006

Major/Minor Requirements

Download Major/Minor Requirements (.PDF)

The Major

  1. The successful completion of 10 courses (30 credit hours) beyond the three-semester language requirement (i.e., beyond 20201).
  2. Of these 10 courses, seven must be taught in German. Four of the upper division courses must be taken at the home institution and at least two of these courses must be at the 40-level or above from departmental offerings.

The Supplementary Major

  1. Successful completion of 8 courses (24 credit hours) beyond the three-semester language requirement (i.e., beyond 20201).
  2. Of these 8 courses beyond 20201, six must be taught in German; three of the latter must be upper division courses must be taken at Notre Dame from departmental offerings, two at the 30-level, and one on the 40-level.
    They are, therefore, strongly encouraged to participate in this program during their sophomore year. Experience shows that a supplementary major in German can be useful in a variety of careers.

The Minor

  1. Successful completion of 5 courses (15 credit hours) at the 20201 level or above, only one of which may be taught in English.
  2. For majors or supplementary majors in German, a year of study abroad in Innsbruck, Austria, is considered customary.