skip to content

Bulletin Archive

This archived information is dated to the 2008-09 academic year only and may no longer be current.

For currently applicable policies and information, see the current Stanford Bulletin.

Bachelor of Arts in German Studies

Up one level:

Undergraduate Programs in German Studies

Majors must demonstrate basic language skills, either by completing GERLANG 1,2,3, First-Year German, or the equivalent such as an appropriate course of study at the Stanford in Berlin Center. Students then enroll in intermediate and advanced courses on literature, culture, thought, and language. Requirements for the B.A. include at least three courses at the 130-139 level (introductory surveys on topics in German literature, thought, linguistics, and culture). Every major is expected to complete at least one Writing in the Major (WIM) course. Including GERLANG 1,2,3, the total requirement for the B.A. is a minimum of 60 units of work; the German and Philosophy option requires 65 units. At the discretion of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, appropriate courses offered by other departments or relevant transfer units can be accepted toward this total, up to a maximum of 25 units. All GERLANG courses count as department electives. Courses counted toward degree requirements must be taken for a letter grade unless that grading option is not available.

Exceptions to any of these requirements must be referred to the Director of Undergraduate Studies who, in consultation with the Chair, makes a final decision.

Internships—Internships in Germany are arranged through the Overseas Studies program. In addition, students may consult with the department to arrange local internships involving German language use or issues pertaining to Germany or Central Europe. Interns who prepare papers based on their experience enroll in GERLIT 298.

Extended Major in English and German Literatures—Students may enter this program with the consent of the chairs of both departments. See the "English" section of this bulletin.

Multiple Majors—Students can combine a major in German Studies with a major in any other field. By choosing courses in such disciplines as history, international relations, or economics, students can prepare themselves in the area of Central Europe. Multiple majors are especially recommended for students spending one or more quarters at the Stanford in Berlin Center.

Degree Requirements—

Three 130-139 courses:

GERLIT 131. Goethe: Poetic Vision and Vocation in the Age of Reason

GERLIT 131A. Immigrant/Minority Literature and Emergence of Multiculturalism in Germany

GERLIT 136. Berlin Topographies in the Twentieth Century

GERLIT 137. Introduction to German Poetry

One Writing in the Major course (WIM):

GERLIT 137. Introduction to German Poetry (WIM)

GERLIT 160. Interiors and Interiority in the Nineteenth Century (WIM)

Elective courses:

GERGEN 61Q. Culture and conflict in contemporary Europe

GERGEN 129/229. German Cinema

GERGEN 144/244. Germanic Theologies

GERGEN 148/248. A Brief History of Misogyny

GERGEN 212/312. The Invention of Experience

GERLIT 38A. Introduction to Germanic Languages

GERLIT 121. Hanna Arendt

GERLIT 127A. German Sports Movies

GERLIT 147/247. The Avant Garde

GERLIT 230. Truth in Art

GERLIT 250A. Modern Drama

GERLIT 250B. German Romanticism and Its Repercussions

GERLIT 250C. Postwar German Culture and Thought: 1945-to the Present

GERLIT 255. Middle High German

COGNATE COURSES

Credits earned for completion of the following cognate courses may be applied to unit requirements for the departmental major.

Autumn Quarter:

RELIGST 278/378. Heidegger: Hermeneutics of the Self

Winter Quarter:

CLASSGEN 6N. Antigone: From Ancient Democracy to Contemporary Dissent (Same as DRAMA 12N.)

ENGLISH 140A. Creative Resistance

MUSIC 17N. Operas of Mozart

MUSIC 312A. Aesthetics and Criticism of Music, Ancients and Moderns: Plato to Nietzsche

Spring Quarter:

MUSIC 16N. Music, Myth, and Modernity: Wagner's Ring Cycle and Tolkien's Lord of the Rings (Same as GERLIT 16N.)

MUSIC 312B. Aesthetics and Criticism of Music, Contemporaries: Heidegger to Today

PHIL 125/225. Kant's First Critique

GERMAN AND PHILOSOPHY

The German and Philosophy major option offers students the opportunity to combine studies in literature and philosophy. Students take most of their courses from departments specializing in the intersection of literature and philosophy. This option is not declared in Axess; it does not appear on the transcript or diploma.

The German and Philosophy major option requires a minimum of 16 courses, for a minimum total of 65 units, distributed as follows:

  1. 35 units in German Studies, including:
    1. three courses at the 130 level
    2. a WIM course
  2. GERGEN 181/PHIL 81, the gateway course in philosophy and literature, preferably in the sophomore year.
  3. Requirements in Philosophy:
    1. PHIL 80. Prerequisite: introductory philosophy class
    2. a course in the PHIL 180 series
    3. a course in the PHIL 170 series
    4. two courses in the history of philosophy numbered above 100
  4. Two additional elective courses of special relevance to the study of philosophy and literature as identified by the committee in charge of the program. In German, these courses include the GERGEN 144/244, Germanic Theologies, GERLIT 250B, German Romanticism and its Repercussions, and other advanced seminars in German thought and literature. Students must consult with their advisers, the Director of Undergraduate Studies, and undergraduate adviser of the program in philosophical and literary thought.
  5. Capstone: One of the courses must be taken in the student's senior year. When choosing courses, students must consult with their advisers, the director of Undergraduate Studies, and undergraduate adviser of the program in philosophical and literary thought.
  6. Units devoted to meeting the department's language requirement are not counted toward the 65-unit requirement.

The capstone seminar and the two related courses must be approved by both the German Studies Director of Undergraduate Studies and the undergraduate adviser of the program in philosophical and literary thought administered through the DLCL. Substitutions, including transfer credit, are not normally permitted for items 3b, 3c, and 3d, and are not permitted under any circumstances for items 2, 3a, and 5. Up to 10 units taken in the Philosophy Department may be taken CR/NC or S/NC; the remainder must be taken for a letter grade.

HONORS

Majors with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.3 in German courses are eligible for departmental honors. Students interested in the honors program should consult the undergraduate adviser early in their junior year. The essay topic is chosen in consultation with a faculty member of the department, and opportunities to start research projects are offered at the Stanford in Berlin Center. In addition to the requirements listed above, the student must submit a proposal for the honors essay to the German faculty by the end of Spring Quarter of the junior year. During this quarter, students may enroll for 2 units of credit in GERLIT 189B for the drafting or revision of the thesis proposal. In Autumn Quarter of the senior year, the student must enroll in DLCL 189, a 5-unit seminar that focuses on researching and writing the honors thesis. Students then enroll for 5 units of credit in GERLIT 189A while composing the thesis during Winter Quarter. Students who did not enroll in 189B in the junior year may enroll in GERLIT 189B in Spring Quarter of the senior year while revising the thesis, if approved by the thesis supervisor. A total of 10-12 units are awarded for completion of honors course work, independent study, and the finished thesis.

© Stanford University - Office of the Registrar. Archive of the Stanford Bulletin 2008-09. Terms of Use | Copyright Complaints