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Majors and Minors

Majoring or Minoring in German Studies: Makes you part of a nurturing community of friends and mentors; Broadens your intellectual, cultural, and linguistic horizons; Offers you transformative experiences and insights; Helps you discover yourself, your goals, and values; Encourages you to build bridges to others and opens new doors; Affords you new personal and pre-professional/professional opportunities; Distinguishes you from peers with similar talents and credentials in other fields. 

Our students come from all walks of life and from many states and countries. They are driven by curiosity about diverse intellectual and cultural traditions (including Jewish, Black German, Middle Eastern, and many other communal or diasporic experiences) that spill over into and influence numerous other fields of study. 

The department's small size encourages close connections between students and faculty and intimate classes, as do our programs in Berlin.

We have made Majoring and Minoring in German easier for you: our two updated Majors consist of 10 courses each, and our Minor of 6 courses. The updates apply automatically to the Class of 2029 and subsequent classes. Classes graduating in 2026, 2027, and 2028 may opt into the updates if they wish, but are not required to. 

 

Here are your options:

  • A Major in German Studies focuses on understanding and interpreting texts, cultural artifacts, material mediums, and mediums of communication in their historical and intellectual contexts. This major is ideal for students whose priority it is to deepen their competencies in the German language while also expanding their knowledge of Germanophone cultures and societies. 
  • Major B combines German Studies classes with those from other areas. This major is only open to classes senior to the class of 2029. With the class of 2029, it will be phased out.
  • A Modified Major in German Studies combines the resources of the German Studies department with a coherent selection of courses from one or more other departments and programs. It is ideal for students whose priority it is to develop a cross-disciplinary profile.
  • A Minor in German Studies is easily compatible with majors in other departments and programs.

We have also made getting college distributive credits easier by designing courses that fulfill such rubrics as LIT, ART, SOC, INT, and TMV. You can see the range of our courses here.