Undergraduate Minor German Studies

German Studies at Cornell enables students to develop the linguistic, literary, and cultural competency required of world citizens in the twenty-first century. The interdisciplinary and cross-cultural orientation of our curriculum is designed to fulfill the needs of our diverse student population. We encourage students to choose from the broad range of courses we offer in collaboration with other units such as Government, Philosophy, History, Comparative Literature, Jewish Studies, and Performing and Media Arts.

Our curriculum is inspired by three core tenets: (1) The literary and visual arts are unique realms of thought and experimentation that constitute a source of knowledge in its own right. (2) Engagement with the distinct ways these domains have been investigated in the German intellectual tradition provides a crucial basis for critical reflection on society and culture. (3) The greatest insights that teachers and students produce arise in a dynamic environment that fosters cooperative learning, the pleasure of discovery, and rigorous intellectual mentoring.

Our courses emphasize close analysis of texts and artifacts, as sustained at all times by thoughtful reflection on the concepts that guide our investigations. We regard essay writing in both English and German as central to our core mission of teaching students to think critically and develop cogent, rhetorically effective arguments. Our curriculum closely integrates the study of language and culture at all levels of instruction. We regularly offer seminars on such topics as modern literature and aesthetics; space and architecture in fictional worlds; avant-garde movements and artistic perception; contemporary literature, globalization and migration; critical theory; the detective novel; politics and history on stage; homo oeconomicus; Marx, Nietzsche, Freud; political theory and cinema; psychoanalysis; web culture.

We warmly welcome and encourage students to pursue German Studies as a vibrant part of their general education, whether as a major or minor; as a double major alongside another discipline; in preparation for graduate school; or as a stepping stone to an international professional career. Our diverse course offerings fall in the broader themes of: (A) Culture and Society, (B) Literature and Philosophy, (C) Aesthetics and Media, and (D) Critical and Political Thought. Therefore, we seek to engage our students' intellect and imagination by valorizing the plurality of intellectual impulses that comprise our field and relating them purposefully to each student's academic goals.

Majors pursue individual interests in courses addressing literature and philosophy, culture and society, aesthetics and media, as well as critical and political thought. In consultation with the director of undergraduate studies, courses with a substantial German component from other departments may also be included for the major.

To complete the major, a student must take 8 courses to fulfill both categories below:

There is a wide variety of courses co-sponsored with other departments (Comparative Literature; Government; History; Music; Theater, Film and Dance; Feminist, Gender & Sexuality Studies).

The undergraduate minor in German Studies is intended for students enrolled in any of the seven undergraduate colleges at Cornell who wish to gain a broad understanding of the culture, literature, and society of German-speaking countries while refining their language competence. The minor is designed to provide for breadth while permitting flexibility to emphasize areas of interest in German Studies.

The course GERST 2000 or equivalent is the prerequisite for declaring the minor. Students must complete a minimum of four courses starting with GERST 2020 or above selected from the offerings of the German Studies Department. At least one of these courses must be taught in German at the 3000-level or higher. One of the four courses may be from another department as long as it has a substantial German component. No more than one course per semester taken as part of a study-abroad program may be counted toward the minor. GERST 4510-4520 Independent Study may not be counted at all.

Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at 7:00 pm, in G22 Goldwin Smith Hall

Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at 7:00 pm, in G24 Goldwin Smith Hall

Honors in German Studies are awarded for excellence in the major, which includes overall grade point average and completion of the honors thesis. Students are awarded either honors (cum laude), high honors (magna cum laude), or the highest honors (summa cum laude) in the program based on the honors advisers’ evaluation of the level and the quality of the work completed toward the honors degree. The honors distinction will be noted on the student’s official transcript and it will also be indicated on the student’s diploma.

Procedure. Students who wish to be considered for honors ideally should apply to the DUS no later than the second term of the Junior year. Students who are off campus in their junior year must apply by the third week of classes in the first semester of their senior year. Students should secure the consent of a faculty member to serve as the director of both the reading course (GERST 4530) and the writing of a thesis (GERST 4540). With the help of their thesis adviser students choose an area of special interest and identify at least one other faculty member who is willing to serve on the honors committee. An oral thesis defense concludes the process.

The department strongly supports Study Abroad as an opportunity for students to put their German to use by living and studying in the German cultural context. The experience of living abroad promotes enduring personal growth, provides new intellectual perspectives through cultural immersion, and opens up academic and professional opportunities.

Students interested in studying abroad are encouraged to consider the Berlin Consortium for German Studies (BCGS), of which Cornell is a member. The program is run in conjunction with the Free University of Berlin and is of very high caliber. Six weeks of an intensive German Discourse & Culture course held at the center of the consortium are followed by one or two semesters of study at the university. Participants enroll in regular courses at the university. Academic-year students have been assisted in finding internships between semesters. Prerequisite for participants for a full academic year is four semesters of German language study (GERST 2040 or 2060), and five semesters (one course on the 3000-level) for spring semester only.

Check out these BCGS videos for a closer look at the program:

Students interested in this or other study abroad options in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland should consult the language program director, Gunhild Lischke (G75 Goldwin Smith Hall, 255-0725) as soon as possible.

The department works with the USA-Intern program to provide summer internships to qualified students with German companies and agencies. Interested students should contact Elke Siegel early in the fall semester.

The Certificate in German Language Study (level B2+ based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) is issued to recognize substantial language study beyond the GERST 2000 level in the Department of German Studies. Students are awarded the certificate after passing with a grade of B or above in three language or German Studies courses held in German. No more than two of the three courses can be taken with an s/u option. Two of these courses must be at the 3000-level or above. Independent Study may not be counted at all.

Applications are available in PDF format here, or in the Department of German Studies office, 183 Goldwin Smith Hall. Certificates are awarded at the end of the year award ceremony/reception.

Every April students may register for these Goethe Institute exams:

Awards available to undergraduates with a background in German: