This major comprises 30 credits, as approved by the department, at the 200 level or above and taught in German. At least half of these credits must come from courses on literature, civilization, or film. A minimum of 18 credits must be received at the 300 level or above.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENT: 30 credits taught in German at the 200-level and above.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENT: Six 3-credit courses (18 credits) taught in German.

This option may be fulfilled either by taking most courses within the German program (for a German studies literature or film major), or by combining the study of German language and culture with other fields (such as history, art history, religion, philosophy, music), which offer courses with a substantial German content. The major comprises 36 credits arranged in the following manner: a set of core courses in German language (at any level), culture, and history; and a coherent set of at least 15 credits to be selected from the German studies course list with the written approval of the undergraduate director. Courses not included in the German studies course list may be considered toward the major at the discretion of the undergraduate director and the participating department.

Goals

• Students completing courses in the German program gain proficiency in written and spoken German, general cultural fluency relating to the German-speaking Europe and its history, and skill in writing and the critical analysis of written texts and other cultural artifacts related to the study of German.
• Students completing a major or minor in German demonstrate advanced proficiency in the German language, cultural fluency, and analytical skills in a specific area of concentration such as German language and literature, history, visual arts, music, or political science.

Evaluation

• Linguistic proficiency of incoming students is measured through a placement exam; that of graduating students is determined by successful completion of German 232 (Advanced Composition and Conversation) and/or one or more 300-level courses taught in German.
• Cultural proficiency and advanced knowledge are evaluated through student work in upper-level courses relevant to the area of a student’s concentration within German studies.
• Student course evaluations forms, with special questions designed for the German program, are used to help evaluate the quality of instruction.
• The department curriculum committee, chaired by the undergraduate director, reviews the structure of each semester’s curriculum, and provides guidance to instructors in preparing syllabi for their courses. Its members (the “unit coordinators”) meet regularly with language instructors to ensure that multiple sections of a unit pursue the same learning goals and give exams that are the same in structure, breadth, and difficulty.
• The unit coordinators also undertake classrooms observations and submit formal reports that are circulated to the undergraduate director and chair. The unit coordinators meet with instructors to review their experiences and needs, and to discuss the results of the classroom visits and student surveys. On the basis of the information collected in this way, the committee meets to discuss the quality of instruction, and ways in which the department needs to improve its undergraduate offerings, and its support to its students and their instructors.

Goals

• Roughly 20-25% of German majors become eligible for Honors in German during their senior year by taking two consecutive graduate courses in German, by completing at least six credits of independent research with a faculty member, or through a combination of the two options.
• Each year two students who have completed courses in the German program are singled out for papers in German studies judged to be outstanding for their analytic acumen, originality, style and grammar. One award is given for the best paper written in German, another for the best paper written in English.
• Roughly 10-20% of students in the honors track present independent research at a recently instituted annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. These students are typically expected to include those planning to pursue graduate work in German or a related field.

Evaluation

• The qualifications of students applying for Honors in German are considered at a meeting of the faculty who have taught and advised them. A separate committee meets to evaluate outstanding student papers.

German Studies Major

The undergraduate German program in the Department of Germanic, Russian and East European Languages and Literatures is pleased to offer two annual prizes for the best undergraduate papers written on any topic in German literature and culture at the 300-level or above.

These prizes are awarded in honor of two much-loved and admired former colleagues and teachers, Professors Johanna Ratych and Ralph J. Ley. The prize recipients are announced at the end of each academic year at the Department's spring reception.

The Johanna Ratych Undergraduate Prize for Best Essay in German is awarded for the best paper in German Studies written in German.

The Ralph J. Ley Undergraduate Prize for Best Essay in German Studies is awarded for the best paper in German Studies written in English.

Each award includes a certificate and a check in the amount of $100.

Submission requirements:

• Nominations are made only by instructors, who may submit no more than one paper per class.
• Essays must be at least 1,500 words (ca. 5 pages) long, typed, and double-spaced. Versions submitted should be the draft bearing the original comments and corrections of the instructor. Essays will be judged by the Prize Committee on the basis of: linguistic skill, overall organization, accuracy and originality.
• Only papers written as part of the requirements for a course or independent study taught in, or cross-listed with, the German program (01:470 or 16:470) may be considered. The author must be fully registered and receiving a regular letter grade in the course.
• The submitted work must be a photocopy of the original paper, including the instructor's comments and corrections. In preparation for submission, instructors are asked to retain copies of the best papers submitted each semester in their courses.
• Each submitted paper for the Ley Prize must included a note from the nominating instructor indicating the individual student's German background (e.g. "Student previously took German 101 through German 232"; or "Student is native speaker of German").
• Instructors of courses at the 100 and 200-levels are encouraged to contact their unit coordinators about making other awards to their strongest students.

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences offers a number of programs in Germany for students majoring in any discipline, and including those who are just beginning to learn German as well as those with advanced skills. All German majors (whether in German Studies or in German Language and Literature) are strongly encouraged to spend at least one term abroad at a German university, ideally as participants in one of the Rutgers study-abroad programs in Berlin.

Interested students from any discipline are strongly encouraged to meet with the Undergraduate Director of German early in their studies at Rutgers in order to learn which program(s) might make the most sense given their interests and linguistic level, to find out about any available funding support, and to learn how to apply study-abroad credits toward a degree in German. Students are also encouraged to meet with the undergraduate program directors in other disciplines to learn about options for transferring credit from English-language or German-language courses taken in Germany.

Up to 18 credits (9 credits per semester maximum) may be credited toward the major from courses taken during study abroad. Such credits are assigned at the discretion of the Undergraduate Director of German on the basis of materials (transcripts, Scheine, syllabi, graded tests and quizzes, and graded papers) provided by the student after return to the U.S. Students studying in Germany are advised to remain in close contact with the Undergraduate Director of German during their studies in Germany. The German studies senior honors thesis option must be taken in New Brunswick.

External scholarships, such as those from Fulbright, DAAD (German Academic Exchange), and Rotary, can be the best way for many graduating seniors to spend a year at a university in German-speaking Europe. Our students who have received these and similar scholarships have found their experience abroad invaluable, and have benefited by being able to add these awards to their resumes.

The deadlines for many scholarships come early -- some of them before classes begin in September, others in the first weeks of classes: see the Rutgers undergraduate scholarships page http://fas.rutgers.edu/ugraded/scholarship/index.shtml for further information about programs and their deadlines. See also the "Funding" links at http://www.deltaphialpha.org/ for information about scholarships made available by the Delta Phi Alpha German Honors Society, as well as a downloadable application form.

Note also that some of the colleges at Rutgers University provide scholarships of their own, and that some of these moneys, in particular for study abroad, often go unspent because students fail to apply. Students should contact their college deans’ offices for more information.

Keep in mind that most scholarship applications require transcripts, a carefully written personal statement, recommendation letters, and additional materials. Putting an application together is not necessarily difficult, but it takes some time and thought. Students should contact faculty early on for advice and recommendation letters.

Goethe Institut New York
1014 Fifth Avenue
New York, NJ 10028
Phone: (212) 439-8700
Fax: (212) 439-8705

The Undergraduate Director, Professor Nicholas Rennie, may be reached at nicholas.rennie@rutgers.edu.