German Programs Department of Modern Languages and Literatures
Why Study German?
At the Heart of Europe: 100 million German speakers
Enhance your employment opportunities in a global economy business, law, medicine and health care, teaching, technology, tourism, communications, social service, the military and the foreign service
GERMANY has the largest economy in the European Union, the third largest in the world and is the world s leading exporter and importer
Explore one of the great European cultures
GERMAN is a leading language of music, film, literature, science, philosophy, theology, history and art
What do we offer in German? Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
1 Certificate and 4 Modules Certificate in Practical German (3 courses) Minor in German Language and Culture (4 courses) Major in German Language and Culture (6 courses) Specialization in German Language and Culture (9 courses) Honors Specialization in German Language and Culture (9 courses)
Build a solid foundation in German Language, no matter which module you choose...
Achieve Fluency in German German 2200 Intermediate German practice speaking and writing while exploring many aspects of German culture, complete a comprehensive grammar review German 3305 Advanced German achieve fluency -- further develop oral and written skills, acquire vocabulary systematically, review the more challenging grammar points and practice translation both courses take a multimedia and communicative approach focus on the cultures of German-speaking countries work with authentic materials such as articles, websites, film and literature
Refine your German Language Skills in elective courses in second year with German Conversation talk about current issues in Germany, Austria, Switzerland; discuss social, political topics, TV, pop culture, fashion, food, sports! in third year with German Cinema: Culture and Conversation develop the history and culture of Germany through film and improve your speaking skills at the same time! or Performance German prepare and perform your own script based on a literary text! or Business German practice the language of business and study inter-cultural differences by completing realworld tasks! and in fourth year with Intensive Translation translate a variety of texts between English and German and master practical problems!
Second Year: discover influential German, Swiss, Austrian contributions to world culture
Find your bearings in a common course for all modules a practical introduction to research in German studies team-taught in German by one core professor with different specialists German 2215F/G Exploring German Cultures In this first encounter with German literary, visual and performing arts, students investigate key places, times, persons, and issues, such as Berlin, WWII, Goethe and Turkish-German relations.
Second Year: discover influential German, Swiss, Austrian contributions to world culture with courses in English German Thought and Culture of Ideas engage critically with thinkers like Kant, Marx, Nietzsche who inform the values and principles of the modern world and with courses taught in English and German German Fairy Tales discover German folk tales collected by the brothers Grimm and literary fairy tales such as those by Tieck or Hoffman and investigate the relationship of these classic tales to modern children s literature and film Nature and Environment examine the long "green" tradition reflected in arts, literature and public debate from the Enlightenment, Romantic period, industrialization, urbanization to present day concerns and controversies
Third Year: focus on modern literature and culture, on urban centers, on travel itself
Third Year: focus on modern literature and culture work in German on your German consider issues of identity and self-understanding in modernity Modernity and Modernism in German Literature and Culture explore ideas and visions of modernity in late 19 th -century and early 20 th -century German literature (e.g. Rilke, Kafka, Hesse) and culture; incorporate transnational perspectives to examine aesthetic responses to the achievements and catastrophes that emerged Uncanny German Stories: from the Extraordinary to the Supernatural Delve into the mysterious worlds of the novella and short story in the 19th and 20 th centuries. Unravel enigmas on the level of language, form and content in famous stories by authors such as Hoffmann, Storm, Droste-Hülshoff, Mann, Dürrenmatt
Third Year: focus on on urban centers, on travel open up new perspectives with multi-media, interdisciplinary courses in English and German Vienna 1900/2000 contemplate continuities and discontinuities in Viennese life, literature, and culture during the Habsburg Empire and a century later as part of the European Union; immerse yourself in the world of Freud, Schnitzler, Wittgenstein and Klimt, and their modern counterparts from Bernhard to Hundertwasser Berlin Snapshots examine snapshots of Berlin during its history of continuous transformation: as capital of Empire, Weimar Republic, Third Reich, and as a cosmopolitan centre in present-day Europe; study visual media including maps, photographs, and film, and texts including poems, essays, and short stories German Travel Writing When you travel, through what lenses do you view the world? How does travel change you? Trace evolving perspectives on why, when, where and how travellers have experienced European locations and destinations beyond.
Fourth Year: capstone seminars concentrate on key periods of transition senior research thesis
Fourth Year: concentrate on key periods of transition Literature and Culture of the Middle Ages Study the 12 th century revitalized intellectual life in Europe, and the great medieval works of chivalry and romantic love in their cultural context. Gain in depth knowledge of castle and cathedral architecture, fashion, food, travel, sexuality, courtly love, and the hunt in text and image. German Classicism and Romanticism Classicists and Romantics create competing and complementary artistic visions to make sense of rapid changes in society around 1800. Examine everyday culture, consider conceptions of subjectivity and aesthetic ideals, discuss concepts of genre and reflect on the movements' affinities to media like sculpture and music. Contemporary Cultures of Unification and Integration in Germany Study literary texts, films, and popular music informed by German unification, European integration, economic crisis, and human migration. This course confronts contemporary questions about citizenship, cultural and religious diversity, nationalism, and German identity in the context of immigration and the intensifying European project.
Fourth Year: choose your capstones s Research Seminar: German Masterpieces This seminar offers the opportunity for focused, advanced study of canonical creative figures and their masterpieces from the German-speaking world. Topics may include performing and literary arts, text-image relationships, epochal questions. Honors Thesis The thesis will be written in the fourth year and will be directed by a member of the Modern Languages and Literatures faculty. It will be based on an agreement between student and faculty member on the topic, approach, and scope of the study. Senior Research Project In this capstone course students develop their own research project with a specific historical or geographical perspective centred on a designated general theme. Students work in conjunction with peers and professors and choose their own medium of presentation ranging from the traditional to the experimental.
Remember...
Study in German-speaking Countries! Receive Western Credit!
Summer Courses 6 weeks to 2 months Earn Western credit A. With scholarship opportunities 1. OBW International Lake Constance Summer School 2. Universität Wien B. Other programs 1. Freie Universität Berlin 2. Canadian Summer School in Germany, Universität Kassel 3. Goethe Institute Courses
Ontario/Baden-Württemberg University Student Exchange Study 1 year at one of 9 partner universities Earn UWO credit Eligibity: UWO undergraduate in any field Duration: September-July Cost: UWO tuition & living expenses Stipends: several Heidelberg University Library
Work in Germany Summer Work / Travel Program After graduation spend one school year teaching English. After graduation work in any position in Germany through the Canada- Germany Youth Mobility Agreement: http://www.canada.diplo.de/vertretung/kanada/en/02/visa/yma.html
AWARDS IN GERMAN When? Why? What? Renata Purekvich Scholarship Entering second year Highest mark in German 1030 or German 2200 $ 200 Special German Honours Scholarship Entering second year Outstanding student in German 2200, preference non-native $ 300 Herbert Kalbfleisch Scholarship Entering third or fourth year Outstanding student, nonnative $ 1200 Raymond Immerwahr Awards for Excellence in German Entering third or fourth year Highest average mark in two senior German courses $ 700 $ 400 Two German Book Prizes Entering third or fourth year Greatest achievement in a German module and a senior course Two books Prerequisite: an Honors Bachelor Degree with either an Honours Specialization in German Language and Culture or a double Major including German Language and Culture
German at Western Study with undergraduates who can interpret opera, speak Spanish or French, philosophize and historize Study with professors who translate professionally, write children s books, analyze medieval cookbooks and 18th Century fashion journals Study in small seminars with great personal attention Study in German-speaking countries and receive Western credit Spend time with the German Club, get popcorn and watch German films, meet a modern German author
For these reasons and so much more JOIN US!!!
Questions? Please contact: Angela Borchert Undergraduate Chair, UC 161 borchert@uwo.ca Information Sessions: Monday, March 10th from 11:30-12:30pm, UC 205 Thursday, March 13th from 1:30-2:30pm, UC 207
Required Courses Certificate in Practical German 3 courses German Language and Culture Minor = 4 courses Year 1 1030 German for Beginners 1030 German for Beginners Year 2 2200 Intermediate German 1.0 optional course guided toward conversation, performance or translation 2200 Intermediate German 2.0 optional courses open choice with 2215F/G Exploring German Cultures strongly recommended Year 3 3305 Advanced German 3305 Advanced German Year 4
German Language and Culture Major = 6 courses German Language and Culture Specialization = 9 courses German Language and Culture Honors Specialization = 9 courses Year 1 1030 German for Beginners Year 2 2200 Intermediate German 2215F/G Exploring German Cultures 0.5 optional course guided toward conversation, performance or translation 1030 German for Beginners 2200 Intermediate German 2215F/G Exploring German Cultures 0.5 optional course guided toward conversation, performance or translation 2.5 required from 2240F/G and above open choice 1030 German for Beginners 2200 Intermediate German 2215F/G Exploring German Cultures 0.5 optional course guided toward conversation, performance or translation 1.5 required from 2240F/G and above open choice Year 3 3305 Advanced German 1.5 required from 3323A/B and above open choice 3305 Advanced German 2.5 required from 3323A/B and above open choice 3305 Advanced German 2.5 required from 3323A/B and above open choice Year 4 0.5 required from 4400A/B and above open choice 1.0 required from 4400A/B and above open choice 2.0 required from 4400A/B and above open choice
1 Certificate and 4 Modules 4 th year capstone courses in German 4 th year courses in English and German 3 rd year courses in German 3 rd year courses in English and German PROGRAM ANCHOR 2215F/G Exploring German Cultures 2 nd year courses in English 2 nd year courses in English and German TOPICS German Fairy Tales, Nature and the Environment, Thought and Culture LANGUAGE FOUNDATION 2200 Intermediate German 3305 Advanced German 2220A/B Conversation or 3325A/B Cinema and Conversation 4440A/B Intensive Translation
Ling Year IV 4440A/B Translation 4440A/B 4440A/B Year III 3305 Advanced German Year II 2200 Intermediate German Lig Conversation