German Studies Major

Requirements for the Major

A major in German Studies requires a minimum of 10 courses (numbered above GERM033) plus senior thesis.  Requirements include:

• GERM 044 Advanced German , or the equivalent
• Two 100-level German courses
• Five more courses must be taken from among the German Program offerings, three of them taught in German.
• Two more courses may be chosen from a list of associated courses in the Humanities or Social Sciences (see here ). All German Program courses taught in English are offered with a German language component ( GERM189 SC ), a one-half credit course which may also be taken without the student being enrolled in the main course.
• GERM191 SC Senior Thesis  

All majors in German Studies are required to spend one semester of study at the University of Heidelberg (Institut für Deutsch als Fremdsprache) or, in consultation with a German faculty, on an approved program in a German-speaking country. All course work completed during this time abroad satisfies the requirements for the major or minor in German Studies.

All students of German are strongly encouraged to complement their Claremont curriculum with a semester or year stay in a German-speaking country.

Honors Requirements

Exceptionally qualified students in German are encouraged to consult with German faculty no later than the first semester of their sophomore year concerning their participation in the German Honors Program. The Honors Program consists of:

1. 10 courses numbered above 33
2. Senior research thesis
3. Successful defense before the German faculty. The defense of an interdisciplinary thesis will include faculty from the specific fields.
4. GPA of A- (11.0) in the major
5. Senior thesis grade of A– (11.0).