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:

• German 44 or the equivalent and two courses from the 100-series are required. 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 (GERM 189 ), a one-half credit course which may also be taken without the student being enrolled in the main course.
• All students of German are strongly encouraged to complement their Claremont curriculum with a semester or year stay in Germany. 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 in Germany satisfies the requirements for the major or minor in German Studies.
• Senior Thesis.

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 10 courses above 33 and a year’s senior research thesis, which is followed by a successful defense before the German faculty. The defense of an interdisciplinary thesis will include faculty from the specific fields. There is a GPA requirement of A- (11.0) in the major and a senior thesis grade requirement of A– (11.0).