The German major and minor programs provide deep understanding of the language and culture of the German-speaking countries. Building from basic language competency to synthesizing significant literary works, historical context, current media and politics, and issues in environmental humanities the German program offers a comprehensive education preparing students to critically face today's global challenges and issues. While a set of core classes are required, you have the flexibility to choose from courses in translation or from study abroad, ultimately allowing you to design the degree you really want.
The major consists of 12 credit units - 4 core credits and eight electives in German, German in translation, or study abroad.
The core courses taught in German are:
GRMN 2100 (formerly GRMN 203), Texts and Contexts
GRMN 3110 (formerly GRMN 301), Handschrift-Hypertext
GRMN 3120 (formerly GRMN 302), Erinnerungsorte-Places of Memory
GRMN 4100 (formerly GRMN 401), Trans(l)its
Elective courses may be taken in German
GRMN 4201 (formerly GRMN 402), Senior Thesis (independent study)
Business
GRMN 2190 (formerly GRMN 219), German Business World
GRMN 2290 (formerly GRMN 220), Business German Micro
Literary Studies
GRMN 3212 (formerly GRMN 312), German Environmentalism
GRMN 3220 (formerly GRMN 323), Writing in Dark Times
GRMN 3240 (formerly GRMN 356), Crime & Detection
GRMN 3265 (formerly GRMN 365), Kafka's Creatures
GRMN 3270 (formerly GRMN 375), German Literature after 1945
GRMN 3280 (formerly GRMN 379), Decadence
Elective courses may be taken in English
Environmental Humanities:
GRMN 1130 (formerly GRMN 150), Water Worlds
GRMN 1132 (formerly GRMN 151), Forest Worlds
GRMN 1140 (formerly GRMN 152), Liquid Histories
GRMN 1160 (formerly GRMN 239), Sustainability and Utopianism
GRMN 1170 (formerly GRMN 240), Global Sustainabilities
History
GRMN 1210 (formerly GRMN 236), Witnessing the Holocaust
GRMN 1040 (formerly GRMN 237), Berlin: History, Politics, Culture
Psychology
GRMN 1060 (formerly GRMN 242), Fantastic & Uncanny
GRMN 1010 (formerly GRMN 253), Freud
GRMN 1015 (formerly GRMN 254), Freud's Objects
Media Studies
GRMN 1070 (formerly GRMN 257), Fascist Cinemas
GRMN 1080 (formerly GRMN 258), German Cinema
Philosophy
GRMN 1020 (formerly GRMN 247), Marx
GRMN 1030 (formerly GRMN 248), Nietzsche's Modernity
Multilinguality
GRMN 1120 (formerly GRMN 264), Translating Cultures
Course availability changes each semester.
You may apply up to five credit units for the major and three for the minor from an approved study abroad program in Germany - namely the Berlin Consortium for German Studies*. Options are available for full-year or spring semester.
*Students in the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business have the option of direct-enrollment study at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main.
To declare a major or minor in German, please contact and set up a meeting with the FIGS Undergraduate Chair, Scott Francis (franciss@sas.upenn.edu).