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University of Pittsburgh    
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
 
  Nov 24, 2024
 
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog [Archived Catalog]

German, BA


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*The German Language and Cultural Studies, BA program was approved to be renamed in Summer 2023 to German, BA.*
 

The German Major helps students achieve defined levels of proficiency in German language and culture and provides them with the traditional hallmarks of a humanistic education (analytical and critical thinking skills, self-reflection, openness to other cultures, communication skills, etc.) as well as the skills necessary to compete in today’s global world.

Requirements


The German major requires completion of 33 credits (11 courses) distributed as follows. If necessary to fulfill credit requirements, higher-level language courses can be substituted for intermediate-level language courses.

Required Intermediate German language courses


Intermediate German two-course sequence (6 credits)

Required writing-intensive course


Students must complete one of the following writing-intensive courses (3 credits)

1000-level course


Students must complete one course at the 1000-level, meaning between GER 1000 and GER 1099 (other than the writing course). (3 credits)

3 German Culture Courses in German or English


Students must complete three culture courses at the 1100-1599-level, taught in German or English. [These may include up to two courses with at least 30% German content in other departments.] (9 credits)

Capstone course


Students should take the capstone seminar in the fall term of their senior year.

Additional requirements


Grade requirements: A 2.00 GPA is required in is required in each course that counts toward the major.

Satisfactory/No Credit option: No course that counts toward the major can be taken on an S/NC basis unless the student receives special permission from the major advisor.

Writing requirement: GER 1001 - GERMAN WRITING  and GER 1003 GER 1003 - PROFESSIONAL GERMAN  fulfill the requirement for a writing course in the major.

Honors requirements: To earn departmental honors in German, students must demonstrate superior performance in departmental courses by:

  • earning an average GPA of at least 3.5 in their major courses;
  • demonstrating a high level of proficienty in speaking and writing German; and
  • completing a three-credit senior honors project (in addition to the credits required for the major), which has been accepted by the departmental faculty. Senior honrs projects may include:
    • a semester-long, independent research project, as an extension of the senior thesis written during the capstone seminar;
    • taking an exam on a comprehensive reading list derived by the student in consultation with the faculty; or
    • enrolling in a graduate seminar and completing a graduate paper.

Students are encouraged to study and reside in a German-speaking country as a component of the German major. Numerous possibilities exist for such study, and financial aid is often available.

Total Major Credits: 33


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