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Choosing the Right Courses

The Department of German has carefully designed its courses to ensure optimal learning. It is important that students pay attention to course sequences and prerequisites listed for each course before signing up for a particular course. If you have taken a course on the 300-level such as for example German 309 Advanced Business German, you will not get credit for taking the 200-level course German 209 Introduction to Business German.

Transfer students and Study abroad students such as for example those returning from the Berlin: Global City in the Center of Europe program need to see the Director of Undergraduate Studies before enrolling in any German course. You may have transfer credits or study abroad credits that we can accept and we want to make sure that you are not duplicating previous work for which you will not get course credit. We also want to make sure that you have fulfilled the Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement and there are no surprises at the end of your studies.

Independent Studies (399)

The department offers Independent Study courses (399, limit two) to seniors working towards an honor thesis in German and, in exceptional cases, to highly qualified juniors or seniors with excellent academic records focusing on a clearly defined project that meets academic standards and demonstrates intellectual rigor. Qualified students must consult initially with an appropriate faculty member, having first prepared an outline of the subject matter and a clear statement of the goals of the research. If the faculty member determines that the subject and scope of the project are appropriate for an independent study (399) and agrees to direct the research, the student should then prepare to submit the formal petition and supporting materials. Petitions require the signatures of the student and the faculty member, and must be accompanied by the following:

  1. a one- to two-page project description;
  2. a bibliography;
  3. a tentative schedule of meetings;
  4. a description of how the completed work will be evaluated.

Petitions with all supporting materials must be submitted by the student to the Director of Undergraduate Studies one week prior to registration for the quarter in which the project is to be undertaken.

Petitions for 399 courses must be approved by the by the Director of Undergraduate Studies in consultation with the sponsoring faculty. A 399 petition is approved only if the research project has academic merit and the faculty member consulted is willing and qualified to direct the research project. The Director of Undergraduate Studies will inform the student about the status of a 399 petition no later than the beginning of registration. All 399 projects must be completed and papers submitted to the faculty member no later than the first day of Finals Week. Students petitioning for a German 399 must be German majors or minors and take the course for a grade (no PN).