Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures

Degree Requirements

The director of graduate studies is charged with helping students plan their academic program and with overseeing their progress to a degree. Students are required to meet with the director of graduate studies every semester to review their course of study, to evaluate their progress toward the degree, and, when writing M.A. or preliminary examinations, to discuss the constitution of examination committees.

See also the University's Guiding Standards for Faculty Supervision of Graduate Students.

All students are expected to familiarize themselves with the rules and regulations of the Graduate College and to meet all requirements established by the college for the various degrees. Detailed information may be found in the current publications: Undergraduate and Graduate Programs and A Handbook for Graduate Students and Advisors. The requirements listed on the following web pages are the minimal ones and students should avail themselves to the fullest practicable extent of the opportunity to prepare themselves in the most thorough fashion for a future career.

Master of Arts

The committees for the M.A. examinations are appointed by the department head on the recommendation of the director of graduate studies in consultation with the student. M.A. committees consist of at least three faculty members, at least two of whom must be members of the faculty of this department. For specific requirements, click on the following links:

Master of Arts  

Doctor of Philosophy

Doctoral committees have at least five faculty members, a majority of whom must be members of the department. Once the student is admitted to doctoral candidacy, the thesis director functions as the student's advisor. For specific requirements, click on the following link:

Doctor of Philosophy

Certification

SLATE

The SLATE certificate is not itself a doctoral degree. It is a certificate obtained in conjunction with completion of a doctoral degree in German. Ph.D. candidates in German pursuing a "Certificate of Advanced Study in Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education," awarded by the Executive Committee of SLATE, must plan their course of study in consultation with the Director of Graduate Study and the Department's representative on the SLATE Executive Committee in order to ensure that all departmental requirements for the Ph.D. degree in German are met. Detailed information on SLATE requirements will be sent to applicants upon request. Course work must include:

  • Linguistics (2 courses)
  • Psycholinguistics/Sociolinguistics (l course)
  • Second Language Studies (2 courses)
  • Research Methods (2 courses)

Courses taken to fulfill the SLATE core requirements must have a minimum of 3/4 unit credit. For more information please consult the SLATE Website.

 

 

 

Medieval Studies

Students interested in pursuing a Concentration in Medieval Studies at the M.A. or Ph.D. level will apply and be admitted to their primary department (such as English, History, French, Germanic Languages and literatures, Art History, etc.). Once on campus, the students should meet with the medievalist in their home department and with a member of the Medieval Studies Advisory Committee to outline a course of study that would normally include, in addition to the course requirements in their home department, the following:


1. Latin 360 (Medieval Latin) or the equivalent.
2. Familiarity with another medieval language.
3. Two graduate-level courses from other departments for the M.A.; 2 further graduate-level courses from other departments for the Ph.D.
4. Thesis or dissertation in the area of Medieval Studies. A member of one of the other departments will sit on the student's committee.

See also the Medieval Studies website.

Interdisciplinary Concentration in Cultural Studies and Interpretive Research

This interdepartmental, intercollege option is designed for Ph.D. students and provides individualized training in cultural studies, social theory, and interpretive research for students completing their doctoral degrees within the affiliated programs. The requirements for the major or minor are designed to provide sufficient flexibility for students to pursue one of several areas of disciplinary and departmental specialization while obtaining expertise in cultural studies, social theory and interpretive research.

Cultural Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study which examines contemporary culture, popular media, and those cultural practices and cultural forms that shape the meanings of self, identity, race, ethnicity, class, nationality, and gender in everyday life. The program draws on current research and theory in several critical disciplines. Its focus, history and depth derive from scholarly traditions in the social sciences and the humanities, including English, History, Linguistics, Anthropology, Sociology, Communications, Education, and Kinesiology. This concentration combines ethnographic and critical textual approaches to the study of popular literature, media, myth, advertising, religion, science, cinema, television, and new communication and information technologies.

Requirements for the Minor in Cultural Studies and Interpretative Research.

To receive a minor in Cultural Studies & Interpretive Research, a students needs to take 16 hours (4 courses) approved by the Program, among them the Proseminar in Cultural Studies and Critical Interpretation (COMM / EPS 575), one additional the core course of the program, and two other courses with a cultural emphasis.
Back to top of page

 
 
Last update: August 15, 2007