About the Master's Program

Graduate Handbook

The Master's Degree in German Studies provides training in German literature, film, culture, and the German language. Through an intensive program of study with leading experts in their fields, students become familiar with a broad range of authors, genres, and themes. Our program is small enough to allow students to work closely with faculty from day one, and large enough to provide diverse opportunities for study. The program has foci on Film and Media Studies, Austrian Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, German-Jewish Studies, Disability Studies, History of Science. and Postcolonial Studies.

 At the conclusion of the program students will be able to:

• identify major authors, texts, and periods of German literary and cultural history
• comprehend spoken German on all levels, ranging from casual conversation to academic discussion
• demonstrate an understanding of important scholarly methodologies and theories used in German Studies
• analyze cultural texts in various media
• produce a significant work of scholarship that conforms to disciplinary standards

Many students who receive an MA in German Studies continue in the PhD program and ultimately go on to careers in teaching and research at the university level. Many others obtain their master's degree and go on to teach at the K-12 level both at public and private institutions. MA graduates also find employment in language resource centers, as translators, or in international companies.

To receive an MA in German Studies, students must complete 30 graduate credits and successfully pass the German Studies Department's MA Exam. Most students will take two years to complete the degree, but it is possible to graduate from the program in just one year.

Course Requirements:

• Practicum Teaching (GRMN 7030), only for TAs
• Research Seminar 1 (GRMN 7051)
• Focus: Media 1 Seminar (GRMN 8011)
• Focus: Topics 1 Seminar (GRMN 8013)
• Electives: additional approved courses at the graduate level

Students have two options for completing the MA Exam:

1) Exam Option, 2) Thesis Option. All students pursuing an MA in one year will normally take the Exam Option and all students pursuing the MA in two years have to take the Thesis Option (exceptions are possible in both cases with the permission of the graduate director).

The exam option consists of two exams, both of which are normally taken in the spring of the first year in the MA program. The first exam is based on the department's comprehensive reading list. The second exam is based on a list focusing on a topic of the student's choice, compiled in consultation with a faculty advisor. Both exams are taken in two consecutive weekends during spring semester. These written exams are followed by an oral exam.

1. Comprehensive Exam: In the spring of their first year of MA studies, students take a comprehensive take-home MA exam based on the departmental MA reading list. The exam consists of three sections:

Students will prepare 50 texts drawn from this list for the exam at the end of the first year (see graduate handbook), compiled in the following manner:

• The faculty choose 25 texts to include in our graduate seminars each year.
• Students work with an advisor on an independent list of 15 texts
• Students work as a group to choose 10 texts (at least 3 from each category).
  

Students will prepare 50 texts drawn from this list for the exam at the end of the first year (see graduate handbook), compiled in the following manner:

• The faculty choose 25 texts to include in our graduate seminars each year.
• Students work with an advisor on an independent list of 15 texts
• Students work as a group to choose 10 texts (at least 3 from each category).

At the end of the year the exam will consist of three part

• A written exam with multiple questions based on the 25 texts from the seminar. 
• A written exam with multiple questions based on the 15 texts from the independent list compiled by the student. 
• Students will submit as a group 3 questions that they would ask if they were writing an exam based on their 10 group texts.

Students will receive their exams at the scheduled time and will have from Friday morning (10am) to Monday afternoon (3pm) to complete it.

2. Capstone: Students pursuing a one-year MA will additionally either write a capstone or plan an exhibition or develop a syllabus for class or write about a classical German Studies subject.  The capstone projects will be presented in the second week of the second semester to the whole faculty. The capstone project needs to be approved by the whole faculty before one advisor is chosen. The students have the option to concentrate in their capstone on:

• A topic related to methods of second-language acquisition and pedagogy. In this case, the student works with the advisor on a list that consists of studies and essays relevant to teaching German language and culture. Students will take a take-home exam in the spring based on this reading list, from Friday morning (10am) to Monday afternoon (3pm).
• Writing about a classical German Studies subject (literature, film, culture, media, art, history and so forth). In this case, the student works with his / her / their advisor on a defined topic and a list that consists of studies and essays relevant to her /his / their topic. Students will take a take-home exam in the spring based on this reading list, from  Friday morning (10am) to Monday afternoon (3pm).
• Developing a concept for an exhibition. In this case, the student works with his / her / their advisor on this exhibition. The student will present his / her /their exhibition at the end of the second semester from Friday morning (10am) to Monday afternoon (3pm). At the opening of the exhibition the student has to present in 15 minutes the concept and rationale for the exhibition, followed by an Q&A session of the faculty.
• Developing a syllabus for a class, including one lesson plan. In this case, the student works with his / her / their advisor on a topic he / she / they want to teach and collects a list of materials (e.g. films, texts, art, city tours and so forth) relevant to the seminar topic. The student will give a one hour teaching demo based on their lesson plan at the end of the second semester. The teaching demo will be immediately followed by a one hour Q&A on both the lesson plan and the syllabus.

Oral Exam: The exams are followed up by a one-hour oral exam in which the candidate for the MA exam and faculty discuss their exams and their work in the program.

Students will sign up for GRMN 7092 (MA Exam Prep) in the first semester of their MA studies.

Students pursuing the thesis option will take the comprehensive exam and an oral exam in their first year of MA study and will write and defend a thesis in their second year of MA study.

Exam Option: The exam option consists of two exams, both of which are normally taken in the spring of the first year in the MA program. The first exam is based on the department's comprehensive reading list. The second exam is based on a list focusing on a topic of the student's choice, compiled in consultation with a faculty advisor. Both exams are taken in two consecutive weekends during spring semester. These written exams are followed by an oral exam.

1) Comprehensive Exam: In the spring of their first year of MA studies, students take a comprehensive take-home MA exam based on the departmental MA reading list. The exam consists of three sections:

Students will prepare 50 texts drawn from this list for the exam at the end of the first year:

• The faculty will choose 25 texts from the list to include in our graduate seminars each year.
• Students will work with an advisor in order to assemble an independent list of 15 texts.
• Students will work as a group to choose 10 texts (at least 3 from each category).

At the end of the year the exam will consist of three parts

1. A written exam with multiple questions based on the 25 texts from the seminars
2. A written exam with multiple questions based on the 15 texts from the independent list.
3. Students will submit as a group 3 questions that they would ask if they were writing an exam based on their 10 group texts.

Students will receive their exams at the scheduled time and will have from Friday morning (10am) to Monday afternoon (3pm) to complete it.

2) Thesis: Students pursuing the thesis option will work during their second MA year with a faculty advisor on a 40-50 page thesis. They must have an approved topic by the fourth week of fall semester and an approved proposal and bibliography by the end of fall semester. The thesis is due by week 10 of the spring semester and is followed up by a one-hour oral defense in which the candidate for the MA degree and the faculty discuss the thesis and the candidate's work as an MA student.

During the spring semester in which they are completing their thesis, students will sign up for GRMN 7091 (MA Thesis)