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Office of the University Registrar

2009-10 Undergraduate Catalog

Majors

German
College: Liberal Arts and Sciences
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Hours for the Degree: 120
Minor: Yes
Combined-Degree Program: No
Website: web.germslav.ufl.edu/

The German studies major is not limited to knowing the language, but instead helps the student achieve multiple literacies. In the major, the study of language merges with the study of culture, including:
  • The works of German literature, as well as the culture and civilization from the Middle Ages through the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century;
  • German cinema;
  • The writings of ethnic minorities in German-speaking countries;
  • The terminology of business, economics and the European Union; and
  • Summer studies or full-semester studies at a German or Austrian university.

The German studies major is also linked to the international context: by acquiring proficiency in the German language, students learn the most widely spoken language in Europe and join a community of more than 130 million speakers of German around the world.

For many students, the curriculum is an enriching discovery of their own past: More than 60 million Americans are at least partly of German heritage; more Americans can trace their ancestry to Germany than to any other foreign country, and since the middle of the twentieth century more Americans have lived and worked in Germany than in any other foreign country.

Overseas Study

The department recommends summer programs in Innsbruck, Moscow and Prague and/or the UF junior-/senior-year program at the University of Bonn.

Placement

Students without prior German should take the GER 1130 (five credits) and GER 1131 (five credits) sequence. An alternative manner of completing the basic language sequence in a single year is by taking Discover German 1125 and 1126. The 10 credits fulfill the college's language requirement.

Students with previous training in one of the languages should take a placement test (SAT II). For more information on SAT II test placement, refer to www.at.ufl.edu/testing/.

German is a flexible liberal arts major. Students must bear in mind that, with few exceptions (a limited number of GET courses in translation), credits toward the major and minor begin to be counted after completion of intermediate German.

Ordinarily, students will need to have completed GER 2200 by their fifth semester of study at UF in order to be able to complete the German major. Students must maintain at least a 2.0 UF GPA. After three German courses have been taken, students must have and maintain at least a 2.5 GPA in their German coursework.

To graduate with this major, students must complete all university, college and major requirements.

Critical Tracking and Recommended Semester Plan

Semester 1

  • 2.0 UF GPA required for semesters 1-5

Semester 2

  • Complete GER 1125 or GER 1130 or higher-level German coursework

Semester 3

  • Complete GER 1126 or GER 1131 or higher-level German coursework

Semester 4

  • Maintain completion of GER 1131 or GER 1126 or higher-level German coursework, with 2.5 GPA on all critical-tracking coursework

Semester 5

  • Complete GER 2200 or any 2000-level German course with 2.5 GPA on all critical-tracking coursework

For degree requirements outside of the major, refer to CLAS Degree Requirements — Structure of a CLAS Degree.

Recommended semester plan

Semester 1Credits
GER 1125 Discover German 1 or
GER 1130 Beginning Intensive German 1
5
Composition (GE-C, WR)3
Physical Science (GE-P)3
Social and Behavioral Sciences (GE-S)3
Total 14
Semester 2Credits
GER 1126 Discover German 2 or
GER 1131 Beginning Intensive German 2
5
Composition (GE-C, WR)3
Electives (or work on a second major)6-3
Mathematics (GE-M)3
Total 17-14
Semester 3Credits
GET 3003 German Culture and Civilization 1 or
GET 3004 Modern German Culture and Civilization (both GE-H, N)
3
Biological Science (GE-B)3
Elective (or work on a second major)3
Science laboratory (GE-P or GE-B)1
Social and Behavioral Sciences (GE-S)3
Total 13
Semester 4Credits
GER 2200 Intermediate German 13
3000-/4000-level GET course (GE-H)3
Elective (or work on a second major)3
Mathematics (GE-M)3
Physical Science (GE-P)3
Total 15
Semester 5Credits
GER 2240 Intermediate German 23
GER 3234 Reading German Texts3
GEW 3100 Survey of German Literature 1 (GE-H, N)3
Biological Science (GE-B)3
Elective (or work on a second major)3
Total 15
Semester 6Credits
GER 3401 Advanced German 1 or
GER 3402 Advanced German 2
3
GEW 3101 Survey of German Literature 2 (GE-H)3
Electives (or work on a second major)6
Social and Behavioral Sciences (GE-S)3
Total 15
Semester 7Credits
GER 3401 Advanced German 1 or
GER 3402 Advanced German 2
3
4000-level course in German studies3
Electives (3000 level or above, not in major) (or work on a second major)10
Total 16
Semester 8Credits
Electives (3000 level or above, not in major) (or work on a second major)9
Two 4000-level courses in German studies6
Total 15