Effective Winter 2017
Advising
German Major — A plan for the major in German is developed in consultation with and must be approved by Karl-Georg Federhofer or Mary Rodena-Krasan the department advisors. Appointments are scheduled online at https://lsa.umich.edu/german/undergraduate-students/german-studies/german-advising.html.
German Department faculty are also available to students during regularly scheduled office hours which are posted on the bulletin board outside 3110 Modern Languages Building.
German Minors — Students wishing to pursue a minor in German Studies must develop a specific plan for its completion in consultation with Kalli Federhofer or Mary Rodena-Krasan, the department advisors. Appointments are scheduled online at https://lsa.umich.edu/german/undergraduate-students/german-studies/german-advising.html.
Scandinavian Minor — Students wishing to pursue a minor in Scandinavian Studies must develop a specific plan for its completion in consultation with Johanna Eriksson, johannae@umich.edu.
Grade Policies
Students must earn a grade of C- or better in all required courses.
Prerequisites
GERMAN 230, 232, RCLANG 291, or the equivalent (AP/IB score, placement test, transfer credits).
Requirements
30 credits beyond GERMAN 232 must include GERMAN 325 or 326, three 300-level courses; GERMAN 425 or 426, three 400-level courses; and at least two additional GERMAN courses numbered GERMAN 300 or higher.
Other Department Policies
Placement Test and Retroactive Credit
Students with high-school credit for German who intend to complete the A.B./B.S. language requirement in German must take a placement test administered by Germanic Languages. The placement test is advisory: students may attempt a higher course than their placement indicates without departmental permission, but must obtain departmental permission to take a lower-level course than their score indicates. LSA students who have attained fourth-term proficiency (GERMAN 232 or the equivalent) are considered to have satisfied the language requirement and may elect more advanced courses. LSA students whose first German course at the U of M is GERMAN 232 are normally eligible for four additional retroactive credits if they complete the course with a grade of "B" or better. Students whose first course is at or above the 300-level are normally eligible for 8 additional retroactive credits. For details, consult the Guidelines for Retroactive Credits on this website.
Questions regarding placement and the placement test should be directed to Professor Hartmut Rastalsky.
Information about graduate opportunities and careers
Information about graduate opportunities and careers specifically available to students majoring or minoring in German may be obtained from the Department office.
Residency
A minimum of 15 of the required 30 credits must be taken either in residence at Michigan or through a study abroad program affiliated with the University of Michigan.
Distribution Policy
No course used to fulfill a major requirement may be used toward the LSA Distribution Requirement. In addition, courses in the GERMAN, DUTCH, and SCAND subject areas may not be used toward the Distribution Requirement.
Honors
In meeting the requirements stated above, students admitted to the Honors major must include GERMAN 491 and 492 (Honors proseminar and thesis). Completion of preliminary work is a prerequisite to acceptance in the Honors major in German. Admission is granted to qualified students at the end of the junior year. Students must maintain a GPA of 3.7 or higher in German and an overall GPA of 3.4 or higher.
For further information, consult Karl-Georg Federhofer (kallimz@umich.edu) or Mary Rodena-Krasan (mkrasan@umich.edu).
Teaching Certificate
To secure departmental recommendation for a teaching major, students have to complete a minimum of 34 credits. For a list of the requirements, students should go to: www.soe.umich.edu/files/secondary_german_major_current.pdf. We strongly recommend that students enroll in GERMAN 531 (Fall). To meet the requirements for a teaching minor in German, students should complete GERMAN 325 or 326, any two courses selected from among GERMAN 381, 382, 383, 384, 385, and eight additional credits of senior work (GERMAN 425, 426 and 531 are particularly recommended).
All teaching certificate candidates should consult Karl-Georg Federhofer (kallimz@umich.edu) or Mary Rodena-Krasan (mkrasan@umich.edu).
