The German BA at DePaul offers students an extensive background in German and Austrian culture, language, and literature, and prepares them to think and work in an increasingly globalized world. German is the most widely spoken first language in the European Union, and German-speaking countries drive international politics, culture, and business today. The German-speaking world is multifaceted—these are the cultures of Mozart, Goethe, Freud, Kafka and Marx—and the study of German also explores the critical questions of memory, history, and race that link the German past to the present day.
We encourage our students to participate in the study abroad options associated with the German program: a long-term study abroad program to Vienna in the Fall quarter or for an academic year, and a short-term, human rights-oriented service-learning program to Berlin and Vienna, which focuses on history, memory, and the current refugee situation in Germany and Austria. Both of these programs are affordable and can be financed through scholarships offered by DePaul’s Study Abroad Office and the Department of Modern Languages.
Our students of German have received Fulbright Scholarships, DAAD Fellowships, and the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange Grant; obtained internships at the Goethe Institut, the German Consulate, the DANK Haus, the German-American Chamber of Commerce, and the German International School Chicago; and have worked in other German and Austrian businesses throughout Chicagoland. Post-graduation, our alumni have continued with postgraduate studies in the U.S., Germany, and Austria; secured internships at embassies or with U.S. government agencies; worked in German-based businesses in Chicago and abroad; and applied the skills they learned in our German Program in a multitude of other careers.
We also offer the 3+3 BA/JD program, which allows high-achieving first-year undergraduate German majors to be admitted simultaneously to the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (LAS) and the College of Law (LAW). You’ll complete your first three years in LAS and your final three years in LAW.
The courses in DePaul’s German program give students the opportunity to attain advanced language proficiency while studying all aspects of German literature and culture. Topics of our regular GER course offerings include:
- Berlin and the Golden Twenties
- Coffeehouses and Culture in Turn of the Century Vienna
- German Translation
- Kafka and the Kafkaesque
- Business German
- New German Cinema
- The German Novella
- Making Grimms' Fairy Tales
- Breaking News in the German Speaking World
- The Contemporary German Film
- Multicultural Germany: Literature, Film, Food, and Culture
- The Uncanny and the Self
- Coming to Terms with the Past
- Voicing Migration: Turkish-German Music, Literature, and Film
Common career areas for the German B.A. include:
- Museum Studies
- Food and Wine industry
- Translation and Interpreting Services
- International business
- Marketing
- Law
- Nonprofit/NGOs
- Education
- Social services
- Public Policy
- Human rights
Students expand upon the fundamental skills learned in the German core by choosing one of three concentrations: German Studies, German Language and Literature, or Commercial German. Many German students pair German with another major, and several courses from these double majors can potentially be double-counted with the concentrations in the German major.
The German Program offers its students two study abroad options: a long-term study abroad program to Vienna, and a short-term, human rights-oriented program in Berlin. German students are encouraged to participate in one of these programs, both in order to grow linguistically and also to expand their cultural understanding of the German-speaking world and culture today. The German Program also has its own chapter of the German Honorary Society Delta Phi Alpha and is affiliated with the student-led organization DePaul Deutsch Club.
| Program Requirements | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|
| Liberal Studies Requirements | 84 |
| Major Requirements | 48 |
| Open Electives | 60 |
| Total hours required | 192 |
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Communicate in German at the Advanced Low proficiency level.
- Analyze cultural products in German and English.
- Explain features of German and its use.
- Navigate cultural differences effectively.
- Apply their language and cross-cultural skills to other domains.
College Core Requirements
Study in the Major Field
The student’s course of study in the College consists of three parts: Liberal Studies, the major field, and electives. Together these three parts contribute to the liberal education of the student which is the common purpose of all study in the College. By “liberal education” the College understands not only a deep and thorough knowledge of a particular area of study but a knowledge of the diverse areas of study represented by criticism, history, the arts, the behavioral and social sciences, philosophy, religious studies, the natural science, and mathematics.
The major field program generally is built upon a set of core courses and a specialized “concentration.” The number of courses required for a major varies by department. Most students go beyond the minimum requirements, electing additional courses which both broaden and deepen their understanding of their chosen discipline.
Because no academic major program is built in isolation, students are required to pursue a number of electives of the student’s choice. The inherent flexibility of this curriculum demands that the student consult an academic advisor at each stage in the total program and at least once prior to each registration.
Students will be prompted to visit the College Office for their official graduation check early in their senior year.
Declaration of Major, Minor and Concentration
All students in the College are required to declare a major field prior to beginning their junior year. The student will then be assigned a faculty advisor in the major field department or program and should make an appointment to see that advisor at his or her earliest convenience.
Students must declare or change majors, minors, and concentrations, via Campus Connection. However, for the purpose of exploring the possibility of changing a major field, the student should consult an academic advisor in the Office for Academic Advising Support.
The Modern Language Requirement (MLR)
All students will be required to demonstrate competence in a modern language (i.e., a language other than English) equivalent to the proficiency attained from one year of college-level language study. This Modern Language Requirement (MLR) may be demonstrated by:
- placing into 104 or above on the DePaul language placement exam
- completing the last course or earning AP/IB credit for the last course in the first-year college sequence of any language (e.g. 103 for DePaul language classes)
- completing a college course or earning AP/IB credit for a college course beyond the first-year level in any language (e.g. 104 or above for DePaul language classes)
- completing the final course of a four-year sequence of the same modern language in high school*
- completing a proctored exam by BYU and passing the exam (see the Department of Modern Languages website for registration details)
- completing a proctored Written Proficiency Test (WPT) by Language Testing International (LTI) and achieving a score of Beginner High or above (see the Department of Modern Languages website for registration details)
*Students are strongly encouraged to take the DePaul language placement exam even if they have met the MLR via study of a language in high school. This will ensure continuation of language study at the proper level.
Please note: Modern Languages courses with an E-designation are taught in English and may not be applied to the Modern Language Requirement.
Students who complete an Inter-College Transfer (ICT) to the College will abide by the MLR in place on the effective date of the ICT, regardless of when they first matriculated at DePaul.
Students who have met the MLR and wish to pursue further work in the language may elect the “Modern Language Option” (see below).
The Modern Language Option (MLO)
The Modern Language Option is available to all BA students who wish to study a modern language beyond the level required by their College, and to all other undergraduate students without a modern language requirement who wish to study a language at any level.
Students selecting the MLO may substitute a sequence of three courses in the same language for three domain courses.
The three MLO substitutions must be made in three different domains, and any substitutions must be consistent with the principle that students complete at least one course in each learning domain.
MLO substitutions may not be used to replace requirements in the Math & Computing, and Scientific Inquiry, domains.
Students majoring in one modern language may use the Modern Language Option for study of a second language at the Intermediate level or above.
Modern Languages courses with an E-designation are taught in English and may not be applied to the Modern Language Option.
NOTE: Please contact your college/school regarding additional information and restrictions about the Modern Language Option.
External Credit and Residency
A student who has been admitted to the College begins residency within the college as of the first day of classes of the term in which the student is registered. Students in residence, whether attending on a full-time or part-time basis, may not take courses away from DePaul University without the written permission of the college. Permission must be obtained in advance of registration to avoid loss of credit or residency in the college; see the LAS website for more information.
Liberal Studies Requirements
Honors program requirements can be found in the individual Colleges & Schools section of the University Catalog. Select the appropriate college or school, followed by Undergraduate Academics and scroll down.
| First Year Program | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Quarter | ||
| LSP 110 or LSP 111 | DISCOVER CHICAGO or EXPLORE CHICAGO | 4 |
| Focal Point | ||
| LSP 112 | FOCAL POINT SEMINAR | 4 |
| Writing | ||
| WRD 103 | COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I 1 | 4 |
| WRD 104 | COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC II 1 | 4 |
| Quantitative Reasoning | ||
| MAT 120 | QUANTITATIVE REASONING 2 | 4 |
| Sophomore Year | ||
| Race, Power, and Resistance | ||
| LSP 200 | SEMINAR ON RACE, POWER, AND RESISTANCE | 4 |
| Junior Year | ||
| Experiential Learning | ||
| Required | 4 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| Capstone | ||
| Required 1 | 4 | |
- 1
Students must earn a C- or better in this course.
- 2
Readiness for MAT 120 is determined by the math placement test taken online after admission. Students may need to take developmental coursework prior to MAT 120. The MAT 120 requirement may be waived by passing a dedicated proficiency exam, or by credit earned for advanced math coursework at DePaul (MAT 135, MAT 136, MAT 147, MAT 148, MAT 149, MAT 150, MAT 151, MAT 152, MAT 155, MAT 156, MAT 160, MAT 161, MAT 162, MAT 170, MAT 171, MAT 172, or equivalent) or any transfer, CLEP, IB, or AP Calculus credit. Calculus course(s) may be used to fulfil any of the three QR/MCD requirements.
Learning Domains
Arts and Literature (AL)
- 1 Course Required
Historical Inquiry (HI)
- 2 Courses Required
Math and Computing (MC)
- 2 Courses Required
[1 CR Course and 1 SR Course]
Philosophical Inquiry (PI)
- 2 Courses Required
Religious Dimensions (RD)
- 2 Courses Required
Scientific Inquiry (SI)
- 2 Courses Required
[1 Lab Course and 1 SWK Course]
Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Inquiry (SCBI)
- 3 Courses Required
Notes
A student whose only major is in Modern Languages is required to complete the Capstone offered by the Department of Modern Languages (MOL). A student who is double majoring (or pursuing dual degrees) with the primary major (or primary degree) in MOL may substitute the Capstone of the secondary major or degree. An MOL major in the University Honors Program shall take only the University Honors Capstone, not both the Honors Capstone and the MOL Capstone.
Courses offered in the student's primary major cannot be taken to fulfill LSP Domain requirements. If students double major, LSP Domain courses may double count for both LSP credit and the second major. Students who choose to take an experiential learning course offered by the major may count it either as a general elective or the Experiential Learning requirement.
In meeting learning domain requirements, no more than one course that is outside the student’s major and is cross-listed with a course within the student’s major, can be applied to count for LSP domain credit. This policy does not apply to those who are pursuing a double major or earning BFA or BM degrees.
Major Requirements
The German major at DePaul offers several interdisciplinary options to study German, along with the flexibility to double-count courses—either between a second major, minor or the learning domains—to more efficiently complete the degree. Majors in German must complete a total of 12 courses (48 quarter hours), comprised of an 8-course core at the Intermediate and Advanced levels and a 4-course concentration in “German Studies,” “German Language and Literature," or “Commercial German.”
Core Requirements
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| GER 105 | INTERMEDIATE GERMAN II | 4 |
| GER 106 | INTERMEDIATE GERMAN III | 4 |
| Six 300-level GER electives | 24 | |
300-Level German Course Listings
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ORIGINS OF THE GERMAN LANGUAGE TO 1600 | ||
| PLAY, PERSONALITY, AND POLITICS IN SCHILLER'S LETTERS ON ART | ||
| WORD-SCRIPT-STAGE-WORLD: DAS THEATER | ||
| COMPOSING REALITY: WRITING IN GERMAN | ||
| THE NOVELLE | ||
| FROM SOUND TO STRUCTURE: GERMAN POETRY | ||
| GOETHE AND HIS ERA | ||
| BREAKING NEWS IN THE GERMAN-SPEAKING WORLD | ||
| GERMAN INTELLECTUAL HISTORY | ||
| TURN OF THE CENTURY VIENNA | ||
| BERLIN AND THE GOLDEN TWENTIES | ||
| LITERATURE AFTER 1945 (EAST AND WEST) | ||
| WOMEN WRITERS OF GERMAN EXPRESSION | ||
| THE CONTEMPORARY GERMAN FILM | ||
| MULTICULTURAL GERMANY: LITERATURE, FILM, FOOD, CULTURE | ||
| ADVANCED COMMERCIAL GERMAN | ||
| TRANSLATION | ||
| ELFRIEDE JELINEK: WRITING ANGER, WRITING RESISTANCE | ||
| KAFKA AND THE KAFKAESQUE | ||
| GERMAN FILM SINCE 2010 | ||
| MEISTERWERKE OF GERMAN CINEMA | ||
| GERMAN PHONOLOGY AND PHONETICS | ||
| FOREIGN LANGUAGES ACROSS THE CURRICULUM | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN GERMAN | ||
| STUDY ABROAD | ||
| INDEPENDENT STUDY |
Open Electives
Open elective credit also is required to meet the minimum graduation requirement of 192 hours. Majors in German should select these courses in consultation with the German Program Director and Modern Languages Staff Advisor. Students can use their open electives to pursue a double major or one or more minors.
Concentrations, tracks and specializations provide focus to the major. In addition to any college core requirements, liberal studies requirements and major requirements, students are required to choose one of the following:
In addition to the German core courses, German majors must choose one of these three concentrations. Each of these concentrations allows German majors to develop their broad intercultural communicative skills through a rigorous interdisciplinary education tailored to their academic and professional interests. While the course listings for each concentration are not exhaustive, they represent a substantial sampling of courses from around the university that could be applied toward the respective concentrations. Students are encouraged to meet with the German Program Director and the MOL staff advisor upon declaration of the major and concentration in order to discuss elective course options for whichever concentration they choose. Other relevant courses may count as electives for the concentrations below with consultation/permission of the German Program Director.