German (BA/BS)

Learning another language fulfills the primary purpose of a university education: It prepares you to reason, analyze, solve problems, and communicate in a world of widely differing cultures. Within the Department of German and Scandinavian, students can choose a major focus in German; in Scandinavian; or in interdisciplinary German and Scandinavian Studies. In the ‘interdisciplinary German and Scandinavian Studies’ option, the student usually chooses German or Scandinavian for one half of their course work, and another discipline that overlaps with German or Scandinavian (such as History, Global Studies, Political Science, etc.) for the other half of their course work. We offer language instruction in both German and Swedish (Swedish being the language for the Scandinavian majors and minors). Culture and society courses are offered at the upper level in both German and in English, depending on the course.

More than 100 million people speak German as a first language, and it is the official language of six countries. More than one thousand companies based in German-speaking countries have subsidiaries in the U.S. In all of these firms there is a need for employees with an understanding of German language and culture.

Approximately 20 million people’s mother tongue is a Scandinavian language, and notable Scandinavian literature spans a broad range from the beloved children’s stories of Hans Christian Andersen to the modern crime novels by Stieg Larsson.

The UO Department of German and Scandinavian ranks among the top 10 colleges and universities in the number of students majoring in German. The UO also has the only program in Oregon in which students can get a major or a minor in Scandinavian. Classes are discussion-based with engaging activities designed to involve and engross students, with both group and individual writing assignments.

Many students choose to study abroad, some with awards from The Fulbright Program and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The UO offers a local internship program for advanced students of German to teach German in an elementary or middle school. Or you might take advantage of an opportunity to intern in a German-speaking or Scandinavian country.

German Focus

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Language: Students should attain the point where they can discuss literature and culture in German fluently in an advanced academic environment. In addition, they should be able to write a fluent 20-30 page essay in German on an academic literary topic.
• Literature: Students should be able to provide a general characterization of the history and shapes of all major genres (lyric, drama, and narrative) in the literature of the German language from the early Enlightenment through the post-World War II period. Students should also possess an overview of all major interpretive paradigms in literary studies since World War I. Beyond this general knowledge, students must be able to demonstrate mastery of the stakes of one genre across several periods of German literary history, mastery of the literature of one period in all genres, and mastery of at least one philosophical movement or interpretive paradigm. Mastery here includes broad knowledge and significant comprehension, as well as a basic overview of the scholarly literature on the subject.
• Demonstrate mastery of the broader contours of German literary history in terms of genres, periods, as well as of relevant theoretical paradigms and critical traditions.
• Demonstrate effective oral and written scholarly communication skills in English and German.
• Demonstrate ability to conduct independent research and analysis in German studies, following professional standards of writing and citation.
• Present research in a professional setting, such as a colloquium or a conference.

German and Scandinavian Studies Focus

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Language: Students should master skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing up to an advanced level, and become proficient users (C1-level) of German or Swedish according to the internationally recognized standards and proficiency levels determined in the Common European Frame of Reference for language learning (CEFR).
• Literature: Students should be able to identify, define, and contextualize works of literature from diverse populations in German and Scandinavian societies. Students should be familiar with the main concepts of literary analysis specific to the German or Scandinavian language traditions, including the major periods/movements (and their social-historical conditions), genres, and interpretive paradigms, as well as several main themes. This includes an awareness of the demographic changes in Germany and Scandinavia which open up the notion of these literatures to a more global analysis. Cultural change as a result of a changing population is also of central concern. Diversity in Germany and Scandinavia both historically and of late is stressed as an important component of a changing field of study.
• Culture: Students should be able to describe and provide examples of several main aspects of contemporary German and Scandinavian cultures, including governmental structures, demographic changes and the corresponding cultural implications, major news media and periodical publications, and contemporary cinema, literature, and arts. The dynamic aspect of culture is stressed so that the students become aware of the changes happening due to global population and informational flows.
• Critical Thought and Writing: Students should be able to write essays of 5-7 pages that argue fluently in a coherent, logical, and persuasive manner for independently developed interpretive positions on cultural artifacts. Of late, we are stressing views from both the inside and outside of dominant cultures in Germany and Scandinavia.

 Scandinavian Focus

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Language: Students should master skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing up to an advanced level, and become proficient users (C1-level) of German or Swedish according to the internationally recognized standards and proficiency levels determined in the Common European Frame of Reference for language learning (CEFR).
• Literature: Students should be able to identify, define, and contextualize works of literature from diverse populations in German and Scandinavian societies. Students should be familiar with the main concepts of literary analysis specific to the German or Scandinavian language traditions, including the major periods/movements (and their social-historical conditions), genres, and interpretive paradigms, as well as several main themes. This includes an awareness of the demographic changes in Germany and Scandinavia which open up the notion of these literatures to a more global analysis. Cultural change as a result of a changing population is also of central concern. Diversity in Germany and Scandinavia both historically and of late is stressed as an important component of a changing field of study.
• Culture: Students should be able to describe and provide examples of several main aspects of contemporary German and Scandinavian cultures, including governmental structures, demographic changes and the corresponding cultural implications, major news media and periodical publications, and contemporary cinema, literature, and arts. The dynamic aspect of culture is stressed so that the students become aware of the changes happening due to global population and informational flows.
• Critical Thought and Writing: Students should be able to write essays of 5-7 pages that argue fluently in a coherent, logical, and persuasive manner for independently developed interpretive positions on cultural artifacts. Of late, we are stressing views from both the inside and outside of dominant cultures in Germany and Scandinavia.

The department does not accept a grade of D+ or lower in any course used to fulfill requirements for a major in German. 

• German Focus
• German and Scandinavian Studies Focus
• Scandinavian Focus

German Focus

Courses used to fulfill the major requirements must be taken for a letter grade and passed with a grade of C- or better.

¹

All GER subject code courses except language courses listed above.

²

At least three of the five German literature and culture courses must be upper division courses with the GER subject code, taught in the German language, and must be taken at the University of Oregon.

³

Of the remaining two literature and culture courses, up to two may be courses taught in English (GER 200-level courses, GER 345M, GER 350-359). One or both of these may be at the 200 level and both must be courses with the GER subject code.

Of the requirements listed above, the following rules apply:

• Six courses must be taken in the UO Department of German and Scandinavian.
• One course may be taken pass/no pass.

The following courses may not be used to satisfy major requirements:

¹

 4 credits of Practicum: Teaching Internship (GER 406) will satisfy a requirement for the major.

Since all courses are not offered every year, plans should be made well in advance so that students can take prerequisites for 300-level literature and culture courses and 400-level courses. Specific questions should be addressed to departmental undergraduate German advisors.

German and Scandinavian Studies Focus

German and Scandinavian studies is a focus for the German major offered by the Department of German and Scandinavian.

Requirements

The German and Scandinavian studies focus requires second-year language proficiency. Of the 48 credits beyond second-year language, at least 24 must be in courses taught by the UO Department of German and Scandinavian; at least 44 must be taken for a letter grade.

¹

Eligible courses in this category include GER 311–313, GER 340–341, GER 360–499, and SWED 405.

Approved Courses

• German (GER) and Scandinavian (SCAN) courses numbered 210–499
• Courses taken at a European university taught in German or a Scandinavian language above the second-year level
• Courses from the preapproved list, which count automatically toward the major and the minor: European Union History (EURO 415), German History: [Topic] (HIST 342), Europe in the 20th Century: [Topic] (HIST 428), Medieval Central Europe: [Topic] (HIST 436), 16th-Century European Reformations (HIST 441), , Modern Germany: [Topic] (HIST 443), , The Jewish Encounter with Modernity (JDST 213), The Music of Bach and Handel (MUS 351), History of Philosophy: 19th Century (PHIL 312), 19th-Century Philosophers: [Topic] (PHIL 453), Shadows of Modernity (PS 312), European Politics (PS 324)
• Other courses taken as part of an approved thematic pathway

Thematic Pathways. These are recommended course lists that include a significant number of approved course options beyond those on the preapproved list. Students are strongly encouraged to follow a thematic pathway, culminating in a capstone project, in consultation with a faculty advisor. Details are posted on the department’s website and are also available from the director of undergraduate studies.

Capstone Project. This is a piece of guided independent scholarly or creative work integrating knowledge acquired in courses for the major, typically as the culmination of a thematic pathway. It must be preapproved and either supervised or cosupervised by a faculty member in the department. This requirement typically will be met by a research paper of at least 15 pages or by a comparable scholarly or creative project in a 400-level course in an appropriate department, or through at least one credit of GER 401, 403, or 405; SCAN 401, 403, or 405; or SWED 401, 403, or 405. Work with non-English materials is strongly encouraged.

Double-Counting. Majors who seek an additional minor in either German or Scandinavian may count all credits for both. The same rule applies to minors who seek an additional major in either German or Scandinavian. Majors may not seek an additional major in either German or Scandinavian. The department encourages, and imposes no restrictions on, major or minor combinations with other programs.

Scandinavian Focus

Of the requirements listed above, the following rules apply:

• Three courses must be taken in the UO Department of German and Scandinavian
• One literature or culture course may be taken pass/no pass

Majors in Scandinavian must be proficient in Swedish at the third-year level, demonstrated either by evaluation by the Scandinavian advisor or by successful completion of work beyond Second-Year Swedish (SWED 203). Typically, this will occur through independent study in Reading and Conference: [Topic] (SWED 405), work with supplementary texts in advanced Swedish as extra requirements in the department’s Scandinavian courses, and/or through study abroad in Scandinavia. Students should plan their course work carefully in consultation with a departmental undergraduate advisor in Scandinavian. They may also satisfy this requirement in Danish or Norwegian. 

Honors

To earn a bachelor's degree with departmental honors, a student must maintain at least a 3.50 grade point average (GPA) and write an honors essay or thesis approved by the departmental honors committee for 4 credits in Thesis (GER 403).

Four-Year Degree Plan

The degree plan shown is only a sample of how students may complete their degrees in four years. There are alternative ways. Students should consult their advisor to determine the best path for them.

• German Focus
• German and Scandinavian Studies Focus
• Scandinavian Focus

Bachelor of Arts in German: German Focus

¹

Beyond the German major and general-education requirements,  this example includes 15 further courses for a second major and/or electives for a total of 180 credits, with only three courses each term senior year. With a full load of four courses per term, which would add up to 192 credits, there would room for 18 further courses.

²

The first of eight upper-division German literature and culture courses for the major, and the one that may be taken in English language. For this and subsequently listed upper-division literature and culture courses in the Department of German and Scandinavian, any other 300- or 400-level courses could be substituted.

³

Advanced German grammar review completed (for increased fluency). Four upper-division German language courses now complete (including 300-level language courses).

 Bachelor of Arts in German: German and Scandinavian Studies Focus

¹

Beyond the German major and general-education requirements,  this example includes 15 further courses for a second major and/or electives for a total of 180 credits, with only three courses each term senior year. With a full load of four courses per term, which would add up to 192 credits, there would room for 18 further courses.

²

Advanced German grammar review completed (for increased fluency).

³

For this course and subsequently listed 300- or 400-level literature and culture courses in the department, others may be substituted that are at the same level or higher. In addition, courses from outside the Department of German and Scandinavian that are on the list of eligible courses for this major may be substituted.

Bachelor of Arts in German: Scandinavian Focus