College of Arts and Sciences

Departmental E-mail: germanic [at] indiana [dot] edu

Departmental URL: www.indiana.edu/%7egermanic/

(Please note that when conferring University Graduate School degrees, minors, certificates, and sub-plans, The University Graduate School’s staff use those requirements contained only in The University Graduate School Bulletin. Requirements may or may not be reflected identically in departmental URL’s.)

Curriculum

Curriculum
Courses
Faculty

Degrees Offered

Master of Arts, Master of Arts for Teachers, and Doctor of Philosophy

Special Departmental Requirements

(See also general University Graduate School requirements.)

Master’s Degrees

Master of Arts Degree

Students may follow one of two different curricula in pursuit of the M.A. degree: Master of Arts in Germanic Studies and Mas­ter of Arts in Modern German Culture. Admission requirements are the same for both programs, and the official degree title for both options is the M.A. in Germanic Studies.

Admission Requirements

Near-native command of German and undergraduate major in the field or other evidence of adequate background. Deficien­cies may be removed by course work or special examination.

Master’s Project

Both the Master of Arts in Germanic Studies and the Master of Arts in Modern German Culture require successful completion of a master’s project, which is intended to give students experi­ence in carrying out a limited scholarly investigation to their fullest potential. The project is normally submitted after three or four semesters of study but may be submitted as early as the first year. It entails appropriate revision and oral defense of a research paper of 20 to 30 pages originally written for a gradu­ate course in Germanic Studies. The paper should demonstrate command of expository English or German, competence in the use of bibliographic and research tools, ability to conceive and develop a scholarly project, and effective critical and analytical thinking. It is recommended that students consult with appro­priate faculty members regarding selection and revision of the project paper. A three-person faculty committee evaluates each project and conducts an oral defense that examines the candi­date’s ability to present concisely the main argument(s) of the project, place the project in larger scholarly contexts, discuss sources and scholarly literature used, and respond effectively to committee members’ questions and comments. Students have the option of enrolling in German G850 Master’s Project for one credit so that the project’s completion is reflected on their permanent academic record and transcripts.

Master of Arts in Germanic Studies

Course Requirements

A total of 30 credit hours, including one of G532, G540, G548, G551, G558, G632, G635, G638, G639 or G640; one seminar or colloquium at Indiana University. At least 9 additional credit hours in Germanic studies and one Germanic Literature course numbered 500 or above.

Language Requirement

Reading proficiency in an additional foreign language, prefer­ably French.

Thesis

Not required.

Master of Arts in Modern German Culture

Course Requirements

A total of 30 credit hours of which at least 21 one must be and all 30 may be in German. Up to 9 credit hours may be taken in other relevant programs and departments (history, compara­tive literature, etc.).

Language Requirement

Reading proficiency in an additional foreign language, prefer­ably French.

Master of Arts for Teachers Degree

Admission Requirements

20 credit hours of course work (or the equivalent) beyond first-year German.

Course Requirements

A total of 36 credit hours; at least 20 of these must be in Ger­manic Studies, including G500, G540, two courses from G532, G548, G551, and G558; two literature or culture courses in German, one of which may be at the 400 level. Students must demonstrate proficiency in depth in German; contact the lan­guage coordinator in the department for information.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

General Information

Admission Requirement

M.A. in German or equivalent. Students with a master’s degree in a related discipline who have completed extensive graduate-level work in German may also apply.

Credit Transfer

Entering doctoral students may present up to 30 credit hours of previous graduate-level work towards the 90-hour minimum required for the Ph.D. degree, subject to the regulations and approval of the University Graduate School.

Language

Reading proficiency in French. A substitution may be permitted; such a substitution should serve the candidate’s major research interests.

Other Requirements

Specific departmental course and credit-hour requirements for each of the three Ph.D. majors are outlined below.

Examinations

A two-part written examination followed by an oral examina­tion. The form, content, and scheduling of the separate exami­nations vary from major to major.

Teaching

All doctoral students are required to complete at least one year of service as an associate instructor in Germanic Studies.

Ph.D. in Germanic Linguistics and Philology

Total credit hours: 90

Professional courses (3 cr.)

• G500                   

Linguistics courses (12-14 cr.)

Four from the following:
G532, G540, G548, G551, G558, G632, G635, G638, G639, G640, G601 Introduction to Old English, G655 History of the English Language

Seminars (6-8 cr.)

(two required at IU)

• G825 or G835
• G825 or G835

Literature courses (6 cr.)

Two from any modern German literature or culture courses numbered 500 or above.

Dissertation (up to 20 cr.)

Outside Minor  (minimum 12 cr.)

Ph.D. in Medieval and Early Modern German Litera­ture and Culture

This major is intended as one in medieval literature and cul­ture, and the languages involved are regarded as tools rather than as ends in themselves. The interdepartmental outside minor must be taken in medieval culture. The 30-32 hours of required course work in German literature should include suf­ficient study of modern literature to prepare the candidate to teach college courses in this area on the second- and third-year levels.

Total credit hours: 90

Professional courses (3 cr.)

• G500

Seminars (two required at IU; 6-8 cr.)

• G825 or G835 (3-4 cr.)
• G825 or G835 (3-4 cr.)

German literature (29-31 cr.)

• G571 ( 3 cr.)  
• G636 (3 cr.)
• G625 (with medieval topic) (3 cr.)
• G825 (with medieval topic) (3 cr.)
• Other literature (17-19 cr.)

• G635 (3 cr.)
• G640 (3 cr.)
• Recommended: any one from G532, G638, G639 (3 cr.)

Outside minor: medieval culture (18-23 cr.)

• Either F501 Med. French Lit. I (3 cr.) or L505 Medieval Latin (4 cr.)  
• Additional hours in medieval culture (12-15 cr.)

                
Ph.D. in Modern German Literature and Culture

Professional courses

• G500 (3 cr.)

Seminars (two required at IU) (8 cr.)

• G825 or G835 (4 cr.)
• G825 or G835 (4 cr.)

Literature Courses (9 cr.)

• Any three from: G571, G573, G575, G577 

Linguistic courses (6. cr.)

• One from G532, G632, G635, G638, G639, or G640 (3 cr.)
• One from G540, G548, G551 or G558 (3 cr.)

Dissertation (up to 20 cr.)
Outside minor (at least 12 cr.)

Outside Minors for the Ph.D.

All three Ph.D. program options in Germanic studies require the completion of an outside minor. The outside minor is selected in consultation with the graduate director or faculty advisor. Requirements for the outside minor are set by the outside mi­nor department or program (i.e., not Germanic Studies). Please note that Dutch or Yiddish may be selected by Ph.D. students in Germanic Studies as an outside minor.
Some Ph.D. candidates in Germanic Studies complete the mi­nor entirely outside the department, for example in cognitive science, French, West European studies, or gender studies. De­tailed information about minors offered by other departments and programs can be found elsewhere in this bulletin. Detailed below are sample minor programs.

1. Dutch: 12 credits, consisting of N402, N403, N404, and N450.
2. Comparative Literature: four courses in Comparative Litera­ture, including C501; fluent reading knowledge of at least one foreign language.
3. Cultural Studies: 4 courses for a minimum of 13 credits in courses approved for the Cultural Studies program, includ­ing C601 and either C701 or C790. Students must officially declare the minor during the early phase of their Ph.D. studies by consulting with the director of the Cultural Studies program. Satisfactory performance on the qualify­ing examinations in the student’s major department is also required.
4. English and Germanic philology: four courses, to include English G601 Introduction to Old English and at least one of the other older Germanic languages, i.e., German G632, G635, G638, G639, and G640. The remaining courses may be chosen from ENG G602 Introduction to Middle English, G655 History of the English Language, L710 Beowulf, L711 (Topic: Old English Literature), GER G532, G625 with appro­priate topic, G636, G835 with appropriate topic, and any of the remaining older Germanic languages listed. Also offered is an Area Certificate in English and Germanic Philology, re­quiring four courses in addition to the four required for the minor. These may include any of the courses listed above, as well as courses in other departments that are relevant to the history and prehistory of the Germanic languages, and to early Germanic literature and culture.
5. Linguistics: 12 credits in linguistics or related courses, with a grade point average of 3.0 (B) or higher. The specific pro­gram for satisfying this requirement should be developed in consultation with the linguistics outside minor advisor.
6. Yiddish: Requirements include 12 credits, consisting of GER Y502, GER Y503, GER Y504, 3 remaining credits to be cho­sen from GER Y505, GER Y506, GER Y815, and other courses focusing on non-language Yiddish Topics.

Ph.D. Minor in Germanic Studies

Doctoral students from other departments desiring to minor in Germanic studies will choose one of the following:

1. German: 12 credit hours, including at least two courses numbered 500 or higher.
2. Netherlandic: N402, N403, N404, and N508 or N509.
3. Yiddish: Requirements include 12 credits, consisting of GER Y502, GER Y503, GER Y504, 3 remaining credits to be cho­sen from GER Y505, GER Y506, GER Y815, and other courses focusing on non-language Yiddish Topics.

For further information concerning the graduate program in Germanic Studies, see the Guide to Graduate Study, issued an­nually by the department.