Welcome to the German Language Program of the School of World Studies.  In the German Program at VCU, the student achieves a high-understanding of contemporary German language and culture as well as the extensive and influential intellectual tradition of the German-speaking world.  The small class sizes give help student to better develop their speaking, reading, writing and listening skills in order to further experience and study the diverse German cultures.

German Studies and Major

In today's global environment, the knowledge of other languages and cultures is an absolute necessity. Whatever your career plans might be, German is an excellent language to learn. German is the most widely spoken language in Europe today and is a vital language of commerce, industry, and research for the European Union and beyond. The German cultural heritage is uniquely rich, particularly in the areas of art, music, literature, and philosophy. A knowledge of German can be a key asset in a number of professions, including business, government and foreign service, international relations, education, and scientific careers.

Area of Study

The German curriculum offers a rich array of courses in language skills, literature, and culture, allowing students to develop fully their skills in oral and written communication in German. German majors learn about cultural and political history, read masterpieces of German writing, view outstanding films of the last 100 years, gain insight into current social, political, and artistic developments in German-speaking countries, and work with media such as television and contemporary music. Special emphasis is placed on investigating the place of German-speaking countries in the changing landscape of Europe and on understanding the effects of developments such as globalization, immigration, and environmental change. Students also have the opportunity to learn the language and practices of the German-speaking business community.

The Student Experience

Students in German learn both in and out of the classroom. Rich electronic resources supplement classroom instruction. A summer study abroad program in Austria provides a valuable opportunity to deepen language skills and cultural knowledge. VCU German students also often study abroad for a semester or year. On campus, the School of World Studies and the German Club sponsor a wide range of extracurricular activities including a German-speaking Stammtisch, lectures, excursions, and parties. Classes are small, and instruction is personalized to meet the student’s individual needs.

The Setting

With two main campuses in the heart of Richmond, the state capital of Virginia, VCU is ideally located to provide a dynamic and diverse urban environment for your studies. VCU is nationally ranked by the Carnegie Foundation as a top research university and enrolls nearly 30,000 students in 181 programs in the arts, sciences and humanities within 15 schools and the core College of Humanities and Sciences.

Language Proficiency

ACTFL levels expected at graduation:

Reading Proficiency -- Advanced: Be capable of reading and understanding a variety of texts, including simple short stories, news items, personal correspondence, and routinized business letters

Writing Proficiency -- Intermediate high: Able to meet all practical writing needs such as taking notes, writing letters, simple summaries, and compositions related to work, school experiences, & topics of current and general interest

Listening Proficiency -- Advanced: Able to understand spoken German in a variety of contexts (person to person, short lectures, broadcasts, reports) and on most common topics with high comprehension

Speaking Proficiency -- Intermediate high: Converse easily in most social situations and exchange basic information related to work, school, recreation, and particular interests

Find out more about what these levels mean at: http://www.actfl.org.

Assessment

Students' language skills will be assessed as part of the senior seminar. Included are an oral interview with the German faculty to evaluate listening and speaking skills as well as the submission of a portfolio (see below) and a checklist of works read to evaluate reading and writing proficiency.

Portfolio

As part of the German major, students will assemble a portfolio including items such as the following: samples of their writing from class work (graded papers or revised papers, compositions, projects), one or more samples of their spoken language (recordings done for classes or specifically for the portfolio), a Lebenslauf, written documentation of extramural use of German (study abroad, internship, contacts with native speakers, attendance at German cultural events (films, lectures, plays, etc.).

Intercultrual & Interpersonal Communicative Abilities

Students having completed the major…
…can use German appropriately in a variety of settings and on different levels (professional, informal, shopping, telephone, email, letters, etc.)

…can communicate in different ways and modes (understanding news broadcasts, summarizing stories, giving/understanding directions, requesting/ providing information, narrating events in the past, defending one's point of view, etc.)

…are aware of cultural norms and practices which may influence language use (appropriate/inappropriate questions, forms of address/greeting/leave-taking, group interactions, etc.)

…can understand connections between language and culture (regional variations in language, essential differences between German and English, historical derivations, understanding and acceptance of different cultural values, etc.)

…are aware of personal aspects of language use (individual learning style, methods to maintain language skills, communicating over knowledge gaps, coping with language use in embarrassing, ambiguous, or stressful situations, etc.)

Culture: Summary of Knowledge Expected

Majors should be able to identify the geographical, topographical, demographic, and political characteristics of the present-day Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Austria, along with the names of the Bundesländer in each country and their capital cities. Students should be familiar with a broad chronological outline of German cultural history starting with the migration of pre-Christian Germanic tribes to the present post-unification period. The following is illustrative of the knowledge students should have in this area:

1. The naming of at least three tribes, their migratory movements, and their final destinations in what is now Western Europe
2. The values, beliefs, and life styles of these tribes
3. The introduction of Christianity and the founding of the Holy Roman Empire, its conflicts with the Church, and the cultural contributions of three major Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire
4. Description of the feudal system, the life of both peasants and nobility, the culture of the courts, knighthood, and the conversion of pagan values into those of Christianity
5. The decline of knighthood, the establishments of towns, and the growth of the guilds
6. The Reformation and its aftermath in the Thirty Years’ War, the characteristics of the Baroque Age, its art, architecture, and music
7. Characteristics and chronological periods of the Old High German, Middle High German, and New High German languages
8. The Age of Enlightenment and its cultural manifestations
9. The creative life of Goethe as a reflection of the predominant philosophical, scientific, artistic, and literary life of his time
10. Philosophical basis for German Enlightenment, Romanticism, Classicism and Realism
11. The rise of Prussian militarism, the age of the “enlightened despot”, conflicts with the Austrian Empire, and contrasts between Austrian and Prussian values and life styles
12. Increased influence of the German middle class on intellectual and artistic life, the “intellectual elite”
13. The disintegration of the Holy Roman Empire, the founding of the German Federation, and subsequent attempts at reunification of the German-speaking world until the establishment of the Second Empire in 1871
14. The reign of Wilhelm II and the role of Otto von Bismarck, the effects of industrialization on the working class, and socialism
15. The art and philosophy of Expressionism in comparison to those of the Baroque Era
16. The causes and outbreak of World War I, the Treaty of Versailles, and the economic and political consequences for Germany and Austria
17. The establishment and failings of the Weimar Republic
18. The rise of National Socialism, cultural and political effects, outbreak of World War II, and the division of Germany
19. The post-war period, “Wirtschaftswunder”, and artistic manifestations of the social and political atmosphere of the time, the Berlin airlift
20. The building and fall of the Berlin Wall, the reunification of Germany, its social and economic consequences, and “Ausländerfeindlichkeit”
21. Germany’s role in the European Union
22. Present-day cultural and political life

Collateral Requirement

German majors must complete an experiential learning requirement through an approved internship, service-learning course or study abroad.

Literature: Summary of Knowledge Expected

Majors should be able to trace the general development of German history, culture, and literature from their beginnings to the present day. Students can describe the characteristics of the major periods and movements and be familiar with the major authors and representative works belonging to each. The following is illustrative of the knowledge students should have in this area:

Middle Ages
Das Hildebrandslied
Das Nibelungenlied
Wolfram von Eschenbach
Walther von der Vogelweide

Reformation
Martin Luther
Hans Sachs

Barock
Andreas Gryphius
Paul Fleming
H.C. von Grimmelshausen

Age of Goethe
Elightenment
G. E. Lessing
Sturm und Drang/Klassik
J.M.R. Lenz
Johann W. von Goethe
Friedrich Schiller
Heinrich von Kleist
Friedrich Hölderlin
Romanticisim
Ludwig Tieck
E.T.A. Hoffmann
Josef von Eichendorff

19th Century
Vormärz
Georg Büchner
Johann Nestroy
Biedermeier
Franz Grillparzer
Jeremias Gotthelf
Poetischer Realismus
Eduard Mörike
Theodor Storm
Gottfried Keller
C.F. Meyer
Naturalismus
Gerhart Hauptmann

20th Century
Impressionism/Turn of the Century
Arthur Schnitzler
Rainer Maria Rilke
Hugo von Hofmannsthal
Karl Kraus
Expressionismus
Georg Trakl
Gottfried Benn
Franz Werfel
Georg Kaiser
Weimar Republic, Intra-War period
Franz Kafka
Bertolt Brecht
Hermann Hesse
Thomas Mann
Joseph Roth
Postwar
Wolfgang Borchert
Heinrich Böll
Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Peter Weiss
Wolfgang Koeppen
Günter Grass
Max Frisch
DDR
Christa Wolf
Contemporary
Peter Handke
Thomas Bernhard
Ingeborg Bachmann
Ernst Jandl
Martin Walser
Representative Films and Directors
Silent & early cinema
Post-war & contemporary

Link to the Deutschklub