Degree Requirements for German Studies

In this section

General Requirements for the Major or Minor

General university degree requirements stipulate that 1) at least four units of the major or three units of the minor be taken in residence at Puget Sound; 2) students earn at least a cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken for the major or the minor; and 3) all courses taken for a major or minor must be taken for graded credit. Any exceptions to these stipulations are indicated in the major and minor degree requirements listed below.

Requirements for the Major in German Studies (BA)

A minimum of eight units to include
1. Proficiency in elementary and intermediate German demonstrated by completing GERM 101-102 and GERM 201-202 or by successful completion of higher level German courses.
2. At least seven units in German Studies above GERM 102.
3. One unit, taught in German at or above GERM 350, to be taken during the senior year.
4. No more than two units taught in English (GERM 300-349, CONN 330) may count toward the major.
At least one semester in an immersion study abroad program in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland with one year strongly recommended (see Note 4 below).
A senior paper (see Note 2 below).
A senior portfolio (see Note 3 below).

Requirements for the Major in German and East European Culture and History (BA)

A minimum of ten units to include
1. Proficiency in elementary and intermediate German demonstrated by completing GERM 101-102 and GERM 201-202 or by successful completion of higher level.
2. HIST 102 or 103
3. GERM 350, 360, or 380
4. At least four units from GERM 300, 305, 310, 315, 365, 395, 420, 450, 480; CONN 330, 333; HIST 224, 311, 317, 320, 322, 325, 335; P&G 321. Of these four units, during the senior year students must enroll in one GERM upper-level seminar conducted in German; and in one HIST 3xx-level seminar (or CONN 333). At least one unit, but no more than two units, must come from GERM or CONN 330.
At least one semester in an immersion study abroad program in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland (with one year strongly recommended), or on a program in an Eastern European country that includes courses in the foreign language at some level (including Elementary).
A senior paper (see Note 2 below).
A senior portfolio (see Note 3 below).

Requirements for the Minor in German

At least five units to include

Proficiency in elementary and intermediate German demonstrated by completing GERM 101-102 and GERM 201-202 or by successful completion of higher-level German courses.
At least four units in German Studies above GERM 102 to include at least one unit, taught in German, at or above GERM 350.
No more than one unit taught in English (GERM 300-349, CONN 330) may count toward the minor.

Notes for the major and minor

Students must earn a grade of C (2.0) or above in all courses taken for a major or minor in the German Studies Department.
The senior paper is completed during a seminar taken during the senior year.
Majors are required to compile a portfolio of their work, submitted to the department by April 1 of their senior year. When students declare their major, they should seek a faculty advisor in the department who will advise them on the creation of their portfolio. The portfolio serves to assess the student's progress in the curriculum and to synthesize the student's total experience as a major.
Financial or personal circumstances may preclude a student from studying abroad. A student may petition to waive this requirement or replace it by participation in a nationally recognized total immersion program, such as Middlebury or the Deutsche Sommerschule am Pazifik, a summer internship, or successful completion of CONN 330.
The German Studies Department does not accept or award credit for distance learning courses.
The German Studies Department reserves the right to exclude a course from a major or minor based on the time elapsed since the course was completed.