Master of Arts

Specialization in German

An M.A. in Modern Languages with a specialization in German gives graduates a high proficiency in communicative skills and a deep awareness of cultures in the German-speaking world. The degree prepares students for a teaching career at a variety of levels as well as doctoral work in the discipline.

Requirements

Non-native speakers of German are required to take two non-thesis classes taught in German each semester.

Two options for completing the degree are available, each of which requires 36 hours and must include Germ 672. The two options are as follows: (1) a minimum of 24 hours of course work in German and between 6 and 12 hours of course work in a departmentally approved subfield or (2) a minimum of 24 hours of course work in German and between 6 and 12 hours of thesis work. Six hours constitutes a subfield for this purpose.

Students proposing a thesis are expected to decide on a topic and choose a tentative director as soon as possible after beginning Year One of their program so as to present a finished proposal for defense during their second semester of graduate school. The thesis director in consultation with the thesis committee decides the requirements for the proposal and the deadlines for each stage of development. The proposal for a thesis will normally consist of statements: (1) of a research question; (2) of a methodology or approach; (3) of a literature review or the state of the field; (4) describing the preliminary outline of chapters; and (5) of a bibliography.  The minimum length of the thesis proposal will be set by the thesis director. The proposal should be approved by the director of the thesis before being submitted to the whole committee, usually during the second semester a graduate student is in attendance. Students are encouraged to download the Graduate School’s style instructions for a thesis from the very beginning of the process and use them for the proposal as well.

Once a defense is scheduled, the thesis director will notify the graduate program coordinator (in advance of the proposal defense) of the date, time, and place, and afterward, of the result. The defense should be held in person, but under certain circumstances (study abroad, for example), it may occur by email or audio/video technology. It is important that the student receive comments from the whole committee at this stage of development. Following a successful proposal defense, the proposal will be placed in the student’s file by the thesis director. The thesis proposal committee normally will also be the committee for a student’s exams for graduation. Adjustments to the committee may be made as necessary, up to two months before the end of the exam process, the date by which the graduate school must be notified by the graduate program coordinator of the members of the comprehensive exam committee or thesis defense committee.

Reading List

View the reading list for specialization in German.

Courses offered:

For the current course schedule, please log in to my.olemiss.edu.

• Germ 529: Contemporary German
• Germ 546: Intensive Advanced German in Germany
• Germ 561: Advanced Topics in German Cinema
• Germ 571: Advanced Grammar and Composition (every two years).  Review of the finer points in grammar, style, and diction. Developing linguistic skills to appreciate literary language, read scholarly prose, and analyze texts. (Prerequisite: 9 hours of 300-level German).
• Germ 572: German Phonetics and Phonology (every two years). Introduction to the production of German sounds, using linguistic analysis and articulatory practice to improve pronunciation skills. (Prerequisite: German 330)
• Germ 574: History of the German Language (every two years). Examination of origins and development of standard German and regional dialects from the Middle Ages to the present. (Prerequisite: German 330).
• Germ 575: Topics in Applied Linguistics (3 credits). (Prerequisite: German 330).
• Germ 577: Survey of German Lit. & Culture I (every two years). Introduction to the history of German literature and culture from the Middle Ages to the Baroque. (Prerequisite: German 331).
• Germ 578: Survey of German Lit. & Culture II (every two years). Introduction to the history of German literature and culture from the Age of Goethe to the present. (Prerequisite: German 331).
• Germ 584: The Age of Goethe
• Germ 585: Nineteenth-Century German Literature (every two years). Acquaintance with cultural intellectual debates in Germany through in-depth discussion of 19th-century authors, literary works, art, and music. (Prerequisite: German 331).
• Germ 586: Twentieth-Century Literature & Culture (every two years). Acquaintance with contemporary culture and intellectual debates in Germany through in-depth discussion of 20th century authors, literary works, art, film, design, and music. (Prerequisite: German 331).
• Germ 587: German Fairy Tales (Prerequisite German 331).
• Germ 593: Topics in Cultural Studies (every two years). Analysis of social, cultural, and political phenomena, inquiry into philosophical and theoretical issues, and/or study of influential ideas in German literature and culture. Content varies. May be repeated once for credit. (Prerequisite: German 321).
• Germ 598: Advanced German Study Abroad
• Germ 599: Special Topics (3 credits)
• Germ 601: Professional Issues in Graduate Study (1 credit)
• Germ 671: Research Methods (3 credits)
• Germ 672: Research & Prac in Clasrm Sec. Lan. Acq (3 credits)
• Germ 673: Seminar (3 credits)
• Germ 697: Thesis (1-6 credits)