German Studies

Program Description

German studies is conceived of as a transnational major that deals with the various German-speaking regions of central Europe. Whether one thinks of philosophy, music, art, education, religion, or political and social history, German culture has exercised a profound and often decisive influence on Europe. Some of the most important ideological debates in Western culture have arisen in the German-speaking area, and changes in German culture and society have occasionally had devastating effects on world history. Events and political developments of recent years—such as the unification of East and West Germany and the emergence of the German-speaking region of Europe as a major player in world affairs—have had important impacts.

A German studies major provides students with an interdisciplinary program—covering history, history of art and visual culture, literature, and philosophy—in which students and faculty come together in exciting, intellectually demanding pursuits.

Major Requirements

All students are required to take a total of 10 courses, including a minimum of three courses in German literature and two courses in German history. No more than two of the 10 required courses may be lower-division courses, and no more than two may come from the Germany in a European or World Context list. A minimum of five of the 10 required courses must be taught in German or principally through German-language texts. Language competency to level five is required for the completion of the German studies major.

All students must complete a senior oral examination (given by two faculty members) as part of the requirements for the major.

German 5 is a prerequisite for upper-division courses taught in German. Students are encouraged to take German 1–5 as early as possible in their academic program.

Regular consultation with a program faculty adviser is required.

It is strongly recommended that students spend a period of time in residence in Germany through the University of California Education Abroad Program to further enrich the program of study and ensure a command of the language. Students are allowed to transfer up to five courses taken at German universities toward the requirements for the major. However, the five core courses in German literature and history must be taken at UCSC.

Core Courses

German
119  German Media

German Literature
102  Introduction to German Literature
120  Fear of the Foreign: Xenophobia in German Literature and Culture
150  German Romanticism
157  German Identity

History
133  German History
136  German Film, 1919–1945

History of Art and Visual Culture
136  German Art, 1905–1945

History of Consciousness
80O  Hitler, National Socialism, and Religion
101  Bismarck
123  Culture in Crisis: Weimar Germany

Politics
147  Germany and the New Europe

Context Courses

History
30A   Modern European History, 1500–1789
30B   Modern European History, 1789–1914
30C   Modern European History, 1914–Present
33     Medieval Europe, 300–1200
80W  The Holocaust: The Destruction of European Jewry
122   Reformation Europe
127   Fascism and Resistance in Italy

History of Art and Visual Culture
80A   Introduction to Architecture
164   Early Medieval and Romanesque Architecture
165B Gothic Beyond
190Q Portraiture: Europe and America, 1400–1990

Philosophy
106   Kant
108   Nineteenth-Century Philosophy
110   Heidegger
139   Freud

Politics
175   The New Europe
176   International Political Economy

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