German Studies


Department of History
32 Merrill College
(831) 459-2982
http://humanities.ucsc.edu (open History)

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

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

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
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