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The German Studies Major
 


University of Potsdam in Berlin, one of the host institutions for UC’s Education Abroad Program

 

German studies is 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 sometimes 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 intellectually diverse program—covering history, history of art and visual culture, literature, and philosophy—in which students and faculty come together in exciting and demanding pursuits.

The German studies major is administered by the History Department. For additional information on curriculum and advising, go to history.ucsc.edu.



Study and Research Opportunities

  • B.A.
  • Study abroad opportunities in Germany through the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP)
German_Studies09.pdf

  More Information
 

Catalog Description

German studies site

History Department
Humanities 1, Room 201
University of California, Santa Cruz
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, California 95064
(831) 459-2982
history.ucsc.edu
historyundergrad@ucsc.edu

High School Preparation
High school students planning to major in German studies at UC Santa Cruz do not need any special preparation other than the high school courses necessary for UC admission. Previous study of the German language is valuable, but not required.

Students whose high schools do not offer German will be able to learn the language at UC Santa Cruz, where the German language program is of high quality.

Transfer Preparation
Transfer students are advised to complete their campus’s general education requirements before coming to UC Santa Cruz. They should also take at least one—and preferably two—full years of college-level German language courses at their previous institution. Some background in history and in literary analysis and interpretation is desirable, but not essential. Since this is an interdisciplinary major, preparatory work in art history, philosophy, or politics, depending on the student’s interests, may also be useful. See the Major Requirements section for additional information.

While it is not a condition of admission, students from California community colleges may complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) in preparation for transfer to UC Santa Cruz.

Transfer course agreements and articulation between the University of California and California community colleges can be accessed on the ASSIST web site.

Recognition
History Professor Mark Cioc, co-editor of the book, How Green Were the Nazis? Nature, Environment, and Nation in the Third Reich, describes how the Nazis created nature preserves, contemplated sustainable forestry, curbed air pollution, and designed the autobahn highway networks as a way of bringing Germans closer to nature. This is the first book to examine the ideology and practice of environmental protection in Nazi Germany.

Careers

Business
Communications
Foreign service
International economics
International law
International relations
Journalism
Politics
Publishing
Teaching
Writing

These are only samples of the field’s many possibilities.

Education Abroad Program (EAP)
The Education Abroad Program (EAP) offers undergraduate students the opportunity to study at more than 100 host universities and colleges in 34 countries as part of their regular UC academic program. Students receiving financial aid can apply their award to a program abroad.

All German studies majors are urged to consider participating in EAP, which has centers in Göttingen, Potsdam, and Berlin. The cost of a year’s study in Germany is equivalent to the cost of a year at UC Santa Cruz.

Major Requirements
German 5 is a prerequisite for all upper-division courses taught in German. Students are encouraged to take German 1-5 as early as possible in their academic program. 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 in order to pursue a German studies major.

All students must complete a senior oral examination (given by two faculty members) or an appropriate senior seminar in literature or history that has been approved by their adviser. The senior seminar must be taken in addition to the other 10 courses required for the major.

Enrollment in a two-credit comprehensive examination preparatory course, History 199F, is required in the same quarter that the senior oral examination will be given. The preparatory course will be taken with the chair of the student’s examination committee.
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 UC Education Abroad Program to further enrich the program of study and assure 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 UC Santa Cruz.