German

major

Foreign Languages and Literatures

German is the most widely spoken language in the post-Brexit European Union, along with English and French. It is the official language of Germany, Austria, and Liechtenstein and an official language in Switzerland and Luxembourg. Over 130 million people around the world speak German, and ca. 7.5 million people in 42 countries belong to a German-speaking minority.

About this Program

To graduate with this major, students must complete all university, college, and major requirements.

Department Information

Home to 15 different language programs, the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (LLC) offers training in languages and cultures from all corners of the globe. From Swahili to Italian, Russian to Vietnamese, LLC gives students the opportunity to become cross-cultural experts in an increasingly internationalized world.
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CONTACT

Email | 352.392.2422 (tel) | 352.392.1443 (fax)

P.O. Box 115565
301 PUGH HALL
GAINESVILLE FL 32611-5565
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 Curriculum

The BA in Foreign Languages and Literatures (FLL) provides students with a comprehensive knowledge of a specific language (or languages) and advanced familiarity with the cultural practices and traditions associated with the language(s) of specialization. The major in FLL enhances critical thinking and communication skills and provides students with a cross-cultural understanding of our contemporary world. The program allows students the flexibility to explore a single or dual language specialization as well as the opportunity to study culture through interdisciplinary fields of critical concentration, such as Comparative Cultural Studies, Film and Visual Culture, Intensive Area Studies, Literary Studies, and Medieval and Early Modern Studies. A major in FLL offers an excellent basis for a variety of careers, including graduate study in an area of foreign language and culture and/or in the humanities and social sciences, as well as careers in education, international development, diplomacy and government, national security, communications, law, journalism, arts and culture, publishing, and global business. Participation in UF study-abroad programs or a UF approved program is highly encouraged.

The German specialization of the Foreign Languages and Literatures major is not limited to knowing the language, but instead helps the student achieve multiple literacies. In the major, the study of language merges with the study of culture and includes:

  • The works of German literature as well as German culture and civilization from the Middle Ages through the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century
  • German cinema
  • The writings of ethnic minorities in German-speaking countries
  • The terminology of business, economics, and the European Union
  • Summer studies or full-semester studies at a German or Austrian university.

For many students, the curriculum is an enriching discovery of their own past: more than 60 million Americans are at least partly of German heritage. More Americans can trace their ancestry to Germany than to any other foreign country, and since the middle of the 20th century more Americans have lived and worked in Germany than in any other foreign country.

Coursework for the Major

The German specialization in Foreign Languages and Literatures consists of preparatory language study at the lower division (1000 and 2000 level), and 33 credits of advanced language, theory, and culture study in the upper division (3000 level and above).

All coursework for the major must be completed with minimum grades of C.

Ordinarily, students will need to have completed GER 2200 Intermediate German 1 by their fifth semester at UF to be able to complete the German major.

Required Foundation Coursework | 16 Credits

GER 1130Beginning Intensive German 15
or GER 1125 Discover German 1
GER 1131Beginning Intensive German 25
or GER 1126 Discover German 2
GER 2200Intermediate German 13
or GER 2225 Online Intermediate German I
GER 2240Intermediate German 23
Total Credits16

Required Core Coursework | 33 Credits

Advanced Language and Culture
Select 6 credits:6
Advanced German Abroad
Reading German Texts
German Grammar Review
Writing German Texts
German Listening, Comprehension and Speaking
Advanced Coursework
Select 18 credits (at least 6 credits with GER or GEW prefix at the 4000 level):18
Topics in German Film and Culture
German in Business
Cultural Identity and Intercultural Competence
Variable Topics in German Studies
Modern German Culture and Civilization
Medieval Literary Culture
History, Literature and Arts of Berlin
Early German Cinema to 1945
Representations of War in Literature and Visual Media
Variable Topics in German Studies
Women and German Cinema
New Cinema 1945 to the Present
Variable Topics in German Studies
Variable Topics in German Studies
Modern German Literature
Contemporary German Literature
Women in German Literature
Communities Writing in German
Individual Work
Seminar in Germanic Languages and Literatures
Critical Concentration
Although courses may appear in more than one group they may be counted toward only one group
Select 9 credits from one concentration:9
Intensive Area Studies: German (Recommended for those planning to pursue careers requiring advanced level skills in German or graduate work in German Studies)
Comparative Cultural Studies
Film and Visual Culture
Literary Studies
Medieval and Early Modern Studies
Total Credits33

Up to 15 credits of 3000/4000-level courses can be transferred from another institution.

No more than 3 credits can be earned in independent studies courses such as GEW 4905.

Overseas Study

The program recommends its summer program in Mannheim, Germany. Students can complete nine credits at the intermediate or advanced level depending on prerequisites met.

Placement

Students without prior German should take the GER 1130 and GER 1131 sequence (five credits each). An alternative manner of completing the basic language sequence in a single year is by taking the online German sequence GER 1125 and GER 1126, Discover German. These 10 credit sequences fulfill the college's language requirement.

Students with previous training in one of the languages should speak with the department.


Critical Tracking records each student’s progress in courses that are required for progress toward each major. Please note the critical-tracking requirements below on a per-semester basis.

For degree requirements outside of the major, refer to CLAS Degree Requirements: Structure of a CLAS Degree.

Equivalent critical-tracking courses as determined by the State of Florida Common Course Prerequisites may be used for transfer students.

Semester 1

  • 2.0 UF GPA required

Semester 2

Semester 3

  • Complete GER 1126 or GER 1131 or higher-level German course with a minimum grade of C
  • 2.0 UF GPA required

Semester 4

  • Maintain completion of GER 1131 or GER 1126 or higher-level German course with a minimum grade of C and a 2.5 critical-tracking GPA
  • 2.0 UF GPA required

Semester 5

  • Complete GER 2200 or any 2000-level German course with a minimum grade of C and a 2.5 critical-tracking GPA
  • 2.0 UF GPA required

SEMESTER 6

  • Complete GER 2240 or a higher-level German language course with a minimum grade of C
  • Complete 2 Advanced Elective courses with minimum grades of C
  • 2.0 UF GPA required

SEMESTER 7

  • Complete GER 3234, GER 3300, GER 3413, or GER 3470 with a minimum grade of C
  • Complete 2 Advanced Elective courses with minimum grades of C
  • Complete 1 Critical Concentration course with a minimum grade of C
  • 2.0 UF GPA required

SEMESTER 8

  • Complete 2 Advanced Elective courses with minimum grades of C
  • Complete 2 Critical Concentration courses with minimum grades of C
  • 2.0 UF GPA required

Students are expected to complete the Writing Requirement while in the process of taking the courses below. Students are also expected to complete the General Education International (GE-N) and Diversity (GE-D) requirements concurrently with another General Education requirement (typically, GE-C, H, or S).

3000 level or above critical concentration courses outside of German may count toward the 3000 level or above electives outside of the major.

To remain on track, students must complete the appropriate critical-tracking courses, which appear in bold. These courses must be completed by the terms as listed above in the Critical Tracking criteria.

This semester plan represents an example progression through the major. Actual courses and course order may be different depending on the student's academic record and scheduling availability of courses. Prerequisites still apply.

Plan of Study Grid
Semester OneCredits
Select one: 5
Discover German 1 (Critical Tracking)
Beginning Intensive German 1 (Critical Tracking)
State Core Gen Ed Biological or Physical Sciences 3
State Core Gen Ed Composition; Writing Requirement 3
State Core Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences 3
 Credits14
Semester Two
Select one: 5
Discover German 2 (Critical Tracking)
Beginning Intensive German 2 (Critical Tracking)
Quest 1 (Gen Ed Humanities) 3
Science laboratory (Gen Ed Biological or Physical Sciences) 1
State Core Gen Ed Mathematics 3
Gen Ed Physical Sciences 3
 Credits15
Semester Three
GER 2200 Intermediate German 1 (Critical Tracking) 3
State Core Gen Ed Humanities 3
Gen Ed Mathematics 3
Gen Ed Biological or Physical Sciences (area not taken in semester one) 1 3
Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences 1 3
 Credits15
Semester Four
GER 2240 Intermediate German 2 (Critical Tracking) 3
GET 3004 Modern German Culture and Civilization (Gen Ed Humanities and International) 3
Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences and Diversity 3
Elective (3000 level or above, not in major) 3
Elective 3
 Credits15
Semester Five
Select two: 6
Reading German Texts (Critical Tracking)
Writing German Texts (Critical Tracking)
German Grammar Review
German Listening, Comprehension and Speaking (Critical Tracking)
German in Business
Advanced German Abroad (Critical Tracking)
Critical concentration course (Critical Tracking) 3
Gen Ed Biological Sciences 3
Gen Ed Composition; Writing Requirement 3
 Credits15
Semester Six
Advanced German electives (Critical Tracking) 6
Critical concentration course (Critical Tracking) 3
Electives (3000 level or above, not in major) 6
 Credits15
Semester Seven
Advanced German elective or senior thesis option (Critical Tracking) 3
Advanced German elective (Critical Tracking; 4000 level) 3
Electives (3000 level or above, not in major) 6
Electives 4
 Credits16
Semester Eight
Advanced German elective (Critical Tracking) 3
Advanced German elective (Critical Tracking; 4000 level) 3
Critical concentration course (Critical Tracking) 3
Elective (3000 level or above, not in major) 3
Elective 3
 Credits15
 Total Credits120
1

One of these courses must be a UF Quest 2 course


9 Credits from one Concentration

Although courses may appear in more than one group, they may be counted toward only one group.

Intensive Area Studies: German
Recommended for those planning to pursue careers requiring advanced level skills in German or graduate work in German Studies
GER 3234Reading German Texts3
GER 3330German Language and Culture 13
GER 3332Topics in German Film and Culture1
GER 3440German in Business3
GER 4482Cultural Identity and Intercultural Competence3
GER 4930Variable Topics in German Studies3
GET 3200Medieval Literary Culture3
GET 3501History, Literature and Arts of Berlin3
GET 3520Early German Cinema to 19454
GET 3580Representations of War in Literature and Visual Media3
GET 4930Variable Topics in German Studies3
GET 4521Women and German Cinema4
GET 4523New Cinema 1945 to the Present4
GET 4930Variable Topics in German Studies3
GEW 3930Variable Topics in German Studies3
GEW 4301Introduction to German Drama and Theater3
GEW 4730Modern German Literature3
GEW 4731Contemporary German Literature3
GEW 4750Women in German Literature3
GEW 4760Communities Writing in German3
GEW 4930Seminar in Germanic Languages and Literatures3
Comparative Cultural Studies
ABT 3500Arabic Culture3
ABT 4131The Qur'an as Literature3
ARA 3510The Arab Woman3
CHI 3403Chinese Calligraphy3
CHT 3500Chinese Culture3
CHT 3510All the Tea in China3
CHT 3513Taoism and Chinese Culture3
CZT 3564Modern Czech Culture and Society3
FRT 3004Monuments and Masterpieces of France3
FRT 3561Women in French Literature and/or Cinema3-4
GET 3003German Culture and Civilization 13
GET 3004Modern German Culture and Civilization3
GET 3200Medieval Literary Culture3
GET 3201Early Modern Literary Culture3
GET 3501History, Literature and Arts of Berlin3
GET 3580Representations of War in Literature and Visual Media3
GET 3930Variable Topics in German Studies (German Fairy Tales)3
GEW 4401Cities as Cultural Centers3
HAI 3930Haitian Culture and Society3
HAT 3503Haitian Culture and Literature in Translation3
HAT 3564Haitian Culture and Society3
HAT 3700Introduction to Haitian Creole Linguistics3
ITT 3431Italy and Pilgrimages3
ITT 3443Dante's Inferno (English)3
ITT 3540Murder Italian Style: Crime Fiction and Film in Italy3
ITT 3541Gangsters and Godfathers: Italian Mafia Movies3
ITT 3700The Demolition of Man: Italian Perspectives on the Jewish Holocaust3
ITT 3930Special Topics in Italian Literature and Culture3
JMT 3500Jamaican Creole, Reggae, and Rastafari3
JPT 3500Japanese Culture3
JPT 3521Monsters and Horror in Japan3
JPT 3702Japanese Visual Culture3
JPT 4502Japanese Folklore3
JPT 4510Representations of Japan's Modern Empire3
RUT 3443War and Peace3
RUT 3500Russian Cultural Heritage3
RUT 3501Contemporary Russian Culture and Society3
RUT 3503Violence and Terror in the Russian Experience3
RUT 3504Russia Today3
RUT 3506Creative Lives: Writers, Artists, and Extraordinary People3
RUT 3514Russian Fairy Tales3
RUT 3530Russia's Struggle with Nature: Legacies of Destruction and Preservation3
RUT 3600The Twentieth Century through Slavic Eyes3
RUT 4450Russian Modernism3
VTT 3500Vietnamese Culture3
YOT 3500Yoruba Diaspora in the New World3
Film and Visual Culture
CHI 4930Special Topics in Chinese Studies3
CHT 3391Chinese Film and Media4
CHT 3523Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the New Global Cinema4
FRT 3520French Cinema4
FRT 3561Women in French Literature and/or Cinema3-4
FRT 4523European Identities, European Cinemas4
GET 3520Early German Cinema to 19454
GET 3580Representations of War in Literature and Visual Media3
GET 4521Women and German Cinema4
GET 4523New Cinema 1945 to the Present4
GET 4930Variable Topics in German Studies3
HBR 4930Special Topics3
ITT 3521Italian Cinema4
ITT 3540Murder Italian Style: Crime Fiction and Film in Italy3
ITT 3541Gangsters and Godfathers: Italian Mafia Movies3
ITT 3930Special Topics in Italian Literature and Culture3
JPN 4930Special Topics in Japanese Studies3
JPT 3391Introduction to Japanese Film4
JPT 3521Monsters and Horror in Japan3
JPT 3702Japanese Visual Culture3
RUT 3524Russia through Film3
SSA 4930Special Topics in African Studies3
Literary Studies
ABT 3130Arabic Literary Heritage 13
ABT 4131The Qur'an as Literature3
CHI 4930Special Topics in Chinese Studies3
CHT 3110Chinese Literary Heritage3
CHT 3123Pre-Modern Chinese Fiction in Translation3
CHT 3124Modern Chinese Fiction in Translation3
CHT 3302Tales of the Strange in Medieval Chinese Literature3
CHT 4111Dream of the Red Chamber3
CHT 4603Journey to the West3
FRT 3004Monuments and Masterpieces of France3
FRT 3561Women in French Literature and/or Cinema3-4
GET 3200Medieval Literary Culture3
GET 3201Early Modern Literary Culture3
GET 3501History, Literature and Arts of Berlin3
GET 3580Representations of War in Literature and Visual Media3
GET 3930Variable Topics in German Studies (German Fairy Tales)3
GET 4930Variable Topics in German Studies3
HAT 3503Haitian Culture and Literature in Translation3
HBR 4930Special Topics3
HBT 3223Identity and Dissent in the Hebrew Short Story3
ITT 3431Italy and Pilgrimages3
ITT 3443Dante's Inferno (English)3
ITT 3540Murder Italian Style: Crime Fiction and Film in Italy3
ITT 3700The Demolition of Man: Italian Perspectives on the Jewish Holocaust3
ITT 3930Special Topics in Italian Literature and Culture3
JPT 3100Tales of Kyoto3
JPT 3120Modern Japanese Fiction in Translation3
JPT 3121Contemporary Japanese Literature: Postwar to Postmodern3
JPT 3140Modern Women Writers3
JPT 3150Classical Japanese Poetry3
JPT 3300Samurai War Tales3
JPT 3330Early Modern Japanese Literature3
JPT 3521Monsters and Horror in Japan3
JPT 4130The Tale of Genji3
JPT 4502Japanese Folklore3
JPT 4510Representations of Japan's Modern Empire3
PLT 3930Special Topics in Polish Studies3
RUT 3101Russian Masterpieces3
RUT 3441Tolstoy and Dostoevsky3
RUT 3442Themes from Russian Literature3
RUT 3443War and Peace3
RUT 3452Russian Literature of the Twentieth Century3
RUT 3503Violence and Terror in the Russian Experience3
RUT 3506Creative Lives: Writers, Artists, and Extraordinary People3
RUT 3514Russian Fairy Tales3
RUT 3530Russia's Struggle with Nature: Legacies of Destruction and Preservation3
RUT 3600The Twentieth Century through Slavic Eyes3
RUT 3930Variable Topics in Russian Studies3
RUT 4440Pushkin and Gogol3
RUT 4450Russian Modernism3
SST 4502African Oral Literature3
SSW 3303Swahili Oral Literature3
SSW 4713African Women Writers3
VTN 4930Special Topics in Vietnamese Studies3
Medieval and Early Modern Studies
ARA 3510The Arab Woman3
CHT 3110Chinese Literary Heritage3
CHT 3123Pre-Modern Chinese Fiction in Translation3
CHT 3302Tales of the Strange in Medieval Chinese Literature3
CHT 3513Taoism and Chinese Culture3
CHT 4111Dream of the Red Chamber3
CHT 4603Journey to the West3
GET 3200Medieval Literary Culture3
GET 3201Early Modern Literary Culture3
ITT 3431Italy and Pilgrimages3
ITT 3443Dante's Inferno (English)3
JPT 3300Samurai War Tales3
JPT 3330Early Modern Japanese Literature3
JPT 3521Monsters and Horror in Japan3
MEM 3003Introduction to the Medieval World3
MEM 3300Castles and Cloisters: An Introduction to Medieval Communities3
MEM 3301Palaces and Cities: An Introduction to Early Modern Communities3
MEM 3730Studies in the Holy Roman Empire3
MEM 3931Variable Topics in Medieval and Early Modern Studies3

The Foreign Languages and Literatures (FLL) major enables students to achieve communicative competence in their language(s) of specialization. Students will become knowledgeable in the culture and literature and/or linguistics associated with their language area(s) such that they will be able to critically analyze and evaluate authentic sources in the target language(s) and formulate independent, critical perspectives in the target language(s). Further, students will learn the intercultural skills and practical know-how necessary to negotiate traveling, studying, and living in the target culture(s).

Before Graduating Students Must

  • Satisfy the Florida statutes for the College-Level Academic Skills Requirement.
  • Complete requirements for the baccalaureate degree, as determined by faculty.
  • Achieve one or more of the following, as determined by their specialization within the FLL program: an acceptable score on a language proficiency test and/or a satisfactory faculty evaluation of a term paper, final project, or oral presentation completed for a selected advanced course.

Students in the Major Will Learn to

Student Learning Outcomes | SLOs

Content

  1. Describe and define cultural concepts, literary production, and/or linguistic structure in language(s) of specialization.

Critical Thinking

  1. Analyze, interpret, and evaluate texts according to their cultural, literary and/or linguistic content.

Communication

  1. Express critical competence in relation to the culture(s) of specialization through performance of comprehensive analysis in written and oral form.
  2. Display oral and written proficiency in language(s) of specialization.

Curriculum Map

I = Introduced; R = Reinforced; A = Assessed

Courses SLO 1 SLO 2 SLO 3 SLO 4
Category A1 I, R I I I, R, A
Category B2 I,R, A I, R, A I, R, A
1

Courses focus on the acquisition of the language(s) of specialization at the advanced level.

2

Courses address literary, cultural, cinematic, historical, and/or social questions.

Assessment Types

  • Proficiency exams
  • Term papers or final projects
  • Oral presentations