An Iowa College in the Liberal Arts Tradition
German
Elizabeth Steding ( Modern Languages, Literatures and Linguistics department head and section head), Sören Steding (Münster program director)
Required for a major: Thirty-two hours, including eight hours in German above 300; up to eight hours may have English as the language of instruction (with prior approval by the German program); credit-bearing language immersion experience; a senior project (unless this is completed in another major); an oral proficiency examination in German. Writing requirement completed with GER 330, GER 340, GER 460 or GER 470.
Recommended supporting courses for students majoring in German: Courses in German history; politics and anthropology; courses in another modern or classical language; courses in linguistics.
Required for a minor: No fewer than 18 hours, including four hours above 300; credit-bearing language immersion experience; an oral proficiency examination in German.
Language immersion experience: For majors, a minimum of one semester of academic study in a country where German is an official language. For minors, at least one January Term (or a similar program) of academic study in such a country, although a semester is strongly recommended. Program selection must be approved by the department for all majors and minors prior to departure. Luther College offers a semester program in Münster, Germany, every other year (2022, 2024). However, other programs may also fulfill this requirement. All majors and minors are strongly urged to help maintain and advance their language skills by completing courses in German during their final semesters at Luther.
View program learning goals for an explanation of learning outcomes in German.
Language Learning Center
The department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics has a Language Learning Center in Main Building. Language students have access to language learning materials, tutoring, computers and printers, and video study rooms. The Language Learning Center also houses the department's Foreign Language Media Library with over 800 foreign language films and a selection of leisure reading books and audio books for language learners. Students can check out these materials as well as audio and video equipment for their class assignments. The Language Learning Center also provides language students with valuable work-study experiences related to their interest in languages.
German Courses
GER 101 Identity and Language
- 4 hours
Who are the Germans? Who are you when you speak German? How does language allow us to be ourselves? Explore personal and cultural identity in the German-speaking world. Develop basic language skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing) to be able to communicate in everyday situations.
GER 102 Community and Language
- 4 hours
- Prerequisites: GER 101
How do German-speakers live in community? How and where can you fit in? How are communities formed by language? Explore traditions, institutions and lifestyles in the German speaking world. Continue to develop cultural competency and basic language skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing) to be able to communicate in everyday situations.
GER 105 Munster Preparation
- 1 hour
This course prepares students accepted to the Munster Semester for the semester abroad. Requires acceptance to the Munster Program. This course does not count towards the German major or minor.
GER 200 German Context and Connections
- 1 hour
This course will allow German majors to link a course taught in another department to their study of German via weekly readings, reflections, and discussions with a German faculty member. Successful completion of German 220 will allow the linked course to count toward the German major.
GER 210 German in Action
- 4 hours
- Prerequisites: GER 102
Apply your German skills in real-world contexts! This course is thematically-based, using topics such as film, comics, art, music, or Berlin to help students develop cultural competency and intermediate-level language skills. Students may take the course twice (with different topics).
GER 220 Conversation and Comprehension
- 4 hours
- Prerequisites: GER 102
This course is for students who have taken GER 102 and who want to develop their speaking as well as their oral and reading comprehension skills, increasing proficiency in extended narration and dialogue and developing knowledge of German-speaking cultures. Offered as part of the Münster Semester.
GER 320 Advanced Conversation and Comprehension
- 4 hours
- Prerequisites: GER 210 or consent of instructor.
This is a course for students who have completed intermediate-level coursework in German and who have a solid background in German grammar. Focus on developing speaking and oral comprehension skills, increasing proficiency in extended narration and dialogue and developing knowledge of German-speaking cultures. Students take this course during the semester abroad in Münster, Germany, and work with authentic, real-life materials and situations.
GER 330 German History and Society
- 4 hours
- Prerequisites: GER 102
This course deepens students' understanding of history, society, and culture in the German-speaking world. It investigates selected trends and developments in contemporary culture and examines their historical backgrounds. Offered on a rotating basis.
GER 340 German Play
- 4 hours
- Fulfills: Human Expression
- Prerequisites: GER 102
Students will write and perform a play or a film in German. Emphasis is on writing, oral expression, pronunciation, and review of advanced grammatical structures. Offered on a rotating basis.
GER 350 Advanced German Grammar
- 4 hours
- Prerequisites: GER 210 or consent of instructor.
This course allows students to master advanced grammar structures as they encounter them in Germany during the Munster Semester. Focus on advanced grammar functions and correcting common mistakes in oral and written expression.
GER 460 Contemporary German Literature And Culture
- 4 hours
- Fulfills: Human Expression—Primary Texts
- Prerequisites: GER 210 or consent of instructor.
A course with emphasis on literature and culture of the 20th and 21st century. Study in depth of a particular topic as seen through primary texts, with special attention given to contemporary texts and topics. Significant practice in writing, including a research project and assessment of speaking skills. Offered as part of the Munster Semester.
GER 470 Topics in German Literature and Culture
- 4 hours
- Fulfills: Human Expression—Primary Texts
- Prerequisites: GER 210 or consent of instructor.
Study in depth of a particular topic as seen through primary texts. The focus will vary each time, and may include topics such as women writers, social criticism, the environment, East and West, the Holocaust, German media. Significant practice in writing, including a research project. May be repeated for credit up to three times under three different topics. Offered on a rotating basis.
GER 490 Senior Project
- 1, 2, or 4 hours
The senior project requirement gives students an opportunity to participate in independent study, to read relevant sources in their chosen area, to develop methods of research and analysis appropriate to their selected topic, and to construct a sustained argument in the language of their major. To enrich their work, students will be encouraged to reflect on and use their study-abroad and firsthand cultural experiences as a means of contextualizing their projects. Assessment includes the paper, the process, and the required formal presentation of the project at end of term. If students have another major in addition to German, they are not required to complete a senior project in both majors.