For Information and Photos from the March 2008 German Studies Major Inauguration Celebration click here!

German Studies Major

There are three versions of the degree:
1. The main, stand-alone German Studies degree, which has a focus on cultural studies.
2. The German Studies, International Economics concentration, which requires the two business German courses and 5 courses in economics.
3. The German Studies, Science and Technology concentration, which can only be taken together with another major in the sciences, engineering, or some other fields, such as architecture.

All three versions of the degree require one semester of study abroad or internship abroad. NC State has wonderful opportunities for study abroad, especially our popular UNC-EP program for study in Baden-Württemberg. For information on opportunities for study abroad, scholarships and internships abroad, click here.

You can view the Program Brochure and the three planned German Studies Major Curricula by downloading the following Adobe Files (you will need the Adobe Reader for this, which is available for free: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html).

German Studies Program Brochure

1. Main German Studies Major Curriculum

2. German Studies, International Economics Concentration

3. German Studies, Science and Technology Concentration

The three curricula are also posted online on the Registration and Records web site:

https://packtracks.ncsu.edu/scripts/RegRec/ada_dgtt.pl?college=HUM_SOC_SCI

For mapping out your curriculum in advance, you may consult our plan for future offerings (no guarantees, it's a plan, but we will mostly follow it): Planned Upper Level German Studies Course Offerings Fall 2008 – Spring 2012

A special course has been developed for the Science and Technology Concentration: FLG 212 - German Language and Technology. This class will teach you the same level of German grammar as FLG 201 but will also familiarize you with German vocabulary about science and technology and introduce you to some of Germany’s major inventions. The syllabus is posted here: Fall 2007: FLG 212, section 1 For mroe information contact Sabine Bridges.

For more information on this new major and for advising contact Dr. Braunbeck by email: Helga_Braunbeck@ncsu.edu, or check when she has office hours.

To apply for the German Studies Major (either to change majors or to add this one as a second major), stop by the CHASS Dean's Office in Caldwell 106 and fill out a simple one page form (your basic info, such as name, student ID, etc.; takes a minute). If your GPA is 3.0 or better, apply anytime. If it is between 2.0 and 3.0, you should have at least a B- in any FLG course you have taken at NC State; there are these deadlines for applying: September 15, February 15 and June 15.

For information about the students who graduated from our program and what they are up to after graduating click here: German Studies Major Portraits

German Studies at NC State University

Courses in German Studies provide students with the opportunity to prepare for the twentyfirst century. Germany, Austria and Switzerland are major players in the team of a unified Europe of the future. The opening of the Iron Curtain in 1989 has made Germany and Austria a gateway to Central and Eastern Europe, while Switzerland continues to grow in its strong political and economic traditions. In the past, German-speaking scientists, intellectuals and artists such as Albert Einstein, Thomas Mann and Ludwig van Beethoven, have made major contributions to Western culture and civilization.

Today the German-speaking countries of Europe continue to provide research, industrial products and artistic works held in high esteem by the international community. Familiarity with their language and culture will give you access to these achievements and prepare you for careers in fields where international communication is essential: scientific research, engineering, marketing, commerce, finance, software development, international relations, architecture and design, agriculture, textiles, medicine, law, education, the arts, the media, tourism and sports.

NC State University offers a four-semester sequence in language, culture, and civilization to prepare students at the elementary and intermediate levels. Advanced courses provide training in conversation, writing skills, translation, business German, culture and civilization, literature and cinema. Course offerings are enhanced by films, slides, music, computer-aided instruction, and field trips. Many students choose to complete a five-course German Minor to complement their major and give their careers a boost in our increasingly global economy.
 
We have an NC State Chapter, "Lamda Sigma" of the German Honor Society "Delta Phi Alpha". Check out their web site and the qualifications needed for membership: http://www.deltaphialpha.org/mainnews.htm. 6 of our students were inducted in 2006 and 7 additional students in 2007. For more information contact Dr. Lutz Kube.

How German Can Meet Your Degree Requirements

The first and second semester of German (FLG 101-102) may satisfy the NC State language requirement. The third semester of German (FLG 201) may satisfy the language requirement of the College of Humanities and Social Science (CHASS), the College of Management, and the First Year College.

In place of FLG 201 you can also take FLG 212, German Language, Culture, Science, and Technology. FLG 212 is at the same level as FLG 201 and will fulfill the FLG 201 language requirement or the STS (science, technology and society) requirement (but not both). FLG 212 uses the same textbook as FLG 201, Deutsch heute, but replaces some texts and vocabulary with materials that focus on science and technology, using, among other things, the internet publication "Deutsche Stars", available here (click top right corner for the download): http://www.goethe.de/wis/fut/prj/dst/enindex.htm. FLG 212 will be an excellent choice for anybody who is in a science or technology or engineering major or who has an interest in the sciences and technology. It will be offered in Fall 2007 by Sabine Bridges, MWF 11:20 - 12:10. A preliminary syllabus is posted here: http://www4.ncsu.edu/~hgb/german_studies_major/212syl_for_caf.htm. FLG 212 is also a required course in the science and technology concentration of the German Studies Major which we will hopefully begin to offer in the Fall. If you have any questions about the course, you may contact the instructor Sabine Bridges, sjbridge@unity.ncsu.edu or the German Section coordinator, Helga Braunbeck, helga_braunbeck@ncsu.edu.
 

German Courses

If you are looking for a third semester German language course, consider FLG 212, our new course at the same level as FLG 201, with a special focus on German science and technology. See the paragraph directly above for more information! It will be offered again in Fall 2008.

Complete Schedule of German Courses for Fall 2008 (TRACS)

NC State Course Catalogue Descriptions


Current Lower Level Course Syllabi

Spring 2009

FLG 101, Elementary German I, sections 1 and 2 (Oliver Ham)

FLG 201, Intermediate German I, sections 2 and 3 (Oliver Ham)

FLG 202, Intermediate German II, sections 1 and 2 (Sabine Bridges)

Fall 2008

FLG 101, Elementary German I, sections 1 and 2 (Heimberger-Shaffer)

FLG 101 Elementary German I, sections 3 and 3 (Kube): Syllabus: check Dr. Kube's web site: http://www4.ncsu.edu/~lkube/

FLG 102, Elemtary German II, sections 1 and 2 (Ham)

FLG 201, Intermediate German I, section 1, 2 and 3 (Bridges and Kube)

FLG 212, German Language and Technology, section 1 (Bridges)
This course is the same level as FLG 201 and can be taken in place of FLG 201.

FLG 202, Intermediate German II, section 1 (Ham)

Visit your instructor's homepage for syllabi of 300-level courses if you don't find a link below.

****************************************************************************************************************************************

Prerequisite for all courses (except for FLG 492): FLG 202 or equivalent.
All courses are taught IN GERMAN

FLG 309-001 Advanced German Conversation
TH 10:15 - 11:30 a.m in Withers 130
Jonathan Wipplinger, jowippli@ncsu.edu, 515-9296
The goal of this course is for you to learn how to communicate in a variety of authentic settings.  We will read texts about 1950s Germany, examine newspaper articles, look at the lives of typical Germans, and view German commercials.  We will additionally talk about common German sayings and, more generally, help you to become more active and effective listeners.

FLG 315-001 Germanic Civilization and Culture
MWF 10:15 - 11:05 a.m. in Withers 145
Dr. Lutz Kube, lkube@unity.ncsu.edu, 515-9304
In this class, we will discuss major aspects of German civilization, covering about 300 years from 1700 until 2000. The concept of civilization includes history, politics, literature, art, music, and architecture. One focus of the class will be the city of Berlin as the cultural and political center of Germany and as a paradigm of German history. We will also discuss on how during that 300 years a concept of the German nation was formed and changed during the course of time.

FLG 316-001 German Lyric Poetry
TH 1:30 - 2:45 p.m. in Withers 130
Dr. Ruth Gross, rvgross@unity.ncsu.edu, 515-9310.
In this course we will read and learn to appreciate the 18th, 19th and early 20th century German lyric poem (short, personal verse) that is so much a part of the German cultural tradition.  Not only will we look at poetry as poetry, by authors like Claudius, Goethe, Schiller, Mueller, Heine, etc, but also the poetry as it is musically set in its related art form, the German Lied, by composers like Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and Hugo Wolf.  This course is meant for all those students who have a “fear of poetry” as well as for those who love it.

FLG 390-001 German Studies Topics: The World(s) of Brothers Grimm
MW 2:00 - 3:15 p.m. (yes, this time slot is unusual) in Winston 132, Dr. Alexandra Hellenbrand (ASU, hellenbranda@appstate.edu) and Dr. Olga Trokhimenko (UNCW, trokhimenkoo@uncw.edu) through videoconferencing with NC State. Local liason: Dr. Helga G. Braunbeck
This course is a thorough study of one of the most famous masterpieces of German culture—Brothers Grimm’s fairy tale stories Children and Household Tales (Kinder- und Hausmärchen). By looking at both popular tales (“Cinderella,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Snow White,” “Hansel and Gretel”, etc.) and far less known stories, we will explore fairy tale as genre, the sources of and influences on the Grimms’ collection (both literary and cultural), and its ideological implications. We will look at Märchen as a product of a specific historical era, the tumultuous 19th century, and examine complementary developments in music and the visual arts. Finally, we will look beyond the Grimms at the use of fairy tales in the twentieth century in Nazi-Germany, in the Communist GDR, and in Walt Disney’s animated films, so much loved and beautifully drawn, but by no means as innocent as they appear. Class time will consist of group discussions of texts. All readings, discussions, and written assignments will be conducted primarily in German.

FLG 492-001 Senior Seminar: Germany’s Roaring Twenties
TH 11:45 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. in Withers 130
Jonathan Wipplinger, jowippli@ncsu.edu, 515-9296
The 1920s is one of the most exciting and turbulent periods of German history. Against a backdrop of social upheaval caused by defeat in World War I and the rise of the Nazis, German culture produced some of the most important and innovative artworks of the 20th century. In this course, we will look at how artists and everyday Germans experienced and worked through the uncertainties of the period in literature, film, music, and the visual arts. Preq: Two 300 level FLG courses on literature or culture or film, or talk to Dr. Wipplinger.

Click here for upper level syllabi from previous semesters

Faculty

Dr. Helga G. Braunbeck, Associate Professor and German Section Coordinator, Withers Hall 301
phone: 515.9320, email: Helga_Braunbeck@ncsu.edu
Ph.D. in German Literature, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
Late Twentieth Century German Literature and Culture; Business German; German Culture and the Environment. World Literature in Translation.

Dr. Ruth V. Gross, Professor of German and Department Head of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Withers Hall 310
phone: 515.9310, email: ruth_gross@ncsu.edu
Ph.D. in German Literature, Yale University
German and Austrian Literature and Cultural Studies of the Early Twentieth Century, World Literature in Translation.

Dr. Jonathan Wipplinger, Assistant Professor, Withers Hall 305
phone: 515-9296, email: jowippli@ncsu.edu
Ph.D. in German Literature, University of Michigan
Twentieth Century German Literature and Culture; German-American Relations; Music and Culture.

Dr. Lutz Kube, Teaching Assistant Professor and German Minor Adviser, Withers Hall 304
phone 515.9304, email: lkube@ncsu.edu
Ph.D. in German Literature, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
Twentieth Century German Lliterature, Culture and Civilization; German Film.
Director of the NC State Vienna Summer Program

Sabine Bridges, Lecturer, Withers Hall 304
phone 515.9304, email: sjbridge@unity.ncsu.edu
M.A. in Teaching German, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
German for Science and Technology, German Language Studies.

Oliver Ham, Lecturer, Withers Hall 304
phone 515.9304, email seomannn@gmail.com
M.A. in German Languages, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
German Language Studies

Ingrid Heimberger-Shaffer, Lecturer, Withers Hall 306
phone 515.9311, email ijheimbe@ncsu.edu
M.A. in Teaching German, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
German Language Studies


German Minor

• Completion of fifteen credit hours.
• The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures will determine which courses transferred from other institutions may qualify in meeting requirements for the minor, as well as the number of transfer credits permitted to meet program requirements.
• It is required that students complete at least three courses either at NC State or at an NC State sponsored study-abroad program.
• A grade of C- or better is required in all courses in the minor program.
• Only three hours of overlap will be allowed between your departmental major requirements and the German minor.

Required Courses

FLG 201 Intermediate German I
FLG 202 Intermediate German II

Elective Courses

Three additional courses from the following:

FLG 307 Business German
FLG 309 Advanced German Conversation*
FLG 310 Advanced Grammar and Syntax*
FLG 311 Introduction to German Translation*
FLG 315 German Culture and Civilization
FLG 316 German Lyric Poetry
FLG 318 New German Cinema
FLG 323 Twentieth Century German Literature
FLG 390 German Studies Topics
FL 295G or FL 495G Special Topics
FLG 398 Independent Study

* No more than two courses may be selected from the language skill courses FLG 309, 310, and 311.

Other FLG 300 and 400 level courses will soon be added and can already be taken for the German Minor. See the German Minor adviser for details.

For further information contact Dr. Lutz Kube, German Minor Adviser, Withers Hall 304
phone 515.9304, email: lkube@ncsu.edu

The German Minor Declaration Form, as an Adobe File, can be found here: http://sasw.chass.ncsu.edu/fl/degree/minor.htm#forms, click on "German".

******************************************************************

German Study Abroad Programs

NC State University has a great variety of Study Abroad Programs in the German-speaking countries, anything from our own 4-week summer program in Vienna, Austria, led by Dr. Kube, to semester programs or year long programs in many locations. A particularly nice semester program is the UNC-EP Baden-Württemberg Exchange Program, which offers a month-long intensive language course up front and a wide choice of programs at different universities in beautiful south-west Germany. Pre-requisite is FLG 202:

UNC-EP Baden-Württemberg in Freiburg

UNC-EP Baden-Württemberg in Heidelberg

UNC-EP Baden-Württemberg in Hohenheim

UNC-EP Baden-Württemberg in Karlsruhe

UNC-EP Baden-Württemberg in Konstanz

UNC-EP Baden-Württemberg in Mannheim

UNC-EP Baden-Württemberg in Stuttgart

UNC-EP Baden-Württemberg in Tübingen

UNC-EP Baden-Württemberg in Ulm

If you don't know any German yet, or very little German, but want to study in Germany and learn German while you are there for a spring semester and taking a few GER-fulfilling classes alongside your German language course, you could do the UNC-EP European Studies Program in Mannheim.

For detailed information and application deadlines, contact the Study Abroad Office. For help with applications you can also consult Dr. Helga G. Braunbeck or your German instructor. Click on the following links for lists of all programs in a certain country:

  Programs in Austria

  Programs in Germany

Programs in German-speaking Switzerland
 

To find programs go to the Study Abroad Website and click on Programs (top left), then select a country and desired length of study.


Opportunities for Scholarships and Internships Abroad

For information on opportunities for scholarships and internships abroad, click here.

Local German Culture

* NC State German Club
The German Club is a university-sponsored student club that meets weekly for conversation, cultural events and social gatherings. A conversation group usually meets weekly, on Sundays at 5 p.m. at Mitch's Tavern, 2426 Hillsborough Street, but please check the club website for information on meeting dates and places. Through the summer, the club meets about twice a month. The club also views films, organizes cooking parties (Kochfest), hiking tours and other activities. A German Club Cookbook is for sale, check the club website for info. There is a listserve that can keep you updated on the club's many activities. To be added to this listserve or with any other question about the club, please contact the club's faculty advisor: Ralph Jones, re35rjje@us.ibm.com

* GAST, German-Austrian-Swiss Club of the Triangle
Monthly newsletter, conversation groups and many other special activities such as talks, video evenings, visits to museums or the zoo, etc...

* German Art
North Carolina Museum of Art, 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh, 839-6262.

* NC State: D.H. Hill Library and Media Center: German films, journals & magazines

 

Some Tools and Resources for German on the Web

Info-Sites on Germany and Studying German

German Studies Trails (a great starting point for your explorations!)
http://www.facts-about-germany.de/
Berlin Info
Yahoo Deutschland
www.germany.info

Die deutsche Google-Suchmaschine: http://www.google.de

Das Magazin "Deutschland", Forum für Politik, Kultur und Wirtschatft: http://www.magazine-deutschland.de/ (in mehreren Sprachen, auch auf Englisch!)

Deutschland-Info, auf deutsch: http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/www/de/index_html

Deutschland-Info, auf englisch: http://www.germany.info/relaunch/index.html

Deutsche Geschichte in Dokumenten und Bildern (zweisprachig deutsch und englisch):
http://www.germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/index.cfm?language=german

Online Help and Online Courses for Self-Study

Website zur 7. Auflage von Deutsch heute, mit Web-Übungen, Wortschatz- und Grammatikübungen, und nützlichen Links: http://college.hmco.com/languages/german/moeller/deutsch_heute/7e/students/chapter/index.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/german/

http://grow.aatg.org/vol_2-1/web_exercises/index.html

http://www.german-grammar.de/

http://www.deutsch-lernen.com/

http://german.about.com/library/anfang/blanfang_inhalt.htm

http://www2.goethe.de/z/50/linaleo/start2.htm

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/0,,2548,00.html

http://www.germanfortravellers.com/learn/index2.html

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/0,,2551,00.html

German Online Dictionaries

http://dict.leo.org

http://dict.tu-chemnitz.de/

http://www.dict.cc/, http://wolfram.schneider.org/dict/

http://www.linguadict.de

For help on German computer language check out http://www.goethe-verlag.com/computer.htm

A culturally authentic pictorial lexicon for German


German Internet Radio Stations and the two Public TV Stations, with Streaming Newscasts

List of German Internet Radio Stations

ARD, Erstes deutsches Fernsehen, their news web site: http://www.tagesschau.de/

ZDF, Zweites deutsches Fernsehen, their news web site:: http://www.heute.de/ZDFheute. search the "Mediathek" on the right


The three most popular German Weeklies

Fokus
http://focus.msn.de/

Der Spiegel
http://www.spiegel.de

Die Zeit
http://www.zeit.de/

Six big Newspapers

Die Welt
http://www.welt.de

Frankfurter Allgemeine
http://www.faz.net/s/homepage.html

Die Sueddeutsche Zeitung (München)
http://www.sueddeutsche.de

Der Tagesspiegel (Berlin)
http://www.tagesspiegel.de

Die Presse (Österreich)
http://www.diepresse.at/

Neue Zürcher Zeitung (Schweiz)
http://www.nzz.ch/

Last updated: 7 January 2008