German Studies - Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences - The ...

GENERAL INFORMATION
German Studies at the University of Adelaide is the only academic German Studies unit in South
Australia and is a discipline in the School of Humanities. Students of Flinders University and the
University of South Australia can take German Studies courses on a cross institutional basis. As a
discipline it is independent, but has close links with other disciplines in the School of Humanities.
German Studies offers two main sequences of courses, running from first year through to third year:
1. the beginners’ sequence (German I – German II – German III) for students who have little or no
previous experience in learning German, or
2. the continuers’ sequence (German IS – German IIS – German IIIS) for students who have completed
Year 12 German or equivalent. Students not sure about which sequence to take should consult
German Studies staff before enrolling. Other possible courses in German for the BA degree are
German Special Topic II and III and German in Germany.
All courses in both streams aim to develop proficiency in the German language and to give students
the opportunity to explore various aspects of German culture, past and present, with particular
emphasis on the last 250 years, from the eighteenth century Enlightenment to the present. In first
year, the study of language and culture is combined, but in second and third years, separate language
and culture courses are offered in order to allow more in-depth study.
Students may study German within the normal requirements of the Bachelor of Arts or as part of
another degree program, such as the Bachelor of International Studies, the Bachelor of European
Studies and the Bachelor of Languages. Students can study German as an elective for just one
semester or one year, but in order to develop their language skills, most students will choose to
complete a major (24 units) or a minor (18 units) in German. For maximum benefit, students should
consider taking all of the language and culture courses on offer, thereby completing an extended
major (30 units). Students who choose to enrol in the Diploma in Languages will need to complete a
major (24 units) in their chosen language. More information on compiling a minor or a major in
German can be found below. Anyone wishing to study German as part of a Diploma in Languages or
as part of a degree program other than the Bachelor of Arts should consult the HUMSS Faculty Office
in order to plan their course choices before proceeding to second year.
Note that all courses are semesterised, so students will receive a result at the end of each semester.
As is the case with all language courses at university, the progression requirements for German are
such that students must normally successfully complete one semester of language work before
proceeding to the next semester course. From semester to semester and year to year, students build
on their knowledge and skills as they become more confident in understanding, speaking and writing
the language.
Students who wish to pursue their interest in German beyond third year can do so by enrolling in
Honours, provided they have a major in German with a Credit average. It is also possible to combine
Honours in German with Honours in another discipline in the Faculty. After Honours, research
degrees at both Masters and PhD levels can be undertaken in areas of German Studies that
correspond to the research interests of staff.
After First-Year
In second year and third year (in both streams), there are separate language and culture courses in
each semester, as follows (note that the "S" indicates the continuers' stream while "A" corresponds to
first semester and "B" to second semester). The study of language and the study of culture are, of
course, interconnected. The study of language provides access to another culture; the study of
another culture will not only provide you with a knowledge and understanding of that culture but
also improve your language skills (classes at second and third year level are mostly conducted in
German), so to get most out of your German Studies we strongly recommend that you do both
language and culture courses.
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