Goals
Our graduate program in literature and culture combines coverage with cutting-edge research. We are both "traditional" and innovative, dedicated to German literature but also interested in multidisciplinary studies. We believe that familiarity with all periods of German literature and culture is essential for our students' scholarly and professional future. But we are also committed to recent literary and cultural theory, intellectual history, and the study of visual media. Our belief in breadth as well as focus informs our graduate curriculum; we try to strike a balance between rigorous introductory courses and exploratory, often interdisciplinary research seminars. Our qualifying examination is an integral part of an intense four-year program that covers all aspects of German studies. We are convinced that solid training in literary history and theory assures a publishable dissertation, fosters confidence in presenting and publishing original research, and prepares the student for a prestigious academic position.

Introductory Course Work
Reading the German Literary Text (German 207), offered each academic year, provides all incoming graduate students with an introduction into reading literary texts written in German. Close textual analysis, the history of literary criticism, and recent approaches to literature will be core concerns of this course.

History of the German Language (German 270), offered each academic year, provides all incoming graduate students with the development of the German language from prehistoric times to the present. Current linguistic methods applied to language processes in the genetic development of the German language and its interface with literary excerpts imbue the course.

Literary and Cultural History (German 201 Series)
Our department is committed to the entire range of cultural production which includes not only literature but also non-fictional texts and films from German-speaking countries dating back to the early Middle Ages. Our faculty, which consists of well-known specialists in all periods of German literature, believes that the power of a text depends on the analytical ability of the reader: older texts are no less exciting than contemporary ones if read in new ways. We have therefore devised a set of five period courses that introduces students to the classical works of German literature from the beginnings to the present.

201A: Medieval

201B: Early Modern (16th/17th Century)

201C: Enlightenment through Classicism (18th Century)

201D: Romanticism through Realism (19th Century)

201E: Modernism (20th Century and contemporary Literature)

Each semester at least one of these 201 period courses is offered, not necessarily in chronological order. At least two or three specialists cover each period, alternating teaching to keep the courses fresh. These period courses cover major canonical works of the period both in their context and in light of present readings. Each period has an overriding theme, which varies and determines the choice of classics covered, but all 201 courses share a certain comprehensiveness that helps students understand the major works and discourses of a period.

Intellectual History and Theory
We strongly believe that German thought and theory should play an integral role in a modern German Department. Many of our contemporary ways of thinking have roots in German philosophy. We want to familiarize our students with this heritage and offer an encompassing introduction in English to the central thinkers in Germany from Kant to Habermas:

157A: German Idealism (Kant-Hegel-Fichte)

157B: History and Philosophy (Marx-Nietzsche-Freud)

157C: The Hermeneutic Tradition (Heidegger-Arendt-Gadamer)

157D: The Frankfurt School (Adorno-Benjamin-Habermas)

Each semester at least one of these upper division courses is offered. They can be taken individually or in sequence. Graduate students are allowed either to audit one or more of the courses or to enroll in one in lieu of a graduate seminar (provided the texts are read in German and a research paper is written).

Research Seminars
All seminars numbered between 205 and 290 indicate advanced research seminars that are often based on the research interests of the professor offering the course. They explore new frontiers of classical authors or step into unexplored territory. (Please see current research interests of faculty by clicking here).   New topics are added every year.   We are very proud of our special interest in German poetry (see also our poetry corner) and offer at least one poetry seminar each year. 

The ideal outcome of a research seminar is an original paper that can be used for the qualifying examination (2 research papers are required), for presentation at conferences, or as publications. Our students are encouraged early on to become productive members of the discipline. Research is facilitated by our superb library holdings in German literature (half a million volumes), including the latest databases and online resources, and a sizable "Seminarbibliothek" in the center of the Department. The intense intellectual climate, cultivated by a constant flow of lectures, conferences, colloquia, and co-curricular working groups, further supports student research.

Multidisciplinary Work
During the course of graduate work students can qualify, after additional course work, for an emphasis in Film Studies, in Women, Gender and Sexuality, or in other Designated Emphasis programs. The Designated Emphasis programs allow students to study with eminent faculty from a wide range of disciplines. The German Department is fully committed to multidisciplinary approaches and encourages students to look beyond the borders of literature. In recent years, students have taken seminars in Anthropology, Linguistics, Education, History, Art History, Philosophy, Geography, Political Science, Rhetoric, and Women's Studies, among others. The oral part of the qualifying examination must include a member from another department.

Students with an M.A.
Students entering the program with an M.A. from another institution must take the courses required of all students before the qualifying examination unless there is evidence of equivalent course work done elsewhere. Equivalency will be determined by the graduate adviser in consultation with the student and with the departmental instructor of the course involved, and a written statement to this effect will become a part of the student's file. Such students will normally take the qualifying examination at the end of their third semester. However, the graduate adviser may grant an extension of one semester if the prior course work differs greatly from the objectives of the program at Berkeley.

Support
Graduate students usually support themselves in their studies by teaching lower division German courses (first- through fourth-semester language instruction), and they can apply to teach courses in conversation, German for reading knowledge, and Reading and Composition. The latter courses (offered in English on German topics) are especially important after the Q.E, as they allow students to teach literature and devise their own syllabi. They also let them test out their ideas—often derived from their dissertation—with a small group of bright freshmen and sophomores. A fair number of fellowships are awarded to outstanding students at the incoming, continuing and dissertation level.

Expectations
Candidates for the Ph.D. in German literature and culture should have advanced cultural competence in German, a thorough knowledge of and sound judgment in German literary, cultural and intellectual history; a working familiarity with the various critical approaches to these fields, especially contemporary theory; and the ability to pursue original research and to argue ideas convincingly in both English and German. At some point during their graduate career, usually after they have completed course work, students spend a year in a German-speaking country. As part of their training, students are encouraged to participate in conferences and other professional activities, both on and off campus. The faculty provides guidance in such professional matters and is committed to helping students secure academic appointments upon graduation.

Student Placement
The Department has an outstanding placement record. In the four-year period 1997-2001, eight of the nine literature and culture Ph.D.s who applied nationally and internationally for positions were successful. Seven of them accepted tenure-track (or, in the case of Harvard, long-term) positions at the following prestigious institutions: Georgetown University, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ohio State University, University of Washington at Seattle, and Washington University (St. Louis), Harvard University. Ph.D.s in Germanic linguistics between 1995-2001 have successfully applied for and accepted academic positions at the University of Bonn (Germany), Pennsylvania State University, San Francisco State University, Ohio State University, Florida Atlantic University; others hold theoretical linguistics positions in the high-tech industry. To prepare students for the academic job market, the Department offers a workshop early in each Fall Semester, reviewing of curriculum vitae and letters of application, mock interviews, and follow-up advising.

Course Work
Students are required to take the following courses or to have taken the equivalent courses at another institution: Middle High German (105, normally taken in the initial semester at Berkeley); Reading the German Literary Text (German 207); History of the German Language (German 270); German 350 (Language Pedagogy I); German 351 (Language Pedagogy II); one graduate course in each of five periods of German literature and culture (800-1500, 1500-1700, 1700-1800, 1800-1900, 1900-present). These graduate courses must include three or more courses from the 201 series and at least one research seminar (German 205 and higher) in periods prior to and after 1700. Furthermore, one additional crossover course, that is, one course from the Germanic Linguistics Specialization or from Applied Linguistics is required. All courses satisfying requirements must be taken for a letter grade.

With the exception of their first semester of teaching and the semester of their qualifying examination, students are expected to enroll in three courses per term at the upper-division (100-199) or graduate level (200-299). A student may take a seminar on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) basis if that student is enrolled in another research seminar for a grade. For seminars taken on an S/U basis, students are required to do all assignments for the course except writing the research paper. With the approval of the graduate adviser, students may take a total of eight units of independent preparation for the Qualifying Examination (German 602) in the semester of this examination, or four units each in the semester before and the semester of the Q.E. Following advancement to candidacy and while writing their dissertations, students may enroll for twelve units of German 299 (Individual Study) per semester. For the M.A., students should have completed at least 24 units by the end of the third semester; 12 of these units must be in graduate courses in the German Department. There is no unit total required for the Ph.D.

Language Requirement
There are two options to fulfill the language requirement. Students are strongly encouraged to acquire a useful reading knowledge in two languages other than English and German, preferably French or Latin (Option I). However, if students choose to learn only one language other than English and German, they are required to demonstrate exceptional proficiency in this language (Option II). The languages should have value for the students' research project and probable future career needs, and are selected in consultation with the adviser. The language requirement must be fulfilled prior to the Q.E.

Option I (two languages): Students choose two languages relating to their re-search for a reading examination in both, or by examination in one and by completing a course in the other as follows:

• If one of the two languages is Latin or Greek and the other language tested by examination, students may fulfill the requirement by completion of the two-course lower-division sequence with a grade of B or better during the regular semester or the intensive Summer Workshop.

• For any other approved language with a two-course lower-division sequence, completion of at least one upper-division course with a grade of B or better will satisfy one language of the language requirement.

• In languages with a four-course lower-division sequence, the student must complete the fourth course in the sequence and earn an average grade of B or better in the courses in the sequence.

Option II (one language): Students must demonstrate an exceptionally thorough reading knowledge in a language related to their advanced research and pass an examination administered by an appropriate faculty member. They are also required to pass (with a grade of B or better) an upper-division or graduate course, approved by the adviser, with a majority of the course materials in the target language.

M.A. Examination
The M.A. examination is designed to determine whether the student can write intelligently and clearly on a literary text new to him or her, using whatever approach and addressing whatever aspect of the text s/he finds appropriate. Toward the end of the third semester of study, but before the Thanksgiving break, the student will take the M.A. examination. By the sixth week of the fall semester the student will choose an examination committee consisting of three members, communicate to that committee an area of interest, and submit a list of works already read. The committee will choose a text from the area of interest, but which is not on the list of works already read. It will give the text to the student two weeks before the examination. The student will be expected to read the text carefully and is also encouraged to consult secondary literature on or relating to it. The student will write an essay on the text in a three-hour time period. Within a week after writing the examination, the committee will meet with the student to discuss the examination and the student's progress in the program. At a meeting of the German Department faculty at the end of the fall semester the faculty will decide whether the student will be invited to proceed to doctoral work in the program.

The qualifying examination takes place at least one month prior to the end of the eighth semester. It consists of a three-hour oral examination that explores issues arising from the papers, the prospectus and the reading list, as well as from the outside field (such as history, art history, philosophy, sociology, film studies, etc.). The examination in the outside field is usually based on course work with the outside examiner.

Prospectus Conference
By the end of the semester after the oral examination (and normally after the student is advanced to candidacy), the student will submit to the dissertation committee a prospectus and any other work completed on the dissertation. After examining these materials, the dissertation committee will meet with the student to discuss progress and to offer advice. If the student is not available for this conference (for example, because of a research year abroad), the dissertation adviser will communicate the committee's advice to the student. Annually thereafter, it is required that at least two members of the committee confer with the student, in addition to the regular meetings with the dissertation director.