Modality
On Campus
Program URL
https://german.georgetown.edu/
The Master of Arts program in German fosters students’ critical thinking, intellectual engagement (with a range of competing ideas, concepts, and approaches), and comprehensive knowledge either in the area of literary and cultural studies or in German second language teaching and learning (G/SLA). The Department defines “comprehensive knowledge” as the ability to make connections between texts and ideas across historical periods and theoretical approaches at a high conceptual level.
Academic Policies
Student performance is assessed in the annual graduate review letters from the Director of Graduate Studies, based on written input from all faculty and discussion of students’ performance at the first faculty meeting of the calendar year. Continuation in the graduate program is contingent upon academic progress and faculty recommendation.
Program Requirements
Master of Arts students usually take a total of 12 courses over a period of four semesters. First year students may take courses in the German department only. Students take a regular course load of nine credits: three graduate level courses, one of which is “Fundamentals of Teaching towards Advanced Literacy in a Foreign Language.” Thereafter students may take no more than one course per semester in another department with approval of advisor, with the exception of SLA students who may occasionally take more than one course in the Linguistics Department.
Required Examinations
At the end of their course work, all master’s students must take an oral colloquium in German to demonstrate their ability to draw meaningful connections between topics, texts, and historical periods. This course-based colloquium is administered by two professors of the student’s choice.
Prior to the colloquium, students submit a Statement of Intellectual Development (SID), a list of all courses taken during their time at Georgetown, and a list of materials studied in these courses. In the SID (3-4 pages), students reflect on how their interests have evolved during their time in the graduate program; these reflections will provide the point of departure for the colloquium.
