Master of Arts in German

Thesis | Non-Thesis Option  | Comprehensive Examination | Financial Aid  
Bamberg Exchange  | Course Synopses

The M.A. in German is your opportunity to participate in the intellectual and social life of a vibrant department while obtaining an advanced degree. The German Studies Program at the University of South Carolina invites you to pursue the in-depth study of literature and culture. Our department fosters the interdisciplinary growth of knowledge through its strengths in cultural studies, gender studies, literary history and theory, linguistics, and comparative literature. As a student in the M.A. program you can work with renowned scholars to experience first hand how new ideas are created through the research process. Best of all, you can join an intellectual community that is distinguished by its warmth and conviviality.

The M.A. degree is valued throughout the world. Once you have earned your M.A., you will be recognized as having the kind of analytical, interpretive, and writing skills that guarantee success in whatever career or walk of life you elect. An M.A. degree is also a solid base for further academic study leading to a university teaching career. Although the German Program does not offer a Ph. D. degree, it has a close working relationship with two units who do: the Comparative Literature Program and the Linguistics Program. Students with the MA in German are therefore well positioned to continue their studies and earn the doctorate in either Comparative Literature with an emphasis on German culture and literature, or in Linguistics with an emphasis on Germanic linguistics.

Students who wish to obtain the M.A. degree may elect either the thesis option or the non-thesis option. You may make this choice any time during the first year of study.

The Thesis Option

The thesis option offers you the opportunity to carry out a research project, in sustained collaboration with one of your professors, culminating with a thesis. This traditional route to the M.A. degree will be more appropriate for students who enter the program with some experience of academic research and a strong sense of the area in which they wish to concentrate.

Curriculum Requirements for the Thesis Option

The M.A. thesis option requires 30 semester hours of graduate work, with a distribution as follows: a minimum of 15 hours in graduate courses at the 700 level; a maximum of 9 hours in approved courses at the 500 level; and 6 hours of thesis research. You are required to take 700, Proseminar, and either 515, Introduction to German Linguistics, or 705, History of the German Language, or 710, Middle High German. Additional information about the thesis may be found in the department's Graduate Handbook
Students in the thesis option will also take a comprehensive examination covering their basic knowledge of the field of German Studies. The examination is based on a reading list compiled by the department. Normally you will take the comprehensive examination after the completion of your course work but before your thesis is submitted. Please consult exam information and reading lists for more information.


The Non-thesis Option

The non-thesis option offers a broader exposure to German Studies through greater participation in course work. You will also have the chance to synthesize and supplement your learning with a self-selected project. In most cases this project will be an expansion of the written work you have undertaken in a course. This expanded seminar paper will be designed and carried out in consultation with one of your professors.

Curriculum Requirements for the Non-thesis Option

The M.A. non-thesis option requires 33 semester hours of graduate work, with a distribution as follows: a minimum of 24 hours in graduate topics courses at the 700 level; a maximum of 9 hours may be in courses at the 500 level. You are required to take 700, Proseminar, and either 515, Introduction to German Linguistics, or 705, History of the German Language, or 710, Middle High German. Students in the non-thesis option will take the same comprehensive examination required for students in the thesis option, based on the same reading list. This examination will be taken toward the end of your degree program. Please consult exam information and reading lists for more information.

The Bamberg Exchange

The Bamberg Exchange offers students enrolled in the M.A. program an exciting opportunity to study at the Otto-Friedrich University in Bamberg, Germany. This chance to experience German life and language directly is a distinctive feature of our MA program, and it has proven to be uniquely rewarding for those who choose to participate. You will pay tuition at USC, but take part in German university life for two semesters, from Oct. 1 until July 31. Credit hours for courses successfully completed at Bamberg can be transferred to your MA degree program at USC. You may also be eligible for a graduate assistantship in Bamberg, with the opportunity to teach advanced English conversation of English for business purposes. Qualified students may work as research assistants for professors at the Otto-Friedrich University. Students selected for the Bamberg exchange may apply for financial support including a travel subsidy.

Admission Procedures to the M.A. Program

Financial Support for Graduate Study in the M.A. Program

The German Studies Program offers graduate teaching assistantships. Students who apply for admission to the degree program will be considered automatically for these awards which are given on the basis of merit, with additional consideration of the teaching needs of the Department. Normally students will be eligible for an assistantship in their first year of study. Renewal of the award is at the discretion of the graduate committee, but in general students in the M.A. program in good standing can expect support for two years.

Graduate teaching assistantships are available to students enrolled in a degree program, with stipends currently between $10,500 and $14,000 per year plus tuition abatement.

Teaching Assistantships give you a hands-on experience of the teaching profession as the instructor of a course offered by the German Program. All graduate assistants undergo both theoretical and practical training in the teaching of German. They work closely with the regular teaching faculty. Normally they teach in the beginning German language program. In addition, they fulfill a service obligation to the department which takes many forms including leading student extracurricular activities related to language learning.

Course Load and Length of Time to the Completion of the Degree

The MA in German Studies is designed to be completed in four semesters. This time frame may be shortened if you elect to do independent study courses or thesis credits during the summer. Most students start their degree program in the fall semester, but it is also possible to begin in the spring.

Normally students in the M.A. program will take 9 credit hours or 3 courses per semester, for a combined total of18 credit hours in the fall and spring semesters. The remaining courses, comprehensive exam, and thesis (thesis option) or expanded seminar paper (non-thesis option) will be completed in the second year of graduate study. In addition to this course load expectation, there is a distribution requirement that must met before you complete your degree: 15 credit hours in the thesis option, or 24 credit hours in the non-thesis option, shall be earned in graduate courses at the 700 level, excluding German 776 and 777 (teaching practicum).

Students who receive teaching assistantships or research assistantships are expected and encouraged to carry the maximum course load of 9 credit hours or three courses per semester. They must, however, carry a minimum of 6 credit hours or 2 courses per semester for a total of 12 credit hours in the fall and spring semesters. The distribution requirement will also be met in the case of a minimum course load: all 12 credit hours will be earned in 700-level courses. Under normal circumstances, financial support from the department will be limited to two years.

Students who do not receive teaching assistantships or research assistantships are expected to carry the normal course load. However, the Department will permit those who do not receive support to be flexible in the number of courses taken each semester. If you take a reduced course load you will have no more than 6 years to complete your degree.

Course synopses:

The following courses are currently offered in the German Studies Program (GERM):

500--Survey of German Culture. (3) (Prereq: advanced reading ability in German) Survey of the most significant aspects of German culture from Roman times to the late 20th century, including the visual arts, music, philosophy, and film, but with special emphasis on providing a coherent overview of literary periods and movements. Readings in the course will include a short history of Germany and a brief survey of literary history as well as select, usually non-literary, texts providing significant additional insight into German-speaking culture.

515--Introduction to German Linguistics. [=LING 503] (3) (Prereq: consent of instructor) Structural and descriptive linguistics applied to the German language.

575--Teaching German in Secondary Schools. [=EDSE 578] (3) Current methods, techniques, and materials of instruction appropriate for secondary schools.

580--Topics in German Film. (3) Examination of recurring themes and issues or of significant periods and influential styles in German Film. Course content varies and individual topics will be announced with course suffix and title.

598--Selected Topics in German. (3) (Prereq: consent of instructor) Reading and research on selected topics in German. Course content varies and will be announced in the schedule of courses by suffix and title.

700--Proseminar. (3) Introduction to literary methods in the field of German, combined with practical instruction in bibliography and in the preparation of elementary research projects.

705--History of the German Language. [=LING 733] (3) (Prereq: reading knowledge of High German) Relationship of German to the other Germanic languages. Phonological and morphological development of German. Attention also to syntax, vocabulary, and dialects.

710--Middle High German. (3) Study of Middle High German language and literature with special emphasis on the lyric and epic poetry of the late 12th and early 13th centuries.

720--The German Renaissance and Baroque. (3) Reading and interpretation of significant literary works of the 16th and 17th centuries.

730--The German Enlightenment and its Counter-Currents. (3) Reading and discussion of key literary and theoretical works from specific 18th-century movements, including Enlightenment, Storm and Stress, and Weimar Classicism.

740--German Romanticism. (3) Investigation of German Romanticism as a theoretical project articulated in philosophical texts, as well as literary, visual and musical arts. literary works and personalities.

750--German Realism. (3) German Realism, its major literary works and background.

760--German Literature from 1889 to 1945. (3) Currents of German literature since Naturalism, accompanied by critical reading of characteristic works by major writers of the period.

770--Recent and Contemporary German Literature. (3) The development of German literature since World War II, through critical reading and interpretation of major representative works.

775--Seminars on Selected Topics in Foreign Language Education. [=EDSE 785, =FREN 775, =LATN 775, =SPAN 775] (3) (Prereq: permission of instructor) Topics will be identified by suffix and title in the schedule of classes. Each topic may be taken only once.

776--The Teaching of German in College I. (2) Basic principles of teaching German combined with practical demonstrations. Does not count toward M.A. or M.A.T.

777--The Teaching of German in College II. (1) Basic principles of teaching German combined with practical demonstrations. This course will not count toward the M.A. or M.A.T. degree. Spring only.

780, 781 German Seminar. (3 each) Content varies.

790--Directed Reading and Research. (3)

799--Thesis Preparation (1-9)

For more information contact:

Professor Agnes Mueller
German Program
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208
Tel.: (803) 777-4881
Fax: (803) 777-0454
E-mail: agnes.Mueller@sc.edu