Courses and programs in German are offered by the Department of Languages and Cultures.
- Enrollment in some language courses involves the following formal placement procedures.
All students seeking entry into language courses who have not previously taken a language course at Saint Mary’s University must complete and return the Language Profile Form to the Department of Languages and Cultures.
Based on the information provided in the Language Profile Form, students may receive notification from the Department to appear for an oral interview and/or a written placement test at a designated time.
The Department of Languages and Cultures determines the appropriate course placement for each student - Permission to register or remain in a particular language course can be refused if the Department judges that the student’s knowledge exceeds the level for that course.
- Native speakers are not eligible to receive advanced credit for language courses.
- Completion of Advanced Standing (transfer) courses does not exempt a student from taking the placement test.
- The student’s eligibility to enroll in language, culture, and literature courses, and in specific sections of those courses, is determined by the Chairperson in consultation with the instructor in light of the student’s ability level in the language concerned, previous course work completed at university or elsewhere, and overall size of the course or section of a course. In matters of placement, the decision of the Chairperson is final.
- In order to ensure the academic integrity in language courses, especially at the lower levels of instruction, the Department of Languages and Cultures does not allow native or near-native speakers of a particular target language to enroll in courses at the 2000 level or lower.
Students who misrepresent their knowledge of any given language by providing inaccurate or incomplete information about their linguistic educational history will be subject to disciplinary action as laid out in Academic Regulation 18. - The Department of Languages and Cultures supports a policy of regular class attendance by students. Frequent, unexplained absences from class will result in a lowering of the final grade in a manner to be determined by each faculty member.
- Students should note that courses in literature and/or culture fulfill the BA Humanities requirement 3(c) but do not fulfill the 3(b) requirement. The following courses satisfy the 3(c) requirement;
Course List | Code | Title | Credit Hours |
| GRMN 2205 | Myth, Magic & Modernity in Germany (formerly GRMN 3301) | 3 |
| GRMN 3302 | Gender & Sexuality in German Literatures | 3 |
| GRMN 3303 | Conflict & Reconciliation in German Culture | 3 |
| GRMN 3304 | Migration, Multiculturalism & Mobility in Contemporary Germany | 3 |
| GRMN 4401 | Post-1945 German Literature | 3 |
| GRMN 4402 | Contemporary Literature and Culture in German | 3 |
The Bachelor of Arts (BA) is a well-established, foundational degree and requires the requirements listed below alongside general graduation requirements.
Concentration in German Studies
To obtain a concentration in German Studies in partial fulfillment of the B.A. General Degree (i.e. one with a Double Arts Concentration and a minimum of ninety (90) credit hours), a minimum of twenty-four (24) credit hours in German Studies is required. At most six (6) credit hours can be at the 1000 level and a minimum of twelve (12) credit hours must be at the 3000 or 4000 level. Also, the minimum grade point average is 2.00.
Minor in German Studies
A minor in German Studies consists of twenty-four (24) credit hours, with at least twelve (12) of these being at the 3000 level or above. Normally, the first twelve (12) credit hour courses for the minor will be 1000 and 2000 level German language and culture courses, followed by twelve (12) credit hours with six (6) credit hours of language courses on the 3000 level and six (6) credit hours to be chosen from offerings in literature and cultural studies. Students entering the minor program with previous knowledge of German must consult the Coordinator for German Studies or the Chairperson of Languages and Cultures. A minimum grade point average of 2.00 is required for courses in the minor program.
Certificate in German Language and Culture (Cert. GLC)
The certificate program in German language and culture is designed to provide linguistic and cultural knowledge to persons interested in studying and/or working in a German-speaking country. The program consists of twenty-four (24) credit hours.
Admission
Admission to the program leading to the Certificate in German Language and Culture requires a formal application for admission and the official approval of the Coordinator for German Studies. Application forms are available from the Registrar. Eighteen (18) of the twenty-four (24) credit hours must be completed at Saint Mary’s.
Program Courses
The program consists of twelve (12) required credit hours in language:
German for Beginners I (GRMN 2203) and German for Beginners II (GRMN 2204) and/or Intermediate German I (GRMN 3211) or Intermediate German II (GRMN 3212) , and/or Adv Oral and Written German I (GRMN 3311) and a number of optional credit hours. These optional credit hours can be at any level but must include at least six (6) credit hours at the 3000 level or above, which can be chosen among the following courses:
Course List | Code | Title | Credit Hours |
| GRMN 3302 | Gender & Sexuality in German Literatures | 3 |
| GRMN 3303 | Conflict & Reconciliation in German Culture | 3 |
| GRMN 3304 | Migration, Multiculturalism & Mobility in Contemporary Germany | 3 |
| HIST 3405 | | 3 |
| HIST 4520 | Nazi Germany, Occupied Europe and the Holocaust | 6 |
Requirements
A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00 in this certificate program is required. Students who have completed all the courses without being officially admitted to the program will not be accredited.