Current Students: M.A. Candidate Guidelines
Download the guidelines with full Appendices here.
The Department of German Studies is committed to maintaining a high-quality graduate program, which is a continuation of a successful undergraduate education. A fundamental purpose of the M.A. in German Studies is to encourage each graduate student to demonstrate outstanding standards of scholarship, to produce independent research and to develop personal interests within the interdisciplinary field of German Studies. The M.A. in German Studies seeks to prepare students to analyze critically and synthesize various aspects of German Studies such as literary studies, cultural studies, theoretical and applied linguistics, and studies in second language acquisition and teaching, in addition to their diverse theoretical approaches. The Department of German Studies strives to provide the opportunity to develop research skills, to increase knowledge and broaden understanding. The Department sees these as tools for a life-long learning process. The M.A. candidate’s academic goals and achievements, therefore, should reflect a personal commitment to German Studies and to scholarly standards that are well beyond the undergraduate level.
1. Requirements (Units/Courses)
•Master's Candidates must complete a minimum of 33 units of graduate work in German Studies.
•Candidates must complete at least 30 units in courses offered by the Department of German Studies. The departmental graduate advisor will be responsible for approving students' programs of study before they register for courses, using the required PLAN OF STUDY approved by the Graduate Council (see Appendix E). This course work must be completed as follows:
There are two options available to the M.A. candidate:
I - Literature/Culture Option
3 units
German 508: Approaches to German Studies
30 units
Graduate-level courses in the Department of German Studies
(For GATs, this must include German 579: Issues in Foreign Language Pedagogy (3 units) --
3 of these units may be taken as German Studies-related courses outside of department or as M. A.
thesis units)
______
33 units
(A list of courses that can be taken to fulfill these requirements is provided below the second option.)
II - Literature/Culture/Pedagogy Option
12 units:
German 508: Approaches to German Studies
German 579: Issues/Methods in Post-Secondary Foreign Language
Teaching/Learning; German
and two of the following:
German 580: Applied Linguistics for Foreign Language Teaching
German 587: Testing and Evaluation in Foreign/Second Language Programs
German 615: Second Language Acquisition Theory
21 units
Graduate-level courses in the Department of German Studies
(3 of these units may be taken as Second Language Acquisition & Teaching related courses taught by German Studies faculty or as M. A. thesis units)
______
33 units
III - Literature/Culture/Pedagogy Option with Secondary Teaching Certification
Same courses as under II, plus:
3 units:
LRC 516: Structured English Immersion and Sheltered English
2 units
SERP 301B: Education for Secondary Students with Diverse Abilities
12 units
TTE 593: Internship (Student Teaching)
Constitution (Online test can be taken within 3 years)
Students interested in teacher certification should inform the graduate advisor and contact the Director of Admissions, Advising, and Student Services in the College of Education (Tel: 621-7865) upon entering the M.A. program.
______
50 units
The graduate courses offered by the Department of German Studies are central to the program, and their successful completion is an essential step in preparing for the M. A. examination. To fulfill the requisite units in German Studies, students may select courses from the following list:
GERMAN STUDIES (GER)
*508- Approaches to German Studies (3)
*501- Appropriating and Reshaping the Past (3)
*502- Genre as a Category for Organizing Experience (3)
*503- Erziehung und Bildung in German Culture (3)
*504- 1770-1830: German Literary, Artistic, and Intellectual Currents (3)
*506- Representing the "Other" (3)
*507- Criticism and Creativity in German Culture (3)
*509- Traditions and Modernism (3)
*510- Repression, Revolution, Revision (3)
511- Communication and Miscommunication in Middle High and later German Literature (3)
*512- Minority Discourses (3)
*513- Visual Culture (3)
*515- Linguistics for German-Language Professionals (3)
520- History of the German Language (3)
555- Music and German Literature (3)
575- Advanced Oral Expression and Written Composition (3)
579- Issues in Foreign Language Teaching (3)
*580- Applied Linguistics for Foreign Language Teaching (3)
585- Linguistics and Computer-Assisted Approaches to Literature (3)
587- Testing and Evaluation in Foreign/Second Language Programs (3)
588- German Literary-Political Cabaret (3)
*589- Milestones in German Literature and Culture (3)
*Courses asterixed may be repeated if taught with different contents.
594- Practicum
a) Literature (1-6), b) L2 Acquisition and Teaching (1-6), c) Culture (1-6),
d) Linguistics (1-6), e) Translation (1-6)
596- Seminar
a) Literature (1-6), b) L2 Acquisition and Teaching (1-6), c) Culture (1-6),
d) Linguistics (1-6), e) Translation (1-6)
597- Workshop
a) Literature (1-6), b) Pedagogy (1-6), c) Culture (1-6), d) Linguistics (1-6),
e) Translation (1-6)
696- Seminar
a) Literature (3-6), b) Linguistics (3-6), c) Culture (3-6),
d) L2 Acquisition and Teaching (3-6), e) Translation (3-6)
The following cross-listed courses (and any other courses that may be cross-listed with German Studies) as well as
Independent Study courses may be taken only with the approval of the Graduate Advisor:
505- History of the English Language (3)
525a-525b- Old English (3)
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2. Graduate Assistants in Teaching (GATs)
• Candidates seeking a degree in the Department will be considered for Graduate Assistantships in Teaching before other applicants.
•The Department normally supports M.A. degree candidates
through graduate assistantships for no more than four semesters. Appointments are made for no more than one year at a time. Reapplication by letter is required for the second year.
• All GATs may apply in writing for available summer teaching positions. Selections are made on the basis of departmental need and previous academic and teaching performance.
• GATs within the German Studies M. A. program must take a minimum of 15 units per year within the department.
• Independent study courses do not count toward the minimum 15 units that GATs must take during each year of their appointment.
• The three hours given for an M.A. thesis may not count toward the total of 15 units of departmental courses that must be taken each year by GATs.
3. Thesis Option
In addition to the M.A. examination, candidates may opt to write a thesis. The thesis is a viable option for graduate work and should be considered especially by those candidates who intend to continue graduate work beyond the Master’s level. It equips the candidate applying to a doctoral program with solid experience for conducting independent research. M.A. candidates may receive three hours of credit for the thesis in their final semester. A thesis advisor should be chosen at the end of the second semester of graduate study with whom a plan of research should be discussed. At the beginning of the third semester a two-page thesis proposal and a bibliography should be submitted to the graduate committee for approval. Dates for submitting the first and final drafts should be discussed with both the Thesis Advisor and the Graduate Advisor. Generally, theses must be completed by the beginning of April for graduation in May. (As mentioned under 2. above, the three thesis hours may not count toward the total of 15 units of departmental courses that must be taken each year by GATs.)
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4. Independent Studies
While independent studies are an option, they will be very rarely approved for the M.A. program. Independent study courses do not count toward the minimum 15 units that GATs must take during each year of their appointment. Independent studies may be considered only when a student is interested in pursuing a particular topic that cannot be accommodated within a regularly offered course and may be taken only with the approval of the Graduate Advisor.
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5. Orientation Meeting
Early in the fall semester, the graduate advisor will organize an orientation meeting for new graduate students. Topics will include:
• introduction of faculty and students;
• discussion of graduate program expectations;
• guidelines for graduate study, with an emphasis on the program of study over four semesters and applicable deadlines.
• assignments of faculty and peer mentors
6. Faculty and Peer Mentors
At the beginning of their first semester, graduate students will be assigned a faculty mentor. This faculty member will be available to the student for informal advising and consultation. In addition, each first-year student may request a second-year student as a peer mentor. (Please refer to university website on mentoring).
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7. Language Proficiency
A. Non-native speakers of German will be required to demonstrate satisfactory German language proficiency in the following manner. Before appearing for the M.A. Examination, students are required either to pass Goethe-Zertifikat B2 administered by departmental “Prüfungsberechtigte” accredited by the Goethe-Institut, during the first Spring Semester of their studies, or to provide alternative evidence of language proficiency, the validity of which shall be determined by the Graduate Committee of the Department of German Studies. In addition, about fifteen minutes of the M.A. Oral Examination will be conducted in German (see Appendix A of the “Guidelines.”
B. Native speakers of German and other non-native speakers of English will be required to demonstrate satisfactory English language proficiency in the following manner. 1. During their first year of studies, students will write one seminar paper in English. 2. When there is concern about the student’s English proficiency, she/he will be asked to take English 407, “Advanced Composition for International Students.” This course will have to be taken by the student as an overload. 3. In addition, about fifteen minutes of the M.A. Oral Examination will be conducted in English (See Appendix A of the “Guidelines.”)
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8. M.A. Examinations
Upon completion of course work (or during the semester in which courses will be completed), M.A. candidates must pass both a written comprehensive and an oral examination.
9. M.A. Examination Committees
By the end of the semester before the one in which the examination will be taken, the student must have selected a committee chair and two other faculty members, as well as prepared a complete reading list. By the fifth week of the examination semester, the final version of the reading list must be approved by all committee members. The committee members will sign the final reading list.
It is the responsibility of the student to consult with her/his committee members on a regular basis in preparation for the examination. Candidates must meet with the Graduate Advisor by November 1 (March 1 for students taking their exam in the fall) to discuss the format of the examination and the reading list. It is the responsibility of the committee chair to give a copy of each student's approved reading list to the Graduate Advisor, who will set a date for the written examination and — upon successful completion of the written examination — for the oral examination as well. The written examination will take place at the end of March (at the end of the first week in November for those taking the exam in the fall).
The date for the written examination must be set by
• October 15 for the Fall Semester and by
• March 1 for the Spring Semester
It is the responsibility of the committee chair to solicit questions from each member of the committee.
Upon successful completion of the written exam, a date will be set for the student’s oral exam, which should take place around the middle of April (prior to Thanksgiving for students taking the exam in the fall).
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10. Code of Academic Integrity
Integrity is expected of every student in all academic work and contexts. The guiding principle of academic integrity is that a student’s submitted work must be the student’s own. Please familiarize yourself with The University of Arizona’s Code, which may be found at the following URL:
http://w3.arizona.edu/~studpubs/policies/cacaint.htm
Please feel free to consult the Graduate Advisor, the student representative to the Graduate Committee and/or your Faculty Mentor at any time. We hope that you enjoy your studies in the department and wish you much success.
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