German

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German Program

Undergraduate Catalog Listing of the Bachelor of Arts in German:
http://www.catalog.msstate.edu/undergraduate/collegesanddegreeprograms/collegeofartsampsciences/departmentofclassicalandmodernlanguagesandliterature/#programsofstudytext

Graduate Catalog Listing of the Master of Arts in German:
http://www.catalog.msstate.edu/graduate/colleges-degree-programs/arts-sciences/classical-modern-languages-literatures/#programsofstudytext

Minor in German: https://www.cmll.msstate.edu/academics/minor/

Degree Requirements

123 total degree hours consisting of 36-38 FLG credit hours, in addition to College of Arts & Sciences and University requirements.

Advising Sheet

Study Abroad in Berlin

Each summer we offer a faculty-led study abroad program in Berlin for which students receive Mississippi State University credit. We offer a four-week program, a six-week program, and a 10-week program which includes an internship in the student’s field of study. For more information click on this link: https://www.cmll.msstate.edu/study-abroad/.

Clubs and Organizations

German Club

  • We have an active German Club. To see what the latest Stammtisch, Film Abend, Oktoberfest, or International Festival activities are afoot, please join us on Instagram: missstategermanclub!

German Table

Delta Phi Alpha [German Honor Society]

  • Our high-achieving students are recognized with the induction into our chapter of Delta Phi Alpha German and are eligible to apply for the German Honor Society scholarships and awards. For more information about Mississippi State's chapter, including notices about scholarships, please click the link above. Further information on the national organization is available at https://deltaphialpha.org/.

Opportunities for Graduate Students in German

  • We offer funding for teaching assistants and a rigorous training program in teaching German as a second language. We mentor our teaching assistants and give practical experience in the classroom.
  • We offer our graduate students a paid position and funded travel as assistants for our summer study abroad program in Berlin.
  • Our MA is excellent training for Ph.D. programs in German studies as well as for many jobs in teaching, business, and government.

Teaching Philosophy

We emphasize the student production of language in all of our courses, especially starting in German I and in courses focusing on language acquisition. We use several methods, but principally use a communicative method to create a German-language community at the appropriate level. Essential to this is a supportive class atmosphere in which all students feel comfortable and are inspired to participate. It is a social space where students can practice speaking using their vocabulary and structures without having to focus overly analytically on production. Much thought, then, is given to building the framework and materials so that students can produce the structures accurately without having to concentrate on too many moving parts at once, while at the same time, having meaningful conversation and expressing themselves. Students are expected to study and prepare for each class so that they can understand and participate. Focusing on successful student outcomes, we work to broaden the perspectives and opportunities for our students.

Success with the Language

We judge our teaching by our learning outcomes and the success of our students. Students who prepare for each class advance quickly in the language and test at levels internationally where they should be. Our advanced students reach the B2 level needed to study at university in Germany. Many of our under-graduate students reach the C1 level, which is considered fluent in the language.

Why Study German?

We believe that the study of any language and culture affords students the opportunity to reflect on their own language and culture in a way in which they would otherwise not have access. Thus, we think it is essential to the education of students of Mississippi, and to supporting the mission of this land grant institution, to supply students with the critical and linguistic tools needed to develop their own vision extending beyond the borders of that of an English-only and more circumscribed life, even if, or especially if, they never physically leave the state. The study of German broadens horizons for life in our global community.

  • German is the most widely spoken language in Europe.
  • Germany is the largest economy in Europe and one of the largest exporters in the world.
  • Many U.S. companies have business connections in Germany and many German companies have offices in the U.S. These companies hire employees who know German language and culture and pay them well.
  • Many U.S. federal agencies hire people who can speak and learn languages.
  • Employees who have a second language are hired more quickly, are paid better, and advance further in their fields than do monolingual employees.
  • Our program offers international experience and internships in Germany which aid our students in finding jobs in this global economy.
  • Germany is the birthplace of the modern research university. Students interested medicine, natural science, engineering, social science, art, art history, music, theology, history, classics, literature, philosophy or intellectual history would find their studies and opportunities widened with the study of German.
  • German is the language of science and for pre-med students, studying German language and literature aids in the development of critical analytical skills and helps them to get into medical school.
  • Germany is the world's leader in higher education and offers funding to international students. German universities do not charge tuition fees.
  • Germany has a long, influential cultural history in music, the arts and literature, and in western thought. It is the land of thinkers and poets!
  • Language students score higher on graduate entrance exams in any field. The study of language enables a person to code switch and to think analytically.

Language and Cultural Resources

Courses

Courses for Undergraduates

FLG 1113: German I. Two hours lecture. Two hours recitation. An introduction to conversational German.

FLG 1123: German II. (Prerequisite: FLG 1113 or equivalent). Two hours lecture. Two hours recitation. Conversational German. Reading of graded texts.

FLG 2133: German III. (Prerequisite: FLG 1123). Three hours lecture. Rapid review of German grammar; oral-aural practice; reading of intermediate texts.

FLG 2143: German IV. (Prerequisite: FLG 2133). Three hours lecture. Oral-aural practice; reading of intermediate texts.

FLG 3114: Advanced German Comp. (Prerequisite: FLG 2143 or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. Two-hour laboratory. Advanced instruction concentrating on German composition.

FLG 3124: Advanced German Conversation. (Prerequisite: FLG 2143 or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. Two hours laboratory. Advanced instruction concentrating on German conversation.

FLG 3143: German Civilization. (Prerequisite: FLG 2143 or equivalent.) Three hours lecture. A survey of German cultural heritage.

FLG 3153: Modern German Culture. (Prerequisite: FLG 2143 or equivalent). Three hours lecture. A survey of German culture and life today.

FLG 3313: Business German I. (Prerequisites: FLG 2143). Three hours lecture. The German language as used in business; emphasis on acquisition and application of German commercial terminology on import/export correspondence.

FLG 3323: Business German II. (Prerequisite: FLG 2143). Three hours lecture. The German language as used in the German stock market, trade, and exchange controls, acquisition and application of written and oral German business terminology.

FLG 4123: German Fairy Tales. (Prerequisite: FLG 2143 or equivalent). Three hours lecture. A study of classic Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

FLG 4143: Verwandlungen. (Prerequisite FLG 2143 or permission of the instructor). Three hours lecture. A study of the theme of metamorphosis in various literary genres of the German speaking countries.

FLG 4203: German Lyric Poetry. (Prerequisite: FLG 2143 or equivalent). Three hours lecture. Reading lyric poetry by authors writing in German. The course may cover various periods, authors, or themes.

FLG 4303: German Film. (Prerequisite: FLG 2143 or equivalent). Three hours lecture. Study of films from the German-speaking countries from the early twentieth century to today.

FLG 4353: German Novella. (Prerequisite: FLG 2143 or equivalent). Three hours lecture. Study of novellas written in German.

FLG 4463: 20th Century German Drama. (Prerequisite: FLG 3513). Three hours lecture. Reading of works of outstanding writers and discussion of literary currents of the century.

FLG 4493: Mysteries in German Literature & Film (Prerequisite: FLG 2143 or equivalent). Three hours lecture. A study of the genre of mysteries in German-language literature and film.

FLG 4503: German Literature to 1750 (Prerequisite: FLG 2143 or equivalent). Three hours lecture. German literature from its origins to Storm and Stress.

FLG 4523: German Literature 1750 to Present. (Prerequisite: FLG 2143 or equivalent). Three hours lecture. A survey of German literature from the Enlightenment to the present.

FLG 4533: Art, Politics, & Propaganda. (Prerequisite: FLG 2143 or equivalent or consent of instructor). Three hours lecture. A study of the inter-connections of German aesthetics, artistic movements, and political theory from the age of Enlightenment through the 20th Century.

Courses for Graduates

FLG 6123: German Fairy Tales. (Prerequisite: Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. A study of classic Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

FLG 6143: Verwandlungen (Prerequisite: Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. A study of the theme of metamorphosis in various literary genres of the German speaking countries.

FLG 6203: German Lyric Poetry. (Prerequisite: Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. Reading lyric poetry by authors writing in German. The course may cover various periods, authors, or themes.

FLG 6303: German Film. (Prerequisite: Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. Study of films from the German-speaking countries from the early twentieth century to today.

FLG 6353: German Novella. (Prerequisite: Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. Study of novellas written in German.

FLG 6463: 20th Century German Drama. (Prerequisite: FLG 3513). Three hours lecture. Reading of works of outstanding writers and discussion of literary currents of the century.

FLG 6493: Mysteries in German Literature & Film (Prerequisite: Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. A study of the genre of mysteries in German-language literature and film.

FLG 6503: German Lit to 1750 (Prerequisite: Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. German literature from its origins to Storm and Stress.

FLG 6523: German Lit 1750 to Pres (Prerequisite: Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. A survey of German literature from the Enlightenment to the present.

FLG 6533: Art, Politics, & Propaganda (Prerequisite: Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. A study of the inter-connections of German aesthetics, artistic movements, and political theory from the age of Enlightenment through the 20th Century.

FLG 6593: Contemporary German Literature (Prerequisite: Graduate standing). Three hours lecture. A study of contemporary German literature. Taught in German.

FLG 8443: 18th Century German Drama (Prerequisite: Graduate standing). Three hours lecture. A study of dramas from the Enlightenment, Sensibility, and Storm-and-Stress periods.

FLG 8483: 20th Cen Ger Short Story (Prerequisite Graduate standing). Three hours lecture. A study of twentieth-century short prose fiction in German.

FLG 8493: 19th Century German Drama (Prerequisite: Graduate standing). Three hours lecture. A study of significant German-language dramas from the nineteenth century.

FLG 8543: Race Theory Classical German Thought (Prerequisite: Graduate Standing). Three hours lecture. A cross-disciplinary study of "Scientific" Race Theory, which was born during the German Enlightenment, focused on works by Immanuel Kant and

Faculty

Cody Fondren
Cody Fondren

Cody Fondren

Instructor I & German Coordinator

Dr. Sally Hatch Gray
Dr. Sally Hatch Gray

Dr. Sally Hatch Gray

Associate Professor & German Section Head

Seth Jacobs
Seth Jacobs

Seth Jacobs

Lecturer

Not Pictured
Dr. Edward Potter

Dr. Edward Potter

Associate Professor

Graduate Students

Photo of Victor Akpan Amos, facing forward wearing a maroon CMLL-branded sweatshirt in front of a black background
Victor Apkan Amos

Victor Apkan Amos

Graduate Student

Not Pictured
Caroline Nwafor

Caroline Nwafor

Graduate Student

Dadajon
Dadajon Urishev

Dadajon Urishev

Graduate Student