The Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies offers the following academic plans in German:
Three-Year General German
Continuation in this academic plan requires a cumulative overall average of 60% and a cumulative German average of 65%.
Eligibility for graduation in the Three-Year General German academic plan includes successful fulfilment of the following requirements:
- Appropriate BA Program-level requirements. See "BA Degree Requirements."
- German Plan-level requirements:
- at least six academic course units (12 courses) in German with a minimum cumulative average of 65%, including:
- GER 201, 202, 203, 204, 303, 304
If any required courses are waived for students with advanced language skills, they must be replaced by GER electives.
Four-Year General German
Continuation in this academic plan requires a cumulative overall average of 60% and a cumulative German average of 65%.
Eligibility for graduation in the Four-Year General German academic plan includes successful fulfilment of the following requirements:
- Appropriate BA Program-level requirements. See "BA Degree Requirements."
- German Plan-level requirements:
- at least ten academic course units (20 courses) in German with a minimum cumulative average of 65%, including:
- GER 201, 202, 203, 204, 303, 304
If any required courses are waived for students with advanced language skills, they must be replaced by GER electives.
Honours German
Continuation in this academic plan requires a cumulative overall average of 60% and a cumulative German average of 75%.
Eligibility for graduation in the Honours German academic plan includes successful fulfilment of the following requirements:
- Appropriate BA Program-level requirements. See "BA Degree Requirements."
- German Plan-level requirements:
- at least ten academic course units (20 courses) in German with a minimum cumulative average of 75%, including:
- GER 201, 202, 203, 204, 271, 272, 303, 304, 431
- one of GER 305, 306, 331, 332, 333
If any required courses are waived for students with advanced language skills, they must be replaced by GER electives.
- Students have the option of selecting a specialization:
- German Communications Specialization - a course of study emphasizing German language and its applied uses. Required courses:
- three of GER 305, 306, 331, 350, 405, 406
- German Cultural Studies Specialization - a course of study emphasizing solid knowledge of German language and cultural forms (e.g., literature and film). Required courses:
- three of GER 332, 333, 359, 381, 382
Honours German (Arts and Business Co-op and Regular)
Continuation in this academic plan requires a cumulative overall average of 60% and a cumulative German average of 75%.
Eligibility for graduation in Honours German with Arts and Business includes successful fulfilment of the following requirements:
- Appropriate BA Program-level requirements. See "BA Degree Requirements."
- German Plan-level requirements:
- at least eight academic course units (16 courses) in German with a minimum cumulative average of 75%, including:
- GER 201, 202, 203, 204, 271, 272, 303, 304, 431
- one of GER 305, 306, 331, 332, 333
If any required courses are waived for students with advanced language skills, they must be replaced by GER electives.
- Students have the option of selecting a specialization:
- German Communications Specialization - a course of study emphasizing German language and its applied uses. Required courses:
- three of GER 305, 306, 331, 350, 405, 406
- German Cultural Studies Specialization - a course of study emphasizing solid knowledge of German language and cultural forms (e.g., literature and film). Required courses:
- three of GER 332, 333, 359, 381, 382
- Successful completion of Arts and Business requirements.
Joint Honours German
A Joint Honours academic plan with German may be taken in combination with most Arts disciplines in which an Honours academic plan is offered or with many Honours majors in other Faculties. See the department for the most recent list of approved combinations.
Continuation in this academic plan requires a cumulative overall average of 60% and a cumulative German average of 75%.
Eligibility for graduation in the German Joint Honours academic plan includes successful fulfilment of the following requirements:
- Appropriate Program-level requirements for the Home Faculty, including at least 20 academic course units. If the Home Faculty is Arts, see "BA Degree Requirements."
- German Plan-level requirements:
- at least at least eight academic course units (16 courses) in German with a minimum cumulative average of 75%, including:
- GER 201, 202, 203, 204, 271, 272, 303, 304, 431
- one of GER 305, 306, 331, 332, 333
If any required courses are waived for students with advanced language skills, they must be replaced by GER electives.
- Students have the option of selecting a specialization:
- German Communications Specialization- a course of study emphasizing German language and its applied uses. Required courses:
- three of GER 305, 306, 331, 350, 405, 406
- German Cultural Studies Specialization - a course of study emphasizing solid knowledge of German language and cultural forms (e.g., literature and film). Required courses:
- three of GER 332, 333, 359, 381, 382
- Plan-level requirements for the second Major.
German Minor
Students of all departments may elect German as a Minor field of studies in consultation with the Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies. The German Minor requires successful completion of a minimum of five academic course units (ten courses) in German with a minimum cumulative average of 65%, including:
- GER 201, 202, 203, 204, 303, 304
If any required courses are waived for students with advanced language skills, they must be replaced by GER electives.
Faculty of Arts Courses with a Focus on German Studies
A number of departments offer courses related to German culture. The department encourages all students majoring or minoring in German to consider these courses as part of their course of study. These courses cannot be used to replace required or elective GER courses. The following is a sample of these courses:
ECON 365 Economic Development of Modern Europe
HIST 223 The Holocaust in History
HIST 263 Europe in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
HIST 340 A Social History of Europe: 1789-1914
HIST 341 Occupied Europe, 1938-1945
HIST 358 The History of Modern Germany: From the Weimar Republic to Reconstruction
PHIL 265 The Existentialist Experience
PHIL 386 19th Century Philosophy
PHIL 387 20th Century Philosophy
PSCI 255 The Politics of Advanced Industrial Nations 1
PSCI 321 Marxist Theory
Waterloo in Germany
The Department offers yearly studies at the University of Mannheim in Baden-Württemberg and the University of Bamberg in Bavaria. This opportunity is normally open to students entering their second or third-year of university study. Students of all disciplines may apply, provided they have an adequate knowledge of German. Students should normally complete five courses per term during their stay in Mannheim or Bamberg. Documented proof of completion is required for each unit granted. The application deadlines are as follows:
- Mannheim Spring Semester (February - June): Deadline October 15
- Bamberg Summer Semester (April - July): Deadline December 1
- Mannheim Full Year (September - June): Deadline April 15
- Mannheim Winter Semester (September - December): Deadline April 15
- Bamberg Full Year (October - July): Deadline May 15
(Please note that the university terms at some German universities begin at times different from UW’s three term system; contact the department for full details on how to combine UW and German terms to best suit your course of study.)
Students who participate in the department's exchange programs can earn up to 2.5 units (five courses) per semester. All German courses completed on exchange fulfil elective requirements for any German academic plan.
The annual exchange agreement between the province of Ontario and Baden-Württemberg in Germany also offers an excellent opportunity to study in Germany with financial support. Students who enrol in the Ontario-Baden-Württemberg Exchange Program may earn up to three units (six courses) per semester. Contact the Department for details.
Notes for All German Plans
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A number of German language courses can be taken concurrently. Students majoring in German or preparing for work or study terms in German-speaking Europe are encouraged to take some courses in tandem: 201 and 203 together; 202 and 204 together; 303 and 304, with any of 305, 306, 331, 332, and 333.
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The topics courses GER 359, 431, and 495 can be taken more than once for credit. The only requirement is that each offering taken for credit be on a different topic.
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Students wishing to gain extra certification of their language skills are encouraged to take two German competency tests: the Zertifikat Deutsch (ZD) after GER 204 and the Zertifikat Deutsch für den Beruf (ZDfB) after GER 306. Contact the Undergraduate Officer for more details.
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Students may be able to substitute courses taken at other institutions (e.g., Wilfrid Laurier University) for the elective courses offered at the University of Waterloo. Contact the Undergraduate Officer for details.