Germanic Language and Literature - Harvard University

Germanic Language and Literature from Harvard University is a Campus Master Language degree that prepares you for a Liberal Arts career. Study for higher degrees in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures (this designation was instituted in 1897) is intended as preparation for a career in teaching and research. The emphasis is on literature and cultural studies rather than on the language itself. However, Germanic philology may be studied in conjunction with medieval literature . The resources of the department make it possible for students interested in German literature , but with a secondary interest in comparative literature , art, philosophy, history, or film, to include those disciplines in their dissertation and in their program of courses. A PhD program combining the medieval literatures and cultures of Germany, England, and Scandinavia is also available. The department does not ordinarily admit applicants who only wish to study for the Master of Arts(AM) degree . The AM is normally taken as a step toward the PhD. The requirements for the AM are described below. Prerequisites for Admission — Undergraduate or graduate work in German approximately equal to the requirement for an AB degree at Harvard; deficiencies must be made up. Academic Residence — Three terms of full-time study. Program of Study — The satisfactory completion of an approved program of eight half-courses or the equivalent. Four of these courses must be in the group designated in Courses of Instruction as "Primarily for Graduates." Two of the half-courses must consist of the Proseminar and a seminar. One half-course must be wholly or partly linguistic in character. All new graduate students normally take both German 200 (Middle High German ) and German 226r, the Proseminar (an introduction to literary research and theory). Satisfactory Progress — Students must have a grade record showing more A's than B's, and no grade lower than B-. Examinations — A four-hour written examination (administered at the end of the student's third term) in which the student demonstrates an ability to interpret literary texts and to place them into their historical contexts, and a one-hour oral examination, which includes a brief presentation in German . The AM examinations are based on a departmental reading list. No master's thesis is required. View more details on Harvard University . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Language courses.