University of Sydney Handbooks - 2011 Archive

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Germanic Studies

The department of Germanic Studies is in the School of Languages and Cultures (SLC).

Program structure and content
The department offers units of study in both the German language and in the culture for which that language is the medium. Language teaching is regarded as a central part of the curriculum and the department endeavours to place all students who wish to study the German language in a language class that will improve to the maximum their competence in the skills of speaking, reading, writing and listening to German. The cultural studies available in the department extend across the field of German literature, culture and society, in the German-speaking countries.

All students, however much or however little prior experience they have of the language, have access to the full range of units of study in German, subject only to normal rules of progression. All students, whether they come to the department as beginners in the language, or with an HSC in German, or even as native-speakers, can take a major in German and from there proceed to an honours year and/or postgraduate study in the subject.

The University of Sydney holds exchange agreements with several universities in German-speaking countries, including those at Konstanz, Freiburg, Bamberg, Berlin, Cologne and Vienna. Various scholarships exist to assist students with the cost of airfares and accommodation while studying abroad. (Details of scholarships and assistance schemes can be obtained from the office of the School of Languages and Cultures.)

Units of study in German language
The department distinguishes three broad levels of study in its language units. In all cases, students will be directed by the department as to the appropriate language unit for them to enrol in (advice to commencing students as to the unit they should initially enrol in can be found in the section Junior units of study.)

The department€™s language courses are aligned with both the European and International reference framework. Students of each level will reach the equivalent of one of the internationally recognised German certificates, Start Deutsch 2 (on level A2), Zertifikat Deutsch (on level B1), the Zertifikate Deutsch Plus (on level B1+) or TestDaF (on level B2/C1).

Units of study in German literature and culture
At senior level these units normally require prior completion of 12 credit points of German at junior level, in order to ensure that students have a sufficient command of the language. Students lacking the formal prerequisite who nevertheless believe their knowledge of German is sufficient are invited to discuss the matter with the department, when the prerequisite may be waived. Some of these senior units of study may be counted for a major in European Studies or International Comparative Literature Studies and Film Studies, and in some cases in other interdisciplinary areas of study.

Junior units of study
In all the department's junior units of study, the language content and the cultural content are combined. Junior students will enrol initially in semester 1 in a 6 credit points unit of study at their appropriate level.

All students with very little or no experience of the language should enrol in Junior German 1 (GRMN1111). Students who completed the HSC German Beginners Course or German Continuers (with a mark below 70 per cent or equivalent) should initially enrol in Junior German 3 (GRMN1211). Students who completed the HSC German Extension course or the HSC German Continuers course (with a mark above 70 per cent or equivalent) should initially enrol in the unit of study Junior German 5 (GRMN1311). Students who have successfully completed GRMN1211, GRMN2611, GRMN2613, GRMN1322 or higher may sit for the additional examinations and thus obtain the internationally recognised certificate of German language proficiency (see units of study in German language above).

Requirements for a major
The major in German comprises both the German language and the culture for which that language is the medium. To obtain a major in German, students must complete senior units of study in German to the value of 36 senior credit points.

1. For students coming from Junior German 3 and 4 and from Junior German 5 and 6, the department advises that of the 36 senior credit points required for the major, 18 credit points must be gained in language units of study and 18 must be gained in non-language units of study.

2. For students coming from Junior German 1 and 2, the department advises that of the 36 credit points required for the major, 24 credit points must be gained in language units of study. Such students must also include €œReading Comprehension and Text study€ (GRMN2631) as part of their non-language units of study.

Cross-listing
Units of study from other departments may be cross-listed towards the Germanic Studies major. The list of 2010 units that are officially cross-listed to the major will be available from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences website.

Pathways
Pathway 1: For students with very little or no experience of the language

  • First year: GRMN1111 and GRMN1122 Junior German 1 and 2.
  • Second year: GRMN2611 and GRMN2612 Senior German 1 and 2 plus GRMN2631 Reading Comprehension and Text Study.
  • Third year: GRMN2613 and GRMN2614 Senior German 3 and 4 plus 6 senior credit points in other eligible units of study.

Pathway 2: for students who completed the HSC Beginners course or German Continuers (with a mark below 70 per cent or equivalent)

  • First year: GRMN1211 and GRMN1222 Junior German 3 and 4.
  • Second year: GRMN2613 and GRMN2614 Senior German 3 and 4 plus 6 senior credit points in other eligible units of study.
  • Third year: GRMN2615 Senior German 5 plus 12 senior credit points in other eligible units of study.

Pathway 3: for students who completed the HSC German Extension course or the HSC German Continuers course (with a mark above 70 per cent or equivalent)

  • First year: GRMN1311 and GRMN1322 Junior German 5 and 6.
  • Second year: GRMN2617 and GRMN2618 Senior German 7 and 8 plus 6 senior credit points in other eligible units of study.
  • Third year: 18 senior credit points in other eligible units of study.

Students progressing into senior levels of language study are advised to pre-enrol according to the above progressions; however some variation of enrolment may be required at commencement of the next semester of study should the department, at its discretion, deem it appropriate. In all cases the department reserves the right to determine the level of senior German language to be taken by a student.

Honours (see chapter 5 for more information)
All students may qualify for the honours year, regardless of the language level at which they commenced in the department. (For a formal statement of entry requirements for German IV honours the Table of Units of Study should be consulted). Students must complete a major in German with a credit average in 48 senior credit points of German including 12 credit points at 2680 level.

Contact/further information
Department website: sydney.edu.au/arts/german
Chair of Department: Dr Yixu Lu, email:


UG Co-ordinators: Junior units of study - Dr Andrea Bandhauer, email: ; Senior units of study - Dr Birte Giesler, email: ; Honours - Dr Yixu Lu, email: