2023-2024 Course Catalog

Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.

View Undergraduate Course Catalog

German (GER)

GER 1105 - Elementary German (3 credits) 

Fundamentals of the German language with emphasis on grammar, reading, composition, and conversation. 1105: for students with no prior knowledge of the language; 1106: for students who have completed 1105 or less than three years in high school.

Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
GER 1106 - Elementary German (3 credits) 

Fundamentals of the German language with emphasis on grammar, reading, composition, and conversation. 1105: for students with no prior knowledge of the language; 1106: for students who have completed 1105 or less than three years in high school.

Prerequisite(s): GER 1105 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
GER 1114 - Accelerated Elementary German (6 credits) 

Proficiency-oriented approach to elementary German, designed for learners who wish to progress rapidly through the beginning stages of language learning. It develops the four language skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing) in a cultural context. Partially duplicates GER 1105 and 1106.

Instructional Contact Hours: (6 Lec, 6 Crd) 
GER 2105 - Intermediate German (3 credits) 

Review of grammar with increasing emphasis on reading, writing, and oral communication.

Prerequisite(s): GER 1106 or GER 1114 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
GER 2106 - Intermediate German (3 credits) 

Review of grammar with increasing emphasis on reading, writing, and oral communication. I,II

Prerequisite(s): GER 2105 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
GER 2114 - Accelerated Intermediate German (6 credits) 

Proficiency-oriented approach to intermediate German, designed for learners who wish to progress rapidly through the intermediate stages of language learning. The course strengthens the four language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) in a cultural context. Accelerated version of GER 2105-2106.

Prerequisite(s): GER 1106 
Instructional Contact Hours: (6 Lec, 6 Crd) 
GER 2724 - Introduction to German Culture and Civilization (3 credits) 

Examination of major German-language cultural movements, works, and figures from the earliest times to the present. Interdisciplinary exploration of German-language literature, film, art, architecture, music, and theatre in the context of the history of the German-speaking world. Analysis of Germanic culture, values and beliefs, and politics in their European and international context. Taught in English.

Pathway Concept Area(s): 2 Critical Thinking Humanities, 3 Reasoning in Social Sciences, 11 Intercultural&Global Aware. 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
GER 2964 - Field Study (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
GER 2974 - Independent Study (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
GER 2974H - Independent Study (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
GER 2984 - Special Study (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
GER 3105 - Grammar, Composition and Conversation (3 credits) 

Progressive and comprehensive review of German syntax and morphology. Development of written and oral expression. Development of reading and listening skills and introduction to contemporary public debates through the study of original German materials. Understanding of the role of social, historical, political, and cultural contexts and of fact- based reasoning in communication. Introduction to cultural research in German. Taught in German. GER 3105: review of basic and complex grammatical structures; GER 3106: review of advanced grammatical structures, writing intensive.

Prerequisite(s): GER 2106 or GER 2114 
Pathway Concept Area(s): 1F Discourse Foundational, 11 Intercultural&Global Aware. 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
GER 3106 - Grammar, Composition and Conversation (3 credits) 

Progressive and comprehensive review of German syntax and morphology. Development of written and oral expression. Development of reading and listening skills and introduction to contemporary public debates through the study of original German materials. Understanding of the role of social, historical, political, and cultural contexts and of fact- based reasoning in communication. Introduction to cultural research in German. Taught in German. GER 3105: review of basic and complex grammatical structures; GER 3106: review of advanced grammatical structures, writing intensive.

Prerequisite(s): GER 3105 
Pathway Concept Area(s): 1F Discourse Foundational, 11 Intercultural&Global Aware. 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
GER 3125 - German Oral Proficiency (3 credits) 

For acquisition of measured levels of proficiency in speaking and understanding spoken German. Content-based instruction in small groups. 3125: to achieve an oral proficiency rating comparable to Intermediate-high on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Oral Proficiency Interview (ACTFL-OPI) or S-1+ on the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) scale. 3126: to achieve an oral proficiency rating comparable to Advanced on the (ACTFL-OPI) or a 2 on the FSI scale. Admission by oral exam. Taught alternate years.

Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
GER 3126 - German Oral Proficiency (3 credits) 

For acquisition of measured levels of proficiency in speaking and understanding spoken German. Content-based instruction in small groups. 3125: to achieve an oral proficiency rating comparable to Intermediate-high on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Oral Proficiency Interview (ACTFL-OPI) or S-1+ on the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) scale. 3126: to achieve an oral proficiency rating comparable to Advanced on the (ACTFL-OPI) or a 2 on the FSI scale. Admission by oral exam. Taught alternate years.

Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
GER 3204 - Culture of the German-Speaking Countries (3 credits) 

Study of German, Austrian, and Swiss culture and civilization from the Middle Ages to the present, including literature, art, architecture, film, and music.

Prerequisite(s): GER 3104 or GER 3105 or GER 3106 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
GER 3305 - Topics in German Culture and Literature (3 credits) 

Introduces students to critical issues in German culture and literature. Familiarizes students with artistic, cultural, and socio-historical contexts necessary to analyze artifacts (canonical and non-canonical literature, film, art, architecture, and music). Develops critical reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills in German regarding complex texts, contexts, and concepts. Fosters cross-cultural awareness and intercultural sensitivity. 3305: examines pre-20th-century German cultural and literary developments; 3306: examines cultural and literary developments in the 20th and 21st centuries. Taught in German. Variable content. May be repeated once for credit with different content for a maximum of 6 credits.

Prerequisite(s): (GER 3105 and GER 3106) or (GER 3105 and GER 3204) or (GER 3105 and GER 3306) or (GER 3106 and GER 3204) or (GER 3106 and GER 3306) 
Pathway Concept Area(s): 2 Critical Thinking Humanities, 11 Intercultural&Global Aware. 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
Repeatability: up to 6 credit hours 
GER 3306 - Topics in German Culture and Literature (3 credits) 

Introduces students to critical issues in German culture and literature. Familiarizes students with artistic, cultural, and socio-historical contexts necessary to analyze artifacts (canonical and non-canonical literature, film, art, architecture, and music). Develops critical reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills in German regarding complex texts, contexts, and concepts. Fosters cross-cultural awareness and intercultural sensitivity. 3305: examines pre-20th-century German cultural and literary developments; 3306: examines cultural and literary developments in the 20th and 21st centuries. Taught in German. Variable content. May be repeated once for credit with different content for a maximum of 6 credits.

Prerequisite(s): GER 3105 or GER 3106 
Pathway Concept Area(s): 2 Critical Thinking Humanities, 11 Intercultural&Global Aware. 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
Repeatability: up to 6 credit hours 
GER 3474 - Topics in German Cinema (3 credits) 

Critical issues in the history of German Cinema. Aesthetic characteristics of major periods, with an emphasis on cinematic trends and ways in which films reflect cultural developments in German-speaking countries. Taught in English. Variable content. May be taken twice for credit with different content.

Pathway Concept Area(s): 2 Critical Thinking Humanities, 6A Critique & Practice in Arts, 11 Intercultural&Global Aware. 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
Repeatability: up to 6 credit hours 
GER 3954 - Study Abroad (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
GER 3984 - Special Study (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
GER 4154 - Advanced Composition and Stylistics (3 credits) 

Intensive advanced work in written German. Development of the students ability to write clear, correct, and articulate German in a variety of modes. Style analysis. Writing intensive.

Prerequisite(s): GER 3106 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
GER 4304 - Age of Goethe (3 credits) 

Major writers of the age of Goethe: Goethe, and Schiller; the development of German Classicism.

Prerequisite(s): GER 3105 and GER 3106 and GER 3306 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
GER 4314 - Studies in 19th-Century Literature (3 credits) 

Variable content course devoted to the study of 19th century drama, lyric, and prose. May be repeated for credit with different content.

Prerequisite(s): GER 3105 and GER 3106 and GER 3306 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
GER 4324 - Studies in 20th-Century Literature (3 credits) 

A variable content course devoted to the study of major literary works of the 20th century. May be repeated for credit with different content.

Prerequisite(s): GER 3105 and GER 3106 and GER 3306 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
GER 4334 - Special Topics in German Life, Literature, and Language (3 credits) 

Variable content course devoted to the study of various aspects of German culture, literature, and language. May be repeated for credit with different content.

Prerequisite(s): (GER 3105 and GER 3106) and (GER 3204 or GER 3305 or GER 3306) 
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd) 
GER 4794 - Senior Tutorial in German Studies (1 credit) 

Individual or small group sessions which give the student the opportunity to hone special language skills, with a focus on post-graduation application of these skills. May concentrate on areas such as technical or business language, linguistics, translation, interpreting, creative writing, specialized literary, or cultural studies. Must be pre-arranged three weeks before end of previous semester. May be taken twice for credit with different content. PRE: one 4000-level German course, major with senior standing, and consent required.

Instructional Contact Hours: (1 Lec, 1 Crd) 
Repeatability: up to 2 credit hours 
GER 4964 - Field Study (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
GER 4974 - Independent Study (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
GER 4974H - Independent Study (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
GER 4984 - Special Study (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
GER 4994 - Undergraduate Research (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course 
GER 4994H - Undergraduate Research (1-19 credits) 
Instructional Contact Hours: Variable credit course