Basic HTML Version
Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
103
German
COURSE CODE:
PLACES 2011:
POINTS 2010:
DEGREE AWARDED:
TR001 (TSM)
32
445-535*
B.A.
TSM points:
See note on page 28
SPECIAL ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:
Leaving Certificate
HC1
German
Advanced GCE (A-Level)
Grade C German
German (TSM) cannot be studied as a single honor
course. It must be combined with one other subject within
the two-subject moderatorship (TSM) programme. TSM is
a joint honor programme. An honors degree is awarded in
both subjects.
For subjects that combine with German see p. 92.
See also:
TR019: Law and German, page 71
TR024: European studies – German with French/Italian/
Polish/Russian or Spanish, page 58
TR039: Computer science and language, page 122
TR086: Business studies and German, page 42
Why study German?
German is spoken by some 100 million Europeans.
Contemporary Germany is the geographical and cultural
link between east and west and the largest economy in an
increasingly integrated Europe. Studying German at an in-depth
level is, therefore, an excellent preparation for the world of work
and is likely to make you highly employable.
Modern Germany is a society in transition, more and more
ethnically diverse, and engaged in lively debate about its own
past and about its political, social and economic responsibilities
in Europe and the world. Germany’s history has been rich,
dynamic and troubled, and this history shapes the contemporary
society and culture in countless ways. Reflection on and critical
engagement with these experiences have been central to
German writing and thought since the earliest times, and remain
very much so today. All these factors make studying German
exciting and challenging.
Is this the right course for you?
When studying German within the two-subject moderatorship
course you have the opportunity to acquire advanced competence
and fluency in German language and to develop reading skills
and methods of research, description and analysis in such areas
as literature, history, culture and society of the German-speaking
countries and the linguistics of German. You will be encouraged
to develop specialist interests by choosing from a wide range
of optional subjects. All this in a small, friendly, award-winning
department with a wide extra-curricular programme including
a theatre group, debating, and film evenings.
Course content
The Freshman years
There are approximately 10 hours of classes per week in the
Junior Freshman (first) year. The course covers three key areas:
n
Language programme:
this builds on the written, oral
and aural skills you acquired at school and develops both
fluency and accuracy in expression. Your language learning
is supported by a specially developed e-learning programme
on the departmental website: try it at
www.tcd.ie/Germanic_
Studies/jfgermanlanguagewebsite/INDEX.HTM
n
Area studies
provides an introduction to society, political
and cultural issues and current affairs in modern Germany,
Austria and Switzerland.
n
Literature and textual studies
introduces you to key
aspects of modern German literature and to reading and
analysing literary and non-literary texts in German.
In addition to your on-going language classes, the Senior
Freshman (second) year introduces you to German cultural
history (exploring topics such as the development of the
nation, the role of religion and religious difference, militarism
and pacifism, and Nietzsche and Freud as key thinkers of
modernity), Germanic linguistics and medieval literature. You
can also begin to develop your own special fields of interest
within the programme, choosing from a range of seminars
with a literary, linguistics, cultural or historical focus.
The Sophister years
In the Junior Sophister (third) year, alongside your language
classes, you will follow a module in the social history of German
literature and choose from a number of seminars in specialist
areas of literature, linguistics, cultural and historical studies.
If you elect to study German in your Senior Sophister (fourth)
year the scope for developing these specialist interests is
extended through
advanced options that link undergraduate
study to the research expertise of staff
. In the Senior
Sophister year, you will also research and write a dissertation
on a topic of your own choice. This can be drawn from literature,
intercultural communication or some other aspect of the course
that you have particularly enjoyed and is an exciting opportunity
to develop your interests in depth.
Assessment
At all levels, you will be assessed by a combination of project and
essay work and end-of-year written, oral and aural examinations.
Senior Sophister students also write a dissertation.
Study abroad
As a TSM German student, you must spend at least two months
in a German speaking country, but in practice you are likely
to spend longer, typically an academic year. Options include
studying at a German university within an Erasmus or similar
exchange programme in your second year or between third and
fourth year (our links include Cologne, Göttingen and Konstanz,
but you can also make individual arrangements), or taking a year
out to work in a company or as a language assistant in a school.