Honors Majors & Minors

Requirements

Majors and minors in the Honors Program are expected to fulfill the minimum requirements for course majors and be sufficiently proficient in spoken and written German to complete all their work in the language. All majors and minors in honors are strongly advised to spend at least one semester of study in a German-speaking country. Candidates are expected to have a B average in coursework both in the department and at the College.

Honors Major Preparations

  1. Honors majors in German studies take three seminars, two taught in German and one taught in English from an affiliated program or a combination of seminars and advanced courses in German studies for three double-credit preparations. Up to three of these can be from cross-listed courses taught in English. For example:
    1. Prep 1: GMST 091 and GMST 054
    2. Prep 2: GMST 092 and GMST/LITR 038
    3. Prep 3: GMST 100

Honors Major in German Studies

  • Honors majors complete three double-credit “Preparations.”
  • Each Preparation can be fulfilled in one of two ways:
    1. By taking one advanced seminar, or
    2. By taking an advanced seminar and an advanced course together.
  • Out of these three Preparations, two must be taught in German, while one can be taught in English—either from an affiliated program or a cross-listed course.
  • Up to three of your chosen courses may be cross-listed courses taught in English.

Example Sequence

  • Preparation 1: GMST 091 + GMST 054
  • Preparation 2: GMST 092 + GMST/LITR 038
  • Preparation 3: GMST 100

Honors Majors

Honors majors in German Studies participate in:

  • The external examination process required of all Swarthmore honors students.
  • The Senior Honors Study (SHS) process, described below.

Honors Minors

Honors minors fulfill the minimum course minor requirements in German Studies and must:

  • Take one seminar taught in German or two advanced courses taught in German (total of 5 credits) for their honors preparation.
  • Complete the Senior Honors Study requirements (see below).

Senior Honors Study (SHS) and Mode of Examination

Annotated Bibliography

  • Students submit an annotated bibliography of scholarly articles or books covering at least five of the texts in each seminar or advanced course offered for external examination.
  • They must meet with the instructor(s) of these seminars or courses by February 15 to discuss their proposed bibliography, and again by April 1 to submit the approved version.
  • The bibliography, which carries no separate credit, will be added to each seminar’s syllabus in the student’s honors portfolio.

Examinations

  • The written examination lasts 3 hours, covering each seminar or course combination and the associated SHS preparation.
  • The oral examination follows the written exams:
    • Majors: 1-hour oral exam based on all three written exams.
    • Minors: 30- to 45-minute oral exam based on the written exam.

Senior Honors Study (SHS) and Mode of Examination

For SHS, students are required to present an annotated bibliography of scholarly articles or books concerning at least five of the texts in each seminar or advanced course offered for external examination. Students are required to meet with the respective instructor(s) of the seminars or advanced courses being examined by Feb. 15 to discuss their planned bibliography and to meet with the instructors for a second time when the approved bibliography is handed in April 1. The annotated bibliography, which carries no credit, will be added to course syllabi in the honors portfolio. The honors examination will take the form of a 3-hour written examination based on each seminar or course combination and its SHS preparation as well as a 1-hour oral examination based on the three written examinations for majors or a 30- to 45-minute oral examination for minors.