German Minor

The German minor at Stonehill explores German culture and history as well as builds written and spoken language skills.

Program Type Undergraduate Minor
Mode of Study On Campus
Department Languages, Literatures & Cultures
School May School of Arts & Sciences
Joshua Bankert studying abroad in Germany
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Program Overview

A minor in German makes a powerful combination with any number of majors – including sociology, marketing, finance, accounting, psychology and criminology. 

German Minor Requirements  

Stonehill's minor in German requires the completion of six courses determined in consultation with the departmental minor advisor. At least two of these courses must be at the 300-level or above.  

To learn more about the program requirements for the German minor, please search our online course catalog. 

Sample Courses

Elementary German I

For students with no previous study or 1-2 years of high school German. During the first semester students develop the ability to: when speaking and writing, use short sentences, learned words and phrases, simple questions, and commands; when listening, understand some ideas and familiar details presented in a clear, uncomplicated speech; when reading, understand short texts enhanced by visuals. During the second semester students expand their ability from the first semester, and develop the ability to: when speaking and listening, use and understand learned expressions, sentences, and strings of sentences, questions, and commands; when writing, create simple paragraphs; when reading, understand important ideas and some details in highly contextualized authentic texts. During both semesters content includes: The Self (family, friends, home, rooms, health, school, schedules, leisure activities, campus life, likes and dislikes, shopping, clothes, prices, sizes and quantity, pets and animals) and Beyond Self (geography, topography, direction, buildings and monuments, weather and seasons, symbols, cultural and historical figures, places and events, colors, numbers, days, dates, months, time, food and customs, transportation, travel, and professions and work.)

German Through Film

GRM 233
This fourth-semester course uses 5 contemporary German films and a myriad of activities around them to continue the development of skills related to the "5Cs" underlying foreign language pedagogy: Communication, Culture, Connection, Comparison, and Community.

Germany Since 1945

GRM 331
For students with three or more years of German. In this fifth-semester course students expand their previous ability in their foreign language, and develop the ability to: when speaking, use simple dialogue of paragraph length in a series of cohesive and coherent paragraphs; when listening, understand most authentic spoken language; when writing, create a series of coherent paragraphs; when reading, acquire knowledge and new information from comprehensive authentic text. Content embraces concepts of broader cultural significance, including institutions, such as the educational system, the government, and political and social issues in the target culture. Both concepts and abstract topics of human and personal interest including music, literature, the arts, and the sciences.

Germany Today

GRM 333
This sixth-semester course uses the latest events in Germany to refine the skills related to the “5Cs: underlying foreign language pedagogy: Communication, Culture, Connection, Comparison, and Community. Students read, view, discuss, and write about reports of those events in internet editions of German magazines and newspapers and internet videos.

Study Abroad for German Minors 

Language minors are encouraged to spend a semester abroad in an approved international program of study or in one of the international internships sponsored by Stonehill College. 

Students may transfer in two pre-approved courses taken abroad to the minor. Additional language courses may be pre-approved as general electives. 

In the 2018-2019 academic year, six students minoring in German studied abroad; four in Heidelberg, Germany, one in Freiburg, Germany, and one in Salzburg, Austria. 

Study Abroad Opportunities

Stonehill is ranked among the best in the nation for sending students on semester-long study abroad programs. Our programs focus on developing global citizens and helping students meet both academic and personal goals. A student’s international experience is attractive to potential employers who seek applicants with global perspective and an understanding other cultures.

Sample approved study abroad programs for German minors include:

  • University of Salzburg
  • IES in Vienna
  • Freie Universität Berlin
  • IES in Berlin
  • IES in Freiburg
  • Universität Heidelberg (American Junior Year)
  • University of Berlin

Languages, Literatures & Cultures Department

The German minor is part of the Languages, Literatures & Cultures Department at Stonehill. 

The study of languages, literatures and cultures is a cornerstone of a liberal arts education. The Department offers coursework in seven languages.

Places where Stonehill graduates have recently been employed include:

  • Boston Children’s Hospital
  • Catholic Charities
  • French Embassy
  • Fulbright Recipient (Ecuador)
  • Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office
  • Office of Refugees and Immigrants, City of Boston
  • PricewaterhouseCoopers
  • Ropes & Gray LLP
  • Teach for America
  • World Teach
  • Various school systems

Language experience is invaluable for those students seeking careers in:

  • Education
  • International Studies
  • Psychology
  • Healthcare Administration
  • Political Science
  • Communications
  • Sociology
  • Business

Places where Stonehill graduates have recently attended a full- or part-time graduate program include:

  • Aberystwyth University (Wales)
  • Boston University
  • Middlebury College
  • Northeastern University
  • Universidad Complutense (Madrid)
  • University of Connecticut
  • Universidad de Granada (Spain)

Research Opportunities

Stonehill Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) is an opportunity for students who have completed their first year at Stonehill to perform significant, publishable, full-time research under the guidance of and in collaboration with an experienced faculty researcher.

EXAMPLES OF LANGUAGES, LITERATURES & CULTURES RESEARCH

  • Bridget Ryan ’23 worked with Teresa Villa-Ignacio, Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies, on Sounding Translation, an Internet-accessible podcast that archives translators’ reflections on the experience of translating contemporary poetry.
  • Alina Shklyarenko ’17 worked with John Golden, associate professor of foreign languages, on “Translating Alexander Blok’s ‘Vozmezdie.’” They have submitted for publication their work on previously untranslated sections of this important poem by the Russian symbolist.
  • Michael Travers ’15 worked with Juan Carlos Martin, associate professor of Foreign Languages, on “Virtual Learning: Beyond the Classroom.” 
  • Spanish major Angela Moskawa ’14 workedwith Juan Carlos Martin, associate professor of Foreign Languages, on “Identity Crisis: Portrayals of the Posthuman in Spanish Narrative and Film.” This project strives to study the concept of post-humanity in Spanish narrative and film, focusing primarily on literary pieces and cinematic works written and produced during the past two decades.
  • Laura Dzgoeva ’14 worked with John Golden, associate professor of foreign languages, on “Translating Alexander Blok.” Blok was a major Russian Symbolist poet; they translated several of his poems into English and have submitted some of their work for publication.

Contact Information

John J. Golden

John J. Golden

Associate Professor of German, German Program Director
jgolden@stonehill.edu
508-565-1255
Duffy 255
Languages Lit. & Cultures

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