German Studies
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Department Profile

The Department of German Studies at Rice University provides an ideal interdisciplinary setting for the study of German literature, history and culture in a wider international context. The expertise of the faculty members ranges from medieval studies, literary history and critical theory to social and political thought, women and gender studies, film and media studies, history of science, and intellectual history, often crossing traditional disciplinary boundaries.

The Curriculum

The close connection between research and teaching lies at the heart of the department’s curriculum and enables students to develop independent and original contributions at an early stage. Beyond detailed knowledge in German and European culture and history, students will gain intellectual and social qualities that are much sought after in an increasingly international culture of knowledge, such as logical thought and reasoning, critical thinking, linguistic skill, and expressing ideas in a clear style:

  • Our language acquisition courses maximize linguistic proficiency and prepare students for study abroad.
  • Our freshman seminars are conducted in small groups and stress written and oral communication.
  • Several interdisciplinary courses on the 300-level are taught in English and consider major cultural, intellectual and literary topics.
  • Upper-level literary courses and special topics seminars, taught in German, polish linguistic skills and offer intensive study at a high level as well as opportunities for advanced research.
  • The honors thesis offers outstanding students the opportunity to undertake an advanced, independent research project under the supervision of a faculty mentor.

The development of intellectual excellence and curiosity is supported by factors only possible in a small department and at an institution with a high national and international profile such as Rice University:

  • An ideal student-professor ratio results in small classes and the close supervision of independent work, engaging students at every step and making them aware of the wider contexts and implications of their studies.
  • From freshman seminars and language courses to lectures, writing seminars and advanced courses, students are always in contact with senior faculty of the department and or Rice University, instead of teaching assistants or adjunct faculty like at other universities.
  • Students are made famliar with both long-term historical developmentds and recent cultural debates, covering the entire period from the Middle Ages to the present, in order to prepare them for both academic and non-academic professions.

Interdisciplinary & International

Faculty members entertain close links with other departments at Rice University, in particular History and Philosophy, but also with the Shepherd School of Music, and the Humanities Research Center. Faculty members have attracted major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the German Academic Exchange Service, the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation, the British Academy, the Fulbright Commission, and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Faculty members have also been involved in collaborations with leading international institutions, such as the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities in Essen, Germany, the Zentrum für Literatur- und Kulturforschung, Berlin, Germany, and the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Science and Humanities at the University of Cambridge, UK. The international scope of German Studies at Rice is also reflected in regular guest speakers, conferences, film programs and art exhibitions, often in cooperation with the School of Humanities.