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German Literature and Critical Thought

Degree Types: PhD

The Department of German offers training in German-language literature, culture, and thought from the mid-eighteenth to the early twenty-first century. Our faculty provide teaching and mentorship in a wide range of areas related to modern German-language literature and culture, with a particular focus on interdisciplinary work in the fields of critical theory, philosophy and literature, literary theory, intellectual and cultural history, media theory, and the intersection of literature and religion. Graduate students in the program are encouraged to pursue innovative and original projects according to their individual interests, developing their skills as creative thinkers and researchers while receiving a solid grounding in German literary and cultural history and the practices of textual analysis.

In line with its commitment to interdisciplinary research, the program collaborates closely with other departments and programs at Northwestern, including Comparative Literary Studies, Philosophy, Jewish Studies, Spanish and Portuguese, English, Asian Languages and Cultures, Science and Human Culture, and History, as well as with the various networks of interdisciplinary graduate clusters at Northwestern. (For more information on the graduate clusters and how you can have a second intellectual “home” outside of the department, please visit the Interdisciplinary Clusters page). The program also maintains strong ties with the Northwestern Paris Program in Critical Theory, as well as with universities and institutions in Germany and Austria (including Frankfurt, Münster, Vienna, and the ZfL Berlin), where students often choose to spend their second fellowship year, and/or secure additional fellowship funding beyond the five years provided by The Graduate School.

The program is also committed to fostering graduate students’ pedagogical training. In addition to its tenure-line faculty, the department includes award-winning professors of instruction and experts in second-language acquisition who work closely with graduate students as supervisors and mentors to develop their professional skills and teaching portfolios.

Additional resources:

Program Statistics

Visit PhD Program Statistics for statistics such as program admissions, enrollment, student demographics and more.

Degree Requirements

The following requirements are in addition to, or further elaborate upon, those requirements outlined in The Graduate School Policy Guide.

PhD

Total Units Required: 15

Course Title
Core Courses
GERMAN 401-0German Literature and Critical Thought 1750-1832
GERMAN 402-0History of Literature and Critical Thought 1832-1900
GERMAN 403-0German Literature, Critical Thought and New Media 1900-1945
GERMAN 404-0German Literature, Critical Thought, and New Media since 1945
GERMAN 405-0Basic Issues in Foreign Language Teaching
GERMAN 407-0Proseminar
Electives
Twelve courses from those listed below and related disciplines
GERMAN 322-0
German Contributions to World Literature
GERMAN 324-0
Modern German Drama
GERMAN 431-0
Contemporary German Literature
GERMAN 441-0
Studies in Communication and Culture
GERMAN 490-0
Independent Reading
GERMAN 499-0
Independent Study
GERMAN 590-0
Research
 

Other PhD Degree Requirements

  • Graduate Colloquium: Participation in seminars and workshops under this rubric during all quarters in residence
  • Examinations: Comprehensive examination for admission to candidacy
  • Research/Projects: Extensive research papers related to seminar topics
  • Prospectus: Writing and defense of prospectus
  • PhD Dissertation: Original independent research
  • Final Evaluations: Oral defense of the dissertation

Last Updated: September 12, 2023