1.
Graduate degrees. The Department offers courses of
study leading to M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. The program provides
our students with training of a scope and quality that leads
mainly to careers as teachers and scholars.
2.
Specializations. Ours is one of the relatively few
graduate programs in the country that offers specialization
in German literature, medieval philology, Germanic linguistics,
and German applied linguistics.
3.
Faculty. The Departmental graduate staff (currently
7-8 members) consists of a number of specialists who, as a group,
represent the discipline in its entirety. The student will be
exposed to both American and German-trained members. Each spring
semester a Distinguished Max Kade Professor from Germany teaches
in the Department. The Max-Kade Professorship provides a regular
contact with outstanding German scholarship and adds intellectual
profile to the campus community. The following scholars have
held this position: Gerhard Storz, Stuttgart (1965), Heinz Otto
Burger, Frankfurt (1966), Wilhelm Emrich, Berlin (1967), Friedrich
Beissner, Tübingen (1970), Richard Alewyn, München
(1971), Helmut Koopmann, Bonn (1972), Friedrich Sengle, München
(1973), Lutz Röhrich, Freiburg (1974), Wilhelm Vosskamp,
Bielefeld (1975), Jacob Steiner, Karlsruhe (1976 and 1983),
Hans Eggers, Saarbrücken (1977), Ulrich Fülleborn,
Erlangen (1978), Hans- Jürgen Schings, Würzburg (1981),
Hartmut Steinecke, Paderborn (1984), Hugo Steger, Freiburg (1985),
Jörg-Ulrich Fechner, Bochum (1986), Helmut Arntzen, Münster
(1987), Uwe-K. Ketelsen, Bochum (1988), Hans Esselborn, Köln
(1989), Bernd Witte, Aachen (1990), Rolf-Peter Janz, FU Berlin
(1991), August Stahl, Saarbrücken (1992), Kurt Rein, München
(1994), Hans-Gert Roloff, FU Berlin (1995), Walter Haug, Tübingen
(1996), Burghard Dedner, Marburg (1997), Gert Sautermeister,
Bremen (1998), Inge Stephan, Humboldt Berlin (1999), Klaus Mattheier,
Heidelberg (2000), Irmela von der Lühe, Göttingen
(2001).
4.
Faculty and student research. Faculty members engage
in various research activities in their areas of specialization.
The Max Kade Center for German-American Studies is attached
to the Department. Some staff members have been involved in
editorial work for national organizations. Furthermore, the
staff regularly participates as readers of research papers and
as officers in professional organizations at the regional, national
and international levels. Faculty and graduate students contribute
to the Departmental Research Colloquia.
5.
Graduate curriculum. The graduate curriculum is composed
of six distinct groups of courses, which are designed for a
learning process in three stages (introductory - general - specialized)
in the three major areas of study: literature, philology, linguistics,
and applied linguistics. Within the total number of approximately
40 graduate courses listed, the program emphasizes in-depth
knowledge of German language and literature, specifically a
thorough acquaintance with (1) the outstanding figures and works
of German literature, (2) the historical dimension of literature,
(3) the historical development of the language, (4) older language
forms of the Germanic family, (5) the linguistic analysis of
modern German and its dialects, and (6) the teaching of German
as a foreign language.
6.
Student training and participation in Departmental operation.
Most graduate students are Graduate Teaching Assistants, who
teach elementary courses under faculty supervision. This practical
preparation for the teaching profession is an important dimension
of our training program. Graduate students participate in the
decision-making process by electing representatives to the Departmental
Voting Staff and various Departmental committees.
7.
Function in the State of Kansas. The University of
Kansas is the only institution in the state offering the highest
degree in the field. For students pursuing B.A. and M.A. degrees
in other institutions in the state, our program represents the
logical choice for advanced work. Through the Kansas Association
of Teachers of German the Department maintains strong ties with
high school and college German programs throughout Kansas. The
Department sponsors public lectures and symposia. These are
attended by residents of Kansas and Missouri within a 60?80
mile radius. The Max Kade Center for German-American Studies
provides information concerning German-American cultural relations.
Faculty also provide outreach through programs sponsored by
the Kansas Humanities Council.
