German Studies

German Studies is the interdisciplinary study of the contemporary cultural, social, economic, and political life of German speakers in their historical and international contexts. The German faculty of Pomona College and Scripps College offer a single unified and comprehensive curriculum for language, literature, and cultural studies courses. The German Studies Program offers as degree options both a major and a minor in German Studies.

Co-Curricular Activities

Scripps has a German Corridor where students speak German with the resident native German assistant and with each other. The members of the corridor form the core of the German Club, which organizes activities for German students throughout the year. Any student of The Claremont Colleges is welcome to join the German Club by signing up with the German assistant. In addition, a weekly German language table meets in the Elizabeth Hubert Malott Commons.

Given the limited space availability, we are interested in students committed to building community within the language corridor and the greater language community through inclusive, group-based activities. Suggested activities include cooking/dinner, movie nights, listening to language-specific music together, discussing political topics related to the language-specific world or a reading club.

CORRIDOR APPLICATION: If you are interested in participating in the language corridor, complete the application and email to Rebecca Ballinger, [email protected]. Complete the application here.

Study Abroad

Study Abroad is considered an integral part of the German Studies curriculum at Scripps, and all students of German are strongly encouraged to complement their Claremont curriculum with a semester or year in Germany or Austria. Course work completed in German–except for most language courses–may satisfy the requirements for the Scripps major or minor in German Studies. To receive credit, all course work to be completed abroad must be pre-approved by the German faculty at Scripps. Students must complete at least German 44 prior to going abroad. It is recommended that students also take two courses from the 100-series at Scripps College and a German course every semester prior to leaving, regardless of their incoming level. Currently, students may study abroad at the IES Language and Culture program in Berlin, at IES in Vienna, or in consultation with the Scripps faculty, on one of several approved programs in a German-speaking country.

German Across the Curriculum (GAC)

In addition to its major and minor programs of study, the German Studies Program offers students who have successfully completed German 44 (or its equivalent) the option to maintain and further develop their language proficiency in German courses in translation. Students enrolling in such courses co-enroll in German 189, the accompanying German language section. They receive one-half course credit for meeting with the German faculty member to read and discuss, in German, German texts related to the subject course.

Faculty List