German Studies
The Department of German Studies offers a variety of programs in German language and linguistics, literature, culture, and thought. Courses are open to majors and all interested students. Candidates are accepted for the degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy.
By carefully planning their programs, students may fulfill the B.A. requirements for a double major in German Studies and another subject. An extended undergraduate major in English and German literature is available, as are coterminal programs for the B.A. and M.A. degrees in German Studies, and joint programs for the Ph.D. degree with Comparative Literature, Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, Linguistics, and Modern Thought and Literature.
Special collections and facilities at Stanford offer possibilities for extensive research in German studies and related fields pertaining to Central Europe. Facilities include the Stanford University Libraries and the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace. Special collections include the Hildebrand Collection (texts and early editions from the 16th to the 19th century), the Austrian Collection (with emphasis on source material of the time of Maria Theresa and Joseph II, the Napoleonic wars, and the Revolution of 1848), and the Stanford Collection of German, Austrian, and Swiss Culture. New collections emphasize culture and cultural politics in the former German Democratic Republic. The Hoover Institution has a unique collection of historical and political documents pertaining to Germany and Central Europe from 1870 to the present. The department also has its own reference library.
The German Studies faculty represents a broad scope of expertise across the German-speaking cultures and the scholarship of these faculty members has been recognized nationally and internationally for its excellence and for its contributions expanding academic perspectives on German-related matters. The faculty consists of award-winning teachers at both the graduate and undergraduate level and boasts three Stanford University Undergraduate Fellows. Many of the faculty hold additional leadership positions across the university encompassing language, gender studies, theater and performing arts, and early modern studies.
German Studies hosts visitors sponsored annually by the Gerda Henkel Foundation. These visitors teach courses in their area of expertise and are available for discussion and consultation with graduate students and undergraduates regarding their various research projects. A Mellon Fellow is often also hosted by the department. The resident Mellon teaches courses and consults with the faculty and students while completing a project in their area of expertise.
A monthly guest lecture, offered by invited visitors to the campus, enhances the vibrant intellectual climate of German Studies at Stanford.
Upcoming Events
Join us for the next meeting of the German Studies Lecture Series, featuring a talk by Benjamin Robinson.
Jelinek’s Infrastructural Theater
What is the role of narrative in sociotechnical imaginaries?
Speakers: Kathryn Starkey, DLCL Chair. TBD, Speaker.
