DEPARTMENT OF GERMANIC LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Subjects covered : All aspects of German language, literature and culture are covered. The course offerings and interests of the faculty of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures range across the scale from language instruction and pedagogy through literature of all periods, historical linguistics, German Studies, German-American Studies, and Business German.

Opportunities for study and research abroad help to keep both faculty and students current in their knowledge of contemporary issues. Direct arrangements with universities in Germany and Sweden, as well as contacts with other institutions, contribute to an international flow of students who maintain a lively turnover of ideas and interests. Courses in Swedish, and occasionally Dutch, are also offered.

The program is strongly student oriented, and is comparable to any graduate program providing both theoretical and practical experience in the teaching of German language, literature, and culture. Beyond the basic introductory and intermediate course in German, the topics covered are suggested by the following kinds of course offerings:

Undergraduate courses:
German Composition and Conversation
Advanced Composition and Conversation
Introduction to German Literature
Survey of German Literature
German Literature/By Time Period
German Literature/By Genre
The German Speaking World Today
Survey of German Culture
Business German 

Graduate courses:
Stylistics
Methods of Research and Bibliography
Methods of Teaching German Language
Survey of German Literature
Cultural Area Studies Project
Seminars/Pro-Seminars on Special Topics

Departments and users served :  The collection serves primarily the students and faculty of the Department of Germanic Studies, College of Arts and Sciences. In addition, various programs are relevant, including the German-American Studies Program, Women's Studies, Judaic Studies, Business, History, and Engineering. Also, the Department offers courses in fulfillment of the Humanities requirement for the College of Arts and Sciences. Moreover, the collection is also used by student and faculty from other educational institutions in the Ohio Valley region.

Quantitative information : The department's web page provides information on the department's undergraduate and graduate programs, current information on students and faculty of the Department, as well as faculty research interests. The web site also provides basic information on the topics covered and course offerings. See:
http://ucaswww.mcm.uc.edu/german

Degrees granted : Course offerings in German go back to the beginnings of the University in 1870, and the Department recently celebrated the centennial of its foundation in 1900. The Department offers a Bachelor of Arts, an undergraduate minor, the Master of Arts, and the Doctor of Philosophy. Information on graduate student work is available at the web site.

At the undergraduate level, students of German study the language, culture and literature of Germany and the German speaking countries. German majors develop linguistic skills and explore the cultural perspectives of the aforementioned countries. The Department offers students a choice of two concentrations: First, there is one that focuses on German literature (German Literature Major), and, second, there is one that concentrates on German culture and civilization (German Studies Major). There is also an undergraduate minor requiring 27 credits beyond the language requirement. 

The M.A. degree requires 45 credits, and the Ph.D. requires a total of 135 credits in German. The doctoral program of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, one of two such programs in the state of Ohio,  prepares graduate students in advanced, original research into German literature and culture from the medieval through the modern periods. The mission of the doctoral program is to graduate well-rounded, thoroughly bilingual scholars for employment in colleges and university teaching positions. The doctoral program enrolls students from its two year M.A. program, as well as from other colleges and universities. 

Special programs and accreditation requirements :  The International Engineering Co-Op Program - German Focus allows students to take courses in German language and culture followed by the opportunity to work as a co-op students in Germany. In cooperation with the Goethe Institute, a Certificate in German, Zertifikat Deutsch, is offered, which is mainly obtained by students seeking professions in business and industry. 

A study abroad program is offered by the department at the University of Munich. A special Berlin Study Abroad Program is offered in connection with the Survey of German Culture course series. Recently, a European Studies Program has been organized by the department and the Romance Languages and Literatures, and History Departments. Exchange programs have also been organized with the Lessing Museum at Kamenz, Germany due to the relationship between the Museum at the Lessing Society, which is headquartered in the department. 

Research focus, grants, special funding :  In addition to University funding, the Department draws on library funds from the Charles Phelps Taft Memorial Fund. Also, the Hillebrand Fund is available for the purchase of library materials for the department. The Max Kade Foundation supports an annual Max Kade Distinguished Visiting Professor, and also supported the establishment of the Max Kade German Cultural Center. Among the scholarly activities of the department is the publication of the Lessing Yearbook, which is devoted to 18th century German literature and culture.  The department sponsors an annual conference in October, the Focus on German Studies Conference, and publishes an annual, Focus on German Studies.
 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

Location of the collection : The collection is housed in the Langsam Library. Rare and special items are in the Archives and Rare Books Department. Also housed there is the German-Americana Collection. 

Other collections supporting the program :

Internal:  The MultiMedia Services Department of University Libraries holds an extensive collection of German videos. Other collections of importance are the DAAP, CCM, and Classics Libraries, which hold materials relating to German cultural history. The Elliston Poetry Collection is important for its translations of German poetry. Also of importance on campus is the Language Laboratory in the Old Chemistry Building, which provides language tapes, as well as recordings of German television programming. The Max Kade German Cultural Center receives several German-language newspapers and journals, such as Der Spiegel and Die Zeit.

External: Students and faculty of the department also make use of collections represented by the OhioLINK consortium of libraries. Significant local collections include the Cincinnati Public Library, Hebrew Union College, the Cincinnati Historical Society, and the Athenaeum of Ohio. 

Collection history :  The German collection began with the opening of the General Library in McMicken Hall, which was also the location of the Department of French and German, which is first listed in 1875. The collection was housed in Room 37, and began with a five-foot shelf of books. The collection began to grow substantially after the opening of the Van Wormer Library in 1898, and especially after the creation of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures in 1900. Continued growth and development came about as the result of the establishment of the Hillebrand Fund in 1908, and the gift of several private libraries to the University from members of the community. The collection was housed in Van Wormer until 1930, in the Blegen Library from 1930 to 1978, and since that time at the Langsam Library. 

The collection has benefited from the Taft Fund for many years, which has contributed greatly to retrospective collection development. Gifts of library materials from faculty, students, and members of the community have enriched the collections over the years. Historically, the German collection has been considered the best in the region, and even one of the major collections nationally, and is certainly a major area of strength in the holdings of the University Libraries. 

General level of current collecting : Current and retrospective collection development supports the undergraduate and graduate curriculum of the department, as well as the research programs of the faculty. The book and serial collection has been strongly supplemented by microfilm collections of the following: German Books Before 1601, the Yale University Library German Baroque Literature Collection, the Faber du Faur German Baroque Literature Collection, the German Drama Collection, the German Exile Literature Collection. Also, a microfilm of the Bibliotheca Palatina, the major German library before the Thiry Years War,  was acquired, which is owned by fewer than 20 libraries in the U.S., and reflects the relative research level of the university's German holdings. 
 

SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF COLLECTION

Call numbers :  Most of the materials collected are classified as P, PF, or PT. General serial titles are in the A classification, and German Studies materials are in the D, E, and H classifications. Bibliographical and book trade mmaterials are in the Z classification. 

Current and retrospective collecting :  Because of the historical nature of the study of literary and cultural history and area studies, strong emphasis is placed on non-current imprints, including out-of-print materials. Whenever new journal subscriptions are started and an attempt is made to obtain older issues to provide a complete run of the publication.

Time period covered :  The collection covers all historical periods.

Collection levels : Most areas are collected to support instruction in undergraduate and graduate courses. Areas in which faculty have particular interest are collected at higher levels.

Languages:   Most purchases are of German-language titles. However, journals and books in various languages are also acquired.

Geographic areas :  The emphasis of the collection is on German language, literature, and culture of the German speaking countries. However, as a Department of Germanic Languages, materials are selectively purchased from other countries, especially Sweden and Holland.

Types of resources : The library materials acquired are most often books, journals, or microforms. Videos of German films and documentaries are also of interest, and housed in the Langsam Library. Recently, CD-ROM titles have been added to the library as well.

Resource format :  Monographs, series, society publications, and journals. An increasing number of German-language newspapers and journals are becoming available via the web through UCLID and OhioLINK. 

Endowed areas :  In addition to the funding of the university, the department draws on library funds from the Charles Phelps Taft Memorial Fund, the Taft A&S Fund, and the Hillbrand Fund.
 

ACQUISITION PROCESSES

Approval plans :  The department makes use of the approval plans profiles by means of the Yankee Book Peddler, as well as the Harrassowitz Approval Plan.

Firm orders :  The majority of books received are acquired by means of firm orders.

Standing orders :  Standing orders are used to acquire journals, sets, and selected monographic series.

Special vendors : Used and antiquarian dealers provide access to out-of-print materials, and materials are also sought through Harrassowitz.
 

Don Heinrich Tolzmann
March 2001