In light of the importance of foreign languages in today's international world of science, engineering, and management, the HASS Minor gives undergraduates a unique opportunity to combine a degree in science or engineering with a Minor in German. The HASS German Minor offers students who have already reached an intermediate level of proficiency (third semester or above) an opportunity to pursue more advanced study of German language, literature, and culture. Note that German I and II do not count toward the Minor.

The Minor Program in German consists of six subjects, typically distributed among the following three tiers, depending on your level of language competence and the approval of the Minor Advisor. Unlike other Minor Programs in HASS, the Minor Advisor for languages at his or her discretion can approve a minor in which MIT subjects comprise a minimum of one third of the subjects in the program. However, this exception to the general HASS Minor Requirement is only allowed in those cases in which students have received transfer credits equal to a maximum of four subjects through study abroad in a country where the language of the Minor is the dominant tongue. Please consult the MIT bulletin or the subject offerings page. You may consider Harvard or Wellesley subjects towards the minor subject to approval of the Minor Advisor.

Tier I: Two language subjects or less depending on demonstrated level of competence:

21F.403/473 German III; HASS-H (HASS-D Language Option)
21F.404/474 German IV; HASS-H (HASS-D Language Option)

Tier II: Two or three subjects from the intermediate subjects in German language, literature and culture: 21F.405-21F.412.

21F.405 Intermediate German: Intensive Study of Language and Culture; HASS-H
21F.409 Advanced Communication in German: Creative Expression through the Visual Arts and Media; HASS-H
21F.410 Advanced Communication: German for Professionals; HASS-H
21F.412 Advanced Conversation and Composition in German: Literature and Culture; HASS-H

Tier III: Two or three subjects from the following advanced subjects in German literature and culture: 21F.019, 21F.055J, 21F.059, 21F.414-21F.420.

Current Offerings:
21F.414 German Culture, Media, and Society; HASS-H
21F.415 Germany and its European Context; HASS-H
21F.416 20^th and 21^st Century German Literature; HASS-H
21F.420 Visual Histories: German Cinema 1945-Present; HASS-H

Subjects taught in English:
21F.019 Communicating Across Cultures; HASS-H , CI-H
21F.055J Media in Weimar and Nazi Germany; HASS-H CI-H
21F.059 Paradigms of European Thought and Culture; HASS-H, HASS-D, Category 2, CI-H

Note: Students who have taken the following subjects that are no longer offered can count these subjects towards their minor:
21F.013 Out of Ground Zero: Catastrophe and Memory
21F.015 Topics in International Media
21F.017 Germany and Its European Context
21F.031J Topics in the Avant-Garde in Literature and Cinema
21F.056 Visual Histories: German Cinema 1945 to Present
21F.098J Working in a Global Economy [17.199J]; HASS-S

 

Your German Minor and Your G.I.R.S.

Of the six subjects required for the minor, at most five can count toward satisfaction of the eight-subject Institute HASS Requirement. Of these five, only one can count toward the HASS Distribution requirement. You can Minor and Concentrate in the same field.

1. You may not use your junior- senior Pass/Fail option for any of your minor subjects.

3. There is a $50 late fee if you have not filed your Minor Completion form by the third week of the semester in which you intend to graduate.

Note for students who entered MIT prior to Fall 2010:
HASS-D Language Option: Because the Institute regards competence in foreign language as a fundamental value, students may substitute one language subject at the level III or IV (Intermediate Level) for one HASS-D subject. The two remaining HASS-Ds may be chosen from any two of the five HASS-D categories.

Contact the Academic Administrator, Andrea Wirth, with any other questions:
awirth@mit.edu
14N-310 o x3-4550

Paperwork Procedure

1. Pick up a HASS Minor Application form in 14N-305, 4-240, 7-104, or 11-120.
2. Fill it out in consultation with the Minor Advisor. Distribute copies of the application to your Major Advisor, the HASS Academic Administrator, and the FL&L main office.
3. When you complete all of your minor subjects, bring the white copy of your grade report (as well as a copy of your proposal) back to your Minor Advisor. You will need his/her signature and that of the FL&L Section Head to certify that you have completed your minor program.