Mar 19, 2024  
2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog This is not the most recent catalog version; be sure you are viewing the appropriate catalog year.

K-12 German Language and Literature | BA


This major was revised on February 14, 2019, to correct an error. FLAN 411 and FLAN 412 were removed from the Professional Secondary Education Sequence.


German is the most spoken language in Europe. It is the language of well-known and influential composers, poets, psychologists, scientists, and inventors. The German Language and Literature program prepares you to be first and foremost linguistically and culturally proficient. Representative literary texts analyzed against the backdrop of their socio-historical context, contemporary criticism, and cultural movements of the time are at the core of the program. Dedicated faculty holistically mentor our students and ensure academic success and humanistic growth. If you love working with adolescents, love the German-Speaking cultures, and are excited about developing your proficiency in the German language, your skills and highly-qualified status as a Secondary School World Language Teacher will be much in demand. For the last five years, more than 65% of the school superintendents and principals in Michigan and across the nation have reported a dramatic and long-standing need to hire foreign language teachers.

Learn

You will learn to read, write, and communicate in German. You will gain a high level of language proficiency, analytical and cognitive skills, transcultural competencies in small group settings and interactions with natives, study abroad summer courses and/or semester-long experiences at our exchange partner institution, the Justus Liebig University, in Gießen, Germany. You’ll learn to plan and deliver creative, engaging, age-appropriate lessons for secondary school learners and will have many opportunities to practice your skills when teaching small-group lessons to your peers, working individually with special-needs learners, and leading your own students during student teaching.

Opportunities

Our graduates are highly prepared for graduate studies in the Humanities such as literature, music, psychology, and political science, and social services and they successfully complete internships and receive employment in a variety of fields. Teacher certification and teaching experience also provide the foundation for graduate degrees in counseling, educational leadership, and school administration.

Department Information


World Languages, College of Arts & Sciences

A. Jeff Popko, Ph.D. | Department Head | 219 Alexander | 734.487.0130 | apopko@emich.edu

Advisor Information


Contact department for advisor information

Teacher Certification


Successful completion of this major, in the context of other program and NCATE requirements, qualifies the student for recommendation for the Michigan Department of Education K-12 Standard Certificate in German, certification code FB.

Initial Teacher Preparation Program Admission


In order to pursue the sequence of courses necessary to complete eligibility for recommendation for certification, one must apply for and be admitted to the teacher preparation program. Admission requirements are common for all teacher preparation programs, except that certain special education programs have additional requirements.

Admission to the teacher preparation program is not automatic. Only those persons who have formally applied are considered for admission. Not all persons who apply become eligible for admission.

Teaching majors and minors are unofficial until program admission. Students pursuing teacher certification should follow the catalog that exists at the time of program admission. It is important that students apply to the teacher preparation program as soon as they have earned 56 credit hours.

Admission Criteria

  • Completion of 56 credit hours
  • Appropriate cumulative GPA. One of:
    • An overall EMU GPA of 2.5 or higher based on a minimum of 12 credit hours taken at EMU. An EMU GPA of 2.5 or higher in your major, based on at least one course in your major. The Elementary Education Major is comprehensive, therefore, the elementary major GPA is based on the cumulative of liberal arts curriculum and content course work.
    • Transferred 56 credits with a cumulative 3.0 GPA from all previous institutions.
  • A grade of “C” or higher (if taken) in the following courses: WRTG 121  (or ENGL 121 ), CTAC 124 , Quantitative Reasoning | GEQR , one lab science, and all professional education courses (If special education, PSY 101 ).
  • Official scores from the general SAT (If taken after March 1, 2016) with either a math minimum sub-score of 530 or Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing minimum sub-score of 480. Scores from the MTTC Basic Skills Test, Professional Readiness Exam, ACT, or Michigan Merit Exam may be used as well. See an advisor for details. 
  • ICHAT criminal background check and Statement of Civil/Criminal Convictions. If you answered yes to any of the civil/criminal conviction questions on the application, you will need to provide:
    • A copy of the Judgment of Sentence, or Registrar of Actions, or Certification of Conviction. A written explanation of the offense(s).
    • Application of students with civil/criminal convictions will be carefully reviewed and may take longer to process.
  • Meet academic, social, moral, and financial obligations as a member of the EMU community.

General Education Requirements:


For specific General Education requirements, click here  or print a General Education Worksheet  

Major Requirements: 30 hours


Depending on initial placement, students may need to take up to 16 additional credit hours of 100- and 200-level classes in the language before they can begin courses required in the major. Students with prior language study or knowledge will be placed at an appropriate level in consultation with an advising coordinator.

Professional K-12 Education Sequence: 40 hours


Program Requirements


As a condition of graduation, students must also meet the following criteria:

  • Pass language-specific MTTC Exam (Exams: #23/French, #24/German, #28/Spanish, #100/Japanese)
  • Achieve state and nationally-accepted ratings on the ACTFL OPI or OPIc (Minimum Ratings: Intermediate High for Japanese, Advanced Low for French, German, and Spanish)
  • Complete ACTFL CAEP Assessments
    • Assessment 2: Civilization, Cultures, Literature and Language
    • Assessment 7: Linguistics and Language
  • Must complete the majority of their student teaching in their language
  • In order to meet NCATE standards, candidates who:
    • Major in a language shall complete more than half of their student teaching contact hours in that language.
    • Double major in a language and in another content area shall complete a portion of the student teaching experience in that language.
    • Double major in two languages shall student teach in each language.

Minor Requirement:


This major requires a minor | For a list of available minors, please see Academic Programs  or contact your major advisor.

Program Total:


Students must earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level or above.

Beginning in Fall 2022, all baccalaureate degree programs for all undergraduates (regardless of catalog year) will require a minimum of 120 credit hours for completion.

Critical Graduation Information


Each undergraduate student will be responsible for the fulfillment of the requirements or their equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult the online catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

  • Earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level and above. Courses with numbers below 100 will not be counted toward this degree requirement. At most 8 credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses will be counted toward this requirement.
  • Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below).
  • Complete a Writing Intensive (GEWI) Course in your major.
  • Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement. (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details.)
  • Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
  • Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
  • Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor; students should check requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
  • Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits in excess of the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 124 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
  • Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
    • Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
  • Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; the internal review of such courses is conducted by individual departments/schools within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credits for transferred courses; grades are not used in the calculation of an EMU GPA.
  • Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU in order to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses taken at EMU and those applied to a student’s major or minor will be used in the calculation of their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or with similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education  section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.