The Department of German Studies offers a comprehensive doctoral program specializing in German culture and literature since the Baroque period. Brown's open curriculum supports a strong interdisciplinary focus for the Ph.D., and students are expected to develop a unique, cross-disciplinary focus early in their course of study. Particular departmental strengths lie in the areas of aesthetic and historical approaches to literature and culture encompassing the contributions of German-speaking authors to European aesthetics from the Baroque to the present through film and the digital arts, as well as historical perspectives on women and minorities in German culture. The small size of our program allows many opportunities to work closely with faculty, including those in the departments of Comparative Literature, History, Modern Culture and Media, and Philosophy. Students are carefully mentored in the pedagogy of language teaching and are given the opportunity to work with professors teaching literature courses.

Additional resources: The Department of German Studies maintains close ties to the Cogut Humanities Center at Brown. Involvement of graduate students with the center's activities is strongly encouraged. Graduate students have the opportunity to participate in our exchange programs with Humboldt University in Berlin and with the University of Tübingen.

Completion requirements: A.M.: Eight courses, including six in German studies and two in a related field of study and qualifying exam.

Ph.D.: Fourteen courses, including four required courses and four courses in a secondary field of study; reading knowledge of two additional foreign languages; teaching; qualifying exam; dissertation and defense.

ADMISSION INFORMATION

Admission requirements: Near-native fluency in German. Writing sample in English or German (ten pages maximum). Applicants are expected to have a strong background in German literature.

GRE General: Required

GRE Subject: Not required

Application deadline: January 1

FACULTY