German
Writing Intensive Classes
Students who have taken writing intensive classes should already have learned the following skills:
These skills may be regarded by all students as a base for further study. Help is available through the Neilson Library Reference Department's Ask a Librarian options.
What Should German Majors Learn and In What Classes?
By the time they complete GER 110, students should
The emphasis here should be on using skills the student has already mastered in English (use of a dictionary, word processing, and basic online searches), but refining them for German Studies. This includes such things as: German Spellcheck, etc., in MS Word; online dictionaries, and also reputable German-English and German-German dictionaries.
Specific Texts/Links: |
Call Number/Access |
German English Dictionaries | |
Oxford Duden German Dictionary | ref PF 3640 .O94 |
Oxford Language Dictionaires Online | click here |
PONS (Collins German-English/English-German) Dictionary | ref PF 3640 .C68 |
LEO | http://dict.leo.org |
German-German Dictionary for non-native speakers: | |
Duden Deutsch als Fremdsprache (Mannheim, 2005) | ref PF 3670 .D82 2002 |
German-German Dictionaries | |
Duden Universalwörterbuch | ref PF 3625 .D83 2001 |
Brockhaus-Wahrig deutsches Wörterbuch | ref PF 3625 .B7 1980 |
Basic German news websites | |
Yahoo Deutschland | http://de.nachrichten.yahoo.com/ |
Google News Deutschland | http://news.google.de/ |
Sueddeutsche.de | http://www.sueddeutsche.de |
Perlentaucher.de | http://www.perlentaucher.de |
MS Word (German Spellcheck) |
At this level, students should familiarize themselves with basic American academic resources, while at the same time they begin to specialize their research methods to reflect a deeper engagement with German Studies. By the end of GER 300, students should
In addition to the resources listed above, students in GER 300-348 should be familiar with the following:
Specific Texts/Links: |
Call Number/Access |
---|---|
Scholarly German Dictionaries | |
Deutsches Wörterbuch/ von Jacob Grimm und Wilhelm Grimm | ref PF 3625 .G72 or click here |
Duden, das grosse Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache and other Duden in 12 Bänden | ref PF 3625 .D823 1923 |
Style Sheets | |
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Chicago Manual of Style | Citation Guides & Style Manuals |
MLA Handbook | Citation Guides & Style Manuals |
Writing Papers: A Handbook for Students at Smith College | Jacobsen Center |
Resources in the Five College Libraries | Five College Library Catalog | |
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WorldCat, MLA Bibliography, and more resources found on the Smith College Libraries German Subject page... | http://www.smith.edu/libraries /subject/german |
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RefWorks | Log in to RefWorks |
Smith College Libraries Contacts | |
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Neilson Reference Librarians | neilref@smith.edu |
Karen Kukil, Assoicate Curator of Rare Books & Reference Archivist | kkukil@smith.edu |
The research skills necessary for GER 201-349 resemble those learned in GER 300-348, though because knowledge of the German language is not required, German resources may be beyond the scope of many students. Still, one can expect that students will, by the end of these courses, be able to
In addition to the resources listed above, students in GER 227/230 should be familiar with the following:
Specific Texts/Links: |
Call Number/Access |
---|---|
Dictionary of Literary Biography | click here |
Deutsche biographische Enzyklopädie, (DBE) | CT 759 .D48 1995 |
Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory & Criticism | click here |
Oxford Companion to German Literature | click here |
Deutsche Literaturgeschichte von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart (Metzler) | ref PT 85 .M3 1991 |
Kindlers Neues Literaturlexikon | ref PN 41 .K54 1988 |
Brockhaus Enzyklopádie | click here |
Kritisches Lexikon zur deutschsprachigen Gegenwartsliteratur (KLG) | ref PT 155 .K7 |
Advanced German Studies majors at the seminar level should master the research skills necessary to make an original contribution to the field of German Studies. This requires that students be able to contextualize their claims within current scholarly discourse, drawing upon quotable and reliable resources and presenting their arguments cogently.
Beyond the skills required in GER 200/250 and GER 300-348, students should
In What Ways Will Student Skills be Assessed?
Students completing work on a paper at the 200 level should submit a bibliography in which primary and secondary sources listed reflect the use of the online catalog, at least some scholarly journals through the use of MLA International Bibliography. Students should be prepared to defend the credentials of authors cited if asked.
In 350+ level seminars in German Studies students should routinely cite both supportive and oppositional arguments from primary and secondary sources in papers including book reviews or other articles found through the use of footnotes or citation indexes. The seminar paper might include an annotated bibliography in which students are asked to indicate the source of their citation and its relative value to the argument within the paper.
Ethical Issues
An 'ethical use of information' means to make a clear distinction between received knowledge and the production of new knowledge. The incorporation of the work of others into his or her own must comply with such distinction. Therefore, every written and/or oral work in the discipline must clearly state its source, if it has any.
June 23, 2013