A student can declare a minor at any time between the second week of their 6th term (spring Sophomore year) and the second week of their 10th term (fall Senior year).

For more information regarding the courses needed in German, please refer to your catalog or speak with the section head, Professor Juliane Schicker.

If you want to declare a Minor, please see the Majors and Minors information on the Registrar’s website.

A minor in German will provide you with competence in all the four skill areas of German (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and provide you with basic knowledge of the major literary, intellectual, and historical trends and texts of German-speaking cultures from the Enlightenment to today in various media. You will work with critical tools to analyze such texts on a basic level and will discuss contemporary issues of German-speaking countries.

Minor Requirements – 36 Total Credits

36 credits beyond German 103 as follows:

German 210-219 Courses – Required 12 credits

German 250 or Higher Courses – Required 12 credits

12 credits from courses numbered 250 or higher, 6 of which must be at the 300 level

Elective Courses – Required 12 credits

12 elective credits of courses in German or courses in English related to German culture (these may include GERM 204: Intermediate German or 205, 150-159, 220-250, CCST 245: Meaning and Power: Introduction to Analytical Approaches in the Humanities, as well as courses in related fields outside the German Department).

  • CCST 233: The Art of Translation in the Age of the Machine
  • GERM 265: German Studies in Austria Program: The Nation through Art: East-Central European Music, Literature, and Visual Arts
  • HIST 250: Modern Germany
  • HIST 346: The Holocaust (not offered 2025-26)

Additional Departmental Notes

No more than 12 credits from non-Carleton off-campus studies programs may be applied toward the minor. Courses 101, 102 and 103 do not count toward the minor. AP, IB or other pre-matriculation credits do not count toward the minor.

The sections for GERM 101: Elementary German: Elementary German, GERM 102: Elementary German: Elementary German and GERM 103: Intermediate German: Intermediate German are flexible for you to enroll in. If you have a conflict between your MWF / TTH classes and a 5-day language class schedule, you can talk with the professor of the course to cross-enroll in 2 sections at the same time. Eventually, you will have to fill out a change request form to enroll in both courses (course conflict). After you speak with the instructor, you can fill out the change request form. The form will require the approval of your German professor, the professor of the course with which your German course conflicts, and your adviser. For Minors and Majors: can’t fit a certain course into your schedule? Is a certain course not offered in the term you need it? Chat with us to find a substitute.

Interested in a minor? Contact the German Minor coordinator, Prof. Seth Peabody. Additionally, review Carleton’s Minor requirements and substitutions.