Research
Like the faculty, advanced German students are expected to pursue an active research agenda.
They take at least one seminar in the fall and the senior colloquium in the spring, both of which are research-intensive. All students write a thesis with topics that range from "German Patriotism and the 2006 World Cup," "Germany's Colonial Past," and "Weimar Film and Film Noir" to "Das Fremdwörterbuch," "PISA and the German Educational System," and "Magic Women as Medieval Revivalism in Wagner and Gilbert & Sullivan."
The German faculty regularly agree to work individually with students as early as in their sophomore year, even if their expertise lies elsewhere. In such independent study courses, professors typically serve as partners and collaborators. For a recent example of the kind of work that faculty and students do together, see this video.
Graduates of Davidson's German Studies Department, Breila Fuller ’23, Olivia Harper '23 and Steffi Coates '23 spent a week of their senior year spring break conducting independent research in Berlin with their professor and thesis advisor.
