German Studies Majors Research Skills

Writing Intensive Classes

Students who have taken writing intensive classes should already have learned the following skills:

• to define and articulate the need for information and identify a variety of types and formats of potential sources for information beyond the web search engine
  [AT THE VERY LEAST – students will be able to identify and locate the two most appropriate types of information needed to complete their assignment.]
• to articulate and apply initial criteria for evaluating both the information and its sources
  [AT THE VERY LEAST – students will be able to distinguish between popular and scholarly materials in a variety of formats such as books, periodical literature, and websites.]
• to acknowledge and cite the sources used in conducting research for an assignment using an acceptable style guide
  [AT THE VERY LEAST – students will be able to locate the appropriate style guide and emergency online help.]

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?

German Studies 100

By the time they complete GER 100, students should

• be able to understand the various elements of individual entries in a German-English / English-German dictionary
• be aware of the supplementary materials available in such dictionaries (for instance, lists of strong verbs)
• be able to produce German characters (ä, ö, ü, ß) in MS Word

German Studies 200/220

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.

• Students should achieve appropriate technological proficiency to be able to use German-language electronic dictionaries and word processing software: MS Word, LEO
• Apprentice scholars need to maintain a flexible vocabulary which will allow them to alter initial search strategies which prove unsuccessful as well as to understand, support, or refute an argument
• Students should be able to perform basic searches of and cite German websites

German Studies 221/222

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 222, students should

• demonstrate mastery of skills required for GER 200/220 (outlined above)
• be able to locate scholarly sources, becoming skilled users of standard databases such as (but not limited to) the Five College Library Catalog, WorldCat, MLA International Bibliography, and J-STOR
• be able to acquire materials using Interlibrary Loan
• submit a bibliography of primary and secondary sources that accords with a recognized style manual (Chicago Manual of Style or MLA)
• create a bibliography using RefWorks
• have become familiar with scholarly German dictionaries, knowing when and how to use them
• know key contact personnel in library: Bruce Sajdak, Martin Antonetti, Karen Kukil
• be able to cite secondary sources accurately and honestly

In addition to the resources listed above, students in GER 221/222 should be familiar with the following:

German Studies 227/230

The research skills necessary for GER 227/230 resemble those learned in GER 221/222, 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 GER 227 and GER 230, be able to

• locate scholarly sources, becoming skilled users of standard databases such as (but not limited to) the Five College Library Catalog, WorldCat, and MLA International Bibliography, and J-STOR
• submit a bibliography of primary and secondary sources that accords with a recognized style manual (Chicago Manual of Style or MLA)
• create a bibliography using RefWorks
• determine the historical context of a topic using basic and scholarly reference sources

In addition to the resources listed above, students in GER 227/230 should be familiar with the following:

German Studies 300+

Advanced German 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 200/220 and GER 221/222, students should

• know how to identify the standard scholarly editions of major writers and to distinguish these from less reliable print or online sources
• be able to identify the credentials of an author whose work they are citing
• be able to put scholarly sources into historical context
• through the use of book reviews, review articles, and citation databases, be able to defend their use of scholarly materials by evaluating the reception of such works by others in the profession
• be able to apply their skills in using literary databases such as MLA International Bibliography to resources in related disciplines such as Philosophy, Religion, History, Film, the Performing Arts, and others as necessary

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 300 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.

September 22 , 2006