Overview:
The purpose of the Master of Arts in German Studies is to
mentor each graduate student toward outstanding standards
of scholarship and teaching, independent research, and
professional excellence. The MA in German Studies prepares
students to analyze critically and synthesize various aspects
of literary studies, cultural studies, theoretical and applied
linguistics, studies in second language acquisition and
teaching, and related professional disciplines.
Learning Outcome 1: The student displays capacity for
literary and cultural analysis across history and genres in
German
Learning Outcome 2: The student demonstrates
professionalism and collegiality as a teacher and researcher
Learning Outcome 3: The student displays scholarly and
practical familiarity in applied linguistics, Second Language
Studies, and foreign language pedagogy
Learning Outcome 4: The student displays advanced
language proficiency in spoken and written German
Learning Outcome 5: The student demonstrates continuous
advancement in research methods and presentation in
German Studies and related fields
Learning Outcome 6: The student can describe, in
experiential and conceptual terms, his/her identity and
competence(s) as a bi-/multilingual
German.
Direct Measures of Learning Outcomes
Using the following rubric, all MA students in German Studies
are evaluated annually on the six learning outcomes by a
committee of three Departmental faculty members. During
the 2016-2017 academic year, there were 9 MA students
associated with the department, and all were evaluated.
Student
Learning
Outcome
1. Displays
capacity
for literary
and
cultural
analysis
across
history and
genres in
German
Exceeds
expectation
s
The student
has shown
exemplary
growth and
achievemen
t in
displaying
capacity for
literary and
cultural
analysis
across
history and
genres in
3. Displays
scholarly
and
practical
familiarity
in applied
linguistics,
Second
Language
Studies,
and foreign
language
pedagogy
The student has The student
shown
has shown
exemplary
exemplary
growth and
growth and
achievement in
achievemen
demonstrating
t in
professionalism displaying
and collegiality
scholarly
as a teacher and and
researcher.
practical
familiarity in
applied
linguistics,
Second
Meets
expectation
s
The student
has met
expectation
s in
displaying
capacity for
literary and
cultural
analysis
across
history and
genres in
German.
Does not
meet
expectation
s
The student
falls short of
expectation
s in
displaying
capacity for
literary and
cultural
analysis
across
history and
genres in
German.
2.
Demonstrates
professionalis
m and
collegiality as a
teacher and
researcher
Language
Studies,
and foreign
language
pedagogy.
The student has The student
met
has met
expectations in
expectation
demonstrating
s in
professionalism displaying
and collegiality
scholarly
as a teacher and and
researcher.
practical
familiarity in
applied
linguistics,
Second
Language
Studies,
and foreign
language
pedagogy.
The student falls The student
short in
falls short of
demonstrating
expectation
professionalism s in
and collegiality
displaying
as a teacher and scholarly
researcher.
and
practical
familiarity in
applied
linguistics,
Second
Language
Studies,
and foreign
language
pedagogy.
Student
Learning
Outcome
Exceeds
expectation
s
Meets
expectation
s
4: Displays
advanced
language
proficiency
in spoken
and written
German
5:
Demonstrate
s continuous
advancement
in research
methods and
presentation
in German
Studies and
related fields
The student The student
has shown
has shown
exemplary
exemplary
growth and growth and
achievemen achievement
t in
in
displaying
demonstrating
advanced
continuous
language
advancement
proficiency
in research
in spoken
methods and
and written presentation
German.
in German
Studies and
related fields.
The student The student
has met
has met
expectation expectations
s in
in
displaying
demonstrating
advanced
continuous
6: Can
describe, in
experiential
and
conceptual
terms, his/her
identity and
competence(s
) as a bi/multilingual
The student
has shown
exemplary
growth and
achievement in
describing, in
experiential
and conceptual
terms, his/her
identity and
competence(s)
as a bi/multilingual.
The student
has met
expectations in
describing, in
experiential
and conceptual
language
proficiency
in spoken
and written
German.
Does not
meet
expectation
s
advancement
in research
methods and
presentation
in German
Studies and
related fields.
The student The student
falls short of falls short of
expectation expectations
s in
in
displaying
demonstrating
advanced
continuous
language
advancement
proficiency
in research
in spoken
methods and
and written presentation
German.
in German
Studies and
related fields.
terms, his/her
identity and
competence(s)
as a bi/multilingual.
The student
falls short of
expectations in
describing, in
experiential
and conceptual
terms, his/her
identity and
competence(s)
as a bi/multilingual.
The results of the faculty evaluations of MA students are
represented as follows:
SLO1: Demonstrates analytical capabilities in literature /
culture
SLO2: Professionalism and Collegiality
SLO5: Methods and Presentation
SLO3: Applied linguistics / pedagogy / Second
Language Studies
SLO6: Bi- and Multilingual Competence and Identity
SLO4: Advanced German Language Proficiency
Indirect Measures of Learning Outcomes
To further assess these learning outcomes, MA students
were asked to describe the extent to which they feel prepared
to complete the tasks described in the six learning outcomes.
They were asked to locate themselves on a scale from 0–10
(0=strongly disagree; 10= strongly agree), and further were
asked to provide narrative feedback for each outcome.
The mean results of all MA students’ self-assessment are as
follows.
SLO1: I feel that I am able to undertake analysis and critique
in a) literary texts and contexts, b) cultural questions and
social phenomena, c) applied linguistics, d) pedagogy /
Second Language Studies, e) diverse genres, f) diverse
historical contexts (i.e., various centuries and periods)
SLO2: I feel that I am able to: demonstrate professionalism
and collegiality as a teacher and
researcher.
SLO3: I feel that I am able to: display scholarly and practical
familiarity in applied linguistics, Second
Language Studies, and foreign language pedagogy
SLO4: I feel that I am able to: display advanced language
proficiency in spoken and written German.
SLO5: I feel that I am able to: demonstrate steady
advancement in research methods and
presentation in German Studies and related fields.
SLO6: Throughout my MA studies, I feel that I have been
developing the ability to describe
and conceptualize my bi-/ multilingual identity and
competences.
program-level responses. We noted that faculty members’
assessment of graduate student learning outcomes were
generally in line with students’ self-assessment on the
learning outcomes. This is a good sign for us, because it
means that faculty and students are identifying similar
strengths and weaknesses. Based on our assessment of
these data, the committee was able to hone in on several
areas where growth and further program development is
necessary.
Students’ self-assessments and faculty assessments both
called for greater program-level and curricular attention to:
Response to Findings
Assessment Results are presented periodically at the
German Studies departmental meetings, in Executive
Session. Discussions surrounding the results focus on how to
best improve our curriculum as well as the assessment
procedures themselves. The results inform our course and
curriculum design, student advising activities, and resource
allocation.
In April 2017, a faculty committee consisting of four full-time
German Studies professors met to review the direct and
indirect measures data from AY 2016–2017 and to consider
1. Professionalization and Collegial Development:
Students in the German Studies MA program seek a
diverse range of professional-preparation activities that
cannot be addressed adequately in semester-long
courses. One clear message from students is that they
intend to pursue a wide spectrum of professional
careers after graduating. Only a minority of students
intend to become university academics. This is
important, because it means that our professional
development activities need to address topics that
many career academics (such as our current faculty)
are somewhat unfamiliar with. We will thus collaborate
with the UA Graduate Center and other resources on
campus to develop a professional development
program that meets the needs of a broad spectrum of
graduate students. Still, our students do note a need
for traditional academic professional development,
including training on interviewing and publishing.
2. Training in Applied Linguistics: Current students at
the MA level report a sense that they are weaker than
they would like to be in applied linguistics
methodologies—in comparison with culture and
literature. We believe that one of the challenges lies in
clarifying for students what the interdiscipline of
applied linguistics is, how it differs from foreign
language pedagogy, second language studies,
historical linguistics, and non-applied forms of
linguistics research. We will recommend to the
departmental faculty that more applied linguistics
courses be offered in the regular course of graduate
curricular planning.
3. Advanced proficiency in German language:
Particularly among incoming MA students, faculty and
students equally report some weaknesses in linguistic
proficiency. We recommend a more exploratory
proficiency assessment among prospective applicants
in the course of the application and admission
process, as well as an early identification (i.e. in Fall
semester of students’ first year) of any deficiencies
that must be addressed. The assessment committee
recommended that GER 575 become a free-standing
graduate seminar focused on advanced German
stylistics and discourse competence. We further
recommended that curricular planning reflect a
balance between graduate courses taught in German
and those taught in English.