Course in German were first offered at the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in 1872/1873. In the late 19th century, the German Department was established. A popular department until World War I, enrollment in courses in German decreased following the war. High schools began to eliminate German from their curricula, and the College lacked students qualified to complete a major in German. However, enrollment slowly increased until the department gained strength in the 1930's. In 1931, the Junior Year in Munich program was established for students who wanted to spend one year of their studies abroad. In the 1937/1938 academic year, Deutsches Haus (German House) opened on campus. German speaking students lived in this house and hosted programs and events in German for the rest of the community. In 1955/1956, the German Department was renamed the Department of German Language and Literature. It was renamed the German Studies Department in 1995/1996.
The Mount Holyoke College German Language and Literature Department Records consist of photocopied pages from the Llamarada; lists; articles; brochures; reports; examinations; flyers; advertisements; programs; press releases; and photographs. Course descriptions, descriptions of major requirements, and writings about the history of the department can be found in the records in addition to a brochure about the department itself. Information about lectures and other department activities can also be found. Course records include examinations from various courses in the department. The photographs found in the records portray a department performance, students in a classroom, and a faculty member. Also contained in the records are the annual reports of the department to the President of the College. These reports provide information pertaining to course enrollment; majors, minors, and honor students; student work; personnel changes; faculty activities; lectures; goals of the department; curriculum changes; and department activities.
Records restricted to use by office/department of origin for 25 years from date of record creation
Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:
German Language and Literature Department Records, Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections, South Hadley, MA.