Undergraduate Honors, Awards & Contests
Departmental Honors Program in German
Any major with a grade point average of at least 3.5 in German and a 3.3 GPA overall may apply for admission to the honors program. S/he should have the recommendation of her/his instructor in a German course above G250. In addition to regular course work towards a major in German, honors students complete from one to three honors tutorials (G399) and an honors thesis (G499). Honors work is guided and approved by the honors adviser, who also serves as the candidate’s major adviser. Work in G399 and G499 is closely supervised by individual faculty members.
On the basis of outstanding performance in the regular major program, in tutorials, and on the thesis, the department’s honors adviser will recommend graduation with departmental honor in German.
Elmer O. Wooley Prize
These monetary awards are made through the generosity of the late Elmer O. Wooley, a member of the department’s faculty from 1916 to 1954. They are given for scholastic excellence demonstrated in the undergraduate German curriculum.
Salz Family Award
In fall 1996 the Department of Germanic Studies announced the recipient of the first annual Walter Salz Family Award for the year’s best submitted essay on some aspect of the history of German Jews from the earliest times to the present day. Endowed by Professor Emeritus Henry Remak and his wife, Ingrid, the competition is open to essays written by undergraduates and graduate students enrolled on any IU campus. Essays of any suitable length may either have been written for a course or be original compositions, and should be submitted to the department’s main office by the annual June 1 deadline for consideration in the current year’s competition. The winner or winners receive a prize of up to $500.
Delta Phi Alpha
Indiana University Bloomington sponsors a chapter of Delta Phi Alpha, the national German honor society. Each spring, a number of advanced German students, not all of whom are majors, but who have outstanding records in German and in their studies overall, and who are willing to pledge to continue their study of German language, literature, and culture, are invited to join. The faculty adviser is Tracy Alan Hall.
All students of German are welcome to participate in Delta Phi Alpha activities. Among these have been sessions of the department’s weekly Kaffeestunde, dinners, video showings, a literary reading circle, and talks. Delta Phi Alpha also participates in the annual International Festival sponsored by the International Center.
