Duke University. Department of Germanic Languages and Literature

The Dept. of Germanic Languages and Literature was created to offer students the opportunity to study the German language and the literature of Germany at Duke University.

The Dept. of Germanic Languages and Literature was created to offer students the opportunity to study the German language and the literature of Germany. The Department endeavored to teach the reading, speaking, comprehension, and writing of German; to promote a grasp of the literature, literary movements, and the history of German literature including movements such as Romanticism, Symbolism, Realism and modern authors: Goethe, Kafka, and Grass; and a familiarity with the cultural history of the German people including art and music. The Department also offered a focused curriculum in linguistics, the teaching of German, and the study of comparative literatures. The Department instituted an M.A. program in 1956 and in the spring of 1963 a Ph.D. program in German was proposed. The first chair of the Department was Clement Vollmer (1936-1955), followed by Herman Salinger (1955-1970), Leland R. Phelps (1970-1974 and 1975-1978), and Frank L. Burchardt (acting chair, 1974-1975). Salinger and Phelps served simultaneously as Directors of Graduate Studies in the Department.