coursera Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Hi everyone! Now I'm senior (but won't apply for any program for next fall), and fluent just in one foreign language (French). I know that there are language examinations in the history program and almost all schools require at least two languages, except US history. I want to know how hard this exam is. If I would learn German for a year, could I pass this language exam? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TsarandProphet Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 With enough preparation focused on reading, yes. You should work with textbooks that aim to build your reading knowledge, such as Hubert Jannach and Richard Alan Korb's German for Reading Knowledge. Having said that, I believe that one foreign language in the moment of your application is fine (only Harvard explicitly mention two as a characteristic of the typical admitted student), and reading proficiency in your desired field of study is most important. Here is a recent example from Harvard: https://history.fas.harvard.edu/files/history/files/french_exam_aug_2014_final.pdf AfricanusCrowther 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psstein Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 5 hours ago, tellme said: Hi everyone! Now I'm senior (but won't apply for any program for next fall), and fluent just in one foreign language (French). I know that there are language examinations in the history program and almost all schools require at least two languages, except US history. I want to know how hard this exam is. If I would learn German for a year, could I pass this language exam? Yes, easily. My department has more of an informal approach to languages- one of our now retired faculty examined my friend in his office. He had him read Foucault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AfricanusCrowther Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 (edited) Make sure to ask graduate students at the programs you'll eventually visit about the lived reality of the language requirement. Sometimes language requirements are more fluid than what the graduate handbook suggests. Edited September 30, 2018 by AfricanusCrowther TMP 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr. t Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 10 hours ago, tellme said: I want to know how hard this exam is. If I would learn German for a year, could I pass this language exam? Wrong question. As others have already suggested, the difficulty of such exams is highly variable even within the same institution. But language requirements don't exist to check a box; unlike your undergraduate, nothing in a doctoral program exists just to check a box. The question you need to ask is: will a year of German be enough to allow you access to the secondary scholarship you need in order to write an excellent dissertation? TMP, VAZ, psstein and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigaba Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 9 hours ago, telkanuru said: But language requirements don't exist to check a box...nothing in a doctoral program exists just to check a box. They can ... if you're an Americanist.? time_consume_me, TMP, dr. t and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr. t Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 11 hours ago, Sigaba said: They can ... if you're an Americanist.? I believe this is what children these days refer to as a "sick burn". OHSP 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMP Posted October 2, 2018 Share Posted October 2, 2018 Unless you are an Americanist with interest in any sort of exchange with German-speaking countries, you need to be able to research in German (read the newspapers, secondary sources, etc.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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