• We encourage students to make the most of their SIP by exploring their interests in German Studies. This is an interdisciplinary field, however, we encourage projects in the humanities that take cultural artifacts (texts, literature, films, etc.) as the primary materials .
  • Start with your own natural curiosity: what do I like? What do I want to write about or explore through this research?
  • Think about your favorite German classes (at K or abroad), and topics you discussed. Is there an author you would like to return to, or a filmmaker, an artist, or a theme?
  • Is there a particular project or product that would help me gain skills as I think about transitioning from K to the workforce? For example, if you are going to graduate school, you may want to do a research project to gain further research and writing skills. If you want to work in a creative field, studying an author or filmmaker may help you.
  • Think about questions you had or observations you made while on study abroad. Do these experiences outside of the classroom guide your interest?
  • Think about what kind of primary sources get you excited. Do you want to work with Special Collections in the library, or with online archives of German-language materials? Do you want to look at visual art or text?
  • Meet with your advisor! Having a brainstorming session can be useful.
  • Think of the SIP as an opportunity, not a requirement! What will be fun for you to research or write about for a term? What will you be proud of, looking back?

• list of German courses already completed in the department
  • preliminary bibliography
  • students will also sign a contract with the faculty advisor noting clear deadlines and work expectations
• registration deadline:
  • Fall SIP:  Friday of 1^st week of Fall quarter of senior year
  • Winter SIP: Friday of 10^th week of Fall quarter of senior year
• Meet with reference librarian.
  • We require students to meet with a librarian at an early stage to begin developing a list of sources
• Research/Background Reading Phase:
  • Research needs to be done (i.e. readings completed) in Summer for a fall SIP, in fall and winter break for a winter SIP
• During the Term of SIP:
  • intensive writing process, ca. 12 hours weekly work
  • meet with faculty advisor every week or every other week starting in week 1
    • during the 1^st meeting discuss topic, research question, methodology, writing and error correction strategies, etc.
  • deadline for completed 1^st draft to be submitted by the student: week 9
  • adviser provides feedback and suggestions for revisions by the end of term
  • student revises the SIP (over winter break for Fall SIP; over spring break for Winter SIP)
  • final submission: 1^st week of Winter term / 1^st week of Spring term
• in Spring:
  • SIP Symposium: students will present work in a public venue
  • presentation in English for a general audience (family, friends are welcome)

• The SIP is the equivalent of a full-unit course. Therefore, you should expect to spend ca. 12 hours a week working on the project.
• Expect to meet with your faculty advisor weekly or at least every other week.
• It is important to begin to prepare for the SIP the quarter BEFORE you enroll: gathering research materials, outlining your ideas, gathering notes, etc. It is very difficult to complete the SIP on time if you begin during week 1.
• The SIP receives a pass/fail grade. You must not produce perfect work but you must put in the necessary time and effort to produce solid independent work.
• You will find that you use writing as a tool to develop your ideas. Sometimes writing is a necessary step to developing your argument and some of that preliminary writing will not be part of the final project.
• Although you should be editing your work (and language) as you go, it is important to have a full first draft before you make extensive language edits. This will save you work in case you decide to cut sections, for example.
• You should expect to spend time polishing and editing the language after completing a final draft. As you write, the German must be comprehensible, and you should avoid egregious errors such as subject-verb agreement errors or number/gender errors.
• Your SIP should be divided into chapters/sections and subsections that inform the reader about content (short and descriptive)

There are some funding sources available for SIPs that meet certain criteria, such as the Hough Grant (call for applications goes out in spring), or the Beeler Fellowship (Due Week 3 of Spring) for research abroad (up to $2,750). A list of most of these sources is available from CIP or on the Grants & Fellowships website. There are grants to support individual, independent projects completed during official Kalamazoo College breaks (i.e. Summer, Winter, or Spring break). Eligibility will be determined based on financial need, project proposal, and host partner support. Please be aware that the application timelines for these grants and scholarships do not

Exceptional projects may be considered for honors. Generally, the German department only considers German-language projects for Honors. There are no length requirements for Honors in the SIP. The SIP is read by two faculty members who must agree to award Honors. A student must also make a formal presentation during the German Studies Department’s SIP Symposium in spring term.

The following are examples of Senior Integrated Projects that have been completed in German Studies:

• “The Rise and Potential Fall of Fridays for Future: Environmentalism in Germany and the Role of Youth Movements, 1980-2023”, Trevor Maylath-Bryant, 2023
• “Meeting in the Middle: Using Abbas Khider’s German for Everyone as a Lens into the Accessibility of the German Language”, Ben Flotemersch, 2023
• “Lost in Translation: A Reflection on Translation Pedagogy through Personal Experience at Erlangen’s City Museum”, Christian Zeitvogel, 2023
• “Ernst Lubitsch: Film Star of the Weimar Republic,” Sean Gates, 2023
• “The Woman Behind the Manipulation: An Analysis of Leni Riefenstahl’s Films The Blue Light and Triumph of the Will,” Ellie Lotterman, 2022
• “Midwifery Past and Present in Germany and the United States,” Grace Stier, 2021
• “Khider and Otoo: Identity and Belonging in Germany,” Meredith Kahan, 2021
• “Animal Shelters in the US and Germany,” Jocelyn Penaloza, 2021
• “Sausages with Lion Mustard and Heinz Ketchup: The Navigation of a German-American Identity,” Annarosa Whitman, 2020
• “Reclaiming Stasi Objects: The Stories of Jürgen Fuchs, Ulrike Poppe and Mario Röllig,” Madison Campbell, 2020
• “Mass Media, Distraction and Boredom: Opium for the Masses in the Modern Age,” Matthew Flotemersch, 2020
• “The Verses that defied the Nazis: Poetry from Concentration and Death Camps,” Sarah Gerendasy, 2020
• “Renewable Mobility in Germany: The Transformation of the Energy Economy and the Automobile Market,” Bruno Quirino Pereira, 2020
• “The Effect of Post-appeals on Facebook User Interactions in German Automotive Companies” by Shelby Hopper, 2018
• “Deutsch-Amerikanische Städtepartnerschaften: Geschichtliche und Organisatorische Trends” by Anne Nielsen, 2017
• “Die Integration der Flüchtlingsschüler*innen und Schüler*innen mit Migrationshintergrund in die Bildungssysteme der USA und Deutschlands” by Analise Robinson, 2017
• “Die Rolle der Frauen in Deutschland: Eine Analyse der soziologischen und historischen Entwicklung des deutschen Frauenbilds” by Sapana Gupta, 2017
• “Ein Blick auf den deutschen Waldkindergarten, die Freiluftvorschule ohne Grenzen” by Brittany Trombino, 2016
• “Die größten Einflüsse auf die deutsche Industrie” by Alyssa L. Walker, 2015
• “Der Mythos der Stunde Null und die Erinnerung im Film” by Mallory Zink, 2015

• PONS German-English dictionary – a recommended online dictionary
• DWDS – Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache – excellent online dictionary for advanced use; includes etymology, similes and antonyms, usage examples, frequency statistics, and more
• Formulierungshilfen – This document provides helpful expressions for writing academic papers in German. Prepared by the Writing Center of the Goethe Universität Frankfurt