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BCA Marburg Calendar WS 2012-13

BCA Marburg Calendar SoSe 2012

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Classes in Marburg
The courses available to BCA Marburg students fall into three general categories:

I. BCA courses. For American students only. The BCA courses are taught in German by instructors hired by BCA. These courses have a minimum enrollment number and will be cancelled if the minimum enrollment is not met.

II. German as a Foreign Language courses available through the University of Marburg Language Center (Sprachenzentrum der Uni Marburg) or the German Department of the Uni Marburg (09. Fachbereich). Intended for foreign students, taught by German instructors.

III. Regular university courses. Taught primarily for German students by regular university faculty. Most courses are taught in German.


The Philipps Universität Marburg does not publish course offerings (Vorlesungszeichnis) until about one month before classes begin. You can correspond with your home institution for approval of the courses you are considering taking. Courses recommended by faculty advisors to complete graduation requirements should have alternatives and allow for as much flexibility as possible. Also, unlike in the U.S. educational system, students are encouraged to "test drive" a number of courses prior to making their final schedule decision; usually students have their final schedule laid out after about two to three weeks of classes. Kris Riggs, Director of BCA Marburg, will further help the students in selecting courses on the basis of the evaluation of each student's German proficiency in the Sprachkurs, which takes place before the fall and the spring semester at the Philipps Universität.


To be able to navigate the course catalog, you will need to become familiar with the following abbreviations:

UEExercise (Übung)Involves a high level of student participation and frequent assignments.
VLLecture (Vorlesung)Students may take a final exam and/or write a paper for credit.
PSIntroductory Seminar (Proseminar)Requires an oral report and a research paper.
MSMid-level Seminar (Mittelseminar)Requires discussion, reports and/or a research paper.
HSUpper-level Seminar (Hauptseminar)Requires discussion, reports and/or a research paper. Generally not available to exchange students.
SESeminar (Seminar)Seminar with reports and discussion, can be various levels.
SKLanguage Course (Sprachkurs)Language instruction in a language other than German; generally lower division if introductory.


A typical BCA Marburg student's first-semester schedule might consist of the following:

  • Two 3-credit BCA courses.
  • Three credits in German as a foreign language classes, either in the German Dept. or the Sprachenzentrum.
  • One lecture (Vorlesung) in the student's major field of study.
  • One or more Proseminare or Seminare, depending on language proficiency.
  • Possible audits.

For up-to-date information on offerings at the Sprachenzentrum, go to
http://www.uni-marburg.de/Sprachenzentrum/ and follow the links starting with Lehrangebot.

For up-to-date information on offerings at the Zentrum für Hochschulsport, go to
http://www.uni-marburg.de/zfh/ and click on Sportangebot at the top of the page.

For up-to-date information on offerings at the Volkshochschule, go to
http://www.vhs-marburg.de/

Most departments at the Uni Marburg have their own Website, which can be found by visiting www.uni-marburg.de/ and then clicking on Fachbereiche.


© 2012 by Kris Riggs