If she takes AP German as a junior and plans on studying it in college, she’ll need to take a college class senior year or she’ll forget the language (it gets rusty very fast). After AP, typically she’d take College German 4/202 or the first class in the sequence for majors (intro to culture, intro to literature). She could take it in the Spring senior year only so that she’s not too rusty for the college placement test.
Among universities that are strong in the sciences, approaches and content vary a lot. Here are some examples of post-AP classes in a variety of colleges:
Dickinson (1 per semester)
201 Intermediate German I: Contemporary German Cultures
Using literary texts and media from contemporary German-speaking cultures, students focus on recognizing and practicing various registers of written and oral German while reviewing grammatical structures and expanding stylistic forms. For instance, the course will expose students to the differences between the language of a popular daily newspaper, a TV interview, a blog entry, or an essay by a German author. Students will have to use these forms appropriately in class in and their homework.
Classes meet four days a week. Prerequisite: 102 or 103, or permission of the instructor. This course fulfills the language graduation requirement.
202 Intermediate German II: Mediated German Cultures
This course will familiarize students with discourses conducted at different language levels in various German media such as newspapers, TV, and music in addition to new social media. Students will analyze these discourses, and by doing so will acquire a better understanding of contemporary German issues, anxieties, and desires ranging from the impact of the New Right on German hip hop to the heated discussions of new architectural designs, such as the Holocaust monument in Berlin.
Prerequisite: 201, or permission of the instructor.
Attributes: Writing in the Discipline
These would be classes for students with AP credit (1 per semester) at UVermont
GERM 103 - Composition & Conversation
An intensive language course concentrating on more advanced syntax, vocabulary building, and idiomatic expression through written compositions, translations, and oral presentations. Prerequisite: GERM 052 or equivalent.
Credits: 3.00
GERM 121 - Culture & Civilization to 1900
Historical, intellectual, and artistic developments of German culture and civilization from Roman times through the 19th century, stressing written and oral work. Prerequisite: GERM 052 or equivalent.
Credits: 3.00
GERM 122 - 20th C Culture & Civilization
Social, cultural, and political developments in the German-speaking countries since 1900, stressing written and oral components. Prerequisite: GERM 052 or equivalent.
Credits: 3.00
GERM 155 - German Lit in Context I
Introduction to German Literature from the Enlightenment through Realism with attention to political, philosophical, musical, and artistic developments. Authors may include Goethe, Schiller, Novalis, Hoffmann, Heine, and Buchner. Prerequisite: GERM 052.
Credits: 3.00
GERM 156 - German Lit in Context II
Study of 20th century German literature in historical and cultural contexts. Introduction to important topics and stylistic elements through representative texts from prevalent literary movements. Prerequisite: GERM 052.
Credits: 3.00
At Grinnell, after AP she’d likely start in 222 or 302
GRM 222 - Intermediate German II
4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Reading and discussion of literary works of intermediate difficulty. Reading content designed to acquaint students with important aspects of recent German culture and to develop skill in the analysis and comprehension of modern German prose.
GRM 302 - Core Seminar I: From Culture to Nation
4 credits (Fall)
Conducted in German. Study of German literature, history, and culture from 1750 to 1871 through literary and historical texts, documentaries, and films.
GRM 303 - Core Seminar II: German Identity Through Wars and Reconciliations
4 credits (Spring)
Conducted in German. Study of German literature, history, and culture from 1871 to the present through literary and historical texts, documentaries, and films.
At UMass Amherst
German 310: Advanced German I (3 credits)
Expansion of vocabulary and extensive practice in speaking and writing, grammar review as needed. Prerequisite for 310, German 240 or equivalent; for 320, German 310 or equivalent.
German 311: Reading German Culture
Introductory course to increase reading comprehension and fluency. Selected literary texts, mainly from the 19th and 20th centuries. Prerequisite: German 240 or equivalent.
At St Olaf
German 251 – Understanding Narratives (Einführung in die deutsche Erzählliteratur) (GE: FOL-G, WRI, ALS-L)
Students learn to analyze various types of literary texts according to their formal qualities, cultural and historical contexts, and adaptations. Among the narrative genres to be covered are children’s literature, young adult fiction, graphic novel, and novel by such German-speaking authors as Kemal Kurt, Franz Kafka, and Bernhard Schlink. Discussion and practice of advanced grammar concepts will be integrated in the literary analysis modules. Student work consists in active class participation, short oral presentations, and written essays of various genres that are scaffolded by regular prewriting activities, peer review, instructor feedback, and revision.
Wir wollen in diesem Kurs deutsche Erzählungen verstehen: das heißt, Grundmethoden der Literaturanalyse—einschließlich die Einbettung von literarischen Texten in historischen und kulturellen Kontexten—lernen und üben. Zu diesem Zweck lesen wir Texte verschiedener Gattungen und Längen, einschließlich Kinderliteratur, Jugendliteratur, Kurzprosa, Bilderroman, Roman, und Film. Um Deutsch besser schreiben zu lernen, machen wir eine Wiederholung zur fortgeschrittenen Grammatik und behandeln unterschiedliche Schreibgattungen. Zu diesem Zweck haben die Studierenden wöchentliche Schreibaufgaben, sowie einige längere Schreibaufgaben, die dann überprüft und verbessert werden sollen.
German 252 – Exploring Nonfiction (Deutsche Sachliteratur) (GE: ORC)
Counts toward the German major and German Studies concentration
Students learn to analyze various types of expository texts, such as (auto)biographical writings, essays, journalistic articles and German websites, according to the information, arguments and evidence presented, as well as their cultural and historical contexts. Discussion and practice of advanced grammar concepts will be integrated in the topic modules. Student work consists in active class participation, short oral presentations (dialogues, interviews, debates), and written essays that are scaffolded by regular prewriting activities, peer review, instructor feedback, and revision. Topics focus on timely and enduring issues in contemporary German society, such as German sustainability and multicultural life.
Das Hauptziel von Deutsch 252 ist effektives Sprechen und Schreiben über aktuelle und fortdauernde Themen im heutigen Deutschland. Unser Fokus sind Themen, wie grüne Politik und Nachhaltigkeit, multikulturelles Leben, der Umgang mit der “jüngsten” Vergangenheit und das Leben in der DDR. Wir diskutieren vor allem expositorische Texte aller Arten: “Sachliteratur”, wie Essays, journalistische Artikel und (auto)biographische Werke, aber auch kurze literarische und filmische Texte. Studenten machen regelmäßige mündliche Präsentationen in Paaren (Dialoge, Interviews und Debatten). Das Schlussprojekt ist ein kurzes, mündliches Referat, das auch schriftlich zusammengefasst wird. Unterrichtssprache ist Deutsch.