MenuInventory of the Dept. of Germanic Languages and Literature Records, 1949-1986
Abstract
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.
Most of the collection ranges in date from 1960-1985. A majority of the material was accumulated and created by Herman Salinger (Department chair, 1955-1970 and faculty member, 1955-1975); and Leland Phelps (faculty member, 1961-1985 and department chair, 1970-1983). Material includes various correspondence concerning academic appointments, administrative matters, and curriculum. Major subjects include graduate students and graduate study, various committees, study abroad programs, and publications. Files pertaining to the Harold Jantz Collection are also present.
Descriptive Summary
- Repository
- University Archives, Duke University
- Creator
- Duke University. Dept. of Germanic Languages and Literature
- Title
- Dept. of Germanic Languages and Literature Records, 1949-1986
- Language of Material
- English, German
- Extent
- 4 Linear Feet, approx. 5000 Items
- Location
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Collection Overview
Collection contains material accumulated during the chairmanships of Herman Salinger and Leland Phelps and range in date from 1949-1986. A majority of the material is in English; however, there are items in German interspersed throughout. A bulk of the material dates from 1960-1985. The collection is divided into three series: Herman Salinger, Leland Phelps, and Department Chair and Director of Graduate Study. The Herman Salinger series contains material accumulated and created by Salinger during his tenure at Duke University, as department chair (1955-1970) and as a faculty member. Major subjects include graduate students, job applicants and inquiries, course materials, departmental publications, correspondence, and a file containing materials prior to Salinger's chairmanship. Among the name files are Clement Vollmer, Allan M. Cartter and Peter Ilkow, a German instructor at Duke from 1956 until his suicide in 1958. The Leland Phelps series contains material accumulated and created by Leland Phelps while serving as department chair (1970-1983) and as a faculty member. Material includes general correspondence, departmental meetings, and commitments. Among the major subjects are publications: Creative Encounters: Festschrift for Herman Salinger and Aus Unserer Zuit; foreign study and study abroad programs; the Munster Program; and material concerning the establishment of a language lab at Duke University. The Phelps series is also divided into two sub-series: Harold Jantz Collection files and Committee files. The Jantz Collection files contain material relevant to the acquisition and promotion of the collection including conferences and publications. Various committees on which Phelps served constitute the committee files sub-series. As both Phelps and Salinger served in the department simultaneously from 1961-1970, there is some overlap of materials. The third series contains material pertaining to the departmental chair, including Salinger and Phelps, and the director of graduate study, 1966-1983.
Administrative Information
Collections are on the move for the renovation of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Contact Rubenstein Library staff before visiting. Read More »
Access Restrictions
Patrons must sign the Acknowledgement of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.
Collection is opened for research.
In off-site storage; 24 hours advanced notice required for use.
Use Restrictions
Copyright for Official University records is held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Contents of the Collection
Browse List of Series
Collapse All
Expand AllSeries contains material created and accumulated by Herman Salinger during his tenure in the Dept. of Germanic Languages and Literatures at Duke University.
Series contains material created and accumulated by Leland Phelps during his tenure as faculty member, department chair, and director of graduate studies in the Dept. of Germanic Languages and Literatures at Duke University.
Sub-series contains material relating to the various committees on which Leland Phelps was a member while at Duke.
Sub-series contains material relating to the promotion of the Harold Jantz Collection and includes correspondence, the German American Literary and Cultural Conference, committtees, and grant institutions.
Series contains material accumulated by the Department Chair and the Director of Graduate Studies within the Dept. of Germanic Languages and Literatures.
Historical Note
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.
Subject Headings
- Duke University. Computer Assisted Language Instruction (CALIS)
- Duke University. Dept. of Germanic Languages and Literature.
- Duke University. Dept. of Germanic Languages and Literature--Faculty.
- Duke University Library--Harold Jantz Collection.
- Cartter, Alan M.
- Jantz, Harold Stein, 1907-
- Phelps, Leland R.
- Salinger, Herman, 1905-1983
- Vollmer, Clement, 1898-1972
Related Material
- Herman Salinger Papers, 1909-1982 (Duke University Archives)
- Clement Vollmer Papers, 1898-1983 (Duke University Archives)
- Biographical Reference Collection, 1972-2004 (Duke University Archives)
- University Archives Photograph Collection, 1861-ongoing (Duke University Archives)
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Dept. of Germanic Languages and Literature, University Archives, Duke University.
Provenance
The Records were received by the University Archives as a transfer between 1983-1994.
Processing Information
Processed by Joshua Larkin Rowley, October 2008
Encoded by Joshua Larkin Rowley, October
Accessions A83-66, A89-0003, A94-99 were merged into one collection, described in this finding aid.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and our local Style Guide.
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.