Department of German
Founded in 1869, our department is known for innovative cross-disciplinary research and a dynamic intellectual atmosphere. We have been consistently ranked among the top German departments in the United States.
Our research and teaching engage the full range of German language and literature, philosophy, and visual media from the Middle Ages to the digital era. All our classes promote thinking across national borders.
Our department benefits from being part of a vibrant world-class university that holds expansive libraries, archives, and museums, enabling pioneering work in the humanities, arts and sciences.
Why German? Beyond language skills, our majors receive a strong liberal arts education that opens doors to law school, graduate study, and international careers in science, business, and IT, at home and in German-speaking countries. Graduates from our prestigious PhD program teach at universities and colleges across the country and abroad.
Special announcements
We extend a warm welcome to our new and returning students! Currently public health conditions have necessitated a temporary move to remote-only instruction. Please check the UC Berkeley COVID-19 dashboard for more information: https://coronavirus.berkeley.
October 1: We are now accepting new applications for fellowships to our doctoral program. We offer fully-funded six-year financial packages that combine stipends and teaching. For more information, see https://german.berkeley.

Goethe
Kafka
Brecht
Musil
Herrndorf
Heine
Dann bin ich um den Schlaf gebracht,
Ich kann nicht die Augen schließen,
Und meine heissen Tränen fließen.
Kafka
Kafka
Goethe
Juristerei und Medizin
Und leider auch Theologie
Durchaus studiert mit heißem Bemühn.
Da steh ich nun, ich armer Tor!
Und bin so klug als wie zuvor.
Van Hoddis
In allen Lüften hallt es wie Geschrei.
Dachdecker stürzen ab und gehn entzwei
Und an den Küsten —liest man — steigt die Flut.
Goethe
Bachmann
Goethe
Und grün des Lebens goldner Baum
Kafka
Freud
Goethe
Kafka
Heidegger
Tawada
NIetzsche
Adorno
Kafka
Hegel
Hegel
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