Undergraduate

Why Major in German?

DID YOU KNOW?

  • Most graduate programs require knowledge of two foreign languages.
  • Business and law schools value proficiency in a foreign language.
  • Knowing German allows you to continue your studies  in Germany.
  • Most German degrees and certificates count in Europe and in the U.S.
  • Foreign language skills provide opportunities in the job market.
  • Learning a foreign language fosters creative and analytical thinking.
  • Knowing another language casts new light on your own.
  • Understanding a foreign culture through its language expands your horizon.
  • Over 100 million people speak German as a first language.
  • Enjoy reading literature in German and catch the nuances lost in translation

 

WE OFFER . . .

  • An intellectually stimulating liberal arts education through the lens of a major European language.
  • Small classes, personal attention, and a sense of community.
  • A nationally top-ranked faculty and outstanding Graduate Student Instructors.
  • An innovative approach to language learning that is challenging and fun. ­ –Find out more about the history and dialects of Germanic languages! Compare linguistic structures of Middle High and modern German, English, Dutch, and Yiddish!
  • Courses in English focus on German philosophy (Arendt, Benjamin, Freud, Hegel, Heidegger, Kant, Marx, Nietzsche), German political culture (Weimar Republic, fascism, exile, Cold War, post-Wall European integration, migration and multiculturalism), or German cinema and popular culture.
  • Courses in German center around classic literary authors, including Brecht, Goethe, Kafka, Kleist, Thomas Mann, Rilke, as well as movements such as Classicism, Romanticism, and Expressionism. We also offer a course on contemporary digital literature in German. Discover the many works not available in translation or become an actor in a cabaret performance!
  • A lively calendar of special events such as guest lectures, performances, conferences and informal gatherings where you can meet fellow students and practice speaking German. – Meet distinguished visiting speakers from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria!