Our German program offers undergraduates an exciting range of opportunities to familiarize themselves with German language and culture, from beginning language classes to in-depth study of complex literary, political and cultural topics.
Faculty research areas include German literature and philosophy from the 18th century to the present, including Romanticism and Enlightenment, psychoanalysis, Holocaust studies, Jewish studies, media technology, digital humanities, artificial intelligence, German cinema, linguistics, and twentieth-century art.
Our undergraduate program offers three years of language instruction and a rich variety of lower and upper division courses in both literature and culture. Our classes are taught by internationally renowned and award-winning scholars and designed for students with a wide range of interests, including careers in business, government, law, medicine, media, and translation as well as those interested in pursuing a graduate degree in German Studies.
Language courses are taught almost exclusively in German by our dedicated lecturers. The first two years of language courses help students gain communicative and grammatical competence in German, while the third year focuses on advanced written and conversational skills as integrated within a literary and cultural context.
Courses that May Interest You
Upper division courses include courses on the history and culture of German speaking countries from the 18th century to today, as well as advanced seminars on special topics. Our classes introduce students to topics such as
- Enlightenment texts influential for the formulation of human rights
- The history of anti-Semitism
- The history of science and media
- Women in film
- Jewish and Muslim life in Germany
- The fall of the Berlin Wall
- Contemporary German theater and performance
The department also offers a stimulating selection of lecture classes for an in-depth study of literary, historical, political and cultural topics. These include:
- Contemporary German Pop Culture
- Testimonies of the Holocaust
- German Women Writers
- Revolutions: Marx, Nietzsche, Freud
- Mediatechnology
- Contemporary German Art and Politics
- Mysticism
- Critical Artificial Intelligence
- Digital Humanities Practice
Questions?
Please contact Evelyn Reder or Kelsey White.