Willkommen in der Germanistik
Welcome to the German Program

Learning German makes a great deal of sense. Students who become proficient in German can communicate with about 100 million people living in a number of countries in the heart of Europe. The Federal Republic of Germany in particular is a significant "global player" with longstanding, strong ties to the United States. In fact, Germany is the United States' biggest European trading partner, and the German language the second most commonly used business language in the world. Knowledge of German improves students' chances on the job market, enabling them to compete for attractive, highly paid positions in a wide variety of fields: The arts, business, communication technologies, education, engineering, finance, journalism, law, national security, politics, publishing, science, and tourism. For more on why German is a good choice, see the Goethe Institute's 10 reasons for learning German.

The German Section prepares students to succeed in whatever profession they eventually choose through its well-balanced, communicative, stimulating and intellectually rigorous approach to teaching the German language. Students acquire not only important speaking, reading and writing skills but are also introduced to methods of literary and cultural analysis. Most importantly, we aim to foster an atmosphere of openness and curiosity about German civilization, its history, and the rich cultures of the German-speaking countries.

 

Students of German benefit from the extensive and continually supplemented holdings pertaining to all matters German in the Western libraries and in the Language Media Center.

GERMAN SECTION NEWS:

• Congratulations to Dr. Petra Fiero for the publication, in March 2008, of her book Zwischen Enthüllen und Verstecken: Eine Analyse von Barbara Honigmanns Prosawerk (Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag).
• September 2008: We are delighted to introduce two new colleagues who are joining the German Section this Fall, Dr. Sandra Alfers and Dr. Shannon Dubenion-Smith!
• April 20: Special Event at 6:30 pm at the Pickford Cinema - Martin Ritt. The Spy who came in from the Cold (1965)
• April 21 - June 2: The photographic Berlin Wall exhibit "Icons of a Border Installation" (sponsored by the Goethe Institute) will be in Wilson Library (3nd + 4th Floors).
• April 24: Keynote address for opening week of the exhibit "Icons of a Border Installation." David Clay Large (Montana State University) will present "The ugliest Border: Berlin and its Wall during the Cold War and beyond." Wilson Library Reading Room - 3 pm (reception to follow)
• May 11: Panel Discussion "20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall." Uwe Goodall-Heising (Hanover High School), Harry Ritter (WWU Dept. of History), Amir Abedi-Djourabtchi (WWU Dept. of Political Science), Cornelius Partsch (WWU Dept. of Modern & Classical Languages) - Academic Instructional Center 304 - 4 pm
• May 27: Reading of Berlin Wall Fiction with the German Section faculty - Library Skybridge - 3 pm
• June 3: CONGRATULATIONS to Kalene Barry for receiving the Dept. of Modern & Classical Languages award for "Outstanding Graduating Senior" 2009
• June 23 - August 4: Summer Session German Courses (201-202-203)