| Undergraduate Program
in German |
Why Study German?http://www.german.duke.edu
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Language Matters! |
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Global understanding, professional success, personal growth:In today's global environment, the knowledge of other languages and cultures is an absolute necessity. The study of a foreign language has always been an integral part of what it means to be educated, yet this is even more urgent today. You often hear that English is becoming the lingua franca in much of the world, and that especially in Europe, most educated people speak English. So why should you bother to learn another language? Well, here are just a few reasons. In the first place, contrary to popular belief, not everybody speaks English. |
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| But even if this were true, unless you are able to speak another language with some degree of fluency, you will always be at a decided disadvantage. For one, your monolingual, monocultural view of the world will limit your perspective, your ability to really understand global events, transactions, and interactions, even if you never leave the United States. For another, you will never truly be on equal footing with people from another culture if you know nothing of their language. But perhaps the most important reason to study another language is for your own growth as a person. In the professional world, language most certainly matters! But language also matters, because it is so central to our very identities. Most people who have had the opportunity to live in another culture and learn another language will tell you that the experience changed their lives profoundly. Speaking another language challenges who we are, involves us in a process of becoming, and this is what growth is all about. Do not waste this opportunity while at Duke to learn another language and spend at least a semester abroad. Language matters! | |
Brandenburger Tor
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If you are planning for any profession or career that might involve the European context, German is an excellent language to learn. In Europe, more people speak German as their native language (approximately 100 million) than do English, French, Italian, or Spanish. In Eastern Europe, German ranks even before English as the major second language. Germany plays a central role in the European Union, and is a major economic and political power. |
Career Opportunities |
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| Knowing German will greatly enhance your career opportunities in international business, foreign service, publishing and journalism, commerce and industry, teaching and scholarship, engineering, and international aspects of most other fields. |
Smart Car
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| Consider this: "Almost one thousand American companies do business with Germany, and over one thousand companies based in German-speaking countries have subsidiaries in the U.S. In all of these firms there is a need for workers with an understanding of both languages and of the differences between the two cultures. Knowledge of German not only helps one get a job, but often is a significant factor in advancement within a company. In a number of high-tech companies [...] German is the language named as the foreign language they would most like job applicants to know." | |
Research and professional Development |
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Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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Knowing German will give you access to a rich body of knowledge in many disciplines. Not only is German is the language of many great thinkers, artists, and scientists (think of Einstein, Nietzsche, Freud, Marx, Kafka, not to mention all those great Expressionist artists and classical composers!); it also plays a central role in many contemporary economic, political, and cultural developments. Whether you are studying philosophy or mathematics, music or art history, theology or engineering, political science or literature, advanced study in these fields will be greatly enhanced by a knowledge of German. |
German at Duke |
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| When you begin German at Duke, you are introduced to the German language through an exciting communicative approach that emphasizes speaking in real-life situations and contexts. You are also exposed to the richness and diversity of German culture and society. Classes are small, and instruction is personalized to meet your individual needs. We hope that through your study you will come to appreciate the value of German for business, culture, friendship, travel, heritage, and cross cultural understanding. Our upper level courses offer a wide spectrum from which to choose: literature and culture courses, Business German, film and theater courses, and courses exploring contemporary social and cultural issues. |
Oktoberfest at Duke
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| You will find in our department a very active and enthusiastic group of teacher-scholars involved in various aspects of German Studies: literature, history, film, philosophy, political science, music, art, popular culture, medieval and womens' studies, to name just a few. You will have many opportunities to get to know our faculty and graduate students on a personal, informal level, through coffee hours (Kaffeestunden), film evenings, lectures, fall and spring festivals, and other department events. We hope you will take advantage of these extra curricular activities, and think of joining our German Club, which works together with our German Honors Society (Delta Phi Alpha) to plan and organize these events. | |
Study Abroad Programs |
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We also offer two of the best study-abroad programs available:
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Fun on the banks of the Spree (Berlin)
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Theater am Schiffbauerdamm (Berlin)
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Erlangen
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