Studying German

Why Study German? Four Key Answers

Majoring or Concentrating in German Literature and Cultural History offers you a way to

• gain substantial intellectual benefits: You will solidify your command of a language spoken by more than 180 million people worldwide. You will become able to study major works of literature, philosophy, psychology and politics in the original language, and in doing so gain access to a rich cultural tradition that has left a lasting imprint on the Western world: Just think of Kafka, Brecht, Thomas Mann and their crucial role for modern literature. In philosophy, the importance of Kant, Hegel, and Nietzsche can hardly be overrated. Weimar cinema remains one of the most influential periods in film history. Freud, Marx and Einstein have shaped the way in which we think of the world and ourselves today.
  
  
• profit from excellent academic mentoring: You will study in a department that welcomes you and has one of the best faculty/student ratios at Columbia. Our classes are small yet lively and allow for close individual mentoring of students by our faculty. They cover a wide array of topics, ranging from courses on Romanticism or the modernist novel, to seminars on German film and media theory, German-Jewish cultural relations, and the history of Berlin. The department also provides you with many opportunities for practicing German and learning about German culture outside the classroom. The cultural program at Deutsches Haus includes conversation hours, lectures, colloquia, and film screenings.
  
  
• advance your employment and career prospects: You will acquire qualifications that will prepare you for a variety of different career paths. Whether you are planning to pursue graduate studies in the humanities, social sciences, engineering, or law, or preparing yourself for an international business career—your German degree will always contribute significantly to your professional profile. You will become a desirable job candidate for any German company with branches in the United States, and for any American company with branches in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland. More generally, a B.A. in German is among the top ten majors for entering the current competitive job market. This was revealed by representative study recently conducted by Georgetown University, which showed that majoring in a foreign language such as German offers you better employment chances than a B.A. in Economics, English, History, or Political Science.
  
  
• increase your "cultural competence": You will develop skills for intercultural communication that have become a key asset in a globalized world and in the global marketplace. Since learning a foreign language involves learning new forms of expression that are also new ways of thinking, studying German at Columbia allows you to acquire a critical awareness of both “things foreign” and your own native culture. You will also have the opportunity to study abroad and explore the vibrant cultural atmosphere of Berlin, gaining the invaluable first-hand experience of what it means to live in another country.

Requirements for majors and concentrators in the Undergraduate German Program

Studying Abroad

We will make sure that you can acquire international experience by studying abroad. Columbia College sponsors a fellowship that allows you to spend the summer taking language classes in Germany. Furthermore, the Department of Germanic Languages is part of the Berlin Consortium for German Studies, a program that enables you to study in Berlin for a semester or an academic year while earning full credit. The Consortium provides not only courses and individual mentoring by a yearly rotating American faculty member. After preparation through an intensive language program, you will also take classes with German students at the Freie Universität Berlin. Thus you will be able to immerse yourself into contemporary German society, gaining cultural and linguistic fluency.

More information about our study abroad opportunities