Programs

When you study German at Gettysburg, you learn more than a second language. You also develop an understanding of the literature, history, culture, and politics of German-speaking Europe in the context of modern society.

By removing yourself from the comfort of your habitual forms of self-expression, foreign language study—whether contemporary or ancient—teaches you to translate abstract ideas into concrete form in new ways. You come to learn that language gives you access to cultural idiosyncrasies.

As a German Studies major or minor, you’re strongly encouraged to study abroad to expand your understanding of German culture—and the world. We offer programs in Berlin, Freiburg, and Vienna.

You’ll also gain access to unique benefits of the German Studies Department, including:

  • Our resident German teaching assistant, sponsored through the Fulbright Program, who assists you with grammar and organizes co-curricular activities such as films, Stammtisch, and Kaffeeklatsch
  • German Club
  • German House
  • Department events (picnics, dinners, immersion days, Winterfest)
  • Excursions to cultural centers in Washington DC and Baltimore
  • Musselman library’s impressive collection of literary texts, films, journals, newspapers, and critical work in German Studies

You’ll leave our program prepared for graduate study in law, public health, German Studies, student affairs, or the field of your choice, or for careers ranging from teaching to working for the government. We also have a strong record of sending graduates to Germany and Austria as Fulbright Teaching Assistants.