German

Major and Minor

The importance of Germany in Europe and the world has increased tremendously in recent years. For students interested in German language, literature, history and culture, Knox offers coursework at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. Off-campus opportunities include programs in Berlin, Flensburg and Magdeburg in Germany, as well as other European countries.

In-depth work in German literature is especially challenging. Courses at Knox are designed to build students' confidence in their language skills. The goal is a facility with language that opens up new worlds, seen through the eyes of another culture to an extent not possible through the study of literature in translation.

Work in literature inevitably draws from history and culture in a practical understanding that's crucial for a wide variety of business-oriented pursuits, as well as for careers that involve advanced study in language.

The Program
The major in German requires 11 courses, including 19th and 20th century German culture, history and literature; three electives in upper level German; two courses in allied fields; and a senior project. Among the figures given special attention are Marx Büchmer, Freud, Kafka, and Brecht. Independent study courses can be designed to match individual student interests. The minor in German focuses on linguistic competencies in reading, listening, writing and speaking.

Resources
The Language Learning Center is a state-of-the-art facility with multi-standard video, audio and computer systems and a large foreign language film library. The campus-wide cable television system, available in student residences as well as classrooms, carries the German network Deutsche Welle, and SKOLA, a 24-hour foreign language network.

Seven German periodicals are available in Seymour Library, and many of the publications once printed and distributed by the German government are now available on the Internet.