Why Major in German?
The University of Virginia's German Department ranks in the top 10 among American
university German departments. We offer a wide array of
language, literature, and culture courses, taught by top-ranked
scholars and graduate students. Language instructors
have native or near-native fluency. The University offers
study-abroad programs at the Universities of Dortmund and Freiburg. The Max Kade German House is the University's center for German
culture, featuring:
an all-German-speaking residence for students
access to German T.V. and radio
colloquia and discussion groups
German films
celebrations of German holidays and festivities
Academics
German culture is know for its great thinkers,
writers, and artists:
Literature:
Goethe, Kafka, Nobel Laureate Elriede Jelinek, Christa Wolf,
Rainer Maria Rilke, Ingeborg Bachmann, Paul Celan
Sciences/social
sciences: Einstein, Planck, Heisenberg, von
Humboldt
Social
sciences: Freud, Max Weber, Karl Marx
Philosophy:
Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Hannah Arendt
Music:
Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Robert and Clara Schumann
Film:
Wim Wenders, Margarethe von Trotta, Doris Dörrie, Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Knowledge of German is especially
valuable to students of: Music, Art, Law, Philosophy, Religion,
Psychology, History, Political Science, and Engineering.
German scientists are world leaders in: Engineering, pharmaceuticals, pollution control, and natural resources.
Business
German is the most widely spoken language in Europe (100 million speakers, vs. 60 million for English, French, and Italian).
German is especially important as a language of business in the emerging markets of Eastern Europe where 13 million students are currently studying German as a second language.
Germany is the largest European trading partner of the U.S., with more than 750 American firms doing business there.
More than a thousand German companies do business in the U.S.,
and many have formed strategic partnerships with American firms.
Germany's is the third-largest economy in the world, and is the
largest exporter relative to its population.
The German firm Bertelsmann is the world's largest publisher, and Germany publishes 35% more titles annually than the U.S.
Greater Munich boasts more than 1,800 computer firms with more than 100,000 workers total. Only Silicon Valley, Boston, and London have a greater concentration.
Heritage
25% of Americans claim German heritage.
Similarity to English
German and
English are both Germanic languages. You can read these words
even if you don't know German yet: der Finger, die Hand, das
Haus, das Bier, der Kindergarten, etc.