Department: German
Overview
The mission of the German Department is to teach German language, culture, and civilization in a professional, research-based manner, to help students develop a foundational knowledge of the German cultural and literary canon, to develop intercultural awareness and foster understanding between the Hunter as well as New York City communities and the German-speaking countries, and to create and propagate knowledge and understanding about German language, literature and culture and also about the teaching of German language, literature and culture locally, regionally, and nationally. The department offers courses in the language, literature, and culture of German-speaking countries that are designed and sequenced to guide students from their current language proficiency levels through well-defined stages of proficiency in production and comprehension so that students will reach college-level literacy in German and excel in the field of German studies. Students who complete the elementary and intermediate courses can expect to reach the ability to function in everyday situations in German-speaking environments and to have a solid base for the upper-level study of German language, literature and culture. Students who complete advanced language, literature, and culture courses will gain an understanding and appreciation of German culture and civilization, past and present; they will comprehend spoken and written German to the level of understanding the classics of German prose, drama, and poetry; and will either have reached or will be well on their way towards reaching the linguistic and cultural capacity for engaging in intellectual discourse in written and spoken German.
What can I do with my degree in German?
Germany is the third-largest economy in the world, and German is the first language of over 95 million people worldwide. Students with a foundation in the language, literature, history, and intellectual revolutions of Germany are prepared to enter a wide variety of vocations. Majors continue to postgraduate study in Germany and the United States, enter law schools and other graduate programs and work in fields as diverse as environmental policy, journalism, arts management, consulting, and engineering, as well as in governmental and nongovernmental organizations and businesses. Some of our recent graduates have been hired by the Manhattan branches of the Goethe Institute and the German American Chamber of Commerce.
Foreign Language Requirement
Students who begin German as a new language will fulfill the foreign language requirement by taking 12 credits in the elementary/intermediate language sequence: GERMN 10100-GERMN 10200 (or GERMN 10300), GERMN 20100-GERMN 20200 (or GERMN 20300). Students who enter with one or more years of high school German must take all the credits they need so that they can pass GERMN 20200 (or GERMN 20300). Students who enter with four years of high school German will be exempted from the foreign language requirement (see the General Education - Effective Fall 2019 section of this catalog).
Placement
Students who have some knowledge of German should consult with one of the departmental advisers or the chair for placement in a class that is appropriate for them.
Administration
Chair:
Lisa Marie Anderson
1408 West
(212) 772-5006
lisa.anderson@hunter.cuny.edu
Department Office: Hours of operation: Monday-Friday 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
1405 West
(212) 772-4980
Web site: http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/german