An increasingly globalized society places a premium on second language study and communicative competence in the world’s many cultures. Colgate’s program in German embraces linguistic study as a privileged point of entry into the cultures of German-speaking Europe. The vibrant field of German Studies provides students with an informed grasp of German-speaking Europe’s historically formative influence and its contemporary global significance. The department’s curriculum also serves to endow students with powerful critical tools of transcultural interpretation and evaluation crucial to their development as self-conscious learners and thoughtful citizens.
We offer German as both a
major and a
minor course of study. Our program leads students through a broadly conceived, integrated study of German language, literary and cultural history and enables them to immerse themselves in contemporary German culture through its acclaimed study group program in Freiburg, Germany. For more information about this study group, visit the department's
Freiburg study group page and the
office of off-campus study.
The department also encourages students to enroll in related courses in other disciplines. A major in German is an excellent preparation for advanced studies in the fields of literature, philosophy, art history, history, film studies, and music, and can also give students a competitive edge in the fields of international relations, law, business, journalism, and publishing.