German
Major and Minor
Faculty and professional interests
Todd Heidt
Late 19th and 20th century German literature and culture, film and visual culture, narratology and media
Gizem Arslan
Post World War II literatures, literary multilingualism, transnational literatures
Teaching emeritus faculty
Ross Vander Meulen
Teaching Intern
Juliane Fricke
The importance of Germany in Europe and the world has increased tremendously in recent years. The program in German emphasizes language study as a gateway to understanding another culture, and another way for us to understand the world and our place in it. Working with literature, film, and other cultural products, students engage with the wider political, social, and historical aspects implicit in every reading, and gain a practical understanding that is crucial for a variety of pursuits, including advanced study in language. The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures offers a full program of courses both for pursuing a German major or minor, or for complementing a major in another area with the study of German. German students may participate in Knox’s student exchange program with the University of Flensburg, or engage in other off-campus study opportunities in Berlin, Freiburg, Munich, and Vienna.
For a full description of the programs in contemporary languages, see the listings for Modern Languages, Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish.
The departmental curriculum contributes to the College's Key Competency Requirements as follows:
- Speaking Key Competency - GERM 210 serves as a speaking-intensive course for majors
- Information Literacy and Informed Use of Technology - All 300-level courses in the German program, require the informed use of technology, including information retrieval, MLA and WorldCat database use, and the critical evaluation of Internet resources.
Departmental Learning Goals
Students completing a major in German will:
- Demonstrate a level of proficiency in German that will allow them to pursue advanced study in that language whether in the United States or in other countries
- Acquire advanced critical/analytical skills that allow them to assess, interpret and assign meaning to numerous types of cultural production including: literary texts; film; political, sociological and historical documents; rituals and folkways
- Be able to design and carry out an original research project in which German is the major investigatory tool and vehicle of expression