Lakeland College

About German

The Humanities Division offers a German curriculum designed to help students master the German language and develop a historical understanding of German literature and culture. Students with no background in the language can begin in the introductory courses, while those with previous experience can begin in one of the advanced classes. The German program prepares students for high school teaching, for graduate study or, if combined with another major (such as Business Management or Education), for a professional career where knowledge of a foreign language is an asset.

All students with knowledge of German, regardless of major, are eligible for the foreign study semester at the Hessen Universitaet in Kassel, Germany. Consult the German instructor for details.

Students who major in German will be able to:

• Know the most important events and intellectual periods in the history of German literature and culture;
• Develop an interdisciplinary understanding of the most important styles and periods in German culture, specifically: Reformation, Baroque, Enlightenment, Sturm und Drang, Neo-Classical, Romanticism, fin de siècle, 20th Century;
• Develop a working knowledge of the most important authors and genres in German literature;
• Understand how the intellectual history of Germany shapes the German character and culture of today;
• Develop skill in literary analysis sufficient to read literature for meaning;
• Develop an appreciation for and a proficiency in the unique expressiveness of the German language, including the use of idioms, and expressions;
• Develop a basic understanding of how the most important regional dialects shape the character of the German language and the German people; and
• Develop an appreciation for the expressive power and intellectual insight of German literature, especially since the Baroque Age.