German and German Studies
German and German Studies enables students to gain a critical understanding of the political, social, and historical influences that shaped German culture and to analyze its role in the contemporary global context.
Herzlich willkommen zu Bryn Mawr German!
The Bi-Co Department of German and German Studies offers an interdisciplinary German studies program that explores the role and and global reach of German language, literature, and culture to understand urgent and essential questions of the past and the present. We explore the diverse voices, perspectives, disciplines and narratives that have emerged from and shape German-speaking regions and their role in the world today.
Our faculty have expertise in and offer courses that approach film, philosophy, Asian- German studies, history, international relations, political science, gender studies, disability studies, post-colonial theory, medical humanities, history of art, visual studies, media theory, history of science, and Jewish studies. Our courses interrogate canonical and non-canonical works from the premodern to the present to engage with the shifting understanding of German literature, culture, and history.
Start your studies in German today!
Here are top reasons to study German in our program:
- Learn one of the most commonly spoken languages in Europe and heritage languages in the US and encounter diverse, global perspectives.
- Discover the rich intellectual contributions from the land of Dichter und Denker, as well as Austria and Switzerland in the arts, literature, philosophy, social sciences, and the natural sciences including Goethe, Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, Arendt, and Schiller
- Join a highly interdisciplinary program whose flexibility allows you to have a comprehensive training in German literature, culture, and history and easily pursue a double major.
- Develop valuable intercultural communication, analytical and critical thinking skills that are essential in an increasingly globalized world.
- Gain advanced reading knowledge of German, which is useful for biology, physics, archaeology, chemistry, engineering, religion, philosophy, literature, art history, and medicine.
- Take a variety of courses in German and English that foster critical thinking, expository writing skills and deep understanding of German culture in its contemporary global context and its larger political, social, and intellectual history.
- Study abroad at world-renowned universities in German-speaking countries that offer programs for all areas of study through an exchange program or a prestigious fellowship from DAAD, Fulbright, and others.
- Explore ample career possibilities with global enterprises based in Germany such as Bosch, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Audi, Krupp as well as at German companies in the US since Germany is the third largest foreign employer in the US.
- Complete an internship with a company in a Germany-speaking country or conduct research in Germany through a variety of intern exchange and study programs for students and young professionals in business, the sciences, and public policy.
- Stand out on applications to jobs and professional / graduate school: majoring or minoring in a language shows your commitment to intellectual rigor!
- Enhance your academic and professional profile by competing for postgraduate study and professional opportunities through well-respected fellowships such as Fulbright, DAAD, or CBYX. Our students are very successful in these highly competitive applications!
- Pursue a course of study that prepares you for a career in education, government, foreign service, the natural sciences, business, library science, translating, among many others. Our alumni have enjoyed successful careers in a variety of fields with the help of a German degree.
- Become a valued member of a department that hosts a variety of co-curricular events! Whether Stammtisch, Cabaret, field trips, film screenings or presentations by distinguished guest speakers, Bi-Co German sponsors activities to complement your coursework and engage you outside of the classroom.
- Support your peers by becoming a paid TA in the language courses or a tutor in the college tutoring program. You will also receive mentoring by department faculty to hone your presentation and teaching skills!
More information about the Department of German and German Studies is available on Inside Bryn Mawr.
Key Information
Emily Shein '22I am particularly interested in studying memorials and museums that deal with historical trauma, and, through my work in my German major, I have developed a specific interest in Holocaust memorials and museums.