German
Courses

Why study German at Adrian College? To enrich your life and enhance your career. Proficiency in the German language offers access to:

• One of the largest economies in the world (Germany’s economy is roughly the same size as China’s—only the economies of the United States and Japan are larger)
  
• One of the world’s largest exporters (the largest by some measures)
  
• Some of the most competitive, networked, and business-friendly societies in the world (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg)
  
• Cutting-edge research in science and technology, and opportunities to work during the summer in a German university research lab (with the German government picking up the tab)
  
• A critical language in book, journal, and web publishing (only New York has more publishing houses than Munich)
  
• A deeper understanding of German history, which has had a profound impact on world history and the history of the United States.
  
• Cultural treasures, especially in the fields of literature (Goethe, Kafka, Rilke, Heine, Celan, etc.), music (Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms, etc.), and philosophy (Nietzsche, Kant, Hegel, Wittgenstein, Schopenhauer, etc.)
  
• International friendships and professional contacts that can last a lifetime

The German program at Adrian College focuses on communicative competence. Students are expected to learn German by using German in everyday, professional, and academic contexts. Professor Seth Knox is dedicated to providing resources for student success in and out of the classroom. As Adrian students advance through the German curriculum, they refine and deepen their knowledge of German history, culture, literature, and art. They are also engaged with the present. Students regularly view and discuss current German video news and entertainment in their courses. Outside of class, Students may take advantage of the German-only Kaffeeklatsch (informal coffee hour) or enjoy a German-language film at a movie night (Kinoabend). On special occasions students are invited to a German or Turkish meal. All German majors (and education minors) benefit from living in a German-speaking country. Many students choose to study at Germany’s oldest university through our affiliate program with the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg.

German courses at Adrian College are enhanced by Professor Knox’s personal experience and professional training. He has lived in Germany (Munich and Göttingen) and Austria (Innsbruck). Professor Knox has also worked as a free-lance translator. His research focuses on cognitive and linguistic approaches to propaganda analysis.