German, AB

The German Department offers coursework in language, culture, literature, and linguistics. Entering students take a placement test during the summer before their arrival to determine where to begin the program. 

Integrated Writing

In the German Department’s Developing Multiple Literacies undergraduate curriculum, writing plays a pivotal role in fostering:

  • language learning in all modalities (i.e., speaking and reading);
  • development of advanced foreign language literacy understood as the ability to use language in a variety of private and public social settings, including academic, institutional, and professional contexts;
  • development of substantial cultural studies knowledge through textual meaning making;
  • emergence of individual voice and personal meaning in the context of expected community standards.

For more details, please see information about the Role of Writing on the German Department’s website.

Cultural Opportunities

Students are urged to participate in numerous cultural opportunities offered by the Department and the Washington, DC, area. For details, contact the German Department at german@georgetown.edu.

Study Abroad

The Department requires students to have a significant overseas study experience. Students interested in the University’s five-week summer study program at the University of Trier, Federal Republic of Germany, should contact the Department or the Office of Global Education. The University also conducts semester and full-year programs at the universities of Berlin, Freiburg, Munich, Tübingen, and Vienna. For students who spent a semester or year abroad during high school, this may fulfill the overseas study experience. In addition, students can, in consultation with their advisors, apply for internship in various German-speaking countries. (See the Global Education section of this Bulletin.)

Scholarship Support

The German Department provides generous support to enable student participation in the Trier summer program through the Heinz C. Prechter Fellowship (World Heritage Foundation), the Kurt Jankowsky Fellowship, and the Friends-of-the-Trier-Program fund. Competitions are announced on the Trier program website.