Welcome to Carleton’s German Department!
We invite you to understand the world through German studies. German courses at Carleton were first taught during the 1870/71 academic year, and in 1905, when majors and minors were introduced at Carleton, German was available as both a major and minor. Formally, a German Department was founded in 1912. Today, we are a vibrant community of faculty, students, and staff and we can’t wait to grow older with you!
Faculty of the German program seek to provide students at Carleton College with engaging coursework and exceptional teaching of language and critical analysis. Our students develop intercultural awareness, examine global issues and contexts, and interrogate their own cultural practices and perspectives. We train our students to question their surroundings critically and see the complexity in cultures, languages, and individual speakers. Ultimately, we aim to teach German language and culture in a way that provides students with skills, knowledge, interests, and curiosity that will help them take on critical challenges of the world today.
In our classes and in extra-curricular activities, we build community so that students become active partners in the learning process and enjoy spending time with each other. Classes have between 10 and 25 participants, so students get to know their fellow German-speakers well. We connect this community of German learners with the diverse communities on and off campus that have an interest in learning about and sharing languages and cultures.
Info for First-Year Students
Why take German?
If we only had two sentences to convince you to learn the German language and to study cultures in German-speaking countries, then these sentences would be: German can take you almost everywhere in your life and career. AND Our students of German are an amazing bunch of people!
In our changing global environment, communication and reflection are key to understanding yourself and other peoples and cultures. Studying German and its cultures at any level will prepare you to be a more informed and more engaged global citizen while reflecting on your own goals and dreams.
A study by Richard J. Light showed that, within 10 years after graduation, 28% of alumni have studied one language other than English since college because they needed or wanted to learn it, another 16% have studied two or more. An impressive 94% of the alumni studied say: take as many language courses as you can in college. A majority, 57%, urge students to take courses in a language and literature other than English even if they officially test out of the requirement.
“For students today, studying math and language might turn out to be the only way to be flexible enough to face a rapidly changing market in which a computer science degree is no longer a guarantee of a job. But it’s also a way to deepen our humanity in the face of these strange machines we have built, and to understand them. And that is something that A.I. will never do” (Weatherby 2025).
Can I major in German?
You can major and a minor in German. Students may enhance their German skills and verify their level of accomplishment by earning a Minor. Students who desire a higher level of linguistic proficiency and who want to deepen their knowledge of cultures in German-speaking countries can pursue a German Major.
How to get started
Learning German begins with basic and intermediate language and culture study. The beginning and intermediate sequence consists of four semesters: German 101, 102, 103, and 204. Students beginning at Carleton take a placement test to determine the appropriate level German course for them.
