German Studies in Austria

With Vienna’s past as the capital of the Austro-Hungarian empire and its central European location, the city has a rich and complex history as well as contemporary cultural significance. Austria may often be overlooked in favor of Germany, but the geographically small country boasts a thriving cultural scene, diverse landscapes, and entanglement in the many thorny political issues of the moment. Oh, and did I mention the Alps? 

After I graduated from college, I spent two years teaching English at secondary schools in Austria through the Fulbright program and became interested in the varied natural and cultural landscapes in the country, including the regional dialects that students will also come to learn. Later, during my PhD program, I studied literature in Graz and learned about the vibrant literary institutes that support cultural production. 

I designed this program for students who are eager to advance their German language skills in an immersive setting and through exciting coursework that engages with contemporary issues and history. I look forward to welcoming students to an exciting new program in Vienna!

Kiley Kost, Lecturer in German

Learning Goals

• Significantly expand German language proficiency and fluency in German
• Analyze different media, including literature, drama, poetry, visual art, and film from the perspectives of literary and cultural studies
• Critically examine current issues in Austria and Europe and relate them to historical contexts and academic interests
• Experience immersion in a foreign culture and experience the challenges and discoveries of life in a new environment
• Build intercultural awareness and independence

Prerequisites

GERM 204 or equivalent (German proficiency). Students must have sophomore, junior, or senior status in the 2025-2026 academic year.

Required Core Courses

GERM 322: Remembering and Forgetting: Austrian Literature and Culture (6 credits)

What stories are told about Austria and its history? What stories are forgotten, and why? In this course, we’ll learn about Austrian history, culture, and politics through the region’s literature and cultural institutions. Through deep engagement with multimedia texts (novels, short stories, films, poems), students encounter Austrian cultural production and criticism while also strengthening German language skills. Site visits, museum trips, and excursions in Vienna and beyond complement our analysis.
Instructor: Kiley Kost

GERM 264: Theater and Opera in Vienna (6 credits)

Vienna is full of world-class theater and opera that simply cannot be missed. In this class, you’ll learn about important dramas and their authors and then see the works performed live at theaters in the city–you’ll also get the chance to go backstage and tour several theaters up close! Informed by historical background and theoretical approaches, we’ll discuss the performances, their sociopolitical relevance, and situate them within various contexts. 
Instructor: Kiley Kost

Electives (choose one course)

GERM 262: Cultural History of Food and Drink in Vienna (6 credits)

What are the cultural, historical, environmental, social, and political forces that shape our experience with food and drink? This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to learning about the important food and drink culture in Vienna and Austria. Site visits to the city’s iconic markets, taverns, producers, breweries and cafés deepen understanding and language skills.  
Instructor: Local Faculty

GERM 265: The Nation through Art: East-Central European Music, Literature, and Visual Arts (6 credits)

How does art, in various forms, shape our understanding of a nation? What does it mean for a place to have a national language, music, painting, architecture, and so on? And what are the peculiarities of these questions in the context of Austria, which was once the center of a vast ethnically and culturally diverse empire? This class explores how art forms can both create and express national cultures while covering the history of East-Central Europe.
Instructor: Local Faculty

Housing

Students will live in dorm-style private apartments. Rooms are private. Cooking is also independent.

Excursions

Excursions are a mix of day trips in country and longer excursions. Two longer excursions will take the group to to the Wachau Valley, Innsbruck, Munich, Ljubljana, and Trieste in Italy.