German Department

The German department at Wheaton College is a close-knit community of language learners with interests in German literature and culture. Our courses cover all levels of the language, German history, economics, politics, as well as German literature, art, film and popular culture. The department offers students two major tracks: one in German Language and Literature and one in German Studies and welcomes interdisciplinary inquiries. We also offer one minor in German. All our courses are designed to nurture critical, independent as well as creative thinking, and to cultivate a deeper understanding of today’s global community and oneself as an engaged citizen.

Our students have won prestigious awards and fellowships. Our alumni work as educators, doctors, lawyers, playwrights, and managers, serve in the Peace Corps in Surinam, become activists in Mauritius and Tanzania, or go on to graduate school to become linguists, theologians, political analysts and neurologists.

We encourage first-year students to begin learning German at Wheaton and welcome students with previous experience in the language. As a boutique department, we thrive on working closely with students, collaborating actively on their academic and professional careers, and having lots of fun while doing so. As Goethe pointed out already 200 years ago: whoever doesn’t speak a foreign language, does not know his/her own. So, come and join us!

“Wer keine fremde Sprache spricht, kennt seine eigene nicht.” – Goethe