German

So, you think knowing German has little relevance in today’s society.
Take a look at these facts:

• Almost 1,000 American companies do business in Germany and over 1,000 companies based in German-speaking countries have subsidiaries in the United States.
• German multinational corporations provide 700,000 jobs in the United States.
• Germans spend more on tourism than any other nation in the world.
• The U.S. is the third largest importer of German goods and services, making us one of Germany’s most important trading partner.
• Germany is the world’s largest exporter.
• Direct investment by Germany in the United States is over ten billion dollars.
• Germany's gross domestic product is the world’s third largest. Its economy is larger that that of all Spanish-speaking countries combined.
• German is spoken by more than 120 million people in Europe.

Why is this information important to me?
In all these firms, here a need for workers with an understanding of both languages and of the differences between the two cultures. Knowledge of German not only increases your opportunities on the job market, but often is a significant factor in advancement within a company. Travel agencies, tour companies, hotels, airlines and car rental agencies whose employees can communicate in Germans will compete better for their business. Is it surprising, then, that in Cameroon, German is second only to English? In Nigeria it is reported that 250,000 students study German, and that 68% of Japanese students study the language.

Here are some other considerations:

• 18% of the world’s books are published in German.
• More Americans (25%) can trace their ancestry to Germany than to any other country.
• German and English are similar. Many words in German sound and/or look the same as words in English. Here are a few examples:
  • Haus = house
  • Buch = book
  • singen = to sing
  • windig = windy
  • Kommen = to come
  • schwimmen = to swim
• 22 Nobel Prizes in Physics, 30 in Chemistry and 25 in Medicine have been awarded to scientists from three German-speaking countries.
• 11 Nobel Prizes in Literature have been given to German-language writers, and 7 Germans and Austrians have received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Do you want to increase your “cultural competence” in the global marketplace? STUDY GERMAN!
There are substantial intellectual benefits in learning German.  Some of the most admired filmmakers of the 20th century ” Fritz Lang and Rainer Werner Fassbinder ” have come from the German-speaking world. In the field of literature, authors such as Kafka, Brecht, Thomas Mann have played a crucial role. In philosophy, the contributions of Kant, Hegel and Nietzsche are difficult to exaggerate. Others like Freud, Marx and Einstein have had profound implications on how we view our worldand ourselves today.

German at NCCU
NCCU’s German language classes offers an interdisciplinary approach and draw on a wide range of German-language materials and cultural events including art, literature, film, theater, classical and popular music, television, press, food and the world-wide web.  The minor in German at NCCU is particularly suited to students wishing to combine interests in German language and culture with intensive study in other academic disciplines such as History, Communications and English.

Requirements for the German Minor (at least 21 credit hours)

GERM 1160 – Elementary German I
GERM 1161 – Elementary German II
GERM 1162 – Elementary German III

12 credits in 2000-level German courses.  Here are some examples:

GERM 2102 – Conversational German
GERM 2103 – Grammar & Composition
GERM 2104 – Introduction to German Civilization
GERM 2105 – Introduction to German Literature
GERM 2106 – Contemporary Germany