German Area Studies (B.A.)

Technology is blurring the boundaries between countries and making nearly every culture around the globe accessible: you can hop a flight to another hemisphere or take a virtual voyage around the world. As a German major at Ithaca College, you'll use that technology to complement your language learning as you research, discover, and truly learn the German language.

You'll enjoy close interaction with your professors as well as a cornucopia of study resources in the language center. Here the extensive movie collection will help you explore German culture, online practice exercises will test your knowledge, and films like Lola rennt and Goodbye Lenin! will give you exposure to the spoken language. You'll have the world at your fingertips: the language center also subscribes to Deutsche Welle (DW-TV), providing you with international newscasts and television around the clock. The German Club organizes activities to enlighten and explore the rich heritage of Germany, both linguistically and culturally.

You will also have the opportunity to live in Stockwerk Deutsch, the German-language residential learning community where you can improve your language skills; participate in cultural events such as lectures, music, and art performances; sample traditional cooking; and learn more about the life and culture of the people who speak German. Your experience will be more than bratwurst and sauerkraut: we encourage cross-cultural exploration, and many students satisfy their international curiosities with a semester abroad. You'll get a global perspective when you sign on to study in Germany with the Institute for the International Education of Students or other programs. You'll soak up German culture and get a close-up look at ethnicity and nationalism while stretching your legs in Berlin's Turkish quarter or hobnobbing with the locals.

German majors from Ithaca have gone on to graduate study in German and related fields such as politics and business. Others have taken positions as web designers, media specialists, international journalists, and English as a second language teachers.