Herzlich willkommen! Drawing from the Humanities tradition at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½, our program focuses on developing students’ proficiency in German as well as enhancing their understanding of the cultures of German-speaking countries. We include cultural facets from performing and visual arts, literature, mass media, science, sports, and lifestyles, into our classes and introduce students to cultural icons including Beethoven, Mozart, Tokio Hotel, Einstein, Humboldt, Richter, Hundertwasser, Max Planck, Siemens, among many others. Throughout our standards-based classes, students develop intercultural communication as well as critical thinking skills to explore and establish bridges to other disciplines, among them Business and STEM fields.
Why Learn German?
Why not! After all, with so many similarities with English - think Hand/Hand, schwimmen/to swim, Ring/ring, just to name a few - when learning another Germanic language English speakers already have a head start. Knowing German also offers the benefit of being a gateway to the largest economy in Europe and the third strongest in the world. Study German along with your Business major to open up that opportunity. Moreover, German connects you with the largest number of native speakers in the European Union and, by extension, to one of the world’s ten most commonly spoken languages. Knowledge of German opens up a cornucopia of opportunities such as: working for a German company abroad or in Silicon Valley, traveling in and learning about German-speaking countries, or enjoying the literature, music, art and philosophy in their native language. Learning German can broaden your cultural horizons.
Still need more convincing? Consider these facts and figures (source: ACTFL)
- Knowledge of German gives you an average annual salary boost of 4% in the US and even more in Europe.
- About 3,500 German majority-owned business operations are present in the US
- German companies such as Adidas, BASF, Bayer, Bosch, Lufthansa, SAP, Siemens, T-Mobile or Volkswagen employ over 640,000 workers in the US.
- German businesses accounted for 10.5% of the 6.1 million insourced jobs in the US in 2013.
- Almost half of the jobs created by German companies are in manufacturing.
- Most surveyed companies in the US would choose someone with German literacy over an equally qualified candidate.
Don’t wait! Tell your friends about German, invite them to films from renowned directors like Fatih Akin (Gegen die Wand) or TV shows such as Babylon Berlin or The Man in the High Castle and then, sign up for German!
What German classes can I take at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½?
Elementary German (GERM 1 Fall, GERM 2 Winter, GERM 3 Spring)
Intermediate German (GERM 21 Fall, GERM 22 Spring)
Advanced German (GERM 100 Spring)
Where Can I Study Abroad?
Interested in studying in Austria, Germany or Switzerland? Good news! In cooperation with IES Abroad (Institute for the International Education of Students) SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ offers students of German access to programs based in Berlin, Freiburg, Geneva, Munich and Vienna. Whether you are interested in Global Health and Development, International Studies and Multilateral Diplomacy, European Society and Culture, the European Union or you’re just determined to further your passion for German language and its cultures, studying abroad can pave the way to becoming a global citizen.
Community Partners and Engagement Opportunities
German Studies maintains partnerships with two community organizations: the South Bay Deutscher Schulverein (SBDS), a German Language Saturday School, and the Germania Verein, the German-American Club of San Jose. Both are an easy 15-minute drive from SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ and have hosted our students either as paid teaching assistants (SBDS) or course participants (Germania Verein).
German Academic Advising
Advisor for German at all levels:
Josef Hellebrandt
Contact
Student Resources
Musik in Deutschland
Die offizielle Homepage
Offizielle Webseite
Die Band
Film in Deutschland
Newspapers/Magazines
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Süddeutsche Zeitung
TV and Radio
Official Website
German American School Association of Northern California
Deutschland.de & DE Magazin Deutschland
German Academic Exchange Service - Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst
American Association of Teachers of German
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
Brittany Peters
Traveling around the beautiful village of Monschau, Germany, and Brittany captured this beautiful foggy day and classic architecture.