German Studies

Why learn German at CSB/SJU?

Our combination of nationally-recognized academics1 and an unparalleled commitment to studying and interning abroad2 leads to exciting careers and scholarships for our graduates.

 Jessica Thwaite '19
Recipient of an Austrian Fulbright-Marshall Plan Award for 2019-2020 to conduct research in Graz, Austria.

Read more about Jessica...

Academics

Our faculty are enthusiastic professors who are passionate teachers and engaged scholars.

Kurt Hollender, Ph.D.

Academic interests:
Literary theory,
German literature
around 1800,
language pedagogy,
drama

Brooke Kreitinger, Ph.D.

Academic interests:
Contemporary transnational German literature and film, migration and refugee narratives, aesthetics of emotions, feminist cultural theory, theories of cosmopolitanism and globalization, language pedagogy, and curriculum development

Florian Bundschuh, Mag.
Fulbright Teaching Assistant

Academic interests:
Teaching methods, foreign language didactics, contemporary history and politics

The CSB/SJU German Studies Program annually hosts a Fulbright Austria Teaching Assistant and is a member of the National German Honor Society, Delta Phi Alpha.

   

Course Offerings

Elementary German | Intermediate German | Migration and Culture | The Moral of the Story: Fables, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and the Ethics of Literature | German History, Culture, and Civilization | Literature from the 19th and 20th century | The Age of Goethe | Poetry in the German Tradition | The Romantic Quest | Current Events


German Minor
GERM 212 plus 16 upper-division credits

German Major
GERM 212 plus 324 (or 325) plus 30 additional upper-division credits

Study and Intern Abroad

Record numbers of CSB/SJU students study abroad in comparison to other Minnesota liberal arts colleges3.  German learners can choose from three study or intern abroad programs in German-speaking countries.

University of Salzburg

Fall Semester
Study Abroad

University of Eichstätt

Fall and/or Spring Semester
Study Abroad

Augsburg, Germany

Summer
Intern Abroad

         

Careers and Post-Graduate Scholarships

CSB/SJU is considered an affordable liberal arts institution4 and our graduates find employment at the highest rates in the state of Minnesota5.

What’s not to love?

German majors, minors, and advanced learners have used their language and humanities skills for a variety of rewarding careers.

Lonnie Johnson

Director of the Austrian Fulbright Commission

Matt Kounniyom

Database Technical Support Specialist,
IBM

Brittany Elsen

American Association of Teachers of German Outstanding Teacher

George Maurer

Composer of the jazz-opera,  Autumn Song

Leo Riegert 

Associate Professor
of German,
Kenyon College

  

The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University are nationally-recognized for the number of students who receive Fulbright and other prestigious scholarships. Many of those winners are German majors, minors and advanced learners. Click here to see a list of our current and past recipients. 

Current Events

CSB/SJU students and faculty complete the newest Extending the Link documentary "Bayt Jadeed: Seeking Home." The film explores Germany’s efforts to settle over 1 million forced migrants who arrived in the country in 2015, and then compares and contrasts that with local efforts in St. Cloud, Minnesota, which has seen a large influx in refugees arriving from Somalia.

Extending the Link

"Bayt Jadeed: Seeking Home" wins award!

    Footnotes
  1. https://www.csbsju.edu/news/usnews-washingtonrankings-17
  2. https://www.csbsju.edu/news/open-doors-2018
  3. Ibid.
  4. http://money.com/money/best-colleges/rankings/best-liberal-arts-colleges/
  5. https://www.zippia.com/advice/best-colleges-for-jobs/