Welcome to German Studies at USC!

In today’s world of global interconnectivity you have to be able and willing to look beyond your own community and step outside your comfort zone to be successful.

No matter whether you find yourself working in business, politics, humanitarian work, education, the arts, science, technology or any other field, it is impossible to be a “citizen” of one culture while ignoring the rest of the world. Part and parcel of the new paradigm of the 21st-century work environment are not only skills such as multitasking and adaptability to constantly changing technologies or personality trades such as flexibility. One of the key elements of a successful life and career is also the ability to navigate in a multicultural society, in a global economy and in a world in which all countries and its citizens are growing increasingly dependent on each other.

Germany has long been a tremendously influential "player" in cultural history, economics and sciences.

You may think:"Why should I study German? Most Germans speak English . . ."

English may be the "lingua franca" and you may be able to function on a superficial level in German speaking countries by speaking English only. 

However studying the German language is key to truly becoming culturally proficient, 

and of course, English is a Germanic language, so you already know some German as a native speaker of English. 

There are a multitude of reasons why you will not regret your choice of German as a foreign language and German Studies as a window into the culture of German speaking countries.

The Goethe Institute created a series of videos to inform you why learning German is going to be a huge asset to you - please, click on the following image to watch the first video:

Click on any of the pictures below to find out more about how German can be useful in your future. Also, click the About the Program tab to get more detailed information about German Studies at USC:

He who does not know foreign languages does not know anything about his own.	Every revolutionary movement also liberates language.	Nothing exists except through language.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe	Christa Wolf	Hans Georg Gadamer
German language speaks Being, while all the others merely speak of Being.	History does not merely touch on language, but takes place in it.	The limits of language mean the limit of my world.
Martin Heidegger	Theodor Adorno	Ludwig Wittgenstein

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