The German program at Transylvania offers a unique combination of language instruction and culture studies from the very first course.  The beginning semesters weave an introduction to the language and the people around highlights of social and cultural aspects of cities across the German-speaking world.  These courses are designed to awaken students' interest in traveling to Germany, Austria or Switzerland at the same time that they introduce students to the language and develop their ability to function in the language at a comfortable level.  Thus, the curriculum supports strongly the argument that studying a foreign language should also broaden one's understanding of the cultures where that language is spoken. 

In these days of increased interest in a language like Spanish, to which Americans have more immediate contact, and on the other hand in more exotic languages like Chinese and Arabic, you might well ask, "What's the point of tackling German?"  Click here to find out what advantages German study can provide both at Transy and in the wider world.  Or click here to learn what a high school German teacher tells his students of the benefits to learning German.  And finally, here is a website that provides extensive rationales for devoting your language-learning efforts to German:  http://www.vistawide.com/german/why_german.htm.

If you still need persuading to come join German learners at Transy, continue on to the following pages to see what's going on here in German!  And  remember, if you have questions at any time, please feel free to contact Prof. Weber at rweber@transy.edu.