Why study German?

Perhaps you have learnt German at school, and love it, its culture, and its peoples – or you would like to study German from scratch?

• German is the most widely spoken language in Europe – and is not just the first language of Germany and Austria, but is also an official language of Switzerland, and some other countries too
• Germany is arguably the powerhouse of the EU and is certainly one of Europe’s strongest global economies
• German is not as hard to learn as you might think – it is, actually, a very logical language, and has so many words that are similar to English
• German speakers are very much in demand on the job market
• And… it has an incredibly rich cultural heritage! You may have heard of Faust, Goethe’s famous drama about the scholar who sold his soul to the devil. You will know of many other great German-speaking figures in the fields of music, art, philosophy, cinema, theology, science… And almost every child knows some of the Grimms’ tales, or some version thereof.

Why German at UCD?

• You can study it as part of many degree programmes: the BA, BA Humanities, BA International, BA International Modern Languages, Bachelor of Commerce International, Bachelor of Social Science, or take it as an elective if you are studying subjects from other degree programmes. 
• You study the German language from beginners’ or non-beginners’ level and also German-speaking culture and society from the late eighteenth century to the present day.
• Class sizes are generally quite small, which help to get to know fellow students, create a supportive learning environment, and makes it easier to engage in discussions.
• The German staff are all actively engaged in research and we integrate this into much of our teaching.
• Every student is encouraged to study abroad on Erasmus, and for many programmes it is an integral year. We have many Erasmus university partnerships in Germany and Austria.
• We have strong links with and enjoy great support from the Goethe Institut Dublin, the Embassies of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst).
• And we have an active student German Society!

We look forward to introducing you to – or deepening your knowledge of – German as a language and German Studies as a discipline, and hope that the information on the following pages is useful. 

Please note: This year, given the COVID-19 situation, our classes are a mixture of face-to-face delivery on campus, and online in the virtual classroom. See the relevant webpage and module descriptors for precise details.