Department of German

Hannah Pitts

I enrolled at Georgetown undeclared, not sure if I should further pursue German as an academic interest. My first class was Advanced German, a definitely challenging yet also fun and engaging class. After completing Advanced German and Text in Context, I enjoyed reading many German classics for the first time in Level IV and V courses.

After taking part in the Department’s summer program in Trier, I decided to add a German major to my Government major because German complemented my Government studies well. The German Department was also able to provide individual attention and the professors were constantly available for guidance and assistance in the courses. This connection with the German Department and my great experience in Trier encouraged me to further study German. I returned to Germany for a spring semester in Tübingen because I missed the country and wanted to further improve my language abilities.

I was accepted into the MA progam in International Law and Government here at Georgetown University for the fall of 2009. My professional plans following completion of graduate school include a career as a Foreign Service Officer or working for the promotion of international law in international, specifically transatlantic, relations.



Kenneth Wei-Jun Wong

My experience as a German major has been a fascinating and truly rewarding journey. Throughout the past four years I have read German classics such as Tristan and Isolde, written my honors thesis with literary prize winner Felicitas Hoppe from Berlin, and studied a variety of topics, ranging from German business to Romanticism. Outside the classroom, I spent the summer following my sophomore year in Trier where I lived with a German host family, assisted mentally-challenged patients at the Catholic Diocese, and worked as an intern at Schloss Wachenheim, the world’s leading sparkling wine producer.

Each step along the way I have been fully supported by the German department and its incredible faculty. My academic advisor encouraged me to study abroad in Trier and constantly challenged me to explore my true interests. The faculty’s passion for teaching, coupled with genuine care and concern for students made classes both enlightening and enjoyable.

Herzlichen Dank für alles!

Ken graduated from the College in 2009 with a major in German and minors in History and Finance. Raised in Hong Kong, he now resides in New York, where he works in the Investment Banking Division at Morgan Stanley.




Kirrin Hough

When I first entered Georgetown, I had never imagined that I would become a German major. It was ultimately my experience in the Georgetown German Department that convinced me to major in German and played a key role in shaping my years as an undergraduate through coursework, study abroad opportunities, and extracurricular activities.

In the summer of 2006, I studied abroad in Trier, Germany, where I took part in a six-credit service learning colloquium and interned at Raphaelshaus, a home for the psychologically ill. This unique opportunity allowed me to expand and practice my German outside the classroom setting, while learning about the social service system in Germany.

I spent the spring semester of my junior year studying abroad at Eberhard Karls Universität in Tübingen, Germany. This small, picturesque university town provided me with an interesting perspective into German student life as I came into contact with students not only from Germany, but around the world. Indeed, spending a semester abroad proved an invaluable opportunity to experience another culture first hand and learn from others who held a different world view.

During my senior year at Georgetown, I had the opportunity to take part in the German Honors Thesis program. I examined the concept of “world citizenship” in Germany, specifically looking at the multilateral foreign policy that Germany has adopted since the end of World War II. This thesis served as the ultimate culmination of my time as a German major at Georgetown, testing not only my abilities in German, but also my ability to research, write and integrate various ideas and arguments into a comprehensive whole.

As a recent graduate from Georgetown, being a German major continues to open more doors. This past semester I interned at the Congressional Study Group on Germany, a forum that brings together lawmakers from Germany and the United States to discuss issues of mutual concern. Having a strong background in German and knowledge of German culture, has helped me to better understand many of the issues surrounding this transatlantic relationship. As I currently prepare for graduate school and explore various career options, I am certain that my time as a German major at Georgetown will continue to shape my future!








Nikki Shure

Freshman year at Georgetown, I signed up for Beginning Intensive German. I was also taking advanced Spanish and planning on doing a certificate in Latin American Studies, but I wanted to pursue German for family reasons. My mother is German and I could not speak it nor communicate with half of my family. Because of the German Department’s innovative methodology in teaching German, I was able to advance rapidly and soon had completed Intermediate Intensive as well. Fall semester of sophomore year, I was enrolled in Text in Context. This course pushed me out of comfort zone and helped me progress even faster in German.

Around this time I switched my study plans to complete a certificate in German and European Studies at the BMW Center. Discussions in courses about Turkish immigrants in Germany fascinated me. I signed up to spend my junior year at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, the perfect fit for my International Economics degree and German and European Studies certificate. At Georgetown, taking courses like Business German fit into my SFS certificate program; Munich has one of the best econ programs in the world and continued this balance.

Going abroad was one of the turning points of my academic career. Upon returning, I knew I wanted to go back after graduation. I continued my coursework in German by taking Literature of Migration and applying for a Fulbright Research Grant to Germany. At the same time, I also applied to a master’s degree program at the Freie-Universität-Berlin in Intercultural Education. My Georgetown German professors supported me through this process by critically assessing my proposal ideas. The small size of the department allowed me close contact with all of my German professors and helped define my time at Georgetown, even though I was neither a German major nor minor.

I am currently wrapping up my Fulbright year in Germany and have already completed my master’s program. I will stay in Germany for at least another year and working on issues of political participation and education of immigrants. Eventually, I will complete a PhD in economics with a strong focus on the German school system and integration of immigrants. My time spent in the Georgetown German Department has been critical in my accomplishments and future goals.

The photo shows students and myself taking part in the intercultural dance project “Tanz für Toleranz” that I initiated at two Berlin schools during my Fulbright year.








Katarvia Taylor

I came to Georgetown from the Bahamas and began my studies with the plan of majoring in French and minoring in Latin American Studies. I enrolled in Beginner German the fall semester of my freshman year and enjoyed it so much that I decided to declare German as my 2nd major. That summer I participated in the department’s Trier summer program.

The faculty of the German department was absolutely incredible. The classes were taught in such a way that I felt that being a German major advantaged me in my other classes, as I was able to apply the skills and techniques to my other Georgetown classes. For example, the concepts that I learned in the Germany in Europe class that I took sophomore year provided a solid foundation for study abroad the spring semester of my junior year at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Strasbourg. I participated in European Week at the European Parliament and wrote on the role of the Ombudsman for my group’s report on “Strengthening the Legitimacy and Visibility of EU institutions.”

In 4 years the German department took me from zero knowledge of German to feeling comfortable reading and expressing my views on Brecht and Kafka. Moreover, I continue to apply the skills I acquired in classes such as Texts and Contexts in my professional life.

Currently I work as a staff assistant at the International Monetary Fund.









Alison Sluiter

I returned from a year as an exchange student in Germany through the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program about one month before beginning my freshman year at Georgetown. My experience in Germany was wonderful, and I was anxious to keep practicing my newly-acquired language skills. I enrolled in Issues and Trends, the preparatory course for the proficiency exam, during my first semester.

Although I was neither a German major nor minor, I consistently felt supported by all the professors I had for my German courses. Professors in the German department were extremely helpful in terms letters of support and language evaluations for various study abroad programs. I spent the summer between freshman and sophomore year at the Freie Universität in Berlin participating in a program funded by the European Recovery Program. My professor during the spring semester of my freshman year helped me prepare my application (in German) and I am convinced that it was because of his assistance that I received the scholarship.

I spent the spring semester of my junior year at the Humboldt Universität in Berlin through a Georgetown study abroad program. As a Regional Studies: Russia, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe Major, I had the opportunity to take a number of very interesting courses about the former Yugoslavia and the ICTY in German. My German courses at Georgetown prepared me well for both essay composition and giving academic presentations in Berlin.

I was required to write a thesis for my certificate (like a minor) in Justice and Peace Studies and chose to focus on educational attainment and barriers faced by female students of Turkish ancestry in Germany. I had become particularly interested in this topic after taking Professor Sieg's Literature of Migration course. In order to complete my own research, I applied (through the assistance of the German Department) for a short-term research grant from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The grant enabled me to spend one month in Berlin conducting classroom observation at a Gymnasium in Berlin-Neukölln, as well as the chance to interview a number of politicians and academics.

Currently, I am volunteering for a women's organization (BOSFAM) in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Many Bosnians were refugees in Germany during the war in the 90s, and there is a long history of migration from the Balkans to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. I am surprised and pleased each day by how handy my German speaking abilities are here. Just last month I traveled to Linz, Austria to give a presentation about BOSFAM's work in German for an audience of over 300 people. Thankfully, I was well-prepared for this experience as a result my German classes at Georgetown.

I hope to matriculate in a MA Program in Germany next year, and have once again been supported by the German Department with my application. Vielen Dank für Ihre Hilfe und Unterstützung!