Germanic Languages and Literatures

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Germanic Languages & Literatures News

Read article: Work-in-Progress Seminar
Work-in-Progress Seminar
Lessing and Voltaire first met at the Court of Frederick II in 1750, and shortly thereafter Lessing received permission to translate Voltaire’s essays and to have his daily dinner at Voltaire’s table. Eventually, however, the relationship between the two soured, and they would not meet again after...
Read article: Enlightenment Anthropology: Defining Humanity in an Era of Colonialism By Carl Niekerk
Enlightenment Anthropology: Defining Humanity in an Era of Colonialism By Carl Niekerk
In this book, Carl Niekerk probes the origins of modern anthropology in the European Enlightenment, foregrounding how the knowledge transfer between an international array of natural historians and public intellectuals—including Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon; Voltaire; Denis Diderot;...
Read article: Congratulations to Marie Jensen!
Congratulations to Marie Jensen!
The World Language Teacher Education (WLTE) Future Teacher Award seeks to both recognize teacher candidate’s professional and academic excellence and provide financial support to assist them with the costs related to Student Teaching during their final semester.
Read article: Congratulations to Prof. Stephanie Hilger on her new book!
Congratulations to Prof. Stephanie Hilger on her new book!
Exploring 18th-century medicine's construction of individuals with non-standard sexual anatomy as “hermaphrodites”, this book focuses on the genre of the case history from three different languages and national contexts-British, French, and German. Medicalizing Difference...
Read article: Felix Ayanbode’s Defense
Felix Ayanbode’s Defense
We’re pleased to announce the Final Examination of Felix Ayanbode as he presents the oral defense of his thesis. The Representation of Biracial Occupation Children Please feel free to join us! Monday, November 18, 2024 10:00 am – 12:00 pm...
Read article: Remembering 1989: Future Archives of Public Protest
Remembering 1989: Future Archives of Public Protest
This account of the “laboratory of radical democracy” in the months before East Germany’s absorption in the West challenges memories of Germany’s reunification. For many, 1989 is an iconic date, one we associate with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War. The...

Upcoming Events

Career Paths in Germanic Languages and Literatures

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Comprehensive curriculum in language, culture, and linguistics

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In addition to courses in German for the complete immersion experience, we offer numerous classes in English, most of which fulfill General Education requirements. Undergraduates can also pursue study abroad in Vienna or elsewhere in the German-speaking world via Illinois Abroad and Global Exchange, and our graduate students regularly win fellowships to do research at a wide range of universities and libraries in Germany, Austria, and Scandinavia. Join us!

GER 465 - Die deutsche Sprache in Österreich

GER 465 - Die deutsche Sprache in Österreich

Explore the German language in Austria from a sociolinguistic perspective.

GER 465

GER 473 flyer

GER 473 - Protest Memory: Post-1989 Literature, Film, and Theory

We will discuss a diverse archive of post-1989 literature, film, and memorials in order to reexamine the so-called Peaceful Revolution and the interval year of ’89-90.

GER 473

GER 396 - Babylon Berlin

GER 396 - Babylon Berlin

In 1929, Berlin was known to be a hedonistic city of extremes: corrupt wealth existed alongside destitute poverty and an underground world of wild parties and glamour.

GER 396

GER 201

GER 201 - German Popular Culture: Tales of Horror

It is hard to overstate how central vampires and zombies, doppelgänger and killers, ghosts and artificial humans—haunted hybrids—have been to the construction of German identity.

GER 201

Holocaust on Film

GER 261 - Holocaust on Film

We investigate literary and filmic representations of the Holocaust.

GER 261

courses 2025

Germanic Department Courses Spring 2025

Check us out in Spring 2025! Some of our courses are highlighted here, and contact Charlie Webster (cwebste@illinois.edu) for more information about our full range of GER and SCAN offerings!

2025 Course Offerings