Why Study German at Pitt?
Academic and Cultural Diversity
We are a diverse department offering a variety of degree and certificate options at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Why Study German at Pitt?
Innovative
Instruction
Through innovative instruction in German language and culture, we prepare our undergraduates and graduates for the challenges of the globalized world.
Why Study German at Pitt?
World-Class Faculty
Graduate students work with a world-class faculty respected for their expertise in German literature, culture, film, and philosophy from the 18th through the 21st centuries.
Why Study German at Pitt?
Individualized Mentoring and Training
Our Faculty offer students mentoring through all phases of their studies from study abroad, planning careers, to teacher and professional training.
Why Study German at Pitt?
Dynamic Intellectual Atmosphere
We support a lively and collegial intellectual environment by hosting conferences, film series, essay contests, and inviting prestigious colleagues to share their research.
Event Spotlight
Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project
Nov. 12-15. A ballet that follows one person’s journey from suffering to salvation based on the Holocaust. Visit event Web site.
Lucy Fisher
Nov. 10. Lecture on German Jewish Immigrants and Their Connection to the American Film Industry See details.
Film: Hitlerjunge Quex, 1933
Oct. 29. Early Nazi-propaganda film intended to extol the value of the Hitler Youth organization and recruit new members. See details.
Remembrances of Kristallnacht
Nov 11. With survivor Fritz Ottenheimer, followed by a showing of the documentary Film Cinema’s Exiles: from Hitler to Hollywood. See details.
Alexander Nehamas, Princeton
Nov. 20. Presenting a lecture as part of the series "Literature and Philosophy" Visit his Web site.
Meet Our People
Boryana Dobreva
Traversing East and West, her scholarship transgresses current boundaries of migration theory. Read her profile
Gavin Hicks
Soccer, the World Cup, and the textuality of Turkish-German connections is the name of his game. Read his profile
Katrin Mascha
She is marking sites on the map of Berlin that memorialize some very different moments of German history. Read her profile
Yvonne Franke
Researching the imagined communities that make up our increasingly globalized and transnational world. Read her profile
Prof. Harris-Schenz
A dedicated mentor who is nationally recognized for her outstanding achievements in pedagogy. Read her profile
Prof. Muenzer
Following the footsteps of J.W. v. Goethe, Prof. Müenzer leads students to discover "was die Welt im Innersten zusammenhält." Read his profile
Prof. Lyon
Charts undiscovered spaces and places of the 19th century and maneuvers students through treacherous academic waters. Read his profile
Prof. v. Dirke
Our discourse queen is the salt and pepper in the Department and lays the beat for a diversity of cultural vibrations. Read her profile
Dr. Wylie-Ernst
A teacher's teacher and good fairy of the TAs is the pedagogical spirit who fills the Cathedral with Learning. Read her profile
Prof. Halle
The Berlinale has its Golden Bear, but Pitt has Prof. Halle. He envisions the impossible and makes students their own auteurs of critical thinking. Read his profile
Of Note
John Wagner Receives Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Scholarship
One of our current seniors, John Wagner, has been named the recipient of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange scholarship. With this award, John will be spending the next academic year in Germany, continuing with German language study and working in the office of a Bundestagsabgeordneter. This is the second year in a row that one of our students has been selected. (Currently, Jason Hutton is participating in this program.) Read More
Give to the Department of German
Gifts to the department have a direct impact on the daily lives of students and are applied in a variety of ways. See Give Online instructions.