German Program Overview
RC Intensive German is a small, tight-knit program dedicated to teaching excellence and community building. Our successful track record is confirmed by students themselves who have nominated both of us as "Michigan Housing Honored Instructors." Many of our students go on to major or minor in German. They feel inspired and empowered by their language skills to study and intern in German-speaking countries. A few have found jobs, even spouses, and permanently relocated there. You never know where a language will take you! the schedule of the lunches and coffee hour here.
Program Head: Karein Goertz
Check out the RC German program's website for student testimonials, history of Deutsches Theater, and more.
Courses & Activities | Highlights | Faculty
German Immersion Overview
The RC German program has existed since the founding of the Residential College in 1967 and is one of the oldest proficiency-based programs in the country. For decades, we have maintained our high standards, so that when students receive the “Proficient in German” stamp on their transcript, they can be proud. It signifies that they have worked hard and have demonstrated an ability to communicate freely and independently in German: they can read and write texts of intermediate complexity without the help of a dictionary; they can speak German with spontaneity in non-rehearsed situations; and they can understand German spoken at a normal speed and on a wide range of topics.
Our all-German semi-immersion approach is what makes this program particularly successful. RC German students have the unique advantage of being in small classes (typically 8-12 students), where each student gets individual attention and we can tailor assignments and materials to individual needs and interests. Each class is team-taught and the rotation of instructors exposes students to different accents and teaching styles. Daily co-curricular activities also bring students in contact with other German speakers at different levels of proficiency, including alumni of the program, students returning from studying abroad and occasional guest speakers.
A key objective of the program is to give students the competence and confidence to use the language accurately with an appreciation for the culture in which it is embedded. We challenge students to push themselves intellectually and to focus on growth and improvement over time, rather than on individual grades. RC students benefit from personal attention and the support of the living-learning community, while simultaneously having the resources of the larger university at their disposal. Conferences, lecture series, live performances, and a host of excellent libraries and museums at the University of Michigan are available to prepare students as scholars and to put their learning in a real context. Our classes draw on these vast resources to establish the connection between the study of German and the larger intellectual and cultural community.
The RC German Program provides a variety of opportunities for students to use their German. Students eat at the daily German Mittagstisch (lunch table) and there is a weekly German Kaffeestunde (coffee hour) in East Quad's cozy Greene Lounge or, during the warmer months, outside in the Garden. We have film screenings, reading circles, guest speakers, and opportunities to interact with native speakers. In the past, we have received grants from CRLT, UMS, and Arts of Michigan to invite visiting artists from Germany to hold theater, movement and voice workshops with students, and there are opportunities to zoom with professionals overseas. In some years, students are matched with high school students in Germany so that they make a personal connection with peers abroad and have English-German conversations that are beneficial and fun for both. During the semester, classes are sometimes held outside the RC, at the library, in the Arboretum, or at the UMMA, and there are class fieldtrips to German-language events, such as UMS performances and screenings at the Michigan Theater.
Courses & Activities
Beyond its rich culture and fascinating vocabulary, German offers serious academic, career, and personal benefits.
It’s the most spoken native language in the EU and one of the top 10 worldwide, making it a key language in Europe and beyond. German speakers have won 92 Nobel Prizes, and Germany is a world leader in engineering, science, and the arts.
Plus, German is surprisingly similar to English, with many words sharing roots. With a booming economy and a wealth of cultural history, learning German opens doors to countless opportunities—both professionally and intellectually.
German Course Offerings:
