BA German Studies

German studies is an interdisciplinary major that deals broadly with the entire German-speaking region, which includes not only Germany but also Austria, Switzerland, and, historically, parts of what are now Poland, the Czech Republic, Latvia, and other countries. Whether one thinks of philosophy, music, art, education, religion, or political and social history, German culture has exercised a profound and often decisive influence on Europe. Some of the most important ideological debates in Western culture have arisen in the German-speaking area, and changes in German culture and society have sometimes had devastating effects on world history.