German Goes Global Studies

Abstract

Both of the participants in this dialogue are professors of German, and both were involved in recent efforts to develop Global Studies programs at their institutions. While one teaches at a small, private, liberal arts college and the other at a large, urban, public research university, both participated in these projects with the pragmatic desire to help boost enrollments in German classes and with the humanistic goal of situating deep cultural knowledge of German‐speaking countries and the German language within a broader global context. In their discussion, they address how their institutions came to the idea of creating a Global Studies program, the process involved in designing it, the sources of help and resistance they encountered along the way, and how Global Studies is now benefitting their German programs.