Dornsife must reconsider its German major program
The Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences has not been kind to German studies students.
Every semester, introductory German classes fill with curious new talents. But by the time students finish their language requirement and move into the upper levels of the German studies minor, many may ask why Dornsife initially accommodates students enrolled in German minors but increasingly falls short in providing adequate ways for students to further explore their interest in this historically rich nation.
USC dropped its German major program in 2008. According to the Los Angeles Times, Michael Quick, the former provost who made the final decision to cut the program, expected the German studies minor to die out shortly after the change, but the program continues to serve students today.
Our higher education neighbors, public and private, maintain healthy German major programs, and USC has fallen behind in this respect. UCLA has an active German major, as does Stanford. In an era when Germany is leading in alternative energy applications, the niche demand for German language instruction is only set to grow larger in the next 10 years. At USC, however, the German department is shrinking, and administrators are doing nothing to remedy this problem.
Students who wish to continue German education beyond the beginning stages established in the minor have two options: They can major in the recently added Central European studies program, or they can attend USC Dresden or Berlin study abroad programs.
Telling students to study German abroad is misleading. For the Berlin program, USC’s partnership with the Institute for the International Education of Students requires that students take classes instructed entirely in German. Students who choose the Dresden program are encouraged to take humanities courses abroad. But if a student only has an elementary grasp of the language, they are likely to be steered toward countries where the majority of courses are offered in English. If USC reintroduced the German major, perhaps more students would continue language instruction beyond their school language requirement.
If the lack of resources for German-language enthusiasts seems normal or even trivial, stop to consider how many Russian language undergraduates USC is accommodating this semester. The Russian language department currently houses 36 students in Russian levels one through five, with upper-division classes catering to individuals mastering the prose in Leo Tolstoy’s original texts. The major itself houses an astonishing four students. Meanwhile, German instruction stops after the fourth level, with stylistic and business German courses appearing periodically — every other semester at best.
Given that fewer students take Russian courses than German and that the Russian minor is smaller than the bustling German minor, it is unclear why USC has not reintroduced the German major.
This is not a question of nonexistent funding or ability to support German scholars. The 2008 L.A. Times article states that Quick killed the German program due to its small size and aging faculty, but several members of the German department still teach at USC.
In an age when the University holds valuable German texts and testimonies, USC needs German language skills and historical reference more than ever. With resources like the Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive at Leavey Library and the Feuchtwanger Memorial Library in Doheny Library that houses special collections from German exiles, there is a clear demand for German language resources at USC.
Understanding these resources demands a working knowledge of German texts and the nation’s history. It is embarrassing that USC should serve as a steward for these resources without encouraging students to learn the skills they need to access the information available at their fingertips. Denying students a German major discourages opportunities for all to engage with a linguistically and historically dense nation. But the conversation does not stop there.
While USC offers students alternatives to the German major through its program in Central European studies, there is still a wealth of other languages and cultures that do not receive representation in Dornsife. Although the Central European studies curriculum claims to cover cultures and peoples across the region, there is an exclusive focus on German and Russian history.
Students are interested in learning about conflict in Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia. Perhaps survey results would show that there is a strong demand for courses covering current events in Latvia, Lithuania and Belarus, or that students are interested in courses that cover relations in Central Asia.
By ignoring selective regions in its course plans, Dornsife sends the message that it does not care about these countries and that students should follow suit and continue to pay these cultures no mind. This stance is unacceptable, and something must be done. Dornsife specialized, and look at where it stands now.