Mission Statement

The Hunter College Department of German serves a large, diverse, urban academic community that is part of the City University of New York. The mission of the German Department is

• to teach German language, culture, and civilization in a professional, research-based manner,
• to help students develop a foundational knowledge of the German cultural and literary canon,
• to develop intercultural awareness and foster understanding between the Hunter as well as New York City communities and the German-speaking countries, and
• to create and propagate knowledge and understanding about German language, literature and  culture and also about the teaching of German language, literature and culture locally, regionally, and nationally.

The department offers courses in the language, literature, and culture of German-speaking countries that are designed and sequenced to guide students from their current language proficiency levels through well defined stages of proficiency in production and comprehension so that students will reach college-level literacy in German and excel in the field of German studies.  

Students who complete the elementary and intermediate courses can expect to reach the ability to function in everyday situations in German-speaking environments and to have a solid base for the upper-level study of German language, literature and culture.

Students who complete advanced language, literature, and culture courses will gain an understanding and appreciation of German culture and civilization, past and present; they will comprehend spoken and written German to the level of understanding the classics of German prose, drama, and poetry; and will either have reached or will be well on their way towards reaching the linguistic and cultural capacity for engaging in intellectual discourse in written and spoken German. 

In teaching and scholarship, faculty serve as mediators between the American and German-language cultures for the College, the University, and the wider community.  They have a broad first-hand knowledge of German cultural texts, traditions, issues and trends so that they can support Hunter and CUNY students with diverse needs and interests relating to the language and cultures of German-speaking populations and countries and thus help to empower students in all walks of life and endeavors.

 The proficiency-testing system used in the department makes it possible to place students with prior knowledge of German at the level most appropriate to their linguistic and cultural needs and abilities.

Department Office: room 1405 Hunter West, phone (212) 772 - 4980, fax(212) 772-5746
Chair: Annette Kym
Associate Professors: Kuhn-Osius, Kym, Nicolai                                                              
Assistant Professor: Anderson, Substitute Assistant Professor: Zimmerman

Advisors: (day and evening) A. Kym, E. Nicolai, E. Kuhn-Osius

Office Assistant: Michele Stetz, (212) 772-4980; mstetz@hunter.cuny.edu