North Central College - Naperville, IL

German

Why choose German at North Central College?

As a German major, you can discover the joys of learning about a culture from the inside out, develop translingual and transcultural competency, participate in international working and learning communities, prepare for a career in a globalized economy and society, qualify to teach high school German by completing a minor in secondary education and boost your résumé while you’re at it. You can share your insights into German and European history and culture by conducting research and then delivering presentations at local and national conferences and our own Rall Symposium for Undergraduate Research.

You can also:

News

Em Rademaker '12
Emily Rademaker of Cary was awarded the 2012 Outstanding Major in German and Outstanding Service to Student Life awards at North Central College.
Gregory Wolf, professor of German
Gregory Wolf, North Central College professor of German, has feature article on baseball published and presents webinar and workshop on teaching German.
Gerald Gems, professor of health and physical education
Gerald Gems, North Central College professor of health and physical education, presented paper at conference, published chapter in book.

News

Internships

  • Internet banking intern, Coldwell Banker, Naperville
  • Intern, Office Max, Naperville
  • Campaign intern, 2010 U.S. Rep. candidate Ben Lowe, Lombard, IL
  • Archives intern, North Central College

Careers

Recent graduates in German include:

  • Teacher
  • Translators
  • Foreign operations secretaries
  • Hotel managers
  • Overseas shipping managers
  • Communication specialists
  • Travel guide
  • Library sciences

Feature

Nora Wessels

German

The opportunity to study German and play soccer attracted Nora to North Central. “I wanted to be involved with the sport and I liked the idea of classes with as few as 10 students. I love the environment a small school offers.”

Her German classes were engaging and she got to know her classmates and professors on a personal level. She also enjoyed visiting Berlin, Potsdam, Wittenberg and Dresden as part of a D-Term course. “I had a great time immersing myself in the language and culture of Germany and noticed a difference in my ability to write and orally produce the German language.”

Participating in athletics taught Nora many life lessons, which she hopes to incorporate as a future coach. “I’m grateful both the German and education departments have done such a great job preparing me for the real world.”

Nora landed a full-time position teaching German at a suburban high school, where she also hopes to coach soccer.

Feature

Melissa Proulx

German major

When she arrived at North Central, Melissa was interested in too many subjects to count – which may explain why she completed German and Spanish majors along with minors in English and the history of ideas. "One of the most important things about North Central is students' freedom to study different disciplines," she says. The academic and travel opportunities of the German major intrigued Melissa. "During our Berlin trip it was interesting to learn about the Cold War era without relying on a textbook," she says.

As a College Scholar, Melissa wrote a thesis that integrated her interests in German and Shakespeare. She analyzed texts at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.–an unusual opportunity for an undergraduate. What's next for Melissa? After spending some time in Spain, she plans to apply for a Fulbright grant to continue her studies.