german_investing

	2004	2008	Increase
Allianz Hldg	€ 112,24	€ 111,06	(-1%)
BASF	€ 46,16	€ 98,84	114%
Daimlerchrysler	€ 39,44	€ 56,61	44%
Deutsche Bank	€ 67,04	€ 82,65	23%
Siemens	€ 68,90	€ 96,78	40%

A survey in the German-American business community found that 63% of companies want their employees to be proficient in German. 65% stressed that they look for new employees with bilingual German and English skills. Often, says the survey, German skills are a "very significant issue for key managerial positions."

At Marquette, we teach German so that you can do the many jobs of communication. Not just take a test. Our objectives are guided by the proficiency criteria of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. We know what a beginner can do. We'll push her to reach the next level.

We asked faculty colleagues from across the campus; "How has the ability to use German affected your work?" Here are their answers:

"During my days in college I was struck by how many of the books I was reading-- I was studying religion, history, and literature-- were translations from German, introductions to German writers, reactions to German movements. It seemed sensible to me to learn German myself, to liberate myself from the translators and those who decided what to translate, an to profit from an extraordinarily rich cultural tradition. And I'm glad I did. It's like having a whole extra apartment in my mental house."
Dr. Oliver Olson, Theology Department

"I teach many areas of philosophy, but my primary research is in 19th century German philosophy. My primary philosopher is F.W.J. Schelling; I have translated two of his major works. So, no German, no field of study!"
Dr. Michael Vater, Philosophy Department

"Thorough reading knowledge of the language is absolutely indispensable for work in German history. Besides that, it comes in handy for communication with the large number of relatives I have in Germany, useful for speaking with the hundred million or so people in the world for whom it is their native language, and useful in the many situations in life when some expertise in the language is needed to facilitate some other human enterprise. : Karl Rahner needed an interpreter when he came to Marquette for an honorary degree, a lady in Mequon needed some letters translated, a visiting Latvian clergyman with a Soviet delegation did not speak English but spoke German. Sure, I could get on without it, but it sure makes life a lot better.
Fr. Mike Zeps, S.J., History Department

"In my own case, after graduate study for my Ph.D., learning German well enough to read, speak and write proved to be the next best educational investment that I made in m career. Since 1983 I have received two Fulbright Senior Research Fellow Awards, an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship, and three Max Planck Society Fellowships. Last November I was a co-recipient of a 1994 Max-Planck-Forschungspreis. I got most of these awards because of my collaborative work with colleagues at the Institut für Metallkunde of the Universität Stuttgart and the Max-Planck-Institut für Metallforschung. I probably would not have had the opportunity to do this work if I hadn't learned German.
Dr. Raymond Fournelle
Dept. of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

"In my own case, after graduate study, learning German well enough to read, speak and write proved to be the next best educational investment that I made in my career." "Over the years I have discovered that modern European philosophy, from Kant on, is founded on German thought. It seems axiomatic to me that even an elementary study of German is imperative for the serious student and scholar of modern European intellectual history."
Dr. Phil Naylor
History Department

"Fluency in German has permitted me research access to texts of the early German Enlightenment that have been neglected and forgotten. The excitement involved in rediscovering buried truths which are necessary for understanding our world today makes all the preceding hard work of acquiring a second language worth the journey."
Dr. Holly Wilson, Philosophy Dept.

Because I can speak and read German, I have been able to study the great German philosophers, theologians, novelists, and poets in their own beautiful language. I can keep up with contemporary German research in my field. I was able to conduct interviews with several ex-Nazis, including Albert Speer and Otto Strasser .. in preparing my prize-winning book on the National Socialists, and conduct interviews with the highest ranking members of the Bundestag in Bonn. More importantly, I have been able to move freely in Germany rather than being chained to tourist centers with their official interpreters. I have frequently been able to make German friends and to win the trust of other Germans encountered in every walk of life. Out of sheer appreciation for a stranger who has troubled to learn their language, these people have showered unexpected kindnesses on me that they never have shown to the Americans who demand that the world learn English for their convenience.
Dr. James Rhodes, Political Science Dept.

If you are beginning the study of German at Marquette, the Arts & Sciences requirement in foreign language can be satisfied in four semesters by German 1, 2, 3, and 4, or in three semesters by German 1, 2, and 10.

Core requirements in literature and fine arts can be met by courses in German literature (in German or English translation) and civilization and culture. The German Section offers a major and minor in German, and a teaching major.

Lalumiere Language Hall 254
P.O. Box 1881
Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881
Phone: (414) 288-7063* Fax: (414) 288-7653


©2007 Marquette University.	P.O. Box 1881 · Milwaukee, Wis. USA · 53201-1881