German Department | Barnard College

The Department of German fully endorses and strongly contributes to the internationalization of the educational experience offered to undergraduate students at Barnard College. German has always been one of the main European Languages taught at Barnard College, and the Department of German offers a variety of courses, from the elementary to the advanced level, to guide students in becoming versatile writers, competent interpreters, and confident speakers of the language. Through its course offerings, the Department of German provides students with a solid grounding, appropriate to their particular needs, in the various skills necessary to speak, read, write and understand the German language; it introduces students to the literatures, histories, and cultures of Germanophone countries or communities in a European and global context.

Fall 2026 Information for Current Students

Fall 2026 information for current students, including the block schedule, course listings, and details, has moved to Portal.

Going forward, the Portal will be the primary place for schedule updates and announcements, so we recommend bookmarking it and checking in regularly.

Access the Portal

Program of Study

Major in German Studies

The major in German Studies consists of eleven courses (minimum of 34 credits), including five one-term courses (taught in German); five one-term courses in other disciplines within the humanities or social sciences (taught in English); a senior tutorial.

We highly recommend a consultation with the department chair to confirm qualifying Barnard or Columbia courses.

Major in German Literature

The major in German Literature consists of ten courses (minimum 31 credits). A minimum of two language courses on the 3000-level; six or seven literature courses; and a senior tutorial are required. Courses focusing on advanced language through content should be taken after the completion of intermediate courses and before or side-by-side with upper-level literature courses.

We highly recommend a consultation with the department chair to confirm qualifying Barnard or Columbia courses.

Minor in German

The Barnard minor in German consists of five (5) courses, a minimum of fifteen (15) credits. All courses must be taught in German. All courses must be taken on the 3000-level.

We strongly advise students to enroll in Barnard-taught German courses to fulfill the minor because the content and pedagogy of our courses have been specifically designed for the Barnard student body and their needs.

A Conversation about Barnard German programs

five women sitting outside Leopold Museum

Our Faculty

Erk Grimm

Associate Professor of German

Department Chair

Irene Motyl-Mudretzkyj

Senior Associate in German, Barnard Language Program Coordinator

Johanna Veth-Abinusawa

Adjunct Faculty

German in the News

Summer Adventures With Barnard’s Study Abroad Program

Faculty and students spent the summer dancing in Paris, discovering astrophysics in a city by the banks of the Loire River, and connecting through culture and language in Vienna.

For Prospective Students

German Placement Exam

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The German Placement Exam has two parts: one online, and one oral. For further information, contact Irene Motyl at imotyl@barnard.edu.

If you have had any prior instruction in German prior to coming to Columbia/Barnard, you are required to take our placement exam, at the latest, a week before classes start. The placement exam will help us in placing you at the level of German that best reflects your ability. To provide a safe testing environment and more flexibility in taking the exam, we have moved our exam online onto a designated Canvas site.