Why Should YOU Register for

First Semester German

(GER 101)

For the Fall Semester?

Odds are, you will find it easier—and more fun!—than you think to learn German if you already speak English. Native speakers of English encounter many similarities when they learn German, making German vocabulary easier to remember and use. Also, you are likely to improve your command of English grammar when you learn to speak German!

There are many excellent reasons why German can improve your academic performance and enhance your chances of landing the job you want after college - see the reverse side of this flyer for more information. Here are two additional benefits in taking UWC German:

► In most cases the credits you earn taking first- and second-year German in the UW Colleges will transfer to the schools you will attend in the future, saving you valuable time, work, and money later on!

► If you have previous German experience (high school or college), you are eligible for advanced placement and can receive retroactive credit for the work you've already completed - saving you still more time, work, and money!

Fall German Course Offerings

First Semester German (GER 101) and Third Semester German (GER 201)

GER 101 (Distance Education, non-Waukesha): M T Th F 10:00-10:50 a.m.

GER 101 (On-Campus, Waukesha only): M T Th F 11:00-11:50 p.m.

GER 201 (Distance Education and Waukesha): M T Th F 1:00-1:50 p.m.

► For more information on UWC German classes and the UWC German program contact:

Dr. Timothy Holian (Timothy.Holian@uwc.edu) / (262) 521-5468

Why Learn German?

There are plenty of good reasons for learning German - maybe you want to be able to communicate with relatives, or investigate your family heritage. Perhaps you'll travel to Germany during your vacation, or prepare yourself for study in a German-speaking country. Maybe a German exchange student sparked your interest, or you have friends who learned it, or you just like the way the language sounds. Whatever plans you may have for the future, knowledge of German will increase your options. When you learn German, you acquire skills which improve the quality of your work and private life:

1. German is the most widely spoken language in Europe. More people speak German as their native language than any other language in Europe. Germany's 83 million inhabitants make it the most populous European nation, and German is the third most popular foreign language taught worldwide and the second most popular in Europe and Japan, after English.

2. Germany has the 3rd strongest economy and is the #1 export nation in the world. Germany has the third largest economy in the world and is the economic powerhouse of the European Union. In 2007 --_for the fifth year in a row -- the Germans were world champions in exports.

3. Knowing German creates business opportunities. Multinational business opportunities exist throughout the European Union and in the Eastern European countries, where German is the second most spoken language after Russian. Companies like BMW, Daimler, Siemens, Lufthansa, SAP, Bosch, Infineon, BASF, and many others need international partners. If you're looking for employment in the United States, German companies account for 700,000 jobs in America, and U.S. companies have created approximately the same number of jobs in Germany. All other things being equal, the job candidate with German skills will trump the one without such skills every time.

4. Germans form the largest single heritage group in the U.S. If you're American or are interested in American culture, learning German can expand your appreciation and knowledge of United States history and culture. In the year 2000 census, 42.8 million or 15.2% of Americans reported having German ancestry, making German-Americans the largest single heritage group in the U.S.

5. One in ten books in the world is published in German. German is not a language only of the past. As prolific researchers and scholars, German speakers produce nearly 80,000 new book titles each year. The only language markets that produce more books annually are Chinese and English.

6. German-speaking countries have a rich cultural heritage. Apart from their many contributions to American culture, the German speakers have a rich cultural heritage in their own right. German contributions to the arts and human thought have been nothing short of profound: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Thomas Mann, Franz Kafka … Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Strauss, and Wagner … to name only a few prominent German-speaking cultural icons. Knowing German allows you to access the works of these people in their original language and to fully understand the culture whence they derived.

7. German is required or recommended by many undergraduate and graduate programs. German speakers' strong contributions in a broad array of fields make the language an important asset in many disciplines - from biology, physics, and chemistry to linguistics, religious studies, and art history.

8. Germany financially sponsors over 60,000 international exchanges each year. In the year 2001 alone, the German Academic Exchange Service supported 67,000 scholars, scientists, educators, and students in periods of international research and study. 43% of these were foreigners who were awarded financial assistance to participate in an exchange in Germany. In addition, like German students, foreign students directly enrolled in German universities pay no tuition fees.