Students choose German because they have a passion for the subject--the language, the country, the people, the rich cultural and intellectual tradition, but students of German also develop a range of intellectual capacities and marketable skills that allow them to flourish also beyond college. For more information, see Why study German. The German program emphasizes superior language learning at all levels and offers ample opportunities for students to study abroad. Through the Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures and the Department, Notre Dame offers generous competitive funding for summer language study in Germany, and we offer semester- and year-long programs in cosmopolitan Berlin and idyllic Heidelberg. With small classes of ten to fifteen, students actively participate and have close contact with faculty members, two essential elements of flourishing in college. Notre Dame's German students experience a true community of learning, both with their peers and with faculty members, whom they often have more than once during their college years. <br>Besides advanced offerings in language and literature, our courses cover German culture, film, social and intellectual history, and even philosophy. Moreover, Notre Dame has unusual strengths in German studies across departments, from history and music to political science, philosophy, and theology.