Opportunities for Students

What Can W&L’s German Program Offer You?

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German Department

Experience in Germany and Austria

  • Two spring term abroad programs are total immersion academic programs directed by W&L faculty.
    1. Traces of Empire: Exploring the Cultural Centers of Austria and Hungary
    2. Layered Berlin: German Culture and Society
  • A semester-long program with the University of Bayreuth in the spring/summer semester (April - July) or with another university’s study abroad program-such as Bonn, Vienna, Munich, and Berlin-and have the credits transferred to W&L.
  • Internships with German companies through the AmCham US-German Internship Program our alumni, and other organizations supported by the Woolley Fellowships and Johnson Opportunity Grants.
  • For more information on GAE Internships, contact Professor Paul Youngman at youngmanp@wlu.edu or 540-458-8746.

A Rich Academic Experience

  • Membership in the Delta Phi Alpha, the National German Honorary Society (Deutsche Ehrenverbindung).

Financial Awards

  • Buford Stephenson’s Scholarship for a German student who has shown exemplary performance in the classroom and eligible for financial aid.
  • Stadler-Bullard Prize, James Wood Prize, and Jim Stump Prize for outstanding students in the first, second, and third years.
  • Craig Hinkel Prize for a student who excels in both German and English.
  • Summer Research Scholars to conduct research with faculty.
  • Johnson Opportunity Grants for international internships or conferences.
  • Erik T. Woolley Fellowships for international internships.
  • The Allen Schanck Roberts ’85 Scholarship for summer study or an internship abroad.
  • Global Stewardship International Internship Grants for international summer internships.

Support for External Scholarships

For more information, contact Debra Prager at pragerd@wlu.edu or 540-458-8830.

Upcoming Faculty-Led Spring Term Abroad Courses

Spring 2026: GERM 304 - Layered Berlin

Professor Roots
Spring Term Abroad course. Prerequisite: GERM 112 or equivalent
Credits (4)

Layered Berlin (GERM 304) is a four-week language and culture course that offers students true immersion. We integrate a literary-historical analysis of the country’s rich history to gain a more complete understanding of contemporary Germany. Students will gain an understanding of this vibrant, international city through an exciting mix of language and culture classes that focus on literary fiction, historical readings and cases, and film screenings, along with historical and cultural site visits. The German capital epitomizes many of the political, commercial, and artistic strands of German history that help shape the so-called modern German identity. Berlin’s unique and complex history gives us a firsthand look at how the past has shaped the culture and commerce of Germany and its neighbors.

Spring 2027: GERM 305 - Traces of Empire

Professor Debra Prager
Spring Term Abroad course. Prerequisite: GERM 262
Credits (4)

A four-week advanced language and culture class based in Graz, Austria, with a particular focus on the multi-national, polyglot Austro-Hungarian Empire and its impact on modern Austria’s multi-ethnic, multi-cultural identity. Language and culture classes take place in the University of Graz’s language center, Treffpunkt Sprachen. Afternoon discussion classes focus on Austrian culture, supported by readings from the texts, film screenings, and visits to important sites and events in Graz and its environs. During excursions to Vienna, we compare the two rival imperial capitals of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, visit the opera houses and national art collections, and consider both the function of art in forging national - and imperial - identity, and the role of power in the construction of “taste.”

German Department

Department Info

  • Ruscio Center for Global Learning
    Washington and Lee University
    Lexington, Virginia 24450

Debra Prager

Department Head

Jacque Bruce

Administrative Assistant