The first German to settle in America arrived with the Jamestown settlers in 1607; today, 46 million Americans of German descent represent the largest national ethnic group in the US. In this 3-credit hour first year seminar, we will examine not only the long history of the influence of German culture and language in the USA, but its ubiquitous presence even today in our customs, our traditions, and in the language we speak every day. We will also examine the rejection of the German language in the US during the first half of the 20th century, while many elements of German culture continued to be embraced, sometimes unwittingly, by US American culture.

This course fulfills the First-Year Seminar (FYS) requirement of the 2015 University Studies Program. Students will critically examine and evaluate evidence, claims, beliefs, or points of view about meaningful, relevant issues. Students will be introduced to active learning, inquiry of pressing issues, and individual and collaborative processing of ideas through the First-Year Seminar curriculum.