German major out at USC

 

The Times' Larry Gordon writes today about USC's decision to drop German as a major. Professor Gerhard Clausing, left, is among those who disagree with the decision.

Read the take on the news from Inside Higher Ed, and the response from USC students in the Daily Trojan.

-- Mary MacVean

Photo by Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Diana Barraza]

As a graduate of USC's Department of German, I am deeply saddened by the administration's decision. Given the German-speaking world's many contributions to academia, I cannot comprehend how the department has been deemed obsolete. USC may continue certain German courses through other departments such as philosophy and comparative literature, but the support structure for a prospective student interested in advanced language, literature, philosophy, and politics courses within the German department's domain has been abolished. To vouch for the German degree's practicality, I have confidently lived abroad and traveled throughout various German-speaking regions--Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, parts of France, and the Czech Republic--being able to communicate with locals and learn about European culture on an entirely different level than an average tourist experience.