German (Deutsch)

is a Germanic language, it is part of the Indo-European language family, and one of the world 's major languages. German belongs to the 10 most spoken languages worldwide. It is spoken in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and in parts of Belgium, Italy, France, Luxembourg, and 37 other countries. There are over 110 million native speakers and over 120 million who speak it as a second language. (It was the official language of Namibia till 1990.)

Faculty

Gabriele May, PhD Instructor

 

Degree(s) / Institutions

PhD: UC Berkeley

MA: UC Berkeley

B.A. UC Berkeley

Major: German literature German language

Minor: Classics (emphasis on Latin and Greek)

PhD dissertation: Tradition im Umbruch - Zur Sophokles-Rezeption im deutschen Vormärz. (Peter Lang Publisher)

Classes at WVC

German 1A, 11A, 1B,

11B, German 50A/B and German Immersion Program

Latin 50

Experience

15 years teaching German and German literature, Latin at SJSU

1 year German at Santa Clara University, CA

2 years of Latin at Foothill College, CA

17 years at WVC, CA

Personal message to students

Have you heard of Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Hegel, Nietzsche, Freud, Einstein, Wagner… just to name a few? Come and learn their language. Become multilingual! Learning German will discipline your habits, improve your reasoning and will add fun to your life!

Personal interests or areas of research

Writing about the two world wars and the effects on future generations.

Politics and literature of Germany, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.

Travels to Berlin, Germany and the South of Africa. (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia etc.)