Committed to interdisciplinary thinking and intellectual community, our faculty is renowned for its innovative approaches to the study of literature, culture, and media. Our program has consistently ranked among the leading departments in the United States and is known for the pioneering transnational scholarly and creative research of its faculty and graduate students.

Our core and affiliate faculty have particular strength in cinema and media culture, environmental humanities, German philosophy, Jewish studies, medieval and early modern studies, and the intersection of German with Scandinavian and Netherlandic literatures and cultures. Faculty and graduate students play a key role in interdisciplinary centers. Committed to excellence in teaching, we provide outstanding training for future college and university teachers of second languages.

Most of our students find employment in higher education with transferable skills gained through their graduate education. Others have moved into areas that include translation, non-profit work, and business.