On Studying German: John Moreland '22

My name is John Moreland, and I'm a '22 at the College majoring in German and Music. I started learning German my freshman year of high school and immediately fell in love with the language, culture, and history of Germany. Since coming to Dartmouth, I've taken a variety of courses in the German Department, including a course on German fairy tales with a particular focus on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale collection, a course on German film with an emphasis on migration and borders, a course on the history of adolescence in Germany, and a German art history course. As a double major, one of my favorite things about the German major is that it can be interdisciplinary. This is of great value to me, as someone who is most interested in the cross-sections of German culture and music.

Additionally, the Department offers a wide variety of opportunities both within and outside of the classroom. Because I passed out of the elementary language sequence, I decided to get involved with the Department as a drill instructor. Drill instructors help implement Dartmouth's Rassias Method to simulate full immersion experiences for elementary language learners. As a drill instructor, I have just as much fun, if not more fun, engaging with my drillees, seeing their growth throughout the term, and just simply conversing in German for an hour of my day!

 The thing I'm most looking forward to during my time at Dartmouth is studying abroad in Berlin on the German Foreign Studies Program (FSP). I'm excited to learn more about German culture and history and continue to work toward fluency alongside my peers and professors while abroad. The class I'm most looking forward to on this trip is the German Theater course. Not only will we get to read and study a host of different productions, but we will also get to see them live!

 Through the D-Plan, I'm hoping to spend my off-term living in Berlin, getting a better sense of what it's like to live in the city on my own. My plan is to move to Berlin after graduation, ideally pursuing a career in the music/entertainment industry. I hope to marry my interests in German and Music through my career path, just as I've been able to do so at Dartmouth.

 If you have any questions about my experiences with the German Department or Dartmouth at large, please reach out at john.22@dartmouth.edu!