Steven is currently a senior at Duke majoring in Statistical Science and Sociology. He is from a small rural town in North Carolina and is president of both the German Club and Define America. He began studying German at Duke his junior year.
What inspired you to learn German?
I initially took German to complete my Trinity Language Requirements. I chose German because my younger brother has been learning the language for 5 years and I thought it would be nice to be able to speak with him. My first impression once I began learning was that it was very cool! It’s very exciting learning how to pronounce new words and I was learning very quickly, even though it was a lot of work. I would also visit my brother who lives a few minutes away and just speak German with him, which was very exciting.
I found myself staying after class with my professor, and would participate in the coffee hour in German. It was exciting to talk to the graduate advisor who runs it because she did a great job at getting me to speak German all the time. She taught me how to say “I don’t know what that means” in German and I learned a lot simply asking that question. I find it very exciting to learn something very niche and it is exciting telling people that I can speak German.
Why did you decide to stick with these languages once you began studying them?
A big reason why I am so invested in learning this language is when we started getting into the topic of Muslim and refugee communities in Germany in German 203. I had an incredible experience doing one particular assignment that involved a structured reflection which allowed me to reflect on why this topic meant so much to me because. I am interested in immigration and that is the type of research that I focus on in sociology. Learning this in my language class seemed as though all of my academic and personal interested were colliding. Many of the philosophers that I have discussed in sociology were also German, such as Marx. Because of my knowledge of German, I was able to understand the words that do not translate well into English.
I began to stay after class to discuss these topics that I was learning in my other classes with my professor, Dr. Cori Crane. We had in-depth conversations about how German history can help inform the future about U.S. immigration. This class had heavier themes than I was expecting to get from a German language course, however, Professor Crane was very excited to engage in these conversations and discuss these topics in detail. She is one of the most excited professors I’ve had at duke. She is very genuine and does not teach us anything that she does not find exciting herself. That energy is very contagious. Even students that aren’t excited to be there can find common ground because she is just that great of a teacher.
What has been your experience learning German outside the classroom?
Being able to speak German with others has been very fun. I am in Mirecourt, a Selective Living Group on Campus, and a lot of people there are learning in German as well, so we would have conversations in German in the group chat and our other friend would be very confused but were also encouraged to learn German! It was very exciting.
What would you say to someone that is beginning to learn a language or thinking about learning a language at Duke?
I wish I would have started off learning German my freshman year. I personally wanted to try something that was completely out of my comfort zone. I feel like a lot of students at Duke don’t think or know that it is doable to do something out of the ordinary like learning a language, moving past just the requirements. But I do think it is somewhat of a taboo to think about it like that. I think a lot of students may be more concerned with the more tangible things that they can get out of their Duke experience rather than being genuinely excited about learning things. I would like to see more of that loving to learn, especially in the language community.
I would also say to students to be straightforward with your professor about why you are taking a language. Push yourself to believe that what you learn outside of that department can in some way be reinformed or changed with a new perspective from your language classes. That was my experience with immigration. We started talking about academically complex and rigorous topics in ways that were not possible in any of my other classes due to the in-depth way that we analyzed the culture and I am very appreciative of that perspective.
Learning about a different culture also does challenge the way you look at your own experiences. I’m from North Carolina and I would have never known anything about Germany otherwise!
What is your favorite word in German?
My favorite word is Heimat. It doesn’t translate well in English but it relates to what you identify as your home and it is not bound to a place or region. I find that interesting that it doesn’t translate – to not be able to translate a feeling and truly understanding the context makes this word a lot more personal to Germans.
How do you envision your relationship with Languages after leaving Duke?
I absolutely want to continue learning German in graduate school. My goal is to one day go to Germany with my brother since I have learned so much about the culture. I want to continue learning!
