German Language Home Page
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.)
• last updated: November 19, 2007 •