German Department Princeton

Unser schreibzeug arbeitet mit an unseren gedanken. Friedrich Nietzsche
Our writing tools are also at work on our thoughts. (Friedrich Nietzsche in a letter to his secretary Peter Gast. February 1882)
Move Down

The Princeton German Department explores the language, literatures, intellectual history, arts and media of Germany and German-speaking cultures from the Middle Ages to the present. Our highly diverse and distinguished faculty employ the critical tools of multiple disciplines to investigate and appreciate the wide range of German cultural production, its significance for–and reception of–other cultures, and its continued importance for our current historical moment.

Events

Image
Illustration of the Tower of Babel - Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Spring 2026 Lecture Series

“The Commune of Means: Naming and Magic in Novalis”

February 9, 2026
Image
Decorative image of quartet
Lecture/Recital

Bettina von Arnim’s Musical World

February 19, 2026
Image
Decorative
Goethe Seminar

The Routes of Poetry: Goethe’s West-östlicher Divan

February 27, 2026
Image
Old photo of Ferenczi and Freud in 1917
Spring 2026 Lecture Series

Reconstructing ‘Bioanalysis’: Freud, Ferenczi and the Discomfort with Heredity

March 23, 2026
Image
Decorative Poster Artwork From Film
Spring 2026 Lecture Series

Political Leanings: The Queer Contrapposto of Hitler Youth Quex

April 13, 2026