German has been taught at the University of Sydney since the 1850s, and the department of Germanic Studies is currently one of the largest in New South Wales. Germanic Studies is the study of the German language and its rich culture, including German literature, history, society, and lifestyles. German is the language of some 100 million people and is the most widely spoken language in Europe. A deep understanding of German language and culture can form a strong basis for careers in a diverse array of fields including business, banking, science, education and the arts.

Academic staff have a wide range of expertise in such areas as Germanlanguage literature, theatre and film, comparative literature, applied linguistics, language pedagogy, and German and European area and cultural studies.

Postgraduate research students work on a wide range of topics. See the departmental webpage.

Research students have access to the Faculty's Postgraduate Research Centres, and to the outstanding research collection at the Fisher Library. The department holds regular colloquia, at which staff and visiting academics present up-to-the-minute research findings and scholarly papers.