First of all, why do students need to know anything about German culture?

We think that attending the GUC is a chance for them to broaden their horizon. It’s the objective, that eventually there’ll be close cooperation academically and professionally. We feel that students, at this early age, are too young to focus only on their specialty. They need to develop their skills in other directions, which is why all students have to study Humanities. Basically, the latter are represented by language courses at the GUC, including German courses.

What skills do students acquire through German classes?

We try as much as we can to make these courses not only language courses, but also to introduce them to the German traditions and German culture. We also employ a democratic approach in teaching, not the authoritarian scheme where teachers say “this is how it is and you have to memorize it”…

More of an interactive approach?

Yes, exactly. We try to give them skills that they may have not acquired: organizing their thoughts, brainstorming, teamwork etc.

Of course, we are aware that, the majority of the students will not remember what “Akkusativ” is and what “Dativ” is. But, hopefully, they will remember that it was a positive experience and they will take some of the spirit. We sure hope that a smaller group will develop their language skills, and that their objective will be to go for internships or exchange trips to Germany.

How far and developed is the cooperation between the GUC, Goethe Institute and the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service)?

• DAAD: A lot of cooperation is there as far as internships and scholarships are concerned.

• Goethe Institute: The cooperation with Goethe Institute is really my strength. It’s my task to train the teachers and supervise the language program.

There are also cooperation between the GUC External Relations Department and Goethe Institute as far as events are concerned.

Are there any other ways or activities that enable students to interact with German culture throughout their campus life?

We have offered journalism and photography workshops. We try to show movies, but that is still under development. We also have a program with the DAAD which is called “Tandem” (A tandem is a bicycle designed to be ridden by more than one person). These are German students who want to learn Arabic. We only establish the contact between them and Egyptian GUCians who want to learn German. The idea is a mutual benefit: they speak a little Arabic and a little German. They also do activities together and spend time together. This happens once a year with about 30 German students.

How do you picture a GUCian with a high degree of cultural awareness? What sets him/her apart from others?

Hopefully, he/she has an open mind, in a broad sense of being open to new things. When you work in science, this is extremely important, an open mind to a democratic workplace which allows talented people to move up and superiors to listen to ideas. Of course, the objective is also, that there will be close academic and cultural ties. This has a long tradition in Egypt through German Schools.

The GUC has really kicked off a development in Egypt: More and more school students are choosing German as their second language in Thanaweya Amma. Private German schools are also increasing.

Thank you for all the useful information. I hope this encourages students to participate in these activities.