Dear Friends of German Language and Culture,

We are delighted that you are visiting our German Institute for the Southwest (GIS) website. GIS brings all things German to the Southwest of the United States. Our main mission is to promote and advance the German culture and language in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas; our home is in Houston.  We are certified by the Goethe-Institut, the official German cultural organization, to administer their prestigious language exams, and we teach German as a second language to youths and adults in the Houston, Cinco Ranch/Fort Bend County, and Woodlands areas.

We strive to bring programs to the community that develop an appreciation of German language and literature, to awaken an interest in German culture and the present-day German way of life, and to cultivate mutual understanding between the people of German-speaking countries and those of the United States.

Some of our goals are to shape and revise the traditional image of Germany, to present contemporary German culture, and to foster the German language and culture within the American educational system. Our students learn more than a language, they learn to love and appreciate a culture.

One of our largest events is the annual GIS Career Day in the Spring that brings together middle and high school and university students with German businesses that have headquarters in one of the German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein) or with a German-speaking CEO in the Houston area. More than 500 persons participated or visited us in 2019, including over 400 students. Unfortunately GIS Career Day was cancelled in 2020.

From time to time we will have social gatherings to which you will be invited. Please feel free to surf our website, and contact us, if you have any questions or suggestions or just want to talk at info@germansouthwest.org.

We currently teach German language classes for adults, children, and teenagers. As the need arises, we will expand our language programs. Learn more about our classes, and write to angelika@germansouthwest.org for registration.

We hope that you will join us during one of our sessions.

Sincerely,
Angelika C. Schmidt-Lange, J.D.
Executive Director