German Institute for the Southwest (GIS)

The GIS German Institute for the Southwest (GIS) endeavors to bring all things German to the Southwest of the United States. Our main mission is to promote and advance the German culture and language. Our sphere of influence extends across Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

We teach German to children and adults in-person in the greater Houston area and via Zoom online. We strive to bring programs to the community that develop an appreciation of German language and literature, to awakening an interest in German culture and the present-day German way of life, and cultivating 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 Germans and Germany, 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 different culture.

Currently we teach German language classes for adults, children and youths on a beginning, intermediate, and advanced level, conversational and business German.  We also offer specialized courses in grammar, literature, and German for translations on a graduate level. As the need arises, we will expand our language programs.