Future undergraduate students

Canada and Germany: Partners from Immigration to Innovation

At the Waterloo Region Museum from May 25 to September 3, 2018thisexhibit presents historical events over the centuries, inspiring stories of German immigrants, and innovative bilateral research projects and partnerships.

Thursday, March 15, 2018 6:30 pm - 6:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Overcoming the myth of the native speaker

Overcoming the myth of the native speaker. Challenges and successes.

The monolingual disposition (Gogolin, 1994) of our societies and school systems is a big obstacle to innovation in language education. In particular, it constitutes a filter that prevents appreciation of linguistic and cultural diversity and fails to acknowledge learners’ resources and funds of knowledge. However, a movement away from a linear vision of language education into a more dynamic and flexible one capable of dealing with multilingual classes and plurilingual individuals is in place.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018 6:30 pm - 6:30 pm EST (GMT -05:00) Tuesday, January 23, 2018 6:30 pm - 6:30 pm EST (GMT -05:00) Tuesday, January 30, 2018 6:30 pm - 6:30 pm EST (GMT -05:00) Tuesday, February 6, 2018 6:30 pm - 6:30 pm EST (GMT -05:00) Tuesday, February 13, 2018 6:30 pm - 6:30 pm EST (GMT -05:00) Tuesday, February 27, 2018 6:30 pm - 6:30 pm EST (GMT -05:00) Tuesday, March 6, 2018 6:30 pm - 6:30 pm EST (GMT -05:00) Tuesday, March 13, 2018 6:30 pm - 6:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Film Series: German Filmmakers in Hollywood

The influence of German filmmakers in Hollywood has been substantial. Genres such as the 1940s film noir or the 1950s melodrama owe a great deal to directors such as Fritz Lang, Douglas Sirk, and Billy Wilder, all of whom made their mark on Hollywood and film history.

Tuesday, December 5, 2017 6:00 pm - 6:00 pm EST (GMT -05:00)

1st Annual Golden Boar Awards

This is the first annual (can it be annual if it's the first?) Golden Boar Awards. Far from boring, these short films were produced by students in German 101 and 102 and will be showcased this evening.

Every semester, the Waterloo Centre for German Studies's reading group meets on a weeknight evening to discuss a book that is somehow related to German-speaking culture. These have been our past titles:

On Tuesday, November 28th, WCGS Director James Skidmore gave a talk on the history of Christmas traditions in German-speaking Europe. The event was connected with Kitchener's Christkindl Market, which opens next week, on Thursday, December 7th.

Monday, November 13, 2017 7:00 pm - 7:00 pm EST (GMT -05:00)

Reading: Carl Skoggard Reads From his Translation of Siegfried Kracauer's "Georg"

Join us at Open Sesame, downtown Kitchener's distinctive gift shop/gallery/book store, for a reading by Carl Skoggard, translator of the novel Georg by Siegfried Kracauer.

Alice Kuzniar, University Research Chair and Professor of German and English, will be awarded the Hans-Walz Research Prize at a champagne reception on 1 December at the Robert Bosch Haus in Stuttgart for her work on the history of homeopathy.  

Monday, December 11, 2017 9:45 am - 7:00 pm EST (GMT -05:00)

13th Germanic and Slavic Studies Conference

The program for the 13th annual Germanic & Slavic Studies Conference has been announced!

Conference Program

Part I: Who Are You to Talk to Me Like That?

Chair: Alexander Sullivan

9:45-11:00

Tuesday, November 28, 2017 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm EST (GMT -05:00)

Reading Group Fall 2017: Winnetou, by Karl May

Cover art for original Winnetou publication, from 1893.We're going back to the Wild West, German style, with Karl May's Winnetou I (1893) and the Brubacher House.

We'll begin the evening with a short tour of the historic, Mennonite home and then sit down for our book discussion in its stone-walled basement, next to a cozy fire.