Our department specializes in the study of language, applied linguistics, literature, and film and visual culture.
Graduate programs
Our department has developed three stimulating and challenging graduate programs that give students hands-on experience in teaching and research:
- MA in German - a one-year MA program that has thesis and non-thesis options
- Joint MA in Intercultural German Studies - a two-year MA program that is operated jointly with the Universität Mannheim
- PhD in German - a PhD program that equips you for careers in academe and beyond
Undergraduate programs
We offer courses in:
- German: Students learn the languages, history, cultural traditions, ideas, and accomplishments of the German-speaking areas of central Europe.
- Russian: We offer courses in Russian language as well as the culture of Russia and Eastern Europe. Students can earn a Minor in Russian and East European Studies.
- Croatian: The department offers elementary courses in Croatian as well as courses in Croatian culture.
- Dutch: The department offers elementary courses in Dutch as well as a Dutch culture course. Many courses in Dutch are offered online. Students can earn a Diploma in Dutch Language.
Meet the GSS faculty and staff
Waterloo Centre for German Studies (WCGS)
WCGS is a privately-endowed institute devoted to research on the language, culture, and civilization of German-speaking peoples. The Centre offers a wide range of educational and cultural activities for the academy and the broader community.
News and events
News
Featured Course of the Week: Interactive German Language and Culture (GER 303)
GER 303 - Interactive German Language and Culture develops German language skills and cultural awareness. Discussions include such topics as Heimat, nation, migration, and study abroad. Students will engage with and reflect on different social and cultural perspectives through interviews, videos, and texts. Online interactions, including with people in and from Germany, form an integral part of the course.
Featured Course of the Week: Transcultural Studies (CI/GER 200)
CI 200 / GER 200 Transcultural Studies provides an introduction to transcultural views of literature, film, language, and literature and media culture (e.g., fairy tales and their adaptation in other cultures, authors who work in multiple languages, transcultural comics, multilingual and transcultural films, local cultures' interaction with global arts and media scenes, etc.).
Lectures and readings are in English.
Prerequisites: None
Winter 2022 on-campus
Tuesday 2:30pm to 4:20pm (HH 150)
New Book Publication by Ann Marie Rasmussen
We are pleased to announce this month’s publication of Ann Marie Rasmussen’s book Medieval Badges: Their Wearers and Their Worlds (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2021). Interdisciplinary in approach, and illustrated with more than 115 color and black-and-white images, Medieval Badges: Their Wearers and Their Worlds introduces badges in all their variety and uses.
