There are many conferences and academic events for graduate students, but very few for undergrads. Barbara Schmenk from the University of Waterloo, along with Christine Lehleiter (University of Toronto) and Ulrike Kugler (Goethe-Institut Toronto) have organized the Undergraduate Colloquium in German Studies, a one-day conference exclusively for undergraduates involved in German studies. This conference, being held on 29 March 2014 at the University of Toronto, will see 12 students from five Canadian and American universities present on a variety of topics covering applied linguistics, cultural studies, literature, and history.
"Undergraduates are notoriously undersupported when it comes to academic events," says Professor Schmenk. The colloquium gives the undergrads "a chance to meet others from other universities and other provinces, and to get a feel for what it is like to present a paper to an interested audience" and not just classmates.
The students generally present work that they've produced for courses at their home university. According to Professor Schmenk the "UCGS therefore provides a forum for them to share their excellent work with others, so it is a kind of external reward in addition to the good marks they received from their professors for their papers."
Koralijka Sevo, who has just finished her BA at the University of Waterloo, will be presenting a paper entitled "No more memorization." In it she explains how instructors, by creating a lesson plan that uses drama pedagogy and inductive teaching, can help students learn grammar in a fun and engaging manner.
For more information on the conference go to our events page.