Welcome to the German Studies Program!

German Studies is an interdisciplinary program that encompasses subjects ranging from language, literature and film studies to intellectual and cultural history, urban studies, political science, museum studies, art history and women's studies.

Our program

• develops student's abilities to engage with new knowledge and to apply research methodologies and theoretical approaches to their studies;
• fosters student's curiosity, creativity and imagination through the analysis of cultural texts from German-speaking Europe;
• develops transferable skills in critical thinking, oral and written communication and project management in both English and German;
• challenges students to become a community of self-directed, responsible, life-long learner-researchers and international citizens.

At York, students can pursue a variety of Major or Minor programs in German or select individual courses to complement their existing areas of study. Many of our courses are taught in English and are open to students from all disciplines.

Why learn German and take courses in German Studies?

Academic and Cultural Enrichment

German is a vital tool for academic work in numerous disciplines across the fields of humanities and social sciences. It is hard to think of a field unaffected by writers, philosophers and artists who spoke and wrote in German, from Nietzsche, Freud, and Wittgenstein to Kafka, Brecht, Jelinek, the architects of the Bauhaus, and the filmmakers of the New German Cinema.

Getting Ready for the World

German is also a major language of business, diplomacy and tourism in the European Union and Eastern Europe. Near 100 million people speak German as a primary language, making it the most widely spoken language in the European Union. Some 80 million people speak it as a second language. Language classes are open to students in any discipline and are offered at introductory to advanced levels. Students who complete a required number of language courses and pass an oral/written examination can obtain a Certificate of Proficiency.

Interesting Facts About German and Germany

German is the No. 1 language spoken in Europe.

Germany invests more money into foreign student study opportunities than any other country

Almost 2 out of 10 books in the world are published in German

German is the second most commonly used scientific language in the world

The domain name .de is second only to .com

Germany is the No 1 export nation in the world and has the 4th largest economy in the world

Study Abroad

Students majoring in German Studies also have the opportunity to study in Germany for one year. York has well-established exchange programs with the Freie Universität and Humboldt University in Berlin, University of Konstanz and with many other German universities in conjunction with the Ontario/Baden-Württemberg exchange program.

For more information please refer to the study abroad section.

• Dr. Gabriele Mueller is the Program Chair for the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association of University Teachers of German that will be held June 1-4 at the University of Victoria, Victoria, BC. For the full program information, click here.

• Lecture and Discussion: Andreas Schnitzer, "Reconsidering Austria's Past," Monday, March 11, 2013. York Research Tower, 749, 2:30 - 4:00 pm. For more information, click here.

• Exhibit: The Life and Art of Gustav Klimt: Forerunner to Modernism. To commemorate the official "Gustav Klimt Year" in Austria and his 150th birthday, the Canadian Centre for German and European Studies is pleased to present an exhibit of his life and work. This exhibition, generously provided to us by the Austrian Cultural Forum, focuses on the artist by recreating the atmosphere of his era through historical photographs, biographical documentations and reproductions of his finest and most famous works of art. The exhibit will be on display on the 1st Floor of York's Scott Library until January 30. For more information, click here.

• Undergraduate Scholarships in Germany available for 2013/2014. For more information, click here.

Gabriele Mueller and James Skidmore, ed. Cinema and Social Change in Germany and Austria. Waterloo: WLU Press, 2012.

Peter McIsaac, Gabriele Mueller and Diana Spokiene, ed. Visions of Tomorrow: Science and Utopia in German Culture. A Special Theme Issue of Seminar. U of Toronto Press, 2012.

Raleigh Whitinger and Diana Spokiene, ed. and trans. Confessions of a Poisoner. Written by Herself. New York: MLA, 2009.

Jorg Esleben, Christina Kraenzle and Sukanya Kulkarni, ed. Mapping Channels Between Ganges and Rhein: German-Indian Cross-Cultural Relations. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2008.