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Welcome!

German Studies is an interdisciplinary program that embraces 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. By exploring German-speaking culture, you’ll learn about the writers, filmmakers, philosophers, scientists, artists and intellectuals who have shaped our modern world. German Studies equips students with a unique intercultural perspective and critical tools that are indispensable for meeting the challenges of the 21st century.  

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.

German is a vital tool for academic work in numerous disciplines across the fields of humanities and social sciences. German is also a major language of business, diplomacy and tourism in the European Union and Eastern Europe. Nearly 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.

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

  News & Events

 

  • No time for German during the school year? German 1000: Elementary German course, offered in the summer of 2012, may be the course for you! Registration begins in March!
  • New Publication: Gabriele Mueller and James M. Skidmore (U of Waterloo) have co-edited the book Cinema and Social Change in Germany and Austria (Wilfrid Laurier UP, 2012).
  • New Publication: Visions of Tomorrow: Science and Utopia in German Culture, a special theme issue of Seminar. A Journal of Germanic Studies 48:1 ( U of Toronto Press, 2012), co-edited by Peter M. McIsaac (U of Michigan), Gabriele Mueller and Diana Spokiene.
  • November 9, 2011: Poster Exhibit Marking 50th Anniversary of the Construction of the Berlin Wall in the rotunda of York's Vari Hall.For more information, please click here.
  • November 9, 2011: Filmscreenings (room 749 York Research Tower):
    • At 10 am, Divided Heaven (1964) a story of love, idealism and disappointment against a Cold War backdrop which is based on a work by one of East Germany’s most respected authors, Christa Wolf.

    • At 2 pm, Wings of Desire (1986), Wim Wenders classic tale set in 1980s Berlin of an angel who falls in love with a mortal and gives up his immortality to return to earth to live a most human of lives.

  • Christina Kraenzle appointed the new Director of the Canadian Centre for German and European Studies beginning July 1, 2011. For more information, please read here.
  • Undergraduate Scholarships in Germany available for 2012/2013. For more information, click here.