Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - German (Single and Double Honours options)

The German program teaches cultural literacy by providing language competence and a knowledge of texts, films and other forms of cultural representation. It offers language courses on all levels, introductory literature and culture courses for University 1 students in English translation, as well as upper level culture, literature, and second language acquisition courses in German as well as in English. If students have taken German or speak the language, they will be given advanced standing. For those with little or no German, an intensive language-training program is available in which conversation groups and up-to-date language lab methods are used in addition to the usual language study. Knowledge of German language and culture is an invaluable tool in today's globalized world, and for the study of European history in philosophy, art & comparative literature.

What is unique about this program at the U of M?
The German section of the University of Manitoba offers the only Honours and M.A. degrees in German in the Prairies. Its interdisciplinary and intercultural curriculum is one of the most advanced Cultural Studies programs in German in Canada. Besides the strong academic focus on the fourth year (Honours Thesis, Senior Seminar), this includes a communicative language curriculum and the application of most recent methods of learning, teaching and assessing the German language. It also offers innovative courses such as Representations of War and Love in German Culture. The Department also introduced a new course, unique in Canada, for "Comparative German and Slavic Studies". The program offers several specific courses in Second Language Acquisition and teaching methodology in German, taught in German, that prepare students in their discipline for entering an Education program and/or for being a Teaching Assistant as a graduate student. As a relatively small program all degree undergraduate and graduate students receive close mentorship and meet on a regular basis with their advisor. Students have been very successful in recent years in receiving internal and external grants and scholarships. The program organizes a number of exchange and work abroad programs. Of particular value is the new Manitoba-Greifswald exchange (which comes with two 500 Euro a month scholarships for every academic year as part of the program, which differentiates it from many programs in Canada).

Representations of history and society in today’s Germany and Austria in literature and film are great strengths within this program. The expertise of the faculty members rivals any other German program in the country. 

The Department of German and Slavic Studies is a Certified Testing Centre for the Goethe Institute, offering Goethe Institute German Government Approved German Language Certificates (levels A1-C2 and  Business German). The German program closely cooperates with the German-Canadian community in Manitoba which allows students to gain valuable experience in outer curricular activities.

The German Students’ Association organizes different events, which can be officially recognized as co-curricular activity. Meeting and work space is available in “The German and Slavic Student Room”, a unique space for undergraduate students in the Department.