23 December 2011
Posted in Newsletter - Newsletter

Season's Greetings

GermanStudies.ca wishes you all a happy Holiday Season and a wonderful New Year!

This year GermanStudies.ca has focused on reaching out to the European Studies Community and supported interdisciplinary activities in the featured clusters of research activities. Check out our new expert video function for various contributions from scholars in Canada. If you are interested in sharing video clips about your research or comment on any Germany-related research topic we are happy to place it on our GermanStudies.ca website.

Furthermore, we are still exploring new synergies with stakeholders in the German-European Studies community or funding opportunities to make the GermanStudies.ca project sustainable into the future. If you would like to support our network, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Beate Schmidtke, University of Victoria

Bonne année !

GermanStudies.ca espère que vous avez passé de bonnes fêtes et vous souhaite une magnifique année 2012 !

Cette année GermanStudies.ca a concentré ses efforts sur sa collaboration avec la communauté des Etudes Européennes et s’est fait le supporteur d’activités de recherches pluridisciplinaires. Pour accéder aux différentes contributions de chercheurs et experts canadiens, nous vous invitons à visionner leurs vidéos, disponibles en ligne. Il vous suffit de cliquer sur l’onglet expert videos. Si vous êtes vous-même intéressé et désirez partager des vidéos concernant votre propre travail de recherche ou bien des commentaires sur des sujets de recherche liés aux études germaniques, nous nous ferrons un plaisir de les publier sur notre site internet, GermanStudies.ca.

De plus, et en association avec nos différents partenaires de la communauté des études germano-européennes, nous explorons de nouvelles synergies, ainsi que de nouvelles opportunités de financement, qui permettraient à GermanStudies.ca plus de pérennité dans le futur. Si vous souhaitez apporter votre soutien à notre réseau, veillez nous contacter par le biais de l’adresse électronique suivante : This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Beate Schmidtke, Université de Victoria

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23 December 2011
Posted in Latest News - CAUTG

James Skidmore from the University of Waterloo is the recipient of the 3rd Annual GO Award. GO stands for German Online and the award, jointly administered by GermanStudies.ca and the CAUTG, and sponsored by the DAAD, recognizes the often less appreciated work that German instructors put into course design and the development of teaching materials.

James Skidmore's German 271/272: German Thought & Culture is an online course that teaches German cultural history from its beginnings all the way to the 21st century. The selection committee members lauded the course's extremely rich and flexible learning environment that supports learning in multiple ways. Introductory and explanatory information about using the course and the course content is clearly presented. Materials and assignments are all clearly marked, easy to find, and available through multiple paths.The committee highlighted the wide range of resources and tools students can access to enhance their learning experience. The materials include videos, primary sources, links to scholarly websites, exercises for the different course units, and excerpts from lectures with the accompanying PowerPoint presentations. Different types of engagement - including factual comprehension, textual analysis, and "field trips" - encourage learners to explore ways in which historical cultural objects leave their mark on contemporary Germany. Structured Study Forums and the informal Question & Answer Forum, where students can post any question about the course, provide ample opportunities for student interaction. The committee found the recorded Prof Moments - mini lectures highlighting key aspects of the material, with some attractive interactive elements - both entertaining and visually appealing. The website is easy to navigate considering the selection and variety of resources made available, and it is rewarding to use.

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