German Studies Canada
German Studies Canada or Études Allemandes Canada (GSC) is a professional, not-for-profit learned society promoting German Studies in Canada. The association was founded as the Canadian Association of University Teachers of German (CAUTG) by professors from twelve Canadian Universities in 1962. Since then, GSC has enabled faculty, graduate students, and supporters to advance German Studies in higher education. For example, since 1973 GSC has administered the Canadian Summer School in Germany, which enables Canadian undergraduates to travel to Kassel to improve their German. The association also helped run the now-defunct Werkstudentenprogramm (Work-Student Program), which allowed Canadian students to spend their summers working in Germany. GSC hosts an annual conference as part of the Congress of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, where speakers present research related to German language, literature, culture, and pedagogy. The association also publishes Seminar: A Journal of Germanic Studies through the University of Toronto Press. In 2012, GSC recommended that German departments at Canadian universities update their programs to comply with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Abbreviation | GSC/ÉAC |
---|---|
Formation | 1962 |
Type | Educational association |
Purpose | to promote German studies in Canada |
Region served | Canada |
Official language | English, French, German |
President | Markus Stock Associate Professor Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures University of Toronto |
In 2021, the association changed its name to German Studies Canada / Études Allemandes Canada. The name change reflected developments in the field of German Studies and an updated understanding of its members' activities (for example, encompassing research and not only teaching).