Faculty of Arts

Department of German and Slavic Studies

Explore the languages, literatures, histories and cultures of Germany, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and Hungary and excel in critical and creative thinking, teamwork and communication.

Start any language as a beginner or enter at a higher level of competency. We offer many travel and study abroad options. A variety of our culture courses are taught in English.

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Oder bridge connecting Germany and Poland.

Department statement

Please read the statement from the Department of German and Slavic Studies and the Central and East European Studies Program at the University of Manitoba (March 3, 2022).

Statement against Russia's invasion of Ukraine

A Statement by the Department of German and Slavic Studies and the Program in Central and East European Studies at the University of Manitoba (March 3, 2022) 

The Department of German and Slavic Studies and the Program in Central and Eastern European Studies at the University of Manitoba strongly condemn the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine. Since 24 February 2022, 5:00 a.m. Kyiv time, Russia’s massive attack on Ukraine has started the worst security and humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War Two. This assault causes suffering, devastation, and damage to the people and cultural heritage of Ukraine. All the programs of our department (Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, German, and Hungarian) and the multi-disciplinary Program in Central and East European Studies stand united with Ukraine and its people in these perilous times. As scholars and educators, we reject President Putin’s justifications of this war and its misrepresentation as a “special military operation.” We declare our support for all those in Ukraine and beyond who are suffering because of this invasion. We stand together with the people of Ukraine, our students, partners, and colleagues from all ethnic backgrounds who are in Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus, and around the world who oppose this war. The Department of German and Slavic Studies expresses solidarity with our partner institutions in Ukraine:  Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University, and the Lviv Polytechnic National University. If you feel the direct impact of the war (especially international students from Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus, who are enrolled in the courses taught by our Department) and need assistance, please let us know at: german_slavic@umanitoba.ca
 

News and events

Call for Papers

The University of Manitoba - University of Trier Biennial Partnership Conference:
Resistance: Transnational Perspectives

Call for papers deadline: January 31, 2025
Conference: September 17-19, 2025
University of Manitoba

Proposals are invited for an interdisciplinary conference on the subject of resistance. The conference, to be held at the University of Manitoba, is in partnership with University of Trier. The scope of the conference is broad, and the theme is intended to encompass scholarship on all forms of resistance in culture and society (personal, collective, institutional, etc.). Of particular interest is work pertaining to resistance as it is understood, and circulates (is celebrated, contested, etc.) in Canadian, German, and related transnational academic and cultural contexts. Presentations are welcome to address works and issues from different fields, media and conceptual perspectives across and beyond the humanities and social sciences.

Open to academics and graduate students. It is expected that funding will be available to subsidize accommodation for scholars from Trier University and local costs for all participants. Participants from other Canadian and German institutions are welcome. There will be no registration fee.

Potential presenters and panels are requested to send a maximum 300-word proposal and a 150-word bio to Stephan Jaeger and Adam Muller by January 31, 2025. 

2025 conference description

Resistance: Transnational Perspectives

Conveners:
Stephan Jaeger (German & Slavic Studies, University of Manitoba)
Adam Muller (Peace & Conflict Studies, University of Manitoba)

“Every people, every society, needs a culture of resistance, a culture of being difficult and disobedient, that is the only way they will ever be able to stand up to the inevitable abuse of power by whoever runs the state apparatus, the capitalists, the communists, the socialists, the Gandhians, whoever.” - Arundhati Roy

We live in an age with massive struggles about the right forms of human society, shaped by new wars and threats, by antagonistic identities that hardly allow for dialogue and discourse, and challenges to democratic systems unimaginable in post Second-World-War society, and by technological innovation challenging or fundamentally altering human existence. Resistance can be approached in many ways, literally and metaphorically, as forms of cultural resistance in our present, as forms of media, memory, and the (fictive) imagination depicting various cultural, political, and historical forms of resistance. Resistance – to be distinguished from mere opposition – can be defined as a cultural form or as a form of action for either change or for defending values. It is usually delineated through its opposition to an existing power or system. In societies divided by opposing ideologies, it is a challenge to understand forms of resistance.

Proposals are invited for an interdisciplinary conference on the subject of resistance. The conference, to be held at the University of Manitoba, is in partnership with University of Trier. The scope of the conference is broad, and the theme is intended to encompass scholarship on all forms of resistance in culture and society (personal, collective, institutional, etc.). Of particular interest is work pertaining to resistance as it is understood, and circulates (is celebrated, contested, etc.) in Canadian, German, and related transnational academic and cultural contexts. Presentations are welcome to address works and issues from different fields, media, and conceptual perspectives across and beyond the humanities and social sciences.

Papers are invited on any topic relating to resistance, including but not limited to the following:

  • Resistance during warfare, occupation, and genocide
  • Resistance as moral obligation in a totalitarian society or dictatorship
  • Populist Resistance
  • Political Resistance
  • Resisting technology (AI, drones, etc.)
  • Resisting change or innovation
  • Transnational resistance
  • Violent resistance
  • Resistance and religious faith

Call for Papers

Identity and Poetics of Ukrainian Canadian Literature Conference

Call for papers deadline: February 15, 2025
Conference: March 14, 2025
University of Manitoba

We invite scholars, writers, and literary enthusiasts to submit proposals for this international conference.

Ukrainian Canadian literature occupies a unique space in the broader context of Canadian multiculturalism and diaspora studies. It is shaped by the historical and cultural experiences of Ukrainian immigrants and their descendants. Despite the substantial amount of fiction written and published in English by Canadian-born Ukrainians featuring authors such as Myrna Kostash, Janice Kulyk Keefer, Lisa Grecul, Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, Maurice Mierau, Laisha Rosnau, Randall Maggs, Laura Langston, Daria Salamon, Lindy Ledohowski, Elizabeth Bachinsky, Erin Moure, Barbara Sapergia, Thomas Trofimuk, and many others Ukrainian Canadian literature remains largely invisible in university curricula, academic programs, and research. We hope that this conference will draw active attention to Ukrainian Canadian literature, highlighting its rich topicality, diverse genre, and poetic forms that not only preserve cultural heritage but also enrich Canadian literary tradition as a whole.

Possible topics for submission include (but are not limited to):

  • Memory and nostalgia in Ukrainian Canadian literature
  • The Ukrainian Canadian identity in contemporary fiction and poetry
  • Diaspora and transnationalism: Ukrainian Canadian literature in a global context
  • Intersections of language, culture, and identity in Ukrainian Canadian writing
  • Representation of historical events and collective memory in Ukrainian Canadian literature
  • The impact of migration and settlement on literary expression
  • Gender and feminist perspectives in Ukrainian Canadian literary works
  • The Ukrainian folklore and mythology in Canadian literary contexts
  • Comparative studies of Ukrainian Canadian literature and other ethnic literatures in Canada
  • The role of Ukrainian Canadian literature in cultural preservation and resistance to assimilation
  • The contribution of Ukrainian Canadian writers to Canadian multiculturalism
  • Religious and spiritual themes in Ukrainian Canadian literature
  • Ukrainian Canadian literary responses to political and social changes in Ukraine and Canada

We welcome proposals for papers, panel discussions and roundtables. Submissions should include a title, an abstract (250-300 words), a brief bio (100 words) and contact information. Please submit your proposals by February 15, 2025, to Mariya Shymchyshyn or complete the submission form. Notifications of acceptance will be sent out by March 1, 2025. This conference will offer a hybrid format, allowing participants to join either in person at the University of Manitoba or virtually.

 

The Central and East European Program Lecture Series

Local, national and international experts present academic and community roundtables, book launches, graduate student presentations and more in this annual program sponsored by the CEES Program and the Department of German and Slavic Studies.  

Check back here for future events.

Programs of study

Course offerings

The course listing is a preliminary list of undergraduate and graduate courses per term that includes the course start and end date. 

Courses offered by the Department of German and Slavic Studies fall under six subject area categories:

  • German (GRMN)
  • Hungarian (HUNG)
  • Polish (POL)
  • Russian (RUSN)
  • Slavic (SLAV)
  • Ukrainian (UKRN)

View courses on Aurora

Students must search the system using each subject category to review the courses for that subject area.

Check back for updates and additional information including meeting times, instructors and method of delivery (e.g., on campus or remote learning).

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Graduate students

Finding a graduate advisor

Before submitting your application to the Faculty of Graduate Studies for the German Studies MA program or the Slavic Studies MA program, you will need to first contact the department via the Graduate Chair (German_Slavic@umanitoba.ca) to discuss an appropriate academic advisor for you.

You can also contact a German and Slavic Studies faculty member directly if you are specifically interested in their research.

In an email, please let us know the following:

  • your area(s) of study and research interest,
  • a bit about yourself, and how to best contact you,
  • a brief summary of your relevant education, community and/or work experiences,
  • a description of your proposed research topic.

Past theses

Past German Studies and Slavic Studies theses can be found on MSpace.

View past German Studies and Slavic Studies theses on MSpace

Donations

German and Slavic Studies is comprised of several vibrant, growing academic fields. With your support our language and culture programs can continue to be a vital part of this multicultural province. 

German Studies Endowment Fund

The German Studies Endowment Fund provides excellence awards to students majoring in German. By supporting our students, you give them the opportunity to become experts in German Studies and future ambassadors for German-Canadian relations.

Donate NOW to the German Studies Endowment Fund

The Polish Studies Endowment Fund

The Polish Studies Endowment Fund supports the continuous offering of Polish language and culture courses on an annual basis. Today, the fund plays a critical role in keeping our program at the forefront of Polish studies in western Canada.

Donate NOW to the Polish Endowment Fund

Become a donor

If you'd like to support one of German and Slavic Studies’ programs (German, Hungarian, Polish, Russian or Ukrainian), you can donate to one of the existing funds listed or you may be interested in establishing an endowment of your own at UM that supports the program, research or a professorship or an annually funded student award such as a bursary, fellowship, prize or scholarship. Your investment will help transform the lives of students and faculty.

Contact us

At times, departmental support staff are working from home and can be reached via phone or email.

Department of German and Slavic Studies
Room 328 Fletcher Argue Building
15 Chancellors Circle
University of Manitoba (Fort Garry campus)
Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada

german_slavic@umanitoba.ca
204-474-9370
Monday to Friday 9:00 am - 3:00 pm