Published 2017-18 SGS Calendar for editing purposes only: exported 2017/07/06

Germanic Languages and Literatures: Introduction

Faculty Affiliation

Arts and Science

Degree Programs

Germanic Languages and Literatures

MA / Fields:
German Literature, Culture and Theory
Yiddish Studies

German Literature, Culture and Theory

PhD / Field:
German Literature, Culture and Theory

Collaborative Specializations

The following collaborative specializationsare available to students in participating degree programs as listed below:
  1. Book History and Print Culture
  • Germanic Languages and Literatures, MA
  • German Literature, Culture and Theory, PhD
  1. Diaspora and Transnational Studies
  • Germanic Languages and Literatures, MA
  • German Literature, Culture and Theory, PhD
  1. Jewish Studies
  • Germanic Languages and Literatures, MA
  • German Literature, Culture and Theory, PhD
  1. Women and Gender Studies
  • Germanic Languages and Literatures, MA
  • German Literature, Culture and Theory, PhD

Overview

The Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures at the University of Toronto is the oldest and largest department of German in Canada encompassing 11 full-time faculty who contribute to a curriculum that speaks to our traditional strength in literary and intellectual history. Our faculty and students conduct research in German cinema, critical theory, language pedagogy, Yiddish studies, medieval studies, travel literature, as well as post-colonial, psychoanalytic, and transnational studies.
Past graduates have secured tenure-track teaching positions as well as employment in the arts, in cultural programming, the publishing industry, and educational administration. We are committed to providing our graduate students with exposure to a diversity of methodological approaches among our faculty and those of affiliate units. We also emphasize early progress towards professionalization through participation in faculty research projects, attendance at local and international conferences, and enrolment in campus writing workshops. We cultivate a departmental climate of mutual respect and collegiality in the shared pursuit of critical inquiry.
The department offers a graduate program of study leading to two degrees: Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy. The MA degree usually takes eight months (September to April) to complete, while the PhD degree is normally completed in four to five years.

Contact and Address

Web:
Email:
Telephone: (416) 926-2321
Fax: (416) 926-2329
Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures
3rd Floor, 50 St. Joseph Street
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario M5S 1J4
Canada

Germanic Languages and Literatures: Germanic Languages and Literatures MA

Master of Arts

Program Description
The MA degree in Germanic Languages and Literatures is offered in two fields:
  • German Literature, Culture and Theory
  • Yiddish Studies
The course-based, one-year MA program normally spans two sessions. Students have the option to concurrently enrol one of the collaborative specializations at U of T, such as Women and Gender Studies, Jewish Studies, Transnational and Diaspora Studies, or Book History and Print Culture. This also requires registration in their respective core course(s). The MA in German is a full-time program, but may also be taken part-time under extenuating circumstances. Graduates may continue on to doctoral studies as well as embarking on careers in translation, language teaching, literary editing, cultural programing, and corporate and administrative positions requiring advanced communication and analytical skills.

Field: German Literature, Culture and Theory

Minimum Admission Requirements
  • Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures' additional admission requirements stated below.
  • Applicants to the one-year MA program in the field German Literature, Culture and Theory must have completed an appropriate bachelor's degree from a recognized university that includes at least 6.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) in German language, literature, and culture, with an average grade of at least a B+.
  • Applicants should arrange for three supporting letters to be sent to the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies of the department, preferably on forms available from the department.
  • Admission is based upon the applicant's academic record as evidenced through transcripts from all post-secondary institutions, the supporting letters, a sample of written work (such as a term paper), and a Letter of Intent (500-word maximum) identifying current career goals and areas of academic interest.
Program Requirements
  • Coursework. Students must complete 3.5 FCEsincluding:
  • GER 1000H German Studies Seminar: Culture, Theory, Text (0.5 FCE)
  • at least 1.5 FCEs of the remaining 3.0 FCEs must carry a GER designator
  • the remaining course selection which is made in consultation with the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies of the department and must be approved by the department.
  • Pass a German language competence test at the beginning of the program. Only one attempt is permitted.
Program Length
2 sessions full-time (typical registration sequence: F/W);
5 sessions part-time
Time Limit
3 years full-time;
6 years part-time

Field: Yiddish Studies

Minimum Admission Requirements
  • Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures' additional admission requirements stated below.
  • Applicants to the one-year MA program in the field of Yiddish Studies must have completed an appropriate bachelor's degree from a recognized university that includes at least 2.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) in Yiddish language and 2.0 FCEs in Yiddish literature and culture or another area of Jewish Studies, with an average grade of at least a B+.
  • Applicants should arrange for two supporting letters to be sent to the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies of the department, preferably on forms available from the department.
  • Admission is based upon the applicant's academic record and upon the evidence of the supporting letters.
Program Requirements
  • Coursework. Students must complete3.5 FCEsincluding:
  • GER 1000H German Studies Seminar: Culture, Theory, Text(0.5 FCE)
  • CJS 1000H Core Methods Seminar in Jewish Studies(0.5 FCE)
  • GER 1050H Methods and Texts in Yiddish Studies(0.5 FCE)
  • GER 2050Y Research Paper in Yiddish Studies(1.0FCE)
  • The remaining elective courses (1.0 FCE) are selected from a course list approved by the department.
  • Pass a Yiddish language competency test at the beginning of the program. Only one attempt is permitted.
Program Length
2 sessions full-time (typical registration sequence: F/W);
5 sessions part-time
Time Limit
3 years full-time;
6 years part-time

Germanic Languages and Literatures: German Literature, Culture and Theory PhD

Doctor of Philosophy

Program Description
The PhD Program in German Literature, Culture, and Theory is taken on a full-time basis and is fully funded for five years. The curriculum engages debates and questions salient to the discipline of German Studies while also forging generative ties with other disciplines to facilitate a synthesis of history and theory, textual analysis and cultural study. Students have the option to concurrently enrol one of the collaborative specializations at U of T, such as Women and Gender Studies, Jewish Studies, Transnational and Diaspora Studies, or Book History and Print Culture. This also requires registration in their respective core course(s).
Applicants may enter the PhD program via one of two routes: 1) following completion of an appropriate master’s degree or 2) direct entry following completion of an appropriate bachelor’s degree.
PhD Program.

PhD Program

Minimum Admission Requirements
  • Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures' additional admission requirements stated below.
  • Admission to the PhD program requires an appropriate master's degree in German from a recognized university, with an average grade equivalent to at least a University of Toronto A- in the applicant's overall program.
  • Applicants must satisfy the department that they are capable of independent research in German at an advanced level.
  • Applicants should arrange for three supporting letters to be sent to the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies of the department, preferably on forms available from the department.
  • Admission is based upon the applicant's academic record, a writing sample, a Letter of Intent (500-word maximum) and the evidence of the supporting letters.
Program Requirements
  • Coursework. Applicants admitted on the basis of a master's degree must take a minimum of 4.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) including:
  • GER 1000H German Studies Seminar: Culture, Theory, Text (0.5 FCE) with an average grade of at least an A-.
  • at least 3.5 FCEs by the end of Year 1.
  • any remaining courses required for the degree by the end of Year 2. Course selection may include 1.5 FCEs in a department other than Germanic Languages and Literatures.
  • Course selection is made in consultation with the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies of the department and must be approved by the department.
  • Students must provide evidence of reading knowledge of French, or in exceptional circumstances, of another language approved by the department.
  • Students must pass a qualifying examination with written and oral components in the second session of Year 2 of the PhD program. The qualifying examination has three components:
  • The proficiency exam is based on a student-created and committee-approved, comprehensive list of works.
  • The focus exam is based on a student-created and committee-approved list of works organized around a genre, topic, author, or theoretical issue.
  • The research field paper on an approved topic must be distinct from the focus exam topic and reference methodological/theoretical readings essential to gaining a deep understanding of the research area of the future thesis. It is completed during the Summer session following the first two portions of the qualifying examination.
  • Students must pass a thesis field review and make an oral presentation of their thesis.
  • Students must submit the doctoral thesis and complete the Final Oral Examination.
  • The department may permit a candidate to write the doctoral thesis in German when the candidate's advisory committee so recommends and when the candidate has satisfied the School of Graduate Studies' conditions (see 12.1.2.8 Thesis section in Degree Regulations, Doctor of Philosophy).
Program Length
4 years
Time Limit
6 years

PhD Program (Direct-Entry)

Minimum Admission Requirements
  • Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures' additional admission requirements stated below.
  • Admission to the PhD program requires an appropriate bachelor's degree from a recognized university that includes at least 6.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) in German language, literature, and culture, with an average grade equivalent to at least a University of Toronto B+ in the applicant's overall program and of at least an A- in the applicant's German courses
  • Applicants must satisfy the department that they are capable of independent research in German at an advanced level.
  • Applicants should arrange for three supporting letters to be sent to the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies of the department, preferably on forms available from the department.
  • Admission is based upon the applicant's academic record, a writing sample, a Letter of Intent (500-word maximum) and the evidence of the supporting letters.

Program Requirements

  • Coursework. Applicants admitted on the basis of a bachelor's degree must take a minimum of 7.0 FCEs, including:
  • GER 1000H German Studies Seminar: Culture, Theory, Text (0.5 FCE) with an average grade of at least an A-.
  • The department may recommend to the School of Graduate Studies the termination of the registration and eligibility of a student who fails to complete at least 3.5 FCEs, with an average of at least an A-, during Year 1.
  • the remaining courses required for the degree, with an A- average, by the end of Year 2.
  • Students must provide evidence of reading knowledge of French, or in exceptional circumstances, of another language approved by the department.
  • Students must pass a qualifying examination with written and oral components in the second session of Year 3 of the PhD program. The qualifying examination has three components:
  • The proficiency exam is based on a student-created and committee-approved, comprehensive list of works.
  • The focus exam is based on a student-created and committee-approved list of works organized around a genre, topic, author, or theoretical issue.
  • The research field paper on an approved topic must be distinct from the focus exam topic and reference methodological/theoretical readings essential to gaining a deep understanding of the research area of the future thesis. It is completed during the Summer session following the first two portions of the qualifying examination.
  • Students must pass a thesis field review and make an oral presentation of their thesis.
  • Students must submit the doctoral thesis and complete the Final Oral Examination.
  • The department may permit a candidate to write the doctoral thesis in German when the candidate's advisory committee so recommends and when the candidate has satisfied the School of Graduate Studies' conditions (see 12.1.2.8 Thesis section inDegree Regulations, Doctor of Philosophy).

Program Length

5 years

Time Limit

7 years

Germanic Languages and Literatures: Germanic Languages and Literatures MA and German Literature, Culture and Theory PhD Courses

Not all courses are offered every year. The department should be consulted each session as to actual course offerings.
GER 1000H / German Studies Seminar: Culture, Theory, Text
GER 1050H / Methods and Texts in Yiddish Studies
GER 1051Y / Yiddish Language and Literature for German Speakers
GER 1200H / Middle High German
GER 1220H / Medieval Arthurian Romance
GER 1400H / From Real to Virtual Shtetl: Jewish Culture in Russia, 1917–2010
GER 1470H / Goethe in Context
GER 1480H / Goethe's Faust
GER 1485H / Goethe's Novels
GER 1505H / Romanticism
GER 1530H / Heine and Critical Theory
GER 1540H / Revolutions
GER 1550H / Origins: Myths of Beginning in German Literature and Thought
GER 1661H / Modernism in Context
GER 1665H / Modernism and the Other
GER 1690H / Theatre in the Weimar Republic
GER 1710H / Weimar Cinema
GER 1722H / Kafka
GER 1730H / Travel Writing
GER 1735H / Transnational Literatures
GER 1752H / Germany's Colonial Imaginary
GER 1770H / Reviewing the 50s: German Cinemas under Reconstruction
GER 1771H / Topics in German Cinema Studies
GER 1772H / The Politics of the Non-fiction Film
GER 1775H / Cinemas of Migration
GER 1777H / Locations of East German Cinema
GER 1780H / Topics in German Visual Culture
GER 1785H / Remaking the Movies in German Cinemas
GER 1820H / The Learning and Teaching of German
GER 1821H / Reading Course in Second Language Acquisition
GER 1860H / Introduction to Critical Theory
GER 2000H,Y / Reading Course in Approved Field
GER 2050Y / Research Paper in Yiddish Studies
GER 3000H / Trends in German Literature
GER 6000H / Reading German for Graduate Students
JGC 1660H / Modernism and the Other
JGC 1850H / Derrida, the German, the Jew
JGC 1855H / Critical Theory in Context: The French-German Connection
JGF 1733H / Autobiographical Documentary: History, Alterity, and Performativity

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