Welcome to Our Department!
Our mission is to teach German and Russian, and to research and teach the rich cultural history and present of the people who speak these languages, no matter where they may live. About a decade ago, the Report of the Presidential Humanities Commission of the University of California noted that the humanities “can help … students learn how to negotiate our culturally diverse contemporary world in ways that are both knowledgeable and sensitive.” We believe that studying past and present cultures—with all their contradictions and complexities—can influence our lives in the present, and that studying foreign languages, films, literatures, philosophy, and visual arts can help us better navigate our own globalized world. We passionately believe that studying foreign languages in particular is and remains vital in our hyper-connected world, both professionally and for our own personal growth and enrichment.
Sven Spieker, Chair, Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies
GSS News & Events
Friday, April 17, 7pm: Trilingual reading of Kseniia Bolshkova’s All the Frost Melts (in Dolgan, Russian, and English), with Kseniia Bolshakova, Ainsley Morse (UCSD), and Karina Sheifer (UCSB). (McCune Conference Room, HSSB 6020)
April 18, 8.45am-6pm: California Slavic Colloquium (McCune Conference Room, HSSB 6020).
May 21, 4-6 pm: Our annual GSS Awards Ceremony in Mosher Hall. Please come and celebrate the achievements of our students with food and good cheer!
June 1, 5 -7 pm: "German and Slavic Meet and Mingle" - please come and join us for food and drink and also learn about next year's classes and our faculty's fascinating research! Everybody is welcome! (McCune Conference Room, HSSB 6020).