International Partnerships

with the University of Waterloo, Ontario (Canada)

On the basis of an exchange of students and lecturers that has been in existence for 40 years now, the Department for German Studies of the University of Mannheim and the Department of Germanic & Slavic Studies der University of Waterloo have developed the Master's programme “Intercultural German Studies”, which anchors international cooperation in a joint study programme of the two partner universities.

Students are enrolled at both institutions at all times and thus benefit from the advantages of both systems. We are thus breaking new ground: This master's programme is the first joint degree programme between humanities faculties in Germany and Canada and as such has been supported by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts as well as the German Academic Exchange Service and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

more information

As part of the “German Institute Partnerships (GIP)” programme, the DAAD supports cooperation between departments for German Studies at German universities and departments for German Studies abroad.

These partnerships primarily serve to promote research and teaching at the foreign partner institutes. For example:

• regularly invite lecturers to Germany for research stays.
• Guest lectureships for German scientists are organised at the partner institutes.
• The programme finances urgently needed purchases (e.g. specialist literature or technical equipment) for teaching purposes.

Foreign language assistants
However, there is also the possibility of sending advanced students from the German side to the foreign partner institutes as foreign language assistants. The stays can last between one and six months and are remunerated by a placement grant. They can be recognised as an internship abroad within the framework of local study programmes. If the exchange participants complete an entire semester at the partner university, the courses offered there can also be credited to their studies in Mannheim after prior arrangement.

In which of the existing German Studies Institute Partnerships the use of foreign language assistants is possible and the scope of the scholarship paid for this depends on the new annual funding by the DAAD and can therefore vary.

It is planned that at least one language assistant will be provided per year in each German Studies Institute partnership – usually in the autumn semester, but if necessary also in the spring semester. In principle, anyone interested can contact the International Relations Officer at any time. At the beginning of each year, there is also a separate announcement about the available places for language assistants in all partner departments of the seminar. Please note the application information, which will be published on the notice board and online.

Currently, there are two German Institute partnerships at the Department of German Studies with the following universities, both coordinated by Prof. Dr. Beate Henn-Memmesheimer:

• Tomsk State University (Russia): The partnership with the University of Tomsk in the middle of Siberia has been funded by the DAAD since 2011 as a German Institute Partnership. The partnership was established as a research cooperation between German Linguistics and the Department for Slavic Studies of the University of Mannheim on the one hand and the Chair of Romance and Germanic Philology of the Tomsk State University on the other.
• University of Ljubljana (Slovenia): Since 2012, this relatively new cooperation with the Department of German, Dutch and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Ljubljana has also been funded by the DAAD as a German Studies Institute Partnership. 

In addition to the possibility of a stay as a language assistant, in both partnerships it is also possible and desirable for students and doctoral candidates to participate in the joint research project “Language Developments and Cultural Differentiations” (in which these two, but also other foreign partner departments are involved) in the case of a thematically relevant focus of work (e.g. in the case of qualification theses with intercultural topics). Further information can be obtained from Prof. Dr. Beate Henn-Memmesheimer or the Foreign Representative.

“Erasmus” is the name of the EU programme to promote mobility in the higher education sector within Europe, which has been in existence since 1987. The majority of international cooperation between German universities is based on Erasmus partnerships. The School of Humanities also has many of these partnerships. They are supervised by the various departments of the faculty, for example the partnerships with the Romansh-speaking foreign countries, mostly by the Department of Romance Languages.

Students of German Studies who would like to take part in an Erasmus exchange can, in principle, apply for all European partnerships of the faculty, provided that a German Studies Department exists at the desired location and the necessary language certificates are available. In such cases, however, you will often have to compete with many students whose main focus of study lies in the respective foreign language philology and who therefore often have better cards. Nevertheless, it is worth a try! However, the Department for German Studies has also initiated several Erasmus partnerships of its own, in which applications from students of German language and literature studies have priority and which are listed below.

Erasmus students normally receive a mobility grant that varies from year to year and is currently between 100 and 200 euros per month. Any additional costs for accommodation must be covered by the student. Applications must be submitted via the International Office. The allocation of places is decided by representatives of the faculty management and the subjects concerned.

Currently, the German Studies Department manages Erasmus cooperations with the following universities:

• Hacettepe University Ankara (Turkey)
  Department of German Language and Literature
  Information for Erasmus Students
• Marmara University Istanbul (Turkey)
  Department of German Language and Literature
  Information for Erasmus Students
• Faculty of Education of Charles University Prague (Czech Republic)
  Chair of German Studies
  Information for Erasmus Students
• Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan/Poznan (Poland)
  Institute for Germanic Philology
  Information for Exchange Students
• University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)
  Department of German, Dutch and Scandinavian Studies
  Information for Erasmus Students

The Department of German Studies has many other international partnerships and offers interested students the opportunity to complete semesters abroad or internships at the partner departments. Please refer to the descriptions of the individual cooperations to find out which financing options are available. If this information is missing, it means that financing may not be easy. Nevertheless, if you are interested, it is worth contacting the international affairs coordinator.

North America

• University of Waterloo, Ontario (Canada)
  In partnership with the Department of Germanic & Slavic Studies der University of Waterloo, which has been in existence for 40 years, students from Mannheim can complete a bachelor's or teacher training semester abroad at the partner university – usually the autumn and/or winter trimester (from September to December or from January to April). Applications for exchange places are submitted via the International Office. Bachelor students can also apply for a PROMOS-Stipendium at the International Office. Students who are studying for a teaching position may be able to obtain a teaching assistant position in Waterloo for the duration of their stay. Further information can be obtained from the International Affairs Coordinator of the School of Humanities
• University of Tennessee, Knoxville (USA)
  Since 2006 there has been an exchange program with the Department of Modern Foreign Languages & Literature of the University of Tennessee. This program offers master students and teacher training students in their main studies the opportunity to spend a complete academic year in the USA. The application for the exchange places takes place over the International Office. The selected candidates receive a teaching assistant position in Knoxville. Further information can be obtained from the International Affairs Coordinator.
• University of Virginia, Charlottesville (USA)
  The exchange within the framework of the cooperation with the Department of Germanic Languages & Literatures of the University of Virginia is aimed at doctoral students. The contact was initiated by the Chair of Modern German Studies II. If you are interested, please contact Prof. Dr. Jochen Hörisch directly.

South America

• Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá (Colombia)
  Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras
• Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá (Colombia)
  Departamento de Lenguajes y Estudios Socioculturales

At both partner departments, students of all courses of study can in principle study and do internships as language assistants. However, especially in the case of internships, it is currently difficult to find financial support. If you are interested, please contact the International Affairs Coordinator.

Europe

• Marmara University Istanbul (Turkey)
  At the Department of German Language and Literature at Marmara University, with which we had an Erasmus partnership as well as a “Germanistische Institutspartnerschaft” (German Institute Partnership) for several years, interested students can complete internships as language assistants. Grants from the Erasmus Internship Program can be applied for.
• University of Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
  The Department of German Studies at the University of Sarajevo has had very close contacts for a long time, which have been supported by the DAAD for 10 years in the form of a “German Institute Partnership”. We are currently organising language assistant programs in Sarajevo. However, pure study visits are also conceivable, although the political situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina means that no Erasmus funding is currently in sight for them.
• State University Tetova (Macedonia) 
  For some years now, the Department of German Studies has been endeavouring to support German Studies at the still relatively young State University Tetova im albanischsprachigen Teil Mazedoniens zu unterstützen. in the Albanian-speaking part of Macedonia. Here, too, stays of Mannheim students as language assistants in Tetovo are planned.

Counseling for Incomings

• for questions concerning the organisation of studies, the timetable, working techniques (such as the writing of term papers)
• for questions concerning the organisation of your stay in Germany (visits to the authorities, cultural events etc.)
• for questions on the admission of a German studies program or an exchange stay in Mannheim
• processing of support requests for scholarship applications
• course “Propädeutikum für ausländische Studierende”: The Propädeutikum is to be understood as an introduction to the study of German language and literature in Mannheim which familiarises the participants with aspects of the study organisation, the teaching methods and working techniques usual in the seminar as well as the basic linguistic and literary theories in the courses of the seminar.

Counseling für Outgoings

• on the possibilities of stays abroad within the framework of the exchange programs of the department

Further Functions

• cooperation with the project managers at the individual chairs on questions of organisation and expansion of existing partnerships and the establishment of new foreign partnerships
• development of a mentoring program for foreign students