The Canadian Summer School in Germany (CSSG) offers university-level language and culture studies in Kassel in a unique and intensive immersion program.
The CSSG is organized at Saint Mary’s University under the auspices of the Canadian Association of University Teachers of German (CAUTG) and offers courses at almost beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels as well as a professional development course for in-service teachers, graduate TAs, and student-teachers. For 7 weeks, students participate in a full course (approximately 85 hours of classroom instruction) and in numerous additional activities: presentations at various museums, visits to theatres and operas, sporting events, excursions to cities with cultural and historical significance, and a four-day trip to Berlin.
The main feature of the program, though, is students’ rapid progress in linguistic skills enhanced mainly by the fact that they are immersed in and interacting directly with German life and culture.
In 2007 the CSSG Tandem Partner Project was launched, whereby Canadian students are matched with students from various disciplines at the University of Kassel to improve speaking skills in the students’ non-native language and share experiences about student life.
We offer seven courses:
- First-year (second-semester) German immersion (A2)
- Second-year German immersion (B1)
- Third-year German immersion (B2)
- Fourth-year German immersion (C1)
- Study-abroad Service Learning (for previous CSSG students only)
- German Community Service Learning (B2 and up)
- Teaching and Learning German (for graduate TAs, B.Ed. students, & in-service teachers).
The CSSG 2021 is moving to a virtual format. Registration has been re-opened.
Increased pandemic restrictions both in Canada and in Germany make it impossible to deliver the program in-person. We are thus offering a virtual CSSG 2021 for personal health and safety reasons. The fast spread of new Covid-19 variants, the slow pace of vaccination (especially for young people), and the quarantines imposed at either end of the journey make travel very high risk and could add significant extra costs to the individual beyond the costs of the program itself.
The CSSG 2021 will be a virtual international program. It includes virtual instruction as well as an interactive cultural and social program. There will be classes Monday through Friday (excepting German and Canadian holidays) as well as an additional series of integrated virtual field visits to sites of interest, cultural activities, interactions with local hosts and tandem partners, etc. Consultation hours will also be provided. We promise the CSSG is not just another online course.
We are offering courses at the A2 (second semester), B1 (second year), B2 (third year), and C1 (fourth year) levels.
The tuition amount will stay the same ($1,784) but the program fees will be reduced (to only $500).
You can find a virtual presentation of the regular program here: https://vimeo.com/486967978, as well as further information on our website cssg.ca.
For further details, please click here.
Please note there is NO international differential fee for this program!
Please contact Dr. John Plews, cssg@smu.ca, for further information.
