GSURS 2026

The German studies programs at UBC, UVic, UW Seattle, and UO are teaming up to host the fifth annual German Studies Undergraduate Research Showcase (#GSURS2025). Each student participant will have the chance to present their project during a 8–10-minute presentation, which will be followed by a 5-minute discussion. Student presentations can feature either completed research and/or writing or work-in-progress. We hope to provide a dynamic venue that will stimulate conversation and give students a relaxed platform to get constructive feedback on their work.

Our definition of German studies is broad and inclusive of all student projects relating to any aspect of German studies and/or German-speaking culture in Europe or the diaspora. We also welcome student coursework, such as a term paper, presentation, or creative project (e.g., graphic novel, short video essay, narrative film, etc.). You might have a project you completed for a class that you are particularly excited about. Or you might have an idea you would like to develop into a presentation. Whatever your interest, topic, format, or discipline, we would love to hear about it! 

Registration

In order to attend or present in GSURS 2026, participants must register here.

Contact

Questions? Send any inquiries about the event to Dr. Biz Nijdam (biz.nijdam@ubc.ca).

German Studies Undergraduate Research Showcase 2026

University of British Columbia, University of Oregon, University of Victoria & University of Washington

Program

Welcome and Acknowledgements (9:20 am - 9:30 am)

Session 1: Representations (9:30 - 10:20 am)

Moderator: Biz Nijdam (University of British Columbia)

Lucas Hung (UVic): “Alles verkehrt rum: Movies in Motion and the Screening of Immigrant Experiences in Fatih Akin’s Solino”

Dana Yu (University of Oregon): “The Female Figure and its Sexuality in Three Nosferatu Films”

Aoise Roche (UVic): “Call Me by My Name: How Nonbinary Germans Navigate Gender-Inclusive German Language” 

Break (10:20 – 10:30 am)

Session 2: Traces of Memory and Post-Memory (10:30  – 11:20 am)

Moderator: Xan Holt (University of Oregon)

Garrett Suderman (UVic): "Critical Images: Theses on the Future of Photography in the Thought of Walter Benjamin"

Ben Burke (UVic): “Reckoning with History: Introspection, Connection, and Reflection after Belonging by Nora Krug”

Ella Lahey (UVic): “Responses to A Real Pain (2024): Arts-based Research on Trauma and Postmemory”

Break (11:20 am – 11:30 am)

Session 3: Real and Imagined Landscapes (11:30 – 12:20 pm)

Moderator: Matt Pollard (UVic)

Maxx Kavanagh (University of Washington): “Ludwig Meidner’s  "Apokalyptische Landschaft" (1913): an Oddity in its Time”

Tegan La Rowe (University of Oregon): “The Environmental Rhetoric of the Far Right: Setting Germany and Oregon in Dialogue”

Hmue Lay (University of Washington): "A Plant Humanities Approach to Fairy Tales"

Danke und Auf Wiedersehen! (12:20 – 12:30 pm)