The History of the Right Honourable John G. Diefenbaker Memorial Chair in German Literary Studies

In 2007 a private philanthropic foundation invited Canadian universities to enter a competition for an endowed Chair in German Literary Studies. Two universities were selected for site visits from the foundation, and in late 2007 the foundation chose the University of Waterloo to become the host institution for the Rt. Hon. John G. Diefenbaker Memorial Chair in German Literary Studies. The chair is named for the sole Canadian prime minister of German heritage.

The Chair’s mandate is novel: to stimulate interest in matters German on local, national, and international levels through public intellectual activism and educational innovation. A scholar with a primary interest in German-language literature with a record of innovative and engaging scholarship and teaching, the chair holder will also be an advocate for the discipline and for the study of literature in all its forms. The position will enable the chair holder to communicate interest in German-language literary works to as wide and diverse an audience as possible. The very presence in Canadian Germanistik of this endowed position will serve as a focal point for a deeper appreciation of German literature in the country and beyond.

The Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies hopes to fill the position at the earliest opportunity. The successful candidate will be hired with tenure at the rank of Associate or Full Professor, and will contribute to all aspects of the department’s mission of teaching and research. A strong scholar and communicator, the chair holder will also be expected to play a leading role in forging an engaging intellectual climate in the department and Faculty of Arts, and to support the academic study of German literature throughout Canada by collaborating with interested persons at other Canadian institutions and beyond the academy. The department, in conjunction with the university’s Waterloo Centre for German Studies, will assist the chair by providing logistical and financial support for the activities of the Chair. The department has an established record of innovation in online teaching, and the Centre has become a significant forum for the dissemination of research in German studies.

For further information on the chair please contact the Chair of the Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies, Dr. James M. Skidmore, at skidmore AT uwaterloo.ca.

To view the announcement advertising the position, click here.

For more information about the Diefenbaker 2010 Lecture Series click here.

For information on recent fundraising for German Studies at the University of Waterloo, click here.

For further information on John G. Diefenbaker, click here.

Information for prospective faculty at the University of Waterloo can be found here.

Information on Waterloo region can be found here.

University of Waterloo in the News: The Waterloo Region Record