News & Events
Climate Change, Climate Crisis: 47th Annual Conference of the Association for Canadian Studies in German-speaking Countries
From February 20 to February 22, 2026, the Association for Canadian Studies in German-speaking Countries held its annual conference in Tutzing. After last year’s conference in Berlin, the GKS returned to a more familiar Bavarian setting, which even allowed the trained eye to catch a glimpse of the Zugspitze. Located right on the shores of Lake Starnberg, the Evangelische Akademie Tutzing offered not only a stunning view of the Alps but also a wonderful atmosphere for fruitful conversations.
Under the theme “Climate Change, Climate Crisis: Canadian Perspectives,” the conference encouraged its more than 110 participants to explore what is Canadian about (experiencing, addressing, mitigating, writing, legislating, denying, and coping with) climate change.
The GKS was especially honoured to host H.E. Jean-Paul Lemieux, Ambassador of Canada to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Benedikt Miklós, representing the Délégation générale du Gouvernement du Québec à Munich, and Jane Koustas, past president of the ICCS, all of whom welcomed the participants during the opening ceremony.
Throughout the three conference days, eight panels, comprising a total of 18 individual presentations, addressed Canadian perspectives on climate change through various disciplinary lenses. In addition, the conference featured a hybrid roundtable discussion exploring Indigenous perspectives on dealing with the consequences of climate change and possible ways of restoring balance in a modified environment.
Two keynote lectures framed the conference: one by climatologist and glaciologist Shawn Marshall, currently the Departmental Science Advisor at Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the other by sociologist Shelley Boulianne, the R. Klein Chair in Communication Studies at Mount Royal University. Marshall’s keynote provided examples of the growing climate change stresses in Canada as well as a discussion of these phenomena in the context of Canada’s national climate change mitigation and adaptation policies. Boulianne, in turn, connected contemporary forms of climate denial to existing measures of climate opinions and environmental concerns and discussed implications for engagement in civic and political activities.
Aside from traditional panel formats, participants also had the opportunity to enjoy a movie night showcasing Indigenous short films on the topics of land, ecology, and climate change by Wapikoni Mobile, a film and music studio that gives Indigenous youth in remote communities across Canada the opportunity to express themselves artistically. The screening was followed by a discussion with filmmaker and activist Yasmine Fontaine, who provided an insight into her work of cultural reappropriation, protection of the territory, and promotion of Indigenous knowledge.
The GKS wishes to thank the DFG (German Research Foundation) and the Embassy of Canada in Berlin for their generous support and all the speakers and participants for their contributions to the success of this year’s conference.
The next annual conference of the GKS will be held Feb 24–26, 2027, in Berlin, on the topic of “Re-imagining Canada in North America.”
Milestone for the European Education Area
With the successful implementation of the joint micro-credential Understanding Europe, the University of Innsbruck and the University of Duisburg-Essen have reached an important milestone in the development of the European Education Area.
As a jointly designed and delivered micro-credential within the Aurora European Universities Alliance, the micro-credential represents not only an innovative educational offer, but also a fully operational “proof of concept” for collaborative European teaching, assessment, and certification.
Taught in English, the micro-credential comprises 10 ECTS credits and is open to Bachelor’s students from all disciplines across the Aurora Alliance. It combines the courses “Perspectives on Europe in a Global Context”, offered by the University of Innsbruck and “Challenges in Europe” delivered by the University of Duisburg-Essen. The courses are co-taught by academic staff from several Aurora partner universities. Thus, lecturers from Université Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC), Palacký University Olomouc (UPOL), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), and Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II (UNINA) are actively involved. This close cooperation among lecturers across the alliance provides a tangible example of European academic collaboration in practice.
The micro-credential follows a strongly competence-oriented and interdisciplinary approach, addressing key societal challenges facing Europe today, including sustainability, governance, global interdependence, intercultural competence, critical thinking, and problem-solving (see Aurora Competence Framework LOUIS). By integrating diverse academic perspectives from multiple European higher education systems, students benefit from comparative insights, a broader intellectual horizon, and an enhanced understanding of Europe’s diversity.
“Understanding Europe equips students with the analytical tools needed to critically reflect on different narratives, political structures, and global entanglements of Europe,” explains Univ.-Prof. Dr. Silke Meyer, course director at the University of Innsbruck. “The joint teaching by lecturers from several Aurora universities clearly demonstrates to students how European cooperation in teaching works and the added value it creates for their learning experience.”
In a time of profound social and political transformation, these competencies are essential for active and responsible participation in European societies.
Prof.Florian Freitag from the University of Duisburg-Essen highlights the collaborative dimension of the programme: “This micro-credential demonstrates how European universities can unite their academic expertise to offer students not only disciplinary knowledge, but also practical and transferable competences for addressing complex challenges such as sustainability, migration, and social cohesion.” The integrated design of online teaching and short-term mobility enables students to experience European cooperation first-hand.
Beyond its academic content, Understanding Europe carries significant strategic importance. As a jointly offered Aurora micro-credential, it constitutes a concrete step toward the operational implementation of the European Education Area. Acting as the issuing institution, the University of Innsbruck awards the micro-credential certificate on behalf of all partners, ensuring transparent quality assurance and equal access for all Aurora students, regardless of their home university.
Janette Walde, Vice-Rector for Teaching and Students at the University of Innsbruck, emphasizes this broader impact: “This micro-credential shows how European University Alliances like Aurora can move from policy objectives to concrete practice. Joint teaching concepts, cooperation among lecturers across several universities, coordinated quality assurance, and open access for students across partner institutions are the key building blocks of a truly European Education Area.”
With Understanding Europe, the participating universities demonstrate how cross-border cooperation in teaching can be successfully implemented not only at a conceptual level, but also in didactic, organisational, and institutional terms. The micro-credential thus serves as a reference model for future joint educational offers within the Aurora European Universities Alliance and contributes to a more connected, inclusive, and socially responsive European Higher Education landscape.
For further information or enquiries, please contact Zohra Hassan-Pieper.