TORONTO, April 1, 1998 -- A three-day conference at York University, hosted by the Canadian Centre for German and European Studies (CCGES), will explore the monumental changes that have occurred in Germany and Europe in recent years. The collapse of communism, the growing importance of the European Union, and the rise of multicultural societies in Europe have created a wealth of new and important issues to discuss and research.

"Continent in Change: Canadian Perspectives of German and European Studies" will look to the future and reassess the way German and European Studies are conducted and taught in the North American context. The conference runs from April 3 to 5 at York University and brings together leading specialists, as well as younger scholars and graduate students from a variety of disciplines.

The conference begins April 3 with welcoming comments from York President Dr. Lorna Marsden, German Ambassador Dr. Hans-Gunter Sulimma, and CCGES co-directors Hans-Herbert Rakel (l'Universite de Montreal) and Mark Webber (York). Keynote speaker Elmar Altvater, Dean of Political Science at the Freie Universitat Berlin, will discuss the 50th anniversary of the Deutschmark and the transition to a common European currency in a speech titled "From Deutschmark to Euro."

Conference sessions will cover such topics as: