The name of the Association shall be German Studies Association.

1. The purpose of the German Studies Association shall be to promote the study of history, political science, language and literature, philosophy, geography, economics, musicology, culture studies, fine arts, and all other learned pursuits relating to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other German-speaking regions.

2. To this end, the Association shall hold conferences, sessions, publish newsletters and/or journals, disseminate information, and carry on any other activities which relate to and promote its purpose.

1. Membership shall have no restrictions based on race, creed, sex, national origin, or place of residence.

2. Membership shall be open to persons who subscribe to the purpose of the Association (II) and pay annual membership dues.

3. All dues and fees shall be established by the Executive Committee and may be changed at any time.

4. Institutional membership shall be available. Institutional members are nonvoting members, paying special dues and receiving all publications.

5. Libraries may subscribe to publications at a special rate.

1. The officers of the Association shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer, and Executive Director.

2. Officers shall reflect the diversity of the organization. The Presidency shall alternate between a) literature and the humanities, and b) history and the social sciences.

3. The President shall represent the Association in accordance with these By-Laws and the policies set down by the Executive Council, the Executive Committee and the General Meeting. The President shall preside at meetings of the Executive Council, the Executive Committee, and at the General Meeting.

4. The Vice President shall assist the President in the performance of all duties and represent the President if the latter should either be incapacitated or absent. The Vice President shall accede to the Presidency at the conclusion of the President's term.

5. The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep the records of the Association, the minutes of the meetings of the Executive Committee and of the General Meeting, and the books of the Association. The Secretary-Treasurer supervises the funds of the Association.

6. The Executive Director is the administrator of the Association. This person shall organize and administer the Annual Conference, edit the Newsletter, operate and administer the Association's web page and other such informational forms, and carry out other functions as assigned.

7. The President, Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer, and Executive Director shall constitute the Executive Council.

8. The President and Vice President shall serve for terms of two years. The Secretary-Treasurer shall serve for a term of three years. Re-election of the Secretary-Treasurer is permitted one time. The officers of the Association shall serve as ex officio voting members of the Executive Committee.

9. In the event of a vacancy in the post of Vice President, the Executive Committee shall choose one of their number to serve as Interim Vice President until the next general election. The person elected shall serve as Vice President for the remainder of the original term, succeeding to the Presidency as provided in IV, 4.

10. In the event of a vacancy in the post of Secretary-Treasurer, the President shall appoint a member of the Executive Committee to serve as Interim Secretary-Treasurer until the next General Election.

1. The members of the Executive Council shall regularly communicate with one another during the course of the year.

2. The Executive Council may meet to consider issues facing the Association.

3. The Executive Council shall act on behalf of the Association between meetings of the Executive Committee. It will normally decide matters that ought not to wait until the next scheduled meeting of the Executive Committee. Decisions must be reported to the Executive Committee in its next meeting.

1. The Executive Committee shall establish general policies for the Association within the framework of Article II and decisions of the membership, and, as provided in Article III, shall establish dues and fees, and shall carry out other functions as herein designated.

2. The Executive Committee shall consist of eight (8) persons elected by the membership in mail ballot, plus the officers of the Association and the Immediate Past President. The Immediate Past President serves for one year on the Executive Committee.

3. The Nominating Committee shall attempt to ensure than the nominees reflect the diversity of the organization. The membership of the Executive Committee shall normally be divided among a) literature and the humanities, and b) history and the social sciences. At least one member shall be in political science.

4. The members of the Executive Committee shall serve for three years, at least two members being elected each year. No member shall serve more than two consecutive terms.

5. In the event of a vacancy on the Executive Committee, the seat shall be vacant until the next general election, when it shall be filled for the remainder of the term.

1. The President shall call a General Meeting at the Annual Conference of the Association.

2. The General Meeting shall consist of members constituting a quorum of ten percent of the membership.

3. The General Meeting shall discuss and pass resolutions in accordance with Article II and shall hear the reports of the President, the Secretary-Treasurer, the Executive Director, the Editor, and others as may be required.

4. If the Executive Committee does not concur with a decision of the General Meeting, the matter will be referred to a mail ballot of the membership, conducted by the Secretary-Treasurer. The General Meeting may designate a committee to prepare a statement of up to 300 words on each such matter, and the Executive committee may likewise compose a statement of up to 300 words on its nonconcurrence. Both statements shall accompany the ballot.

1. The Executive Council shall call at least one conference per year, but may schedule sessions separately. The Executive Council shall make every effort to rotate the meeting place of the conference among the various regions of North America.

2. The conference shall contain sessions devoted to various disciplines relating to Article II, affording opportunities for members in a variety of fields to present papers.

3. The President, in consultation with the Executive Council, shall select a Program Committee for each conference. The Program Director shall issue a call for papers in the Newsletter, and endeavor to assure that representation is given to a variety of disciplines and topics.

4. The Association may sponsor sessions at conferences of other organizations.

1. The Executive Committee, upon the nomination of the Executive Council, shall approve the appointment of a member of the German Studies Association as Executive Director, who shall be responsible for tasks in IV(6)and X(4), as well as other tasks which shall be assigned from time to time. The Newsletter shall be issued by the Executive Director at least twice each year.

2. The Executive Director shall serve for renewable terms of five years. This provision shall take effect after the retirement of the Founding Executive Director of the Association.

3. The Executive Director shall operate the Central Office of the Association.

1. The Executive Committee, upon the nomination of the Executive Council, shall approve the appointment of an Editor, who shall be responsible for editing the scholarly journal. The Editor shall serve as an ex officio non-voting member of the Executive Committee.

2. The Editor shall serve for renewable terms of four years.

3. The Editor shall appoint an Editorial Board and a Book Review Editor, who shall serve for terms established by the Editor. The Editor may also appoint an Associate Editor.

4. The Executive Director shall serve as Business Manager of the scholarly journal.

1. The Association shall have the following standing committees, chairs and members of which shall be appointed by the President in consultation with the Executive Council:

a. Nominating Committee

b. Program Committee

c. Book Prize Committee

d. Article Prize Committee

e. Archives Committee

2. The Investments Committee shall also be a standing committee. It consists of the Executive Council, the Immediate Past President, and one or two additional members selected by the Executive Council. The Investments Committee shall manage the Endowment Fund of the Association.

3. Ad hoc committees may be appointed as needed.

4. The members of the Nominating Committee shall serve for one year terms. The Committee shall present two candidates for each elective office according to a reasonable deadline set by the Executive Director. In the event that the Nominating Committee is unable to meet this deadline, the Executive Council will supply nominees.

Additional nominations may be made by members of the Association with nominating petitions signed by ten percent of the membership for each nominating petition and office. No member may sign more than one nominating petition per office. The Nominating Committee shall include on the ballot individuals nominated by petition.

5. The members of the Program Committee shall serve for one year terms.

6. The members of the Prize Committees shall serve for one year terms.

7. The members of the Archives Committee shall serve for renewable terms of two years.

8. The Executive Council, with the approval of the Executive Committee, may establish additional standing committees.

1. Amendments may be proposed by the Executive Committee, the General Meeting, or ten percent of the membership.

2. Amendments require approval of:

a. the Executive Committee and a majority of those voting in a mail ballot in which a majority of the membership votes, or

b. a majority of those voting at a General Meeting and two-thirds of the membership in a mail ballot, or

c. two-thirds of the membership in a mail ballot.