96847 - German Language II and Laboratory (Gr. A)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students should be able to follow a lesson in German, to read a complex text about social or political sciences and make an oral report on it in German. To this purpose they should reach a minimum level of B1 (Council of Europe framework) for spoken and written German, while the ideal level is B2, and a minimum level of B1 for reading comprehension – ideal level B2.

Course contents

The course is organized in lectures and workshops.

Lectures (30 hours) aim to enhance students’ reading, writing, and speaking skills, while also expanding their cultural skills and knowledge in the German-speaking context. They will provide a brief introduction to discourse analysis and focus on sites of memory (French: lieu de mémoire) in German-speaking countries, with particular attention to framing theory and the formation of political concepts.

Language workshops (40 hours) offer practical exercises in written and spoken German.

Therefore, a total of 70 classroom hours are scheduled for each student.

The course participates in the University's teaching experimentation project.

Readings/Bibliography

Siepmann, Dirk (2020). Wörterbuch der allgemeinen Wissenschaftssprache. Wörter, Wendungen und Mustertexte für Schreiber und Sprecher. Deutsch und Englisch. Dictionary of Academic Usage. Words, Phrases and Modell Texts for Writers and Speakers. English and German. Bonn: DHV

Further learning materials to be analyzed during classes will be made available online weekly in electronic format on the Virtuale platform.

Furthermore, students have to know how to use the following online resources:

www.bpb.de

https://learngerman.dw.com

Teaching methods

Lessons, exercizes, group work.

The course will be held mainly in German.

Assessment methods

Overall assessment will be based on two mid-term tests and a final oral exam. The first mid-term written test includes a reading comprehension and both a grammar and vocabulary test. The second mid-term test consists in a PowerPoint presentation based on a short text chosen toghether with the teacher. Students have to send both slides and text for the talk at least 20 days before the examination date.  

Oral exam (which can only be taken after the mid-term test have been passed): an interview in German on the learning materials used during the course and on the texts indicated in the bibliography.

In particular, the level of in-depth knowledge and communicative adequacy attained is assessed, with a focus on comprehension and interaction skills in German.

30-30L: Excellent level.

27-29: Good level. The candidate shows a solid command of the required skills and competences.

24–26: Generally sound level. The candidate displays significant shortcomings, indicating a reasonable command of the required skills and competences.

21-23: Adequate level. The candidate displays significant shortcomings and only an adequate command of the required skills and competences.

18–20: Minim level. The candidate only meets the minimum level required and shows a minimal command of the required skills and competences.

< 18 Fail

Teaching tools

PC, Virtuale, internet.

Office hours

See the website of Doris Anita Hoehmann