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German Language and Culture I

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Cursusdoel

After completing this course students are able to:

understand not too difficult speech in varied domains (TV, radio, lectures, telephone messages, etc.) and to take notes and summarise. (listening)
initiate, sustain and close a general conversation with a number of topics appropriate to a range of circumstances and subjects. (listening / speaking)
orally perform a simple but connected discourse, simple narration or descriptions. (speaking)
write letters and short papers, express feelings and findings on paper. (writing)
participate in conversations on topics beyond the most immediate daily needs, for example about culture, social matters, history or politics. (listening / speaking / cultural part)
consistently read and understand texts in German dealing with various topics, like texts on cultural-historical topics and current newspaper articles studied individually or during the course. (reading / cultural part)
question and discuss material in German about news and current topics (reading / listening / speaking / cultural part)
study, present and explain topics beyond the most immediate daily needs, for example about culture, social matters, history or politics. (speaking / cultural part)
trace, find, study, criticize and use English and German secondary material, both in word and in image, in libraries, museums, etc. (reading / cultural part)

The Exit level is Intermediate High (IH), as defined in the ACTFL Guidelines.

Relationship between assessment and learning goals:

In this course, the final course grade is based on seven elements: two culture tasks (existing both in speaking and writing), two oral tests, two written tests and weekly homework.

Culture task 1 – this tests speaking and writing skills with an oral and written representation of a conversation (an interview) about a field of study or interest (learning goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Culture task 2 – this tests speaking and writing, as well as academic skills with a presentation and a paper about a cultural-historical topic (learning goals 4, 6, 7, 8, 9)
Oral proficiency 1 – this tests the level and the progression in speaking skills since the beginning of the course (learning goals 2, 3, 5)
Oral proficiency 2 – this tests the capability of picking, analyzing and presenting a news topic using a German article (learning goals 6, 7, 8)
Written test 1 – this tests vocabulary and grammar as discussed and practiced in the course (the knowledge of vocabulary and grammar ought to be useful for all learning goals)
Written test 2 – this tests vocabulary and grammar as discussed and practiced in the course (the knowledge of vocabulary and grammar ought to be useful for all learning goals)
Homework – homework will be occasionally checked in week 1-8 and 10-16 (practicing the material serves all the learning goals)

Vakinhoudelijk

The language part of the course aims to improve and develop skills and strategies that enable you to successfully handle uncomplicated oral and written tasks and social situations you may be confronted with in daily life in the German language area. From there on we move to the first stadia of a higher level of understanding and discussing texts and topics in the cultural and social field.
The cultural part of the course provides you with information that enables you to understand various cultural aspects of German, Austrian, Swiss etc. society. On the one hand, we will explore several topics of German post-war cultural history. On the other hand we will deal with current topics of the German news.

Format
The classroom language is German. The course is splitted up in language classes and cultural classes. The main activity is the use of German in a variety of oral and written communication tasks performed individually, in small groups, in pairs or with the whole class. The instructor supplies you with input, instruction and explanations and helps you to prepare executing the tasks. Upon completion of these tasks, you analyze the strategy, grammar and vocabulary, with the help of the instructor.
In the culture lectures issues are introduced and debated. Information about German culture, society, history and art is studied in German. On occasion, students are to discuss or present specific aspects of particular themes.
Materials used could be short stories, poems, (extracts from) novels, films, newspaper and magazine articles, advertising material, and digital items as videos and sound fragments.