Students who enter this course will have mastered most of the outcomes of the Independent Abroad level as defined by the IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. Among other characteristics, these students are able to converse at a rate of speed approaching normal conversation. They are creative, spontaneous, and self-reliant as they solve problems, interpret texts, negotiate, and express their opinions, likes, and dislikes in the culture. Although they still make errors and experience communication breakdowns, these students tend to resolve these challenges on their own. Students who enter this level can already understand a variety of colloquial expressions and slang, and are also able to understand a wide variety of native speakers from different backgrounds.
Students entering this level can succeed in a range of moderately complex university courses designed for native speakers. Before registering, they should consult with the appropriate IES Abroad academic advisor on course selection.
By the end of this course, students will have started to acquire the subtlety of expression and control of complex structures that characterize Competent Abroad learners. However, Emerging Competent Abroad learners have only partial mastery of these structures and quite often resort to simpler and more direct modes of expression, particularly when negotiating linguistically difficult or unfamiliar situations. Students at this level begin to understand some local cultural attitudes, values, beliefs, and behavior patterns. However, there will be numerous gaps and inconsistencies in their knowledge, and they lack the depth of understanding and sophistication of those who have spent more time living and working in the local context.
Prerequisites:
Proficiency at a level equivalent to IES Abroad’s Independent Abroad, as determined by placement test.
Attendance policy:
Attendance at all IES Abroad courses is mandatory. Absences will only be excused if you present a doctor's note. Unexcused absences will negatively affect the grade for participation. Excessive absenteeism will negatively affect the final grade.
Learning outcomes:
Students who are placed in this level should have achieved the outcomes in the Independent Abroad level as defined by the IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication.
By the end of the course, students will be able to achieve some of the outcomes for the Emerging Competent Abroad level as defined by the MAPfor Language and Intercultural Communication. The key learning outcomes from the MAP are summarized below:
I. Intercultural Communication
A. Students will begin to recognize and describe key host cultures, subcultures, habits, norms, and behaviors in a variety of settings, and they will be aware of the risk that generalizations can lead to stereotypes.
B. Students will be able to reflect on and discuss the validity of their own cultural beliefs, behaviors, and values by contrasting and comparing them with those of the host cultures.
C. Students will demonstrate openness toward different beliefs and styles even when they do not agree with them.
D. Students will accept responsibility for their own learning by defining their linguistic goals and demonstrating independence in their exploration of the culture.
II. Listening
A. Students will be able to identify a range of social and cultural dialects of the spoken language.
B. Students will be able to understand a variety of native speakers and non-native advanced speakers and comprehend an array of moderately complex interactions.
III. Speaking
A. Students will participate reasonably well in most academic and social interactions using when appropriate complex language including slang, colloquial expressions, irony, and humor with increasing confidence.
B. Students will be able to make arguments and form opinions on almost any topic of their interest.
IV. Reading
A. Students will be able to read and understand textbooks and academic articles for classes taught in the host language as well as popular texts for enjoyment.
B. Students will be able to read and understand authentic materials including newspapers, advertisements, brochures, instruction manuals, etc. on abstract topics with some assistance at times.
V. Writing
A. Students will be able to write for multiple audiences and express themselves somewhat clearly and effectively.
B. Students will be able to write essays for classes incorporating aspects of appropriate academic style with some assistance at times.
Method of presentation:
Homework and participation, essays, Moodle, field studies, presentations
Required work and form of assessment:
Midterm 25 %
Final 25 %
Participation, homework, presentations, Moodle, field studies 50 %
content:
Week
Content
Assignments
Corresponding Learning Outcome(s)
Week 1
Mo-Fr
(intensive)
German Language and Culture Week
1. Functional:
• Introducing yourself and others
• Getting and giving detailed information
• Speaking about German history
• Describing places, persons, atmosphere, and objects
2. Grammatical:
• Interrogative pronouns
• Indirect interrogative clauses (verb in end-position)
• The present
3.Vocabulary:
• Idiomatic expressions, city slang,
• Key data to Berlin's and Potsdam's significance in history and present times
4. Culture:
• City Search: Berliner “Kieze”
• Visiting a museum, exhibition or similar in Berlin
• Field trip to Potsdam
Interviewing classmates and teacher
Discussing changing national concepts
Moodle: Keeping visual and linguistic records of the city
Talking about first impressions and experiences
Exposing
Berlin's history: What exhibits can tell
Field trip to Potsdam:
City search followed by group presentation
I.A, I.B, I.D, I.D, II.A, II.B, III.A, III.B, IV.B, V.A
Week 2
1.Functional:
• Talking about cultural identity, history, and differences
• Giving definitions and explanations
2.Grammatical:
• Rules for gender
• Conjunctions: und, oder, denn, doch, aber, sondern
3.Vocabulary:
• Legends and statistics
• Historical events
• Poetic language
4.Culture:
• Europe: legends and reality
• Europe´s hymn: Beethoven/Schiller, Ode an die Freude
• Dresden: a resurrected city
Quiz about Europe
Reading different texts about Europe
Preparing Dresden: from destruction to reconciliation
Moodle: Starting the glossary
Writing a legend
Giving statistical data
Comparing two continents and their origins/realities
I.A, I.B, I.C, I.D, II.A, III.A, III.B, IV.A, IV.B, V.A
Week 3
1. Functional:
• Talking about history and present times of Germany
2.Grammatical:
• Valency of the verb
• Genitive
• Imperative
• The perfect tense (Part I)
• Irregular participles (part I)
3.Vocabulary:
• Travel
• Countries and nationalities
• Cultural landscapes
• Forms of politeness
4.Culture:
• Traveling in Germany
• Germany´s hymn: concept of a nation
• Comparison of formal/informal interaction
Dealing with differences in grammar, conversation, and behavior
Talking about the past in everyday life communication
• French and German set phrases and basic vocabulary for starting a conversion
4.Culture:
• Review for Midterm
• Germany and France: The European couple
• A Song about Paris
• A movie about Berlin
Review for Midterm
Role play: Interacting with the French
Moodle: Extending the glossary
I.B, II.A, II.B, III.A, V.B
Week 6
Midterm
Midterm
Week 7
1.Functional:
• Talking about famous personalities and their importance
• Indicating reasons, purposes, and results
2.Grammatical:
• Clauses of reason, clauses of purpose, clauses of result
• Connectors and prepositions of reason, purpose and result
3.Vocabulary:
• Biographical information
4.Culture:
• What Germany stands for: music, authors, philosophers, and scientists.
• Heroes, ideas, and works
Interviewing classmates concerning results and purposes
Listening comprehension: famous people and their merits
Moodle: Presenting famous people
Discussing issues about state/nation
Writing about personalities and their influence
II.B, II.D, II.A, III.B, IV.A, V.A, V.B
Week 8
1.Functional:
• Describing and talking about historical events
2.Grammatical:
• Clauses with dass
• Participles as adjectives
• Complex constructions with participles
3.Vocabulary:
• Reports
• Witness reports
• Debate: pros and cons
4.Culture:
• Comparing east and west
• Understanding Berlin's legacy: Construction and fall of the wall
Field trip: Mauergedenkstätte
Describing topography and artifacts
Reflecting Berlin's history in popculture:
Writing about Berlin's recent history
I.A, I.D, II.A, III.B, IV.B, V.B
Week 9
1.Functional:
• Approaching to the literary of fairy tales and legends
2.Grammatical:
• Simple past
• Past perfect
• Clauses of time
3.Vocabulary:
• Fairy tales and legends
• Narration
• Poetry
4.Culture:
• The enduring influence of myths, narratives, and symbols
• Popular literature: The Brothers Grimm
Telling and writing stories in past tenses
Listening comprehension: Legends and poems
Moodle: Composing rhymes and my favorite poem
Role play: A fairy tale
I.D, II.B, III.A, IV.A, V.A
Week 10
1.Functional:
• Reading and talking about style appropriate to occasions
• Using different registers
• Analyzing the complex structures of written discourse
2.Grammatical:
• The subjunctive I/II
• The passive
3.Vocabulary
• News
• Academic expressions
• Wishes, hopes, conditions, regrets
4.Culture:
• Academic speech
• Complexity of German language
Reading news and articles
Phrasing unreal conditions/wishes/ comparisons and possibility
Giving a lecture on an academic subject
Moodle: completing the glossary
Discussing the complexity of the German language
Role play: If I were…
I.B, I.D, III.A
, III.B, IV.A, IV.B, V.A
Week 11
1.Functional:
• Review for final exam
• Contrasting spoken and written language
2.Grammatical:
• Review for final exam
3.Vocabulary:
• Review for final exam
4.Culture:
• Review for final exam
Review for final exam
Writing an essay about an academic topic
V.B
Week 12
Final exam
Final exam
Subject to changes depending on level and progress of class.
Required readings:
Hering et al., em Übungsgrammatik, Hueber, 2002.
Recommended readings:
Reimann, Essential Grammar of German, Hueber, 2001.
Buscha et al., Grammatik in Feldern, Hueber, 2002.
Brief Biography of Instructor:
After studying History and Cultural Studies, and European Ethnology, Burkart Encke decided to teach German as a foreign language, because he had already done this during his studies and he enjoyed it very much. For over ten years he has been teaching at various institutions, including the Goethe Institute, universities and embassies. He is particularly happy teaching the German Language at the IES Abroad in the context of culture, history and everyday life experiences. In his free time, Burkart of course is concerned with culture: from techno to Richard Wagner, from comics to Thomas Mann, from soap operas to Wim Wenders.
Students who enter this course will have mastered most of the outcomes of the Independent Abroad level as defined by the IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. Among other characteristics, these students are able to converse at a rate of speed approaching normal conversation. They are creative, spontaneous, and self-reliant as they solve problems, interpret texts, negotiate, and express their opinions, likes, and dislikes in the culture. Although they still make errors and experience communication breakdowns, these students tend to resolve these challenges on their own. Students who enter this level can already understand a variety of colloquial expressions and slang, and are also able to understand a wide variety of native speakers from different backgrounds.
Students entering this level can succeed in a range of moderately complex university courses designed for native speakers. Before registering, they should consult with the appropriate IES Abroad academic advisor on course selection.
By the end of this course, students will have started to acquire the subtlety of expression and control of complex structures that characterize Competent Abroad learners. However, Emerging Competent Abroad learners have only partial mastery of these structures and quite often resort to simpler and more direct modes of expression, particularly when negotiating linguistically difficult or unfamiliar situations. Students at this level begin to understand some local cultural attitudes, values, beliefs, and behavior patterns. However, there will be numerous gaps and inconsistencies in their knowledge, and they lack the depth of understanding and sophistication of those who have spent more time living and working in the local context.
Proficiency at a level equivalent to IES Abroad’s Independent Abroad, as determined by placement test.
Attendance at all IES Abroad courses is mandatory. Absences will only be excused if you present a doctor's note. Unexcused absences will negatively affect the grade for participation. Excessive absenteeism will negatively affect the final grade.
Students who are placed in this level should have achieved the outcomes in the Independent Abroad level as defined by the IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication.
By the end of the course, students will be able to achieve some of the outcomes for the Emerging Competent Abroad level as defined by the MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. The key learning outcomes from the MAP are summarized below:
I. Intercultural Communication
A. Students will begin to recognize and describe key host cultures, subcultures, habits, norms, and behaviors in a variety of settings, and they will be aware of the risk that generalizations can lead to stereotypes.
B. Students will be able to reflect on and discuss the validity of their own cultural beliefs, behaviors, and values by contrasting and comparing them with those of the host cultures.
C. Students will demonstrate openness toward different beliefs and styles even when they do not agree with them.
D. Students will accept responsibility for their own learning by defining their linguistic goals and demonstrating independence in their exploration of the culture.
II. Listening
A. Students will be able to identify a range of social and cultural dialects of the spoken language.
B. Students will be able to understand a variety of native speakers and non-native advanced speakers and comprehend an array of moderately complex interactions.
III. Speaking
A. Students will participate reasonably well in most academic and social interactions using when appropriate complex language including slang, colloquial expressions, irony, and humor with increasing confidence.
B. Students will be able to make arguments and form opinions on almost any topic of their interest.
IV. Reading
A. Students will be able to read and understand textbooks and academic articles for classes taught in the host language as well as popular texts for enjoyment.
B. Students will be able to read and understand authentic materials including newspapers, advertisements, brochures, instruction manuals, etc. on abstract topics with some assistance at times.
V. Writing
A. Students will be able to write for multiple audiences and express themselves somewhat clearly and effectively.
B. Students will be able to write essays for classes incorporating aspects of appropriate academic style with some assistance at times.
Homework and participation, essays, Moodle, field studies, presentations
Week
Content
Assignments
Corresponding Learning Outcome(s)
Week 1
Mo-Fr
(intensive)
German Language and Culture Week
1. Functional:
• Introducing yourself and others
• Getting and giving detailed information
• Speaking about German history
• Describing places, persons, atmosphere, and objects
2. Grammatical:
• Interrogative pronouns
• Indirect interrogative clauses (verb in end-position)
• The present
3.Vocabulary:
• Idiomatic expressions, city slang,
• Key data to Berlin's and Potsdam's significance in history and present times
4. Culture:
• City Search: Berliner “Kieze”
• Visiting a museum, exhibition or similar in Berlin
• Field trip to Potsdam
Interviewing classmates and teacher
Discussing changing national concepts
Moodle: Keeping visual and linguistic records of the city
Talking about first impressions and experiences
Exposing
Berlin's history: What exhibits can tell
Field trip to Potsdam:
City search followed by group presentation
I.A, I.B, I.D, I.D, II.A, II.B, III.A, III.B, IV.B, V.A
Week 2
1.Functional:
• Talking about cultural identity, history, and differences
• Giving definitions and explanations
2.Grammatical:
• Rules for gender
• Conjunctions: und, oder, denn, doch, aber, sondern
3.Vocabulary:
• Legends and statistics
• Historical events
• Poetic language
4.Culture:
• Europe: legends and reality
• Europe´s hymn: Beethoven/Schiller, Ode an die Freude
• Dresden: a resurrected city
Quiz about Europe
Reading different texts about Europe
Preparing Dresden: from destruction to reconciliation
Moodle: Starting the glossary
Writing a legend
Giving statistical data
Comparing two continents and their origins/realities
I.A, I.B, I.C, I.D, II.A, III.A, III.B, IV.A, IV.B, V.A
Week 3
1. Functional:
• Talking about history and present times of Germany
2.Grammatical:
• Valency of the verb
• Genitive
• Imperative
• The perfect tense (Part I)
• Irregular participles (part I)
3.Vocabulary:
• Travel
• Countries and nationalities
• Cultural landscapes
• Forms of politeness
4.Culture:
• Traveling in Germany
• Germany´s hymn: concept of a nation
• Comparison of formal/informal interaction
Dealing with differences in grammar, conversation, and behavior
Talking about the past in everyday life communication
Moodle: A journey through Germany
Writing about nationalities/ countries/identities
I.A, I.B, I.C, II.B, III.A, III.B, IV.A, IV.B, V.B
Week 4
1.Functional:
• Talking about history and present times of a city
2.Grammatical:
• Functions of werden, kennen, wissen, and other difficult verbs
• Where/where to + dative and accusative
• The perfect tense (part II)
• Irregular participles (part II)
3.Vocabulary:
• Urban development, immigration, ethnic groups, beliefs, and perspectives
4.Culture:
• From the beginning to the present: evolution of a unique city
• Berlin as a social, cultural, and ethnic melting pot
Considering a phenomenon: The popularity of Berlin
Moodle: My favorite places in Berlin
Interacting with the host and native speakers: What has happened?
Discussing Berlin's uniqueness
Writing about
“My Berlin”
I.A, I.B, I.C, I.D, II.A, II.B, III.A, III.B, IV.A, V.A, V.B
Week 5
1.Functional:
• Review for Midterm
• Talking about countries
2.Grammatical:
• Review for Midterm
3.Vocabulary:
• Review for Midterm
• French and German set phrases and basic vocabulary for starting a conversion
4.Culture:
• Review for Midterm
• Germany and France: The European couple
• A Song about Paris
• A movie about Berlin
Review for Midterm
Role play: Interacting with the French
Moodle: Extending the glossary
I.B, II.A, II.B, III.A, V.B
Week 6
Midterm
Midterm
Week 7
1.Functional:
• Talking about famous personalities and their importance
• Indicating reasons, purposes, and results
2.Grammatical:
• Clauses of reason, clauses of purpose, clauses of result
• Connectors and prepositions of reason, purpose and result
3.Vocabulary:
• Biographical information
4.Culture:
• What Germany stands for: music, authors, philosophers, and scientists.
• Heroes, ideas, and works
Interviewing classmates concerning results and purposes
Listening comprehension: famous people and their merits
Moodle: Presenting famous people
Discussing issues about state/nation
Writing about personalities and their influence
II.B, II.D, II.A, III.B, IV.A, V.A, V.B
Week 8
1.Functional:
• Describing and talking about historical events
2.Grammatical:
• Clauses with dass
• Participles as adjectives
• Complex constructions with participles
3.Vocabulary:
• Reports
• Witness reports
• Debate: pros and cons
4.Culture:
• Comparing east and west
• Understanding Berlin's legacy: Construction and fall of the wall
Field trip: Mauergedenkstätte
Describing topography and artifacts
Reflecting Berlin's history in popculture:
Writing about Berlin's recent history
I.A, I.D, II.A, III.B, IV.B, V.B
Week 9
1.Functional:
• Approaching to the literary of fairy tales and legends
2.Grammatical:
• Simple past
• Past perfect
• Clauses of time
3.Vocabulary:
• Fairy tales and legends
• Narration
• Poetry
4.Culture:
• The enduring influence of myths, narratives, and symbols
• Popular literature: The Brothers Grimm
Telling and writing stories in past tenses
Listening comprehension: Legends and poems
Moodle: Composing rhymes and my favorite poem
Role play: A fairy tale
I.D, II.B, III.A, IV.A, V.A
Week 10
1.Functional:
• Reading and talking about style appropriate to occasions
• Using different registers
• Analyzing the complex structures of written discourse
2.Grammatical:
• The subjunctive I/II
• The passive
3.Vocabulary
• News
• Academic expressions
• Wishes, hopes, conditions, regrets
4.Culture:
• Academic speech
• Complexity of German language
Reading news and articles
Phrasing unreal conditions/wishes/ comparisons and possibility
Giving a lecture on an academic subject
Moodle: completing the glossary
Discussing the complexity of the German language
Role play: If I were…
I.B, I.D, III.A
, III.B, IV.A, IV.B, V.A
Week 11
1.Functional:
• Review for final exam
• Contrasting spoken and written language
2.Grammatical:
• Review for final exam
3.Vocabulary:
• Review for final exam
4.Culture:
• Review for final exam
Review for final exam
Writing an essay about an academic topic
V.B
Week 12
Final exam
Final exam
Subject to changes depending on level and progress of class.
Hering et al., em Übungsgrammatik, Hueber, 2002.
Reimann, Essential Grammar of German, Hueber, 2001.
Buscha et al., Grammatik in Feldern, Hueber, 2002.
After studying History and Cultural Studies, and European Ethnology, Burkart Encke decided to teach German as a foreign language, because he had already done this during his studies and he enjoyed it very much. For over ten years he has been teaching at various institutions, including the Goethe Institute, universities and embassies. He is particularly happy teaching the German Language at the IES Abroad in the context of culture, history and everyday life experiences. In his free time, Burkart of course is concerned with culture: from techno to Richard Wagner, from comics to Thomas Mann, from soap operas to Wim Wenders.