Review of first-year grammatical principles, analysis of more complex texts, aural/oral exercises based on current events, short essays and written summaries. The course aims to take students a further step towards being fully capable of freely communicating with native speakers on current and randomly chosen topics, extending beyond everyday situations.
Prerequisites:
Two semesters of college/university level German or equivalent.
Attendance policy:
1. Attendance and daily preparation
Attendance is mandatory and will be taken at the beginning of each class. Thus, please be on time. If you are absent more than three times per course (barring verified illness), it will have an impact on your grade, if you are absent more than six times, you will not pass the course. If you have to miss a class for any serious reason, please inform your instructor in advance.
Students are responsible for learning all new vocabulary, for studying the assigned materials, for writing out exercises as indicated, and for turning in assignments as scheduled.
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course, students are able to:
understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters encountered in work, university, leisure,
deal with most situations likely to arise whilst traveling in a German speaking area,
produce simple connected texts on topics which are familiar or of personal interest,
describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
Method of presentation:
Oral and written exercises based on texts, pieces of music, pictures, and videos; discussions, small group work, short presentations, role plays.
Required work and form of assessment:
Regular attendance and participation in class work, regular assignments, quizzes, short oral presentations, and final exam.
Grading:
30 % Oral participation
25 % Written Homework and Composition Assignments
20 % 2 Quizzes (45 minutes each)
25 % Final Exam
1. Attendance and daily preparation
Attendance is mandatory and will be taken at the beginning of each class. Thus, please be on time. If you are absent more than three times per course (barring verified illness), it will have an impact on your grade, if you are absent more than six times, you will not pass the course. If you have to miss a class for any serious reason, please inform your instructor in advance.
Students are responsible for learning all new vocabulary, for studying the assigned materials, for writing out exercises as indicated, and for turning in assignments as scheduled.
2. Class Participation
Language learning is interactive. You will only learn to understand and speak German through repeated exposure and your constant attempt to express yourself and to communicate with others in German. Class participation is defined as speaking German in class. Your participation in class will be assessed by your instructor throughout the course. This component of your grade is based on both the quantity and quality of your participation during class sessions.
3. Homework
Your homework is designed to consolidate and reinforce what you learn in class. It consists of vocabulary and grammar practice as well as reading and writing assignments. Participants will be asked to write short paragraphs on free writing in German using the grammar and vocabulary you have learned. This work will be collected and graded. More than three unsatisfactory homework assignments or failures to hand in assignments on time will affect grades severely. However, participants do have the opportunity to revise and resubmit homework assignments in order to improve their grade.
4. Tests and Quizzes
There will be two quizzes, 45 minutes each, throughout the course.
5. Final Exam
The written final exam will cover the entire course’s work. We will do a review of the material before the exam and provide you with its structure at the time. Students are, at any time, urged to use office hours to discuss possible questions.
content:
General Content:
- Grammatical principles and syntactic structures in respect to usage
- Pronounciation practice
- Training in listening comprehension
- Accumulation of additional vocabulary related to more than every day life situations
- Conversation practice
- Writing practice in essays and creative assignments
- Reading texts on different topics (focusing on Germany) appropriate for intermediate level.
Thematic Content:
- Berlin (a multicultural city, life in a formerly divided city)
- Relationships (family and friends, men and women)
- Living, environmental and social aspects
- Hobbies, leisure time
- Jobs and profession, job perspectives
- Shopping, consumer society
Grammar Topics:
- Modal Verbs
- Coordinating and subordinating conjunctions
- Usage of prepositions
- Verbs with prepositions
- Declination of adjectives
- Subjunctive II (present-time, past-time, uses)
- Relative clauses
- Passive voice
Intermediate German I
Review of first-year grammatical principles, analysis of more complex texts, aural/oral exercises based on current events, short essays and written summaries. The course aims to take students a further step towards being fully capable of freely communicating with native speakers on current and randomly chosen topics, extending beyond everyday situations.
Two semesters of college/university level German or equivalent.
1. Attendance and daily preparation
Attendance is mandatory and will be taken at the beginning of each class. Thus, please be on time. If you are absent more than three times per course (barring verified illness), it will have an impact on your grade, if you are absent more than six times, you will not pass the course. If you have to miss a class for any serious reason, please inform your instructor in advance.
Students are responsible for learning all new vocabulary, for studying the assigned materials, for writing out exercises as indicated, and for turning in assignments as scheduled.
By the end of the course, students are able to:
Oral and written exercises based on texts, pieces of music, pictures, and videos; discussions, small group work, short presentations, role plays.
Regular attendance and participation in class work, regular assignments, quizzes, short oral presentations, and final exam.
Grading:
30 % Oral participation
25 % Written Homework and Composition Assignments
20 % 2 Quizzes (45 minutes each)
25 % Final Exam
1. Attendance and daily preparation
Attendance is mandatory and will be taken at the beginning of each class. Thus, please be on time. If you are absent more than three times per course (barring verified illness), it will have an impact on your grade, if you are absent more than six times, you will not pass the course. If you have to miss a class for any serious reason, please inform your instructor in advance.
Students are responsible for learning all new vocabulary, for studying the assigned materials, for writing out exercises as indicated, and for turning in assignments as scheduled.
2. Class Participation
Language learning is interactive. You will only learn to understand and speak German through repeated exposure and your constant attempt to express yourself and to communicate with others in German. Class participation is defined as speaking German in class. Your participation in class will be assessed by your instructor throughout the course. This component of your grade is based on both the quantity and quality of your participation during class sessions.
3. Homework
Your homework is designed to consolidate and reinforce what you learn in class. It consists of vocabulary and grammar practice as well as reading and writing assignments. Participants will be asked to write short paragraphs on free writing in German using the grammar and vocabulary you have learned. This work will be collected and graded. More than three unsatisfactory homework assignments or failures to hand in assignments on time will affect grades severely. However, participants do have the opportunity to revise and resubmit homework assignments in order to improve their grade.
4. Tests and Quizzes
There will be two quizzes, 45 minutes each, throughout the course.
5. Final Exam
The written final exam will cover the entire course’s work. We will do a review of the material before the exam and provide you with its structure at the time. Students are, at any time, urged to use office hours to discuss possible questions.
General Content:
- Grammatical principles and syntactic structures in respect to usage
- Pronounciation practice
- Training in listening comprehension
- Accumulation of additional vocabulary related to more than every day life situations
- Conversation practice
- Writing practice in essays and creative assignments
- Reading texts on different topics (focusing on Germany) appropriate for intermediate level.
Thematic Content:
- Berlin (a multicultural city, life in a formerly divided city)
- Relationships (family and friends, men and women)
- Living, environmental and social aspects
- Hobbies, leisure time
- Jobs and profession, job perspectives
- Shopping, consumer society
Grammar Topics:
- Modal Verbs
- Coordinating and subordinating conjunctions
- Usage of prepositions
- Verbs with prepositions
- Declination of adjectives
- Subjunctive II (present-time, past-time, uses)
- Relative clauses
- Passive voice
Required Text:
Aspekte B1 plus: Mittelstufe Deutsch, Langenscheidt, 2010
Recommended Reference:
Reimann, Monika. Essential Grammar of German with exercises, Hueber.