Students who enter this level are able to accomplish everyday needs required to live in a new culture. In this course, students will develop independence and autonomy so that, when communication does break down, they have enough tools at their disposal to resolve these challenges on their own. Students should welcome correction and guidance from their instructors, hosts, and others in the community as they progress. They will also begin to recognize their own and their peers’ errors.
By the end of this course, students will begin to converse at a rate of speed approaching normal conversation. They will be creative, more spontaneous and self-reliant as they solve problems, interpret texts, negotiate, and express their opinions, likes, and dislikes in the culture. Although students will still make errors and experience communication breakdowns, they are much more likely to resolve these on their own. Students will understand a variety of colloquial expressions and slang, and will be able to understand a wider variety of native speakers from different backgrounds. By the end of this level, students will be capable of achieving the learning outcomes outlined below.
Prerequisites:
Proficiency at a level equivalent to the outcomes mastered through IES Abroad’s IT351, as determined by placement test.
Attendance policy:
All IES courses require attendance and participation. Attendance is mandatory per IES policy. Any unexcused absence may count against your final grade. Any student who has more than three (3) unexcused absences will receive an “F” as the final grade in the course. Absences due to sickness, religious observances, and family emergencies may be excusable at the discretion of the Center Director.
In the case of an excused absence, it is the student’s responsibility to inform the Academic Officer of the absence with an Official Excused Absence Form, as well as any other relevant documentation (e.g. a doctor’s note), and to keep a record thereof. This form must be turned in as soon as possible before the class, in the case of a planned absence, or immediately after the class, in the case of an unplanned absence, in order for the absence to be considered excused. It is also the student’s responsibility to inform the professor of the missed class.
Students who are placed in this level should have achieved the outcomes in the Emerging 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 the outcomes for the Independent 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 be able to identify and describe at a basic level 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 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 be able to interpret gestures and body language, and they will integrate some of those nonverbal actions into their interactions with native speakers.
D. Students will know how to meet socio-cultural norms in a variety of transactional events.
II. Listening
A. Students will be able to understand most spoken communications of moderate complexity (media, speeches, music, conversations, etc.) on a wide range of concrete everyday topics as well as abstract topics covered in classes.
B. Students will be able to understand most native speakers from a variety of backgrounds and limited experience with non-native speakers, and they will comprehend common colloquial expressions and slang.
III. Speaking
A. Students will be able to speak on and discuss a wide range of concrete everyday and personal topics, abstract topics covered in classes, as well as other topics of particular interest to them.
B. Students will be able to participate, initiate, and respond actively in a wide variety of interactions (field studies, interviews, community interaction, CORE).
C. Students will be able to narrate sequences of events with a notable degree of accuracy.
D. Students will be able to give presentations on topics related to the host culture.
IV. Reading
A. Students will be able to read and understand a wide variety of articles, stories, and online texts using background knowledge to aid their comprehension.
B. Students will be able to read and understand the key ideas of academic texts on familiar topics with assistance.
V. Writing
A. Students will be able to meet most everyday writing needs (notes, text messages, formal and informal letters, emails, chats, online forums).
B. Students will be able to write essays for class that narrate, describe, report, compare, contrast, and summarize on a wide range of topics with an increasing degree of grammatical and lexical accuracy.
C. Students will be able to edit their own and their peers’ writing for common errors.
Method of presentation:
homework and daily participation, Moodle, field studies, essays, semester project
Required work and form of assessment:
Quiz 1 10%
Quiz 2 10%
Class project (including oral presentation and written assignments) 30%
Participation and homework 30%
Final exam 20%
content:
Week
Content
Assignments
Corresponding Learning Outcome(s)
Week 1
(Intensive)
1.Functional:
· Introducing yourself
· Talking about personal identity
2.Grammatical:
· Local prepositions
3.Vocabulary:
Getting to know each other
“Typically Freiburg”
4.Culture:
· Shopping in Freiburg
· „Decoding Freiburg”
· Information about Freiburg
· Berlin: now and then
Interviewing class mates in order to get to know each other
Asking about motivation for learning German
Field studies Freiburg: shopping and more
Field study: Berlin Project “Jewish Museum”
I.A., I.C., I.D.
II.A, II.B.
III.A., IV.A., IV.B.
Week 2
Field Trip Berlin-Prague
Field study: Berlin Project “Jewish Museum”
Week 3
1.Functional:
· Talking about the Field Trip
· Relating about things in the past
· Discussion: proposition, rejection, acceptance
2.Grammatical:
· Review: past tenses – oral and written usage
3.Vocabulary:
· Freiburg and Berlin
4.Culture:
· Feedback Berlin Project
· Class project: finding topics, structuring proceeding, developing interviews
Group presentation Field Trip
Discussion Berlin Project
Listening comprehension on Moodle
Class project
I.A., II.A., II.B., III.A., III.C.
Week 4
1.Functional:
· Relating about places and locations
· Conducting Interviews
2.Grammatical:
· Local prepositions and adverbs
· Review: grammatical cases
3.Vocabulary:
· Landscapes, nature, places in town
4.Culture:
· Class project: conducting interviews with “normal people” and experts
Interviews
Presentation of a location
Homework: written summary of interview outcome
Class project
I.C., I.D., II.A., III.B., IV.B., V.B
Week 5
1.Functional:
· Talking about human relations and emotions
2.Grammatical:
· Verbs with prepositions
3.Vocabulary:
· Forms of communication
· Human relations and codes
4.Culture:
· Understanding cultural differences in communication
Subject to changes depending on level and progress of class
Required readings:
IES Abroad Reader for German 353 – Kristina Schwank
Recommended readings:
Moodle online exercises
Notes:
This syllabus contains a representative course calendar and field studies. Cultural topics and field studies may vary by semester and by season.
Brief Biography of Instructor:
Kristina Schwank studied Pedagogy (adult education) at the universities of Lüneburg, Oldenburg, Dalarna (Sweden), and Freiburg. She has completed a Teacher Training Course at the International House Freiburg to teach German as a Foreign Language. She has taught German as a Foreign Language since 2007 in Granada (Spain) and at International House Freiburg. She is currently a language instructor at ECAP Basel and IES Abroad EU.
German Language in Context: Emerging Independent Abroad III
Students who enter this level are able to accomplish everyday needs required to live in a new culture. In this course, students will develop independence and autonomy so that, when communication does break down, they have enough tools at their disposal to resolve these challenges on their own. Students should welcome correction and guidance from their instructors, hosts, and others in the community as they progress. They will also begin to recognize their own and their peers’ errors.
By the end of this course, students will begin to converse at a rate of speed approaching normal conversation. They will be creative, more spontaneous and self-reliant as they solve problems, interpret texts, negotiate, and express their opinions, likes, and dislikes in the culture. Although students will still make errors and experience communication breakdowns, they are much more likely to resolve these on their own. Students will understand a variety of colloquial expressions and slang, and will be able to understand a wider variety of native speakers from different backgrounds. By the end of this level, students will be capable of achieving the learning outcomes outlined below.
Proficiency at a level equivalent to the outcomes mastered through IES Abroad’s IT351, as determined by placement test.
All IES courses require attendance and participation. Attendance is mandatory per IES policy. Any unexcused absence may count against your final grade. Any student who has more than three (3) unexcused absences will receive an “F” as the final grade in the course. Absences due to sickness, religious observances, and family emergencies may be excusable at the discretion of the Center Director.
In the case of an excused absence, it is the student’s responsibility to inform the Academic Officer of the absence with an Official Excused Absence Form, as well as any other relevant documentation (e.g. a doctor’s note), and to keep a record thereof. This form must be turned in as soon as possible before the class, in the case of a planned absence, or immediately after the class, in the case of an unplanned absence, in order for the absence to be considered excused. It is also the student’s responsibility to inform the professor of the missed class.
Students can download the Official Excused Absence Form at https://eu.elearning.iesabroad.org.
QUIZZES MISSED DURING UNEXCUSED ABSENCES CANNOT BE MADE UP!
The use of laptop computers during class is not permitted. Cell phones are to be switched off.
Updated information on your course can be found at https://eu.elearning.iesabroad.org.
Students who are placed in this level should have achieved the outcomes in the Emerging 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 the outcomes for the Independent 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 be able to identify and describe at a basic level 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 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 be able to interpret gestures and body language, and they will integrate some of those nonverbal actions into their interactions with native speakers.
D. Students will know how to meet socio-cultural norms in a variety of transactional events.
II. Listening
A. Students will be able to understand most spoken communications of moderate complexity (media, speeches, music, conversations, etc.) on a wide range of concrete everyday topics as well as abstract topics covered in classes.
B. Students will be able to understand most native speakers from a variety of backgrounds and limited experience with non-native speakers, and they will comprehend common colloquial expressions and slang.
III. Speaking
A. Students will be able to speak on and discuss a wide range of concrete everyday and personal topics, abstract topics covered in classes, as well as other topics of particular interest to them.
B. Students will be able to participate, initiate, and respond actively in a wide variety of interactions (field studies, interviews, community interaction, CORE).
C. Students will be able to narrate sequences of events with a notable degree of accuracy.
D. Students will be able to give presentations on topics related to the host culture.
IV. Reading
A. Students will be able to read and understand a wide variety of articles, stories, and online texts using background knowledge to aid their comprehension.
B. Students will be able to read and understand the key ideas of academic texts on familiar topics with assistance.
V. Writing
A. Students will be able to meet most everyday writing needs (notes, text messages, formal and informal letters, emails, chats, online forums).
B. Students will be able to write essays for class that narrate, describe, report, compare, contrast, and summarize on a wide range of topics with an increasing degree of grammatical and lexical accuracy.
C. Students will be able to edit their own and their peers’ writing for common errors.
homework and daily participation, Moodle, field studies, essays, semester project
Quiz 1 10%
Quiz 2 10%
Class project (including oral presentation and written assignments) 30%
Participation and homework 30%
Final exam 20%
Week
Content
Assignments
Corresponding Learning Outcome(s)
Week 1
(Intensive)
1.Functional:
· Introducing yourself
· Talking about personal identity
2.Grammatical:
· Local prepositions
3.Vocabulary:
4.Culture:
· Shopping in Freiburg
· „Decoding Freiburg”
· Information about Freiburg
· Berlin: now and then
Interviewing class mates in order to get to know each other
Asking about motivation for learning German
Field studies Freiburg: shopping and more
Field study: Berlin Project “Jewish Museum”
I.A., I.C., I.D.
II.A, II.B.
III.A., IV.A., IV.B.
Week 2
Field Trip Berlin-Prague
Field study: Berlin Project “Jewish Museum”
Week 3
1.Functional:
· Talking about the Field Trip
· Relating about things in the past
· Discussion: proposition, rejection, acceptance
2.Grammatical:
· Review: past tenses – oral and written usage
3.Vocabulary:
· Freiburg and Berlin
4.Culture:
· Feedback Berlin Project
· Class project: finding topics, structuring proceeding, developing interviews
Group presentation Field Trip
Discussion Berlin Project
Listening comprehension on Moodle
Class project
I.A., II.A., II.B., III.A., III.C.
Week 4
1.Functional:
· Relating about places and locations
· Conducting Interviews
2.Grammatical:
· Local prepositions and adverbs
· Review: grammatical cases
3.Vocabulary:
· Landscapes, nature, places in town
4.Culture:
· Class project: conducting interviews with “normal people” and experts
Interviews
Presentation of a location
Homework: written summary of interview outcome
Class project
I.C., I.D., II.A., III.B., IV.B., V.B
Week 5
1.Functional:
· Talking about human relations and emotions
2.Grammatical:
· Verbs with prepositions
3.Vocabulary:
· Forms of communication
· Human relations and codes
4.Culture:
· Understanding cultural differences in communication
Quiz 1 (tue, 9.10.)
Reading: “Kulturschock USA”
Class project
I.B., I.D., III.A., IV.B., V.C.
Week 6
Field Trip Institutions Paris-Brussels
Week 7
1.Functional:
· Describing processes
· Research on the internet
2.Grammatical:
· Passive voice
· Past participle
3.Vocabulary:
· Processes, production
· Computer
4.Culture:
· t.b.a.
Describing processes in passive voice
Class project
I.A., II.A., IV.B.
Week 8
1.Functional:
· Talking about real / unreal conditions
· Quoting others
2.Grammatical:
· Subjunctive I and II
3.Vocabulary:
· Money and bank
· Money and ethics
4.Culture:
· Money and bank in Germany
Interview: money and ethics
Class project
I.B., I.D., III.A., V.B.
Week 9
1.Functional:
· Talking about a movie
· Structuring a text or a speech
2.Grammatical:
· Temporal relations – prepositions, adverbs, clauses
3.Vocabulary:
· Movies and books
4.Culture:
Review for quiz
Quiz 2
Class project
I.A., II.A., II.B., III.C., V.A., V.B.
Week 10
1.Functional:
· Describing people and objects
· Talking about clichés and prejudices
2.Grammatical:
· Relative clauses
3.Vocabulary:
· Character traits
4.Culture:
· Testing clichés and prejudices
Feedback Quiz 2
Class project presentations
I.A., II.B., III.A., IV.A., IV.B.
Week 11
1.Functional:
· Describing people and objects
2.Grammatical:
· Declination of articles and adjectives
· Adjectives used as nouns
3.Vocabulary:
· Nationalities and professions
4.Culture:
Talking about professions
I.A., III.D., IV.A.
Week 12
Field Trip member states
Week 13
1.Functional:
· Talking about Field Trips
2.Grammatical:
· Syntax and negation
3.Vocabulary:
· Travel
· Nations and countries
4.Culture:
· Travelling in Germany / Europe
Reading: “Eine Reise zu den eigenen Wurzeln”
Writing a letter
Group Presentation Field Trips
I.B., III.A., III.B., IV.A., IV.B., V.A.
Week 14
1.Functional:
· Review for final exam
· t.b.a.
2.Grammatical:
· Review for final exam
· t.b.a.
3.Vocabulary:
· Review for final exam
· t.b.a.
4.Culture:
Review for final exam
Week 15
(18.12.)
Final exam
Subject to changes depending on level and progress of class
IES Abroad Reader for German 353 – Kristina Schwank
Moodle online exercises
This syllabus contains a representative course calendar and field studies. Cultural topics and field studies may vary by semester and by season.
Kristina Schwank studied Pedagogy (adult education) at the universities of Lüneburg, Oldenburg, Dalarna (Sweden), and Freiburg. She has completed a Teacher Training Course at the International House Freiburg to teach German as a Foreign Language. She has taught German as a Foreign Language since 2007 in Granada (Spain) and at International House Freiburg. She is currently a language instructor at ECAP Basel and IES Abroad EU.