Review of special grammatical structures, extensive oral work in combination with reading and writing exercises focusing on literary texts, newspaper articles, films, daily life and culture in Austria, enhancement of students' communicative abilities and intercultural competence.
Prerequisites:
GR200/201, three semesters of college/university level German of equivalent
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
understand similarities and differences of important aspects of Austrian/German and US-culture;
improve their intercultural competence;
write and speak at an intermediate level of complexity and accuracy (syntax, style and vocabulary);
understand literary texts;
understand television programs and films without too much effort;
express themselves in clear, well-structured texts;
write about complex subjects in a letter, an essay or a report;
use idiomatic expressions.
Method of presentation:
Oral and written exercises based on texts and videos; excursions (cafés, museums, etc.)
Required work and form of assessment:
Regular attendance and participation in class work, regular assignments, oral presentations, classroom discussions, quizzes, midterm exam, comprehensive final exam.
content:
Pattern drills to be able to participate in cultural and social events.
Enhancement of vocabulary to participate in discussions with native speakers on a higher level.
Oral reports.
Listening comprehension exercises in video and audio presentations.
Pronunciation refinement.
Reading of literary texts and current news media reports, as well as non fiction related to Austrian and German culture.
Composition practice in essays, adaptations, synopses.
Review of grammar (e. g. irregular verbs, adjective endings, dependent clauses, all the prepositions, infinitival constructions), survey of complex German structures (e. g. subjunctive I and II, verbs plus prepositions, passive).
Required readings:
Kimberly Sparks, Van Horn Vail: German in Review (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, second edition 1986) Kimberly Sparks, Van Horn Vail: Der Weg zum Lesen (Harcourt Brace Jovanovicih, second edition, 1974) Leselandschaft (Verlag für Deutsch, 1996)
Hermann Hesse: Die Stadt (Insel Verlag, 1977)
Deutschland erzählt (Fischer Verlag, 1998)
Sagen aus Wien (rewritten by Margarete E. Schachermeier, IES Abroad faculty, 1999) Bernhard Schlink: Der Vorleser (Diogenes, 1997)
Current newspaper articles on political, cultural and social issues, videos and other texts tba by the instructor
Review of special grammatical structures, extensive oral work in combination with reading and writing exercises focusing on literary texts, newspaper articles, films, daily life and culture in Austria, enhancement of students' communicative abilities and intercultural competence.
GR200/201, three semesters of college/university level German of equivalent
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
Oral and written exercises based on texts and videos; excursions (cafés, museums, etc.)
Regular attendance and participation in class work, regular assignments, oral presentations, classroom discussions, quizzes, midterm exam, comprehensive final exam.