German language and society I

Aims

Aims

After satisfactorily completing the module you should be able to show:

• Increased fluency and accuracy in spoken German
• Increased accuracy and sophistication in the production of a variety of written German texts
• Improved aural language comprehension
• An insight into certain aspects of German Society and current issues 

Prerequisites

Prerequisites

Students must have successfully completed:

•  A-level German, grade A or B, or equivalent.

Programme

Programme

Contact hours

The module lasts the whole year, with teaching continuing until Week 5 of the summer term.  It is taught for 2 hours per week.  For each contact hour, you should expect to spend about two hours in preparation on average.  Advanced language study demands regular, active practice and revision.   

Teaching programme

There will be: a weekly oral and aural comprehension class, for which there will be one prepared oral presentation in terms one and two; a weekly text class, for which pieces of homework will be required regularly.  The oral class will be in small groups, using general conversation, guided discussion and oral presentation on set subjects.  The text class, also in small groups, will practise the production and analysis of different texts.  For the aural comprehension exercises, both cds and videotapes will be used and students will be required to watch videos and do research online on a regular basis. German is used as the medium of instruction and learning in all classes wherever possible. 

Teaching materials

• A good notebook to record vocabulary and idiomatic phrases
• A good bilingual dictionary, one of the following:
  • The Collins German Dictionary, 4th edition or later. (2004). Collins. Glasgow
  • The Oxford Duden German Dictionary. (2005). Oxford University Press. Oxford
• A monolingual dictionary is strongly recommended, e.g.
  • Langenscheidts Großwörterbuch Deutsch als Fremdsprache. (2003). Langenscheidt. Munich. 
  • Duden – Deutsches Universalwörterbuch. 5th edition.  (2003). Duden

Assessment and feedback

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on formative work

Students will be expected to complete and submit exercises and other written assignments regularly and to present some of this work in seminars.  In addition, reading and other preparation for the seminars will be required.

• Written Formative work:
  • Written comments on the work, mark on University mark scale
  • Oral/written feedback in class
  • Discussions on major issues and mistakes/content/structure
  • Individual feedback during office hours, when necessary
• Oral Formative work:
  • Feedback on oral presentations and class discussions
  • Direct oral feedback in class discussions
  • Written Feedback form for oral presentations
  • Feedback includes mark on university marking scale
  • Comments on different aspects of the presentation, i.e. content, argumentation, logic, register etc.
  • Individual feedback during office hours, when necessary

Written feedback will usually be given within 1 or 2 weeks.

Assessment and feedback

There are three components to the final assessment:

• Written Assignment (1,000 words) (Paper 1)
  
  • Date: Term 2, week 10
  • Weight: 30%
  • Feedback: written feedback form with a mark on the university marking scale, confirmed by the second marker, written comments on different aspects of the work, i.e. structure, content, logic and argumentation, grammatical accuracy, examples of typical mistakes (language).
• A 3 hour closed written examination, consisting of reading comprehension and text production (Paper 2)
  • Date: Term 3, Weeks 5-7
  • Weight: 40%
  • Feedback: Students will be allowed to see their exam paper with comments, under supervision, at an appointed date after the external examiner has reviewed the papers.
• One oral examination, Presentation and discussion based on a text
  • Date: Term 3, Weeks 5-7
  • Weight: 30%
  • Feedback: written feedback within 3 weeks.