Required Texts

Anders gedacht. Motyl-Mudretzkyj/Späinghaus Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005

Übungsbuch, Anders gedacht. Späinghaus. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005

Recommended

Langescheidts Großwörtebuch Deutsch als Fremdsprache.  Dr..Dieter Götz et al, Herausgeber. Berlin und München: Langenscheidt KG 1995

Course Goals: German 1201 is conducted entirely in German and emphasizes the four basic language skills plus cultural awareness. We have a very ambitious agenda which targets:

1.        Speaking in a variety of modes

1. answering and asking questions
2. circumlocution: defining/describing when exact words fail
3. acting (in self-written or other) skits and role playing
4. responding to and formulating personalized questions
5. negotiating and communicating in German

2.        Reading for a variety of purposes

1. gathering information
2. establishing general ideas
3. making generalizations
4. sequencing events
5. interpreting information (factual and fictional)

3.        Hearing/understanding instructor, peers, audio, video and film

4.        Writing

1. exercises (from recombination and copying to open-ended creative writing)
2. communicative activities: making lists, taking notes, writing memos, etc.
3. four topical essays (graded holistically)

5.        Cultural awareness

1. deeper interest in German language and in the culture of German-speaking countries
2. sensitivity to issues and problems of contemporary life in German- speaking countries
3. familiarity with recent political events in German-speaking countries
4. increased awareness of cultural diversity in general
5. preparedness for those interested in studying at the Freie Universität Berlin
6. viewing art exhibitions related to the culture of German- speaking countries

6.        Metacognitive skills: Awareness of  the language learning process.

1. Formulating individual strategies
2. Formulating individual goals and reflecting on them in the course of the semester

By the end of the semester, if you have attended all classes, completed all written and listening assignments successfully, and received at least a B-grade on all exams, you should be able to:

1.        speak and understand German well enough to converse comfortably with a German speaker (accustomed to dealing with non-natives) about yourself, your family, interests, daily activities, and topics of general interest;

2.        read and understand the main ideas and most important supporting details of a variety of authentic and edited texts of varied length (e.g. brief newspaper articles, descriptions, summaries, poems, short stories) and be able to locate specific information in such texts;

3.        write reasonably coherent and grammatically appropriate  texts (e.g. Letters, notes, summaries, and descriptions) related to everyday topics, experiences, and class readings;

4.        understand and grasp the main ideas of spoken German in straightforward formal oral texts (e.g. announcements, weather reports, commercials), as well as conversations and discussions on familiar topics;

5.        understand and grasp the main ideas of a variety of videos and film clips intended for native-speaker audience.

6.        demonstrate mastery of major grammatical concepts and usage of the 75 high frequency verbs in all frames.

Course requirements:

1. Participation, homework, class preparations (more than three classes of absence automatically

lowers the overall grade)

2. Three essays (150 –200 words)

3. One oral interview

4. One oral presentation

5. One Presentation of a group project

6. PORTFOLIO

During the course of the semester students will be expected to compile a Portfolio which will consist of essays, poems, skits, and other forms of creative writing, taped poems/songs written by the individual student, and a final project.

PORTFOLIO: The central principle of the portfolio is that different materials and writing samples are collected to demonstrate the progress you have made.  The contents of the portfolio reflects your self-defined objectives whose attainment requires creativity, self-discipline, and interdisciplinary knowledge.

At the end of the semester your portfolio will contain (actual content may vary slightly, depending on material covered)

2 essays, 1 oral presentation, 1-2 poems or song texts, an outline of your final project, individual vocabulary lists (20-30 entries per topic) and a self-evaluation.  All of these samples should be accompanied by a brief reflection on how an why you chose these documents to be in your portfolio, how they were created and in what capacity they document your learning experience.

This course is conducted in German. The rapid pace of the course requires all students to attend class and be prepared to participate actively in German every day. Homework, individual and partner activities, quizzes and writing assignments will be routine from day one; be prepared to work about two hours out of class for every hour in class.

Any student who misses class (for any reason) should inform the instructor in advance, it is the student’s responsibility to find out what was covered in class, make up and hand in all class work and homework. No grade will be awarded for late work, but work will be corrected as part of the student’s overall record and improvement.  Regular attendance is absolutely necessary in language classes.  Missed deadlines count as zero. More than three absence automatically lowers the performance grade and therefore the final grade.

ESSAYS: Students are required to write a coherent essay (approx. 150-200 words) on three assigned topics using vocabulary and structures already learned and practiced in class. The exercise is to learn to communicate using what you know. Essays are graded on 1. comprehensibility, 2. quality of the content/ information, 3. use of vocabulary, and 4. grammatical accuracy. Each essay is written twice. After receiving comments about the content and an indication of grammatical errors, your rewrite should incorporate the instructor’s suggestions. The final grade is the average of both, the first draft and final version. If the deadline for the first essay version is missed, the student loses her/his chance to rewrite the essay and the first version will be graded. If the deadline for the second essay version is missed, the grade of the first version will be the final essay grade.

NOTE: All essays must be written without the help of an online translator or tutor!

Grading:

Class participation, vocabulary lists, homework and class preparation     30%  

Three essays                                                                                                      30 %

Oral presentation, final project                                                                   10%

Oral Interview                                                                                                       10%

PORTFOLIO:                                                                                              20%

(Compilation of: essays, creative writing samples, vocabulary lists,                                         

an outline of both oral presentations, reflections and a self evaluation

Deutsches Haus:

For nearly 100 years German scholars, writers and filmmakers have spoken at Deutsches Haus (420 West 116th St.). The annual series of lectures, films and shows provide students with direct access to contemporary German culture. Visitors will find current magazines, newspapers, and an extensive German-language library. All students interested in practicing their spoken German are invited to the weekly Kaffeestunde sponsored by German Suite. German Suite is an undergraduate housing arrangement for students interested in German language and culture. All levels of German are spoken in the suite which also organizes parties, films and activities to promote German on campus. Visit our home page on the world wide web at www.columbia.edu/eu/german/dhaus.html.

Berlin Consortium:

The consortium makes it possible for science, social science and humanities majors who have completed German 1201/1202 to study at the Freie Universität Berlin for an academic year or semester. The program involves full immersion in the German language, enrollment directly in courses shared with German students at the FU, access to university libraries and student housing, internship opportunities during vacations, and exposure to cultural and political life in contemporary Germany and Europe. Contact the German Department at x4-3202 or the Division of Special Programs at x4-2559. Next spring or fall you could be studying in Berlin!

German studies:

For questions about language courses, contact Prof. Korb in the German Department, 311 Hamilton Hall, x4-2070 (rak23@columbia.edu), Barnard students contact Prof. Motyl, 320c Milbank Hall, x4-4287(imotyl@barnard.edu). German 1201/1202 is a good starting point for students interested in majoring in German and/or spending a semester in Berlin. Proficiency in German is key to unlimited cultural and economic opportunity.

Columbia students interested in majoring or minoring in German should contact

Prof. Korb, x4-2070 (rak23@columbia.edu). Barnard students should contact  Prof. Erk Grimm (egrimm@barnard.edu), 320b Milbank Hall.

Kursplan