Syllabus Notes

German 1102

Spring 2009

Texts: Themen 1 Aktuell. Kursbuch. Themen 2 Aktuell. Kursbuch. Ismaning, Deutschland: Hueber Verlag, 2003. (required)

Themen 1 Aktuell. Workbook. Themen 2 Aktuell. Workbook. Ismaning, Deutschland: Hueber Verlag, 2003. (required)

Grammatiktafel Deutsch. Langenscheidt (required)

Oh, Maria. Langenscheidt (required)

Zorach. English Grammar for Students of German. USA: The Olivia and Hill Press, 1994 (highly recommended)

This class fulfils the Category 3 of the Liberal Education Program.

Courses in this category should develop the ability to use and analyze human and computer languages. Emphasis should be on the theory and/or development of skills in the methods of human and computer languages, and rhetoric.

Goals and Objectives: This is the second of a two-semester sequence of Beginning German language instruction. By the end of the second semester (Ger 1102), you will be able to provide basic information about yourself (e.g. your age, your address, your hobbies and interests), greet people, ask simple questions, receive and share basic infomation (time, family, studies, illnesses, shopping, education, media) and cope with everyday needs. You will understand spoken German well enough to follow simple directions and the gist of simple texts and/or stories spoken by German speakers accustomed to non-native speakers of German. You will also be able to read short paragraphs from main current or past events and write well enough to take notes, fill out forms, and write postcards and short letters.

Ger 1102 emphasizes speaking, listening, reading and writing in German and is organized around different themes pertinent to German and German speaking countries. Together we will explore the themes of "daily life ", "navigating your way through a city ", "shopping", "gift giving ", "German language and culture ", and "identity and outward appearance ", "education, training, professions", and "German TV." Your readings consist primarily of excerpts from our textbook; spoken German is emphasized in team work activities, group work and classroom "discussions". Your written exercises consist of Arbeitsblätter (during week one of the semester) and/or activities and exercises from our textbook and workbook. I may collect them occasionally to make sure every one is on board. There will be quizzes, true-and false exercises, synthetic exercises, short paragraphs, post cards, tests, a midterm, and a comprehensive final exam. Completing all assignments is your responsibility. You are asked to have them completed on the day assigned, even if I do not check them. It is your responsibility to come prepared for each and every lesson so you can participate and earn your "check" (Vor 0.5 pts.) or "check plus" (+ or 1 pt.) for your oral participation.

Participation, Preparation, Attendance.  Your active participation in class discussions and group activities is crucial to your progress and to that of your colleagues and is therefore a graded component in the course.  In order to participate most effectively, you will have to prepare many activities in advance.  Preparation includes, but is not limited to, thoroughly reading assigned texts, preparing worksheets, learning vocabulary.  Please note that any written or oral assignment not already indicated in the syllabus but added --this will happen frequently--will be graded under participation/preparation.  It goes without saying that you cannot effectively participate if you do not attend Ger 1102, and as students of language, you surely understand the importance of consistent and maximum exposure to the target language. Please note: If you miss more than six classes, you cannot earn an A in this course. You should have six “free passes” for illness and other unexpected difficulties. If you miss more than 9 classes, you cannot earn a B. If you miss more than 12 classes, you cannot earn a C. Should you miss a class, it is YOUR responsibility to find out what you missed and what tasks you are to complete in the future. Please be in contact with your colleagues. Late assignments will only be accepted under extenuating circumstances.

Statement on Student Academic Integrity Policy

“Academic dishonesty tarnishes UMD’s reputation and discredits the accomplishments of students.  UMD is committed to providing students every possible opportunity to grow in mind and spirit.  This pledge can only be redeemed in an environment of trust, honesty, and fairness.  As a result, academic dishonesty is regarded as a serious offense by all members of the academic community.  In keeping this idea, this course will adhere to UMD’s Student Academic Integrity Policy, which can be found at www.d.umn.edu/assl/conduct/integrity.  This policy sanctions students engaging in academic dishonesty with penalties up to and including expulsion from the university for repeat offenders.”  Some examples of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, cheating on assignments or examinations, plagiarizing (misrepresenting as one’s own anything done by another), submitting the same or substantially similar papers (or creative work) for more than one course without prior consent of all instructors concerned, sabotaging another’s work, and unauthorized collaboration on assignments or exams.  You are responsible for going to the website listed above and reading the student information on what constitutes academic dishonesty.

Statement on Student Conduct Code

“The instructor will enforce and students are expected to follow the University’s Student Conduct Code (www.d.umn.edu/assl/conduct/code).  Appropriate classroom conduct promotes an environment of academic achievement and integrity.  Disruptive classroom behavior that interrupts either the instructor’s ability to teach or student learning is naturally not tolerated.  Disruptive behavior also includes inappropriate use of technology in the classroom.  Examples include ringing cell phones, text-messaging, watching videos, playing computer games, doing email, or surfing the Internet on your computer.”

The Department is committed to making its courses available to all students who are adequately prepared and are willing to participate. If there is any reason why you may have trouble meeting any of the expectations as they are outlined, please contact me right away and we will attempt to work out an accommodation.    

Oral Competence: Since this class emphasizes oral communication, proficiency in oral expression is one of our goals. Proficiency does not mean accuracy, i.e. you should not worry too much about making grammatical/structural mistakes. What is more important in 1102 is that you get our meaning across when you communicate (sometimes with hand and feet, but never in English), because the class will be conducted 95% of the time in German, and you are expected to only speak German in our communicative classroom.

Class discussion is very important in this course. It gives you the opportunity to try out what you study at home and learn in class through the discussion of topics outlined in your syllabus. You will seldomly be corrected when you speak, as long as you are communicating. Should you make structural mistakes, listen closely and I will repeat what you say in proper modern German. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Communicative competence (proficiency, not accuracy) means being able to communicate your ideas in an intelligible manner! It does not mean grammatical perfection as so many of us believe. Grammatical perfection is a goal to be achieved in speaking at a much later stage in learning a foreign language.

Written Competence: It is important that you communicate your ideas clearly when you write freely (sentences, postcards, small paragraphs), since you will be graded on content. During in-class assignments like exam portions that focus on content rather than structure, please focus on intelligible information. Do not worry about minor doubts you may have about the structural accuracy of a sentence. (Do worry about the structure when you write and study at home; there you have the time to think things over, since you are not spontaneously producing language, the most difficult skill in language acquisition. In your writing assignments at home you have the time to clear up doubts you may have (and I expect you to!)

Grammatical Competence: Grammar is important, thus particular exercises on assignments will help you learn German structure. Make it a point to memorize important information and store it in your longterm memory despite the fact that you can use the Grammatiktafel as a reference on your tests. And in at-home writing assignments, pay attention to grammar (there you have time to think about what you write. This is different from speaking the language or writing it in an in-class assignment where you have little time to think). It will help you at a later stage of your language studies. German is a very structured language, and you need to put time and effort into learning the structure in order to communicate. Generally speaking, I will introduce new grammar items in class, yet I will leave it up to you to complete the assigned assignments. My experience has shown that those who follow the syllabus and the syllabus notes with all its suggestions on a daily basis are much better prepared for the next level of German (and will also receive better grades in 1102) as those who do not put the required work of approximately 2 hours/daily four times a week.

Reading for Comprehension: For every assignment, skim over the page to see what the text and exercises are about, then read the text once. Please do not attempt to translate very word that you do not understand. This can be a discouraging and frustrating experience. Read for general comprehension, i.e. try to understand the main points. The best strategy is to read it once to get a feeling for the text, then a second time to identify more specific information. During your second reading ask yourself who is doing what (subjects and direct objects in particular and verbs), then figure out the answers to the following questions (not all may apply): Who? Where? What? When? (How?) (Why?) to understand the gist of the text. Make it a habit to learn new vocabulary and put it into your long term memory!

Vocabulary: It is essential to have words and phrases at your disposal. There is, unfortunately, no other way but to memorize vocabulary and to practice it consistently. Make it a habit to learn new words and to review old once every day. That is the only way to store them in your long term memory. Vocabulary Quizzes are in English and German and last ca. 20 minutes. They test your vocabulary knowledge and are based on the assigned vocabulary in our textbook. No helpful resources (e.g., a dictionary or the Grammatiktafel) are allowed during quiz taking. Pop quizzes may be given. There are no make-up quizzes! Your worst quiz will not be entered in my grade book.

Aural Comps/Video Segments: Particular days are set aside for these "silly stories" (Aural Comps) or video clips consisting of old and newly acquired vocabulary. The Aural Comps will be read twice before you summarize them in English. The same applies to the video segments . During the second listening/viewing you are allowed to take notes. You will then summarize what you have understood in English and/or answer questions. Aural Comps and Video segments may be part of your tests and your final exam.

Oh Maria (a "first reader"). This short text is a first introduction to the world of reading fiction in German. You will learn to skim for knowledge based on the questions you are asked to answer (Wer, was, wo, wann, wie, ? und so weiter). There will be time set aside for you to compare your answers in a group setting. Oh Maria is a detective story that introduces Herr Müller, a famous figure in the series of "first", "second", "third" and "fourth" Langenscheidt readers.

Tests consist of listening, reading and writing portions and structure exercises. They last 50 minutes. You are allowed to consult your dictionaries and Grammatiktafel during test-taking. Your worst test will not be entered in my grade book. Make-up tests are only given in extenuating circumstances; they need to be discussed with me well in advance.

Midterm: it has the same format of a test but also includes an interview portion.

Final Exam

This exam is comprehensive and twice the length of a test. It follows the same pattern as a test but it also includes an interview portion.

Grading: Participation: 20% (or 200 points) tests: 20% (or 200 points) midterm: 10% (or 100 points) final exam: 15% (or 150 points) Quizzes: 15% (or 150 points), Oh Maria-exercises: 5 % (or 50 points); in-and out-of-class written assignments, (for example, homework, synthetic exercises, aural comps, work book pages or web exercises, pop quizzes): 15% (or 150 points)

Total points possible: 1000

A (900-1000 pts.) B (800-900 pts.) C (700-800 pts.) D (600-700 pts.) F (below 600)

SYLLABUS                                                                             

FINAL (written portion):  Mittwoch, d. 13. Mai von 14 bis 16 Uhr

THERE IS NO MAKE-UP FINAL. Failure to show up results in an automatic F in this class.