Telefon: 726-6155

Büro: 453 Hum
Bürostunden: mittwochs 10-11 Uhr und donnerstags: 09-10 Uhr, per Email & by appointment

mmullins@d.umn.edu

Syllabus Notes

German 1102

Frühling 2007

M, T, Th, F: 09:00-09:50 Uhr

Hum 464

Texts: Di Nato, Clyde, Vansant. Deutsch, Na Klar! An Introductory German Course. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2004 (4th editions) (required)

Wörterbuch (Deutsch-Englisch/Englisch-Deutsch) (required)

Grammatiktafel Deutsch. Langenscheidt (required)

Webpages or workbook pages (handed-out) in connection with Deutsch, Na Klar! (assignments are not listed on the syllabus. They will be assigned in class)

This class fulfills 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 first of a two-semester sequence of Beginning German language instruction. By the end of the first semester (Ger 1101), 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 basic infomation (time, family, studies) 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 1101 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 "first contacts", "apartment hunting", "friends", "family", "daily routine", and "leisure time activities" while studying aspects of German culture. 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 web page assignments (they will be assigned in class) and/or pages of a grammar workbook I will hand out, activities and exercises from the textbook, which I may collect periodically, and quizzes, true-and false exercises, synthetic exercises, short paragraphs, post cards, tests and a comprehensive final exam. Completing these 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.

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.

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.

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 your 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 try to only speak German in our communicative classroom.

Class discussioin 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 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. 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 1101) 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 every 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 of 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 (2 viewings). 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.

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. Make-up tests are only given in extenuating circumstances; they need to be discussed with me well in advanced, if possible.

Final Exam

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

Course Grading

ASPECT OF COURSE % TOTAL GRADE

Tentative Syllabus (Big Picture Version)

    (Details will be given out in class i.e. assignments, changes to syllabus etc. Therefore, attend class)