Course Syllabus
German 117S – Advanced German I: Perspectives on German Society
(Sample Syllabus)
Required Texts:
Brigitte M. Turneaure, Der Treffende Ausdruck, 2nd Edition, W.W. Norton, 1996
Bernhard Schlink, Der Vorleser (Roman), Diogenes Taschenbuch, 1997
Handouts
Goals:
This course is designed to increase your proficiency in speaking, writing, reading, and comprehending the German language. It will deepen your understanding of German grammar, introduce you to a more sophisticated use of vocabulary, and work through problems of stylistic expression. At the same time, it will expand your knowledge of German culture and develop your analytical skills necessary to interpret cultural materials from a variety of media (literature, magazines, television, films, etc.).
Content:
In this course you will work with authentic texts from a wide array of media in order to gain proficiency in dealing with different genre, and to reflect on cultural similarities and differences. The course is organized around different media and genres, each with a thematic "Schwerpunkt" relating to issues of social significance in contemporary Germany. You will, for example, read several short stories, study current German magazines, watch soap operas and films, and, in the last weeks of the semester, read a novel. You will also review German grammar and style, expand your vocabulary, and read and write German on a regular basis.
Procedures/Requirements:
1.Class Participation:
For each class, you should:
a. Be prepared to discuss the assigned text;
b. Learn the assigned vocabulary and grammar;
c. Participate actively.
Note: You will be graded on the quantity and quality of your contribution to class. It will count for 25% of your grade. Since you cannot participate if you do not attend class, more than three unexcused absences will lower your grade. (Excused absences require a note from your academic dean.)
2. Written assignments:
Written assignments will consist of the following
a. Exercises (Übungen) from Der treffende Ausdruck;
b. A Reading Journal of your responses to the readings and films. For each reading and/or viewing, you will write a one-page response. Journal entries can be informal. They are not expected to be polished essays. Rather, use this writing to prepare yourself for class discussion by commenting on, questioning, and exploring the reading/viewing. Note what surprises you; find the complexity in what seems simple; expand the intriguing. The more you struggle with the material, the better your journal entries will be.
These writings will be collected regularly but not graded. A grade, however, will be given for overall effort and improvement. Collect your journal entries in a three-ring binder to be turned in at the end of the semester. A grade will be given for overall effort, and for improvement from the beginning to the end of the course.
c. Essays. You will also engage in formal writing, approximately once every two or three weeks. Topics will be assigned, and these essays should be typed, double-spaced (12 point font with 1 inch margins), and at least 2 full pages long. These essays should have a beginning, middle, and end, and employ the same writing strategies that you use when you write in English. They should be coherent, and use as much of the new vocabulary and grammar as possible. These will be graded on the basis of both content (organization, coherence) and style (grammar, vocabulary usage). You will receive corrective feedback from the instructor, and have an opportunity to rewrite the essay for a better grade.
3. Oral assignments:
In addition to being prepared for class discussion of the readings and topics at hand, you will be expected to prepare and deliver short oral reports from time to time. These should be approximately 5 minutes in length, and will be assigned on an ad hoc basis. You should make sure that your language is comprehensible to the rest of the class, explaining unfamiliar vocabulary if necessary.
Exams and Quizzes:
Every two weeks, there will be a short vocabulary quiz based on the reading assignments and on the "Redemittel" and "Das passende Wort" sections of Der treffende Ausdruck.
Four times during the semester, there will be a written grammar test, based on the grammar sections of Der Treffende Ausdruck.
There will be no final exam in this course. However, you will work together with one or two classmates on a final project that further explores one of the topics or texts / films or authors we dealt with in the course. (With permission of the instructor, you may choose another topic relating to the German speaking cultures.) You will prepare a 10 – 15 minute oral (or multi-media) presentation for the rest of the class, and turn in a paper of 4 – 5 pages in length. You should have your topic proposal, to be discussed with your instructor, by Mid-November, at the latest. Presentations will be given during the last week of class.
Evaluation:
Grades will be calculated as follows:
|
Class participation / Performance |
25% |
|
Oral reports |
10% |
|
Formal and informal writing (essays, journals) |
25% |
|
Tests and quizzes |
25% |
|
Final project |
15% |
COURSE OVERVIEW
KURZGESCHICHTEN: Schwerpunkt "Außenseiter "
Week One
"Skorpion" (Reinig)
Der treffende Ausdruck (TA) 1
Week Two
"Anektote zur Senkung der Arbeitsmoral" (Böll)
"Die unwürdige Greisin" (Brecht)
TA 2
Week Three
"Das Fenstertheater" (Aichinger)
TA 3
FILM
ZEITUNGEN / ZEITSCHRIFTEN: Schwerpunkt
"Aktuelles aus Deutschland"
Week Four
"Ein Liebesversuch" (Kluge)
"Die Ausgesperrten" (Jellinek)
TA
4
Week Five
Texte von Canetti, Kafka und Brecht
TA 5
Week Six
Zeitungs- und Zeitschriftenartikel
TA 6
FILM
Week Seven
Zeitungs- und Zeitschriftenartikel (Handouts to the current holocaust
memorial debate)
TA 7 (only "Das passende Wort")
PARABEL: Schwerpunkt: "Deutschland – Amerika"
Week Eight
"Wenn die Haifische.." (Brecht) und Musik
TA 8
Week Nine
"Trinidad" (Doris Dörrie)
TA 8
FILM
ROMAN: Schwerpunkt "Deutsche Vergangenheit"
Week Ten
Roman: (Der Vorleser, von Bernhard Schlink; futher handouts to
the current holocaust memorial debate)
TA 9
Week Eleven
Roman
TA 10
Week Twelve
Roman
TA 11
Week Thirteen
Roman
Week Fourteen
Roman
FILM
Week Fifteen
Work on final projects