Practical language learning in the region/Word in culture - German B1 3224-SWKNB1
German language classes on the level B1 (intermediate) are aimed at activating the skills of linguistic expression and communication in foreign language as well as to enrich German vocabulary. The course is proposed in the form of conversation/discussion on different topics offered for students, pertaining the everyday life (including colloquial speech and other styles not considered by textbooks), cultural events and communication in future jobs according to the profile of a graduate.
The thematic scope of the course comprises new lexis connected with elemenentary communicative situations as well as cultural events/selected cultural elements of the countries from the relevant language area (cultural events, peculiarities):
1. Let's get to know each other: me and others, what unites us and
what divides us
2. At university in Germany (arrival, formalities)
3. At university in Germany (making friends and looking for a flat)
4. Together or separately: the advantages of living alone and with
others, solving conflicts
5. Interpersonal relations in the past and today. Internet relations:
chance or threat
6. How to ask for help, express your opinion, give arguments:
dialogue practice
7. Let's talk about desires, dreams, wishes: Practical mode
8. Travel report, events: Repetition of past tense
9. Economic emigration: Pro and contra
10. Are we immune to stress? Slow life as an alternative
11. Sharing economy - does it work?
12. Offers from the catalog: Let's plan a trip around Germany
13. Offers from the catalog: Let's plan a trip around Austria
14. Another country, other people, different mentality: How to deal
with it?
15. Cultural differences: cont.
16. Around culture: What we read and why. Books in paper or
electronic form
17. Meeting with German literature (e.g. H. Heine, Loreley)
18. Around culture: Going to the museum, to an exhibition / art in
urban space
19. Around culture: Meeting with a German film
20. How to express a taste, disapproval, opinion (oral judgments and
reviews)
21. Around culture: Germany - a country of poets and thinkers?
22. Meeting with a German song
23. About German in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
24. Proverbs, German idioms
25. Everyday culture: With ecology for your brother
26. Labor market and cultural studies: opportunities, job offers,
concerns and hopes
27. How to prepare for a job interview and effectively do it
28. Writing a cover letter
29. Work: what motivates us, how to shape relationships
30. How to avoid a blunder: Still about interculturality
There are also other topics related to students' interests/proposed by students.
Course is conducted through discussing different topics based on priorly given texts or handouts delivered by the lecturer, working in groups and pairs, individual work (substantially supported by the lecturer).
Training of different language skills will be conducted as follows:
- Speaking: individual monologic utterances related to the topics which were discussed during the semester, dialogs, role-playing-games.
- Listening: different types of texts (dialog, monologue in various communicational situations) and tasks adjusted to the level.
- The use of a language: vocabulary and grammar exercises indicating the degree of proficiency in the course content.
- Writing: an opinion in the written form related to the topics which were discussed during the semester.
Student workload includes:
Classroom participation – 30 hours (1 ECTS)
Preparing for classes – 30 hours (1 ECTS)
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge (upon completing the course, the student will know and understand):
- the complex nature of the German language with particular emphasis on the cultural context of the countries in the region [K_W09].
Skills (upon completing the course, the student is able to):
- search for, select, analyse and use necessary information from various sources [K_U01].
- communicate through various channels and communication techniques on basic everyday topics and cultural aspects of the countries of the region [K_U07].
- independently prepare a written and oral statement in a foreign language on everyday topics and cultural aspects of the region’s and present the results of their work to the group [K_U08].
- use the German language at the B1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) [K_U09].
- plan and organize individual and team work, plan and implement the process of independent learning, including specialist knowledge, after graduation [K_U10].
Social Competences (upon completing the course, the student is prepared to):
- critical assessment of existing knowledge, continuous learning and supplementing acquired knowledge and skills [K_K01]
- effective communication and living in society, including in a culturally diverse society, working in a team, coping with typical professional situations, verifying one's views through factual discussion and evaluating one's knowledge [K_K02].
Assessment criteria
I. The organization of classes:
1) Attendance at all classes, covered by the plan, shall be compulsory.
2) It is not possible to have a resit if the reason of failing the credit was noncompliance with the requirement to participate in them. In such a case a student can be conditionally registered in an successive stage of study and can repeat the failed course.
3) In case of 30 hours in semester, 1 absence without justifying are acceptable. Missed classes must be made up in accordance with the requirements of the lecturer. The requirements are provided by the lecturer during the first class.
II. Assessment Criteria:
The following components contribute to the final grade for the language course:
Substantive participation in the class (40%)
Presentation of the topic fixed by the lecturer (60%)
To obtain a passing grade, the student must demonstrate achievements in each of the above categories (a student who receives 0% in any category—i.e., shows no activity in that area—will not pass the course).
Grading scale:
99–100% – 5.0 (excellent)
93–98% – 5.0 (very good)
87–92% – 4.5 (good plus)
77–86% – 4.0 (good)
71–76% – 3.5 (satisfactory plus)
60–70% – 3.0 (satisfactory)
Bibliography
1. Grammatik und Konversation.
Arbeitsblätter für den Deutschunterricht,
Klett, 2014
2. Grammatik aktiv, Cornelsen, 2018
3. Sicher im Alltag und Beruf, Hueber, 2019
4. Wechselspiele, Langenscheidt, 2001
5. Deutsch üben. Hören und Sprechen B1,
Hueber 2013.
6. https://www.dw.com/de/deutsch-lernen/s-
2055
and others.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: