Module GERM3071: German Language 4

Department: Modern Languages and Cultures (German)

GERM3071: German Language 4

Prerequisites

• German Language 2A (GERM2021) or German Language 2B (GERM2152) or equivalent.

Corequisites

• At least one additional level 3 module in German Studies

Excluded Combination of Modules

• Any German modules offered in CFLS

Aims

• Students use authentic material from a dossier which provides the basis for various language exercises: writing and re-writing in German and German oral work.
• At the end of the year we expect the best students to have reached near-native proficiency.
• Weekly oral classes with native Germans also contribute to this objective.

Content

• The module is based on a dossier of authentic German texts on a range of areas of topical concern in the German-speaking countries.
• These texts provide material for formal exercises and student-centred learning.
• This material provides the foundation for the end-of-year examination, in which writing and re-writing exercises in German and tested oral work reflect the subject matter, idiom and linguistic registers found in the dossier.
• The teaching and resources in this module reflect a commitment to linguistic and cultural diversity. It positions the richness of the (language area)-speaking world at the core of its syllabus.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of this module, students should have acquired:
• detailed practical and analytical knowledge and effective understanding of the lexis, structures, registers, and varieties of German (equivalent to CEFR level C1/C2).
• the ability to demonstrate a reasoned awareness and a critical, comparative understanding of the culture and society of the country or countries in which German is used.

• By the end of this module, students should have acquired:
• the ability to communicate fluently and appropriately, maintaining a high degree of grammatical accuracy, in writing and in speech, with users of German (equivalent to CEFR level C1/C2).
• the ability to understand and analyse written and spoken discourse in the target language, and to mediate between languages. 3. experience of independent research, including the ability to identify, evaluate, and organise relevant primary and secondary cultural material.

• By the end of this module, students should have acquired:
• the ability to identify, describe, and analyse problems of language use in general, and work out strategies for interpretation
• the ability to communicate ideas and information orally and in writing, devise and sustain coherent and cogent arguments
• the ability to employ the sophisticated reading skills they have acquired to gather, sift, process, synthesise and critically evaluate information from a variety of sources (print-media, audio-visual, and electronic)
• responsiveness to the disciplines of working alone, and with others as part of a group
• the ability to write and think under pressure and to manage time.
• the ability to demonstrate a high degree of agility and flexibility in the workplace, a skill derived from their experience of the wide diversity of techniques required to pursue the module successfully.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• There are TWO one-hour classes per week. Students are also required to attend small-group conversation classes with a native speaker on a regular basis. These will be organized by their oral/precis tutor.
• Students are required to attend all classes for their groups, and to prepare themselves for classes and participate actively in discussions.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Regular written/oral practice.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University