This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.
Undergraduate Handbook 2025-2026 (archived)
Module GERM3071: German Language 4
Department: Modern Languages and Cultures (German)
GERM3071: German Language 4
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tied | 3 | 20 | Available in 2025/2026 | None. | Durham |
Tied To
- LA01: Liberal Arts
- LA02: Liberal Arts (with Year Abroad)
- LA03: Liberal Arts (with Placement Year)
- LMV0: Combined Honours in Social Sciences
- LMVA: Combined Honours in Social Sciences (with Year Abroad)
- LMVP: Combined Honours in Social Sciences (with Placement Year)
- R002: Modern Languages and Cultures [inc. Arabic, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish] (with YA)
- RV91: Modern European Languages and History
- RV92: Modern European Languages and History (with Year Abroad)
- T102: Chinese Studies (with Year Abroad)
- T202: Japanese Studies (with Year Abroad)
Pre-requisites
- German Language 2A (GERM2021) or German Language 2B (GERM2152) or equivalent.
Corequisites
- At least one additional level 3 module in German Studies
Excluded Combinations
- 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
Subject-specific Knowledge
- 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.
Subject-specific Skills
- 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.
Key Skills
- 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
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seminars | 20 | 1 per week | 1 hour | 20 | Yes |
| Oral Hours | 20 | 1 per week | 1 hour | 20 | Yes |
| Student preparation and reading time | 160 | ||||
| Total | 200 | ||||
Summative Assessment
| Component | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Assessment | 50% | Continuous assessment of written skills | 25% | ||
| Written examination (in person) | 2 hours | 75% | |||
| Oral Assessment | 50% | Continuous assessment of oral skills | 25% | ||
| Oral examination (in person) | 15 mins | 75% |
Formative Assessment
Regular written/oral practice.
Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods
and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative
assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress
procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be
required to leave the University.