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GER 201, 202

I. TITLE: Intermediate German

II. CATALOG DESCRIPTION:  Intensive grammar review with emphasis on communication skills.  Includes further practice in listening, conversation, reading and writing.  Taught in German. The course description for 202 is the same as it is for 201 but a continuation of 201.  Both courses are of one design and differ only in that 202 is a continuation of 201.  Therefore, the proposals for 201 and 202 are being offered together.

III. PURPOSE:  German 201 is designed to review and build upon the material covered in the first-year German course.  Listening and speaking will continue to be practiced, while more emphasis will be placed on reading and writing.  The course will include a systematic review of grammar, vocabulary expansion, and topics of cultural importance.  German 202 expands the four skills of speaking, reading, writing, and listening and draws them together with a view toward equipping students with the strategies to continue their interaction with the language beyond their formal language courses. The courses also cultivate “Characteristics of the Murray State Graduate.” They
A.  encourage student independent thought and effective expression of that thought in oral and written communication:

1. Students learn about structures of language, including their own; by doing so, they refine their own means of expressing thought effectively through oral and written communication.
2. The courses focus on oral and written communication; thus students learn not only to communicate in a foreign language, but also to communicate in English more clearly, with less slang and more direct means of expression.

Students analyze and evaluate standard vocabulary and basic language structures to synthesize and formulate further forms of speech communication, thus reaching logical decisions in language.

Students use the Internet to access information about the countries they are studying: geography, culture, people, systems, etc.  Students are encouraged to attend a wide variety of international cultural events that further enhance their knowledge of international perspectives.

By including culture of the countries studied, students learn about historical, literary, philosophical, and artistic traditions beyond those of the United States.

1. Students learn about languages, people, and cultures different from theirs as an integral part of the courses;
2. they begin to compare and contrast our culture with the varied cultures of the peoples studied and to understand the dynamics of one culture interacting with another; and
3. they learn more about our own cultural heritage as a result of the influence other cultures have on our culture.

The courses also
A. introduce students to fundamental concepts and ways of knowing:

Students learn the fundamental concepts involved in language study: They learn the vocabulary (grammar and syntax terms), the methods of learning a language and how languages work, and the function and structure of language.  Students also increase their knowledge of the English language.

1. Students learn how to communicate on a wide variety of topics in a foreign language;
2. they learn how to approach a wide variety of texts not translated into English; it facilitates their ability to make a mature approach to foreign texts.  This prepares students going into many different disciplines, e.g., music students to understand songs and music in German, journalism students to comprehend articles and reports in German; students of the sciences to understand research documents in German; business students to engage in basic professional dialogue; history students to interpret historical texts and better grasp historical contexts; etc.
3. students learn to compare another language and its structure to the English language; they make linguistic comparisons with English;
4. they learn the interrelationship of language and culture/society and how a language contributes to the formation of a society’s world view  and visa versa;
5. by studying cultures--not just the culture of the language being learned--students begin to  compare and contrast other cultures with their own.

1. International perspectives are emphasized on a daily basis as an inherent part of language and culture learning;
2. besides class discussions and readings in the text materials that introduce students to international perspectives, students are encouraged to attend a wide variety of international cultural events that further enhance their knowledge of global perspectives.

VI. INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES:
Participation points are given for punctuality, preparedness, alertness, and diligence.
Compositions are to be 150-200 words in length.  The rough draft is to be turned in on the date indicated in the Course Schedule.  Mistakes and problem areas will be marked (not corrected) and returned to the student for revision.  For this reason, the compositions MUST be word-processed and double-spaced.
To complete the Hörverständnis (listening comprehension) sections of the workbook, the student must have the tape duplicated in the Language Lab and complete the appropriate exercises.   Not all listening exercises present in the book must be completed.  See the Course Schedule for the list of those to be completed.
There will be quizzes.  1 quiz grade will be dropped.
Each student will give an oral presentation with a partner of 10-15 minutes in German.  Topics will be discussed later in the semester.
During the last full week of classes, each student will have an oral interview with the instructor.
 ***Late assignments will not receive full credit.

The courses also
A. promote student engagement in and responsibility for learning through the use of active  learning methodologies:

1. As indicated in the syllabus, students take an active role in their learning through writing compositions, completing listening comprehension exercises and listening to and discussing a radio play, reading a story, giving an oral presentation, and engaging in an oral interview with the instructor.  Active learning methodologies also include:
2. communicative teaching is an approach which focuses on maximizing the four communicative skills as opposed to the traditional grammar-translation method.  It includes the use of the target language in class.  Students prepare grammar assignments outside of class and are prepared to implement them in class in given situations involving students sharing information, asking questions to elicit information, answering questions, asking and receiving directions and instructions, exchanging information, etc.  Communicative teaching elicits production of language from students in writing and speaking; students learn the language more than learn about the language;
3. student-centered learning, which involves communicative interaction (see above) in the form of group-work and partner-work, problem-solving, role play, short skits, and other interactive activities,
4. group discussions,
5. partner- and teamwork,
6. frequent role play situations, etc.
and as demonstrated in the communicative assessment at the end of each semester and formally at the end of the first &  second years of instruction as well as part of the entire language program.
The courses also focus on problem solving:
7. students employ problem-solving techniques as part of the foreign language learning process and in particular in German 202 in the “solving mysteries” theme of the course: Students are expected to study grammar at home, figure out rules, apply them, and come to class prepared to begin immediate application.  Students learn to take a given grammatical, lexical, or syntactic rule and see how it may be applied to other instances.  Examples of significant problems are rules of conjugation and their variations, rules of word order, and the differences and similarities between the native language and the target language.  Thus, students learn to solve language problems without having to learn every word as an isolated instance.

1. Students have daily written homework assignments;
2. speaking is heavily emphasized every day in class;
3. students learn to read and decipher a variety of intermediate level texts; and
4. students learn critical thinking as it applies to both languages (the language being learned and English) and cultures (a foreign culture and our own culture).

1. student creative writing assignments using a word processor
2. student homework assignments using the World Wide Web and the Internet to access information about the countries they are studying: geography, culture, people, systems, etc.;
3. faculty who teach in the multi-media classroom employing the Internet to show students cultural information
4. the German 201 textbook, which provides a wealth of Internet resources.  These resources are  designed to be interdisciplinary, to build on chapter themes, and to motivate students to use German  to read authentic documents (written by a native speaker for a native speaker), read and respond to bulletin board postings, and to send and receive e-mail messages.
5. student use of e-mail to contact the instructor and the occasional submission of assignments through e-mail; and faculty use of e-mail to contact students to disseminate information to them and to aid in explanations.
6. the use by some faculty members who have access to the multi-media room to use PowerPoint to demonstrate or illustrate a grammatical, communicative, or cultural point to the students; and
7. utilize the instructor’s homepage to access information and data more efficiently.  A growing number of faculty have web pages, and the use of the web page increases every semester. Eight of the 10 faculty members in our department have learned how to develop a web page as of January 1998.

VIII. RESOURCES:
Audio tapes accompany each chapter in the Hörverständnis (Listening Comprehension) section of the workbook and are to be duplicated in the Language/Culture Lab.  Students are expected to obtain a copy of each tape and to complete each listening section as indicated in the Course Schedule.
In addition, students will be required to attend and write a report on two approved cultural events.  These include German films and German festivals held on campus.

IX. GRADING PROCEDURES:
In German 201, the course grade will be comprised of:  (exact percentages vary according to the instructor teaching the course, but the ranges are comparable.)

Participation 40 x 3 = 120
Homework  = 50
Listening Comprehension 4 x 20 = 80
Culture credit 2 x 25 = 50
Compositions 3 x 30 = 90
Quizzes written and oral 3 x 20 = 60
Tests 2 x 100 = 200
Oral presentation 1 x 100 = 100
Oral Interview 1 x  100 = 100
Final Achievement and Proficiency Exams 1 x 150 = 150
   1000 pts.

There will be no make-up of quizzes.  Make-up exams are given at the instructor's discretion and must be scheduled in advance of the exam.  Your final course grade will be calculated as follows:  90% - A; 80% - B; 70% - C; 60% - D; 59% and below - E.

Written homework is required daily; class time is used for extensive oral work for which students receive an “Active Oral Participation” Grade.  Also, as stated in the regular syllabus, “students will be required to attend and write a report on two approved cultural events.”
    Exams are in the form of listening comprehension, short answer, reading comprehension,, sections on learned cultural awareness and extensive writing in the target language; written sections of exams are meant to have the students demonstrate what they have learned in the language, and thus what they can produce and communicate in the target language.  Every language textbook contains cultural information.  Acquired knowledge of the target culture(s) is tested on every exam, either in separate sections dealing only with culture or in sections integrated into other parts of the exam but for which cultural awareness is necessary to attain a correct answer.  Written sections of exam are also intended to have the students construct and develop rational arguments and points of view based on an introduction and logical elaboration in their writing.
    Written homework is required daily; further student written homework assignments include independent creative writing beginning at several paragraphs and later a page to two pages in length during the course of the semester.  The work is graded on correctness and successful communication skills and evaluated according to the ACTFL standards. Students are also evaluated on their reading skills.  Each chapter in the textbook includes a reading text that  increase in length with each chapter. Reading is a component of most major exams and the Final Proficiency Exam.  Emphasis is placed on reading strategies rather than on just isolated linguistic elements.   Critical thinking is evaluated by student demonstration of understanding the connection and relationship between the native and the target language, the application of rules, the questioning why both languages function the way they do.  Evaluation takes place on the homework assignments, in class discussion, and on the exams.  The predominant component of the language courses is speaking.  While there is variation instructor to instructor, evaluation of speaking skills takes place on a regular basis, and this evaluation is based on the ACTFL standards
The Final Achievement exam is comprehensive.  The Proficiency Exams include sections covering the four skills: There are speaking (oral), writing, listening, and reading sections of the exam.
    High academic standards are maintained through extensive testing methods and rigorous grading procedures. There are no ACTFL specific descriptors that establish proficiency levels for receiving certain grades.  The grades we assign are based on performance within each course.

X. ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Attendance is mandatory.  Absences and tardiness will affect your grade.  If you miss one-fourth of the class meetings (11 absences) for any reason (excused or unexcused), you will automatically receive a failing grade for this course.

XI. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY:
1. It is the responsibility of every student to be informed about the collegiate Academic Integrity
Policy.  Cheating in whatever form constitutes academic dishonesty.
2. Copies of the policy are available in: CIV Student Guide, Classroom bulletin boards, Department of  Foreign Language office, Dean of Humanistic Studies office, and the College of Humanistic Studies Home Page.
3. Your signature on every assignment, quiz and exam represents your pledge to adhere to this
policy.
4. I expect students to abide by the highest ethical standards.

XII. TEXT AND REFERENCES:
Kontakte, 2nd edition     Kontakte, Arbeitsbuch, 2nd edition
A GOOD pocket dictionary    One 90 minute tape

XIII.  PREREQUISITES:  For German 201: German 102 or placement test equivalent.  For 202: German 201 or equivalent on the placement test.

XIV.  CHALLENGE CREDIT:  If you plan to use your completion of this course with an "A" or "B" to challenge credit for earlier language courses, you must have taken the placement exam, and you should fill out the paperwork early next semester.  The paperwork must be done while you are registered at MSU.

Last updated February 14, 2000. Designed and maintained by Kyosung Koo