German language and society II

Aims

Aims

This module is intended to enable students to acquire a knowledge of the key aspects of modern German culture and society. Through the analysis of a variety of written and aural materials, students will be able to develop their linguistic competencies as well as their cultural understanding. This is in order to allow them to achieve a high level of fluency and accuracy in their production of written and spoken German.

This module will investigate current debates in German society and culture which demonstrate a specific German approach to democracy, politics and political participation. The students will develop an understanding of the social and political issues and topics Germans care about and how they view their role in a democratic society. We will discuss the ‘Big Debates’, such as the so-called ‘Big Brother Debatte’ or the ‘Ostalgiedebatte’.

Through analysis and discussions of these debates we will try to understand the very particular relationship Germans have with ‘Vater Staat’ and develop an insight into how Germany functions and why German Society is the way it is today.

After satisfactorily completing the module you should be able to show:

• An understanding of a variety of spoken and written registers in German
• The ability to structure and argue a topic/problem in appropriate written or spoken German
• A high degree of fluency and accuracy in spoken German
• An accurate and sophisticated use of written German in the production of a variety of texts

Prerequisites

Prerequisites

Students must have successfully completed:

• First Year German modules (from either Ab-initio route or A-level route)

Programme

Programme

Contact hours

The module lasts for three terms, 2 contact hours per week per term. Weeks 3 and 4 of the summer term will focus on the oral presentations.

You will be expected to complete and submit exercises and other written assignments regularly and to present some of this work in seminars. In addition, reading and other preparation for the seminars will be required. For each contact hour, you should expect to spend on average about two hours in preparation. Advanced language study demands regular, active practice and revision.

Teaching programme

There will be a weekly oral and aural comprehension class for which there will be one prepared oral presentation in terms 1 and 2, a weekly text class, for which regular written exercises will be required.

All the lessons are conducted as seminars in order to encourage discussion and interaction. Therefore, completing weekly tasks in preparation for class discussion is an essential part of students’ commitment.

The teaching will be in small groups and will be conducted in German.

Teaching materials

Students must be in possession of a monolingual German dictionary. A dossier of texts and materials will be provided by the tutor.

Assessment and feedback

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on formative work

• Written formative work:
  • Written comments on the work, with a mark on the University mark scale
  • Oral/written feedback in class
  • Discussion of major issues and mistakes/content/structure
  • Individual feedback during office hours, when necessary
• Oral formative work:
  • Feedback on oral presentations and class discussions
  • Direct oral feedback in class discussions
  • Written Feedback form for oral presentations
  • Mark on university marking scale
  • Comments on different aspects of the presentation, i.e. content, argumentation, logic, register etc.
  • Individual feedback during office hours and in progress/feedback meetings 

Written feedback will usually be given within 10 days.

Assessment and feedback

• Written assignment (Paper 1),  submitted in Week 1 of Summer term.
  • Length: 1500 words
  • Weight: 30%
  • Feedback: written feedback form with a mark on the university marking scale, confirmed by the second marker, written comments on different aspects of the work, i.e. structure, content, logic and argumentation, grammatical accuracy, examples of typical mistakes (language).
• A closed 3-hour written exam  comprising textwork and written composition (Paper 2), Summer term
  • Weight: 40%
  • Feedback: Students will be allowed to see their exam paper with comments, under supervision, at an appointed date after the external examiner has reviewed the papers.
• An oral presentation
  • A presentation on a prepared topic chosen from a list, followed by a discussion, Summer term
  • Weight: 30%
  • Feedback: written feedback within 3 weeks.