Santa Rosa Junior College Fall Semester 2021

Herbstsemester 2021

Willkommen in Deutsch 3 / 4!

German 3: Intermediate German, Part 1

German 4: Intermediate German, Part 2

Instructor: Dr. Kate Foley-Beining

Time: TTH 3-5 p.m. Zoom Office Hours: Monday, 1-2

Email: kfoleybeining@santarosa.edu

4 units UC & CSU transfer Final Exam: 12/14/2021 3-5pm

Book requirements:

Erwin Tschirner and Brigitte Nikolai, Kontakte: A Communicative Approach. 8th or 9th edition. (No earlier editions allowed.) New York: McGraw Hill, 2017 or 2021. With access code to accompanying workbook Connect online.

Prisca Augustyn and Nikolaus Euba, Stationen: Ein Kursbuch für die Mittelstufe. 3rd or 4th edition. Stamford: Cengage Learning, 2015 or 2021.

Course Description

This intermediate course will expand your oral and written communication skills in German. We will review and stabilize the grammar you have learned in your first-year German language study and expand into more areas of refinement. German 3-4 continues to develop your intermediate language proficiency in the areas of vocabulary enhancement, grammar competency, speaking and writing abilities, as well as cultural awareness.

German 3-4 will concurrently review topics and activities from Kapitel 10, 11, and 12 in Kontakte while incorporating pertinent discussion material and advanced grammar study in Stationen. Many other information sources, including your own personal experiences and creativity, as well as German-speaking news and entertainment media, cultural artifacts, and the arts will enrich and support your language acquisition in this class.

Recommended Resources for Homework and Practice

I recommend using this online resource as a dictionary: https://www.dict.cc/englisch-deutsch

In book form: Langenscheidts Großwörterbuch Deutsch als Fremdsprache or any other English-German dictionary.

English Grammar for Students of German by Cecile Zorach and Charlotte Melin

Weblinks for vocabulary and grammar practice (verb conjugation, tenses): Conjuguemos.com (German), Quizlet, Deutsche Welle and others.

Course Goals

German 3 and 4 emphasize the four basic language skills plus cultural awareness. Course objectives include:

Speaking in a variety of modes

answering and asking questions
describing events
negotiating everyday-situations in German
acting in role-play

Reading for a variety of purposes

gathering information
establishing general ideas
sequencing events
interpreting information (factual and fictional)

Listening/hearing

- understanding instructor, peers, audio (dialogue, music) and film

Writing

exercises (structured grammar activities to open-ended creative writing)
communicative activities: making lists, taking notes, creating posters, letters, e-mails

Cultural Awareness

deeper interest in the culture of German speaking countries
sensitivity to issues of contemporary everyday life in German-speaking countries
familiarity with historical and political events in German speaking countries
increased awareness of German-speaking countries as multicultural societies

Metacognitive skills: awareness of language learning skills

formulating individual strategies
formulating individual goals and reflecting on them during the course of the semester

Course Requirements

Deutsch sprechen, bitte! German 3 and 4 will be conducted completely in German. Do not be distressed by not understanding every word you hear! Listen for the larger context, be a willing guesser, and soon you will become comfortable with a certain necessary level of uncertainty. Best practices include: asking for more clarification: („Wie bitte?“ „Wie war das nochmal?“ „Verstehe ich das richtig?“) and asking a question („Ich habe eine Frage.“ „Wie sagt man...“).

Nicht fehlen! For every unexcused class that you miss I will deduct points from your attendance/participation grade. Since we only meet twice a week, it is VERY important that you do not miss class! I am aware of the disruptions that Covid-19 is causing and I will be responsive to any extenuating circumstances you might experience.

When missing a class, you are still responsible for turning in your assignments and the material covered in class. I will extend due dates accordingly.

Like achievements in sports and the arts, language proficiency is acquired through structured regular practice. Additionally, the success of classroom activities depends on your regular and conscientious preparation of all assignments. It is crucial that you do all your homework regularly and in writing, if required.

Homework: All assignments are listed in the course syllabus, or if there are changes, they will appear in Canvas Announcements. Homework is due at the following meeting unless otherwise stipulated. If you hand in late homework it will be recorded but not necessarily corrected. Please read aloud all of your homework; read aloud as much written German as possible, often. Kontakte has an answer key in the back. Use it this way: Complete your homework on your own, then use the answer key to correct your mistakes, using a different colored pen. Stationen does not have an answer key, thus you should note all of your questions regarding homework you hand in and ask about them in class. Be prepared to orally respond to anything assigned. Do not do your homework in class. Be sure to check over returned homework. Please correct errors that have been marked and the circle of learning is complete!

Vocabulary: You will be held responsible for the vocabulary in Kontakte and Stationen, as well as the words and phrases I write on the board. I strongly urge you to make your own Flashcards (Vokabelkarten) for each new vocabulary list. You are expected to record the items appearing on the board in a notebook, which you can review on a regular basis. These vocabulary items may become a reflection of our own unique classroom culture. Memorizing vocabulary is the keystone of learning a new language! Communication collapses when the words aren’t there.

Quizzes: Every two weeks or so we will take both a 10 minute vocabulary quiz and a short “tools” test of 20 minutes that covers recent assignments, both from in-class and homework. Under no circumstances will any make-up exams be given.

Grammatikbüchlein: Beginning with your first grammar assignment, compose a creative overview of German grammar in your own words into a small hand-made book. In it, show me how you synthesize the material we cover, making the information truly yours, using your own wording, and providing examples. Decorate the cover, add song texts or cultural news, etc., and bring the Grammatikbüchlein along for me to check before every quiz.

Oral Presentations with Poster

In German 3 each student will give a 10 minute presentation in German together with one other student, using an informative and attractive poster/slideshow*. I would like you to research a city or region in a German-speaking country. This presentation should be informative as well as interactive. The presentation has to be well prepared, organized, and rehearsed. You may use note cards, but you may not read your information. Grading will be based on quality and accuracy of information, as well as grammar, pronunciation, and minimal referring to notes.

In German 4 each student will give both a 10 minute presentation with a partner as well as an individual presentation in German. Both will employ a poster/slideshow*. Your first presentation will be on a city or region in a German-speaking country which you did not cover in German 3. Your second presentation will be alone and cover something you are passionate about and how it exists in the German-speaking countries. Your presentations should be informative as well as interactive. The presentation has to be well prepared, organized, and rehearsed. You may use note cards, but you may not read your information from a paper. Grading will be based on quality and accuracy of information, as well as grammar and pronunciation.

*POSTER/SLIDESHOW – your presentations must be accompanied by a visually attractive and informative poster or online slideshow. Don’t include long text on your poster or in your slides; only titles with pictures or short lists of facts under graphs. Each student must hand in their text of poster contributions a week before the presentation. If you use a PowerPoint presentation do not use any text except factual information such as titles, names or dates, while you orally fill in the narrative.

Essays (Aufsätze)

During the semester German 3 students are required to write two essays (Aufsätze) and German 4 students will write three essays (Aufsätze), each at least 350 words long, typed, double spaced in 12-point font on assigned topics using vocabulary and structures already learned and practiced in class. The exercise is meant to help you learn to communicate in writing what you know. Aufsatz 1 will be about a city or region in the German-speaking countries. Aufsatz 2 will be a topic regarding Politik, Gesellschaft or Kunst in the German-speaking countries. Aufsatz 3 German 4 only: Kreativ / Freie Wahl.

Essays are graded on 1. quality of the content/ information (10 pts.), 2. comprehensibility (10 pts.), 3. use of vocabulary (10 pts.), and 4. spelling and grammatical accuracy (20 pts.). Each essay is written twice. After receiving comments about the content and an indication of grammatical errors, your rewrite should incorporate my suggestions for improvement. The final grade will consist of the average of both versions. Please hand in both drafts when you hand in your corrected version.

Note: ABSOLUTELY no plagiarism and no help from other people, such as German speakers, friends, parents, or your tutor. You will receive an ‚F’ if your essay does not reflect your own work. Tutors may point out mistakes but are not allowed to correct them.

Academic Honesty

Essays that show writing that has been taken directly from an online translator or has been composed by a native speaker will not be accepted for credit and is considered plagiarism.

Use of online translators is neither reliable nor desirable for your language level – you may end up using language that is far beyond your grasp or simply wrong.

Students will not be graded against each other in this class. Cooperation will be more beneficial to us than competition. Work together on homework, studying for tests, and learn from each other. However, cheating on exams and plagiarism will not be tolerated and I am mandated to report such occurrences. Tutors, native speakers, parents, friends, computer translators, etc. may NOT write or dictate to you any work to which you will be assigning your name. Making your own mistakes and correcting mistakes yourself, with minimal help, is a very natural, efficient, and more permanent way to learn new material.

Evaluation Criteria

Class Preparation & Participation*/Attendance 20 %

Homework Assignments and Grammatikbüchlein 20 %

Quizzes 20 %

Oral Presentations & Essays 20 %

Oral and Written Final Exam 20 %

100%

A = (94-100%); A- = (90-93%)
B+ = (87-89%); B = (83-86%); B- = (80-82%)
C+ = (77-79%); C = (73-76%); C- = (70-72%)
D+ = (67-69%); D = (60-66%)
F= (≤ 59%)

*Class participation: I expect you to come to class prepared (i.e. homework complete, thorough preparation and review of assignments and memorization of vocabulary), to display initiative in group work, to be self-motivated, to speak out voluntarily, to make an obvious effort to both use new vocabulary and to improve your pronunciation of German. Please keep all electronic devices off and in your bag.

Kind Reminders

If you need disability related accommodations for this class, please provide the Authorization for Academic Accommodations (AAA letter) from the Disability Resources Department (DRD) to me as soon as possible. If you have not received authorization from DRD, please contact them directly. DRD is located in Analy Village on the SR campus, and Jacobs Hall on the Petaluma Campus. https://drd.santarosa.edu/
Student Conduct: As per college regulations, acts of dishonesty (cheating on exams or plagiarism) or disrespectful behavior contravening the standards of conduct stipulated in the College Catalog, will result in suspension or dismissal from the course.
View the SRJC Code of Conduct here: http://go.boarddocs.com/ca/santarosa/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=A8JTGP775682

Tutoring

Should you need or wish individual help, there is a new free tutoring resource that you can take advantage of at SRJC this semester:

https://college-skills.santarosa.edu/srjc-tutorial-centers

German tutoring is included among a long list of other academic subjects.

Always feel free to ask any question about German in class or at my office hours or by appointment. But if you would like some one-on-one time with a tutor, here's your chance!

Please feel free to speak with me about any type of concern either after class, during my office hours or contact me via e-mail: kfoleybeining@santarosa.edu.

Viel Spass und alles Gute!