Kurssyllabus:

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Deutsch 2101 - Texts and Contexts 1 / Sommersemester 2017

 

 

Instructor:   Carolin Mueller

Time: MWF  8:30-11:15

Room: tbd.

             

email: mueller.377@osu.edu

Office Hours: by appointment

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Prerequisite: 1103 / 1103.51 or equivalent or permission of instructor

German 2101 counts toward the German minor; it is a prerequisite for the German major. In order to receive credit toward a German major or minor and to proceed to the next course, you must receive a grade of C- or better.

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION/GOALS

Being able to communicate effectively in another language requires more than knowing its words and its grammar. Understanding and making oneself understood by the speakers of another language also requires sensitivity to the culture to which the language belongs and knowledge about the history that has influenced that culture. German 2101 is an intermediate-level language and culture class that aims to provide you with practice in listening/speaking and reading/writing German within the context of the cultural and political history of Germany and Europe/the EU from its early stages to the present. Our explorations will help you gain insight into present-day Germany and Europe. We will begin the semester with a general introduction to Germany and Europe and its history. We will then focus on a number of cultural issues that are particularly significant for Germans and Europeans today (e.g., Migration, das politische System, das Gesundheitswesen, Umwelt, Schulsystem). We will also read Ghazi Abdel-Qasir’s  novel Spatzenmilch und Teufelsdreck. In addition, we will make use of authentic resources from internet sites, audio recordings, short non-fiction texts, film and video.

 

Special attention will be given in this class to the continued development of your fluency, range of expression and accuracy in using the German language. We will review selected grammar topics as needed to strengthen and extend your understanding of the structural aspects of German and we will work on developing strategies that will help you become a more sophisticated, independent learner of German. Classroom activities will include partner and group work, presentations, group discussions and applied grammar practice. Language is learned through social interaction and daily use; thus, active participation and a high degree of daily preparation are essential to your language development and your success in this course. This is a study abroad program, and you will only reach your highest achievements if you maximize your use of German in and outside the classroom. Make use of this unique opportunity!

 

REQUIRED TEXTS

Abdel-Qadir, Ghazi Spatzenmilch und Teufelsdreck,   ISNB: 9783423705325  (Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag)

 

 

DICTIONARY

If you plan to buy a dictionary, you should purchase one with at least 200,000 entries. This kind of dictionary costs between $35 and $55. You can also make use of online dictionary resources such as LEO http://dict.leo.org/ or dict.cc or the concordancing dictionary at the Uni-Leipzig: http://wortschatz.uni-leipzig.de/

 

MAJOR GRADED ASSIGNMENTS

 

Reading Responses (6, each 150-200 words). To practice and improve your writing, you will compose six reading responses that you will turn in as a paper copy and online each Friday in class, typed in 12-point font and double-spaced with 1.25" margins around.

Deadlines must be adhered to: late work will not accepted only with medical or other official documentation. I will NOT accept essays via e-mail. You must give me a hard copy on the day the essay is due. It is up to you to take care of delivering the essay.

 

These essays will call for you to practice the grammar topics we are covering in class and will be related to the topics and themes of the course readings, with a strong focus on the book. Each composition will include one draft.

 

Grades will be based on grammar, vocabulary, content, organization and style. The final essay grade will be an average of the grades of all reading responses.

 

Video Assignment

 

To practice presenting yourself and your experiences to others in German, you will complete two video assignments (week 3 and Week 6) of each 45 seconds. In your video, you will capture an aspect in Dresden that strikes you, and that you can connect to the theme of this course: “Geschichten aus Europa”, or to the novel Spatzenmilch und Teufelsdreck. The style and focus of this video is up to you.

You must match the following criteria:

 

Introduction to theme/topic/, introduction of speaker (spoken) 10%

Summary of topic/ description of visuals (spoken) 20%

Give your opinion to your topic (spoken) 20%

Explain how it connects to course topic (spoken) 20%

Visual clarity and good audio quality 5%

Conclusion of video (spoken) 10%

Credits (spoken or written) 5%

 

*You may interview native speakers, but your video must not contain any English. If you do an interview, your speaking is the focus, not that of your conversation partner. You must speak at least 40 seconds of your 45 second video. Your video may be longer than 45 seconds, but should not exceed 3 minutes.

 

Oral presentation

 

In the second half of the course, you will give a presentation of 10 minutes on one of your video assignments. You will give additional information that went into your research for the video you made, explain how the making of the video was for you, and evaluate your product/give suggestions for what you would do differently in the future. Throughout the semester, we will practice phrases that are appropriate to such a presentation. Detailed guidelines will be provided later in the semester.

 

OTHER ASSESSMENTS

There will be daily homework, daily blog assignments and a final exam. All will be announced in advance. The final will be comprehensive, but will emphasize the material covered during the second half of the course. The final exam will take place on Wednesday, August 2nd 2017, from 9:30 a.m to 12:00pm;  Please make sure that you do not schedule a flight or trip for any time before your final.

 

 

Class participation: The only way to improve your ability to converse in German is to practice, so coming to class fully prepared and ready to work and participating actively in discussions and other interactive practice activities is essential. The quality of interaction in our learning community is only as good as the contributions of its members. Small-group and partner exercises will ensure that every student has the opportunity to speak in every class period, and you are expected to do so. Your participation grade will also reflect your level of preparation for class.

 

Grade Criteria for evaluating class participation/performance

 

A / A-

Student uses German; is eager to volunteer and is attentive; negotiates meaning with other students; is responsive and often elaborates spontaneously, gives more than asked for; uses circumlocution to compensate for unknown vocabulary; always well-prepared, speaks distinctly and loud enough for all to hear.

B+ / B/ B-

Students uses German as the language of communication; is attentive and responsive; volunteers and gives more than required though not always successful; has usually prepared the day's lesson/or is regularly prepared, but "quiet"

C+/ C/ C-

Adequate preparation, but waits to be called upon; responses often incorrect; often resorts to English. (This includes group and partner work.)

D+/ D/ D-

Student is usually unprepared; little effort to participate; responses usually incorrect or does not know the answer when called upon; lack of enthusiasm evident

E

Insignificant. Regularly unprepared; does not participate; attitude reflects disinterest, lack of engagement in learning

HOMEWORK/ DAILY BLOG ASSIGNMENTS/VOCABULARY LISTS

There will be reading, writing or listening assignments for outside-of-class homework. These are intended to prepare you for in-class activities and to afford you extra practice with grammar.

 

You will be asked to complete:

• Worksheets

• Keep a blog and complete daily 50-word blog assignments

• Post your daily new German word

• Study the vocabulary lists (especially stylistic devices); You will be expected to integrate them into your writing assignments

 

I expect that you will complete the daily assignments and that you will be ready to work when you come to class. Part of the daily assignments is posting a new German word that you learnt before the start of class each day. See the comment section on every page on the course blog for that. We will be working with these new vocabulary in class.

 

Specifics of all assignments and links to extra course materials will be posted on the course blog: https://carue0323.wixsite.com/europa. Homework worksheets should be uploaded to canvas, and blog homework on your blog.

 

ATTENDANCE

Because improving speaking and listening are essential parts of the course, attendance is mandatory. Any unexcused absence, and continuous tardiness will result in a failing grade for the course. There are no make-ups for missed quizzes unless a doctor’s note or other official documentation is presented to the instructor. The OSU self-excuse form is impermissible in this class.

 

Reading Responses (6) 20%

Oral presentation 10%

Blog posts 20%

Class Participation + Kommentieren auf dem Kursblog (11) + Preparedness 10%

Video Assignments (2) 15%

Final Exam 25%

 

STUDENT REQUIREMENTS/GRADING

You will be graded on your performance:

The Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures uses the following scale*:

 

 

93-100 = A

90-92 =   A-

88-89 =   B+

83-87 =   B

80-82 =   B-

78-79 =  C+

73-77 =  C

70-72 =  C-

68-69 =  D+

63-67 =  D

 

below 63 = E

 

*Please note: the university scale considers 87, 77, 67 as +grades. Our dept. does not.

 

We will be covering a lot of material in this class and it is imperative that you keep up to speed. If you are having problems or want extra help, please come and see me—I'm here to help you learn. Do not feel, however, that you have to wait for problems before coming in—office hours are available for you to talk with me about anything at all pertaining to the class, your studies, or things German-related. If you cannot come to my regularly scheduled office hours, email me and we can arrange another time to meet.

 

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

READ: the Committee on Academic Misconduct's "Ten Suggestions for Preserving Academic Integrity" http://oaa.osu.edu/coam/ten-suggestions.html

It is the responsibility of the Committee on Academic Misconduct to investigate or establish procedures for the investigation of all reported cases of student academic misconduct. The term "academic misconduct" includes all forms of student academic misconduct wherever committed; illustrated by, but not limited to, cases of plagiarism and dishonest practices in connection with examinations. Instructors shall report all instances of alleged academic misconduct to the committee (Faculty Rule 3335-5­487). For additional information, see the Code of Student Conduct (http://studentaffairs.osu.edu/pdfs/csc 12-31-07.pdf).

 

Composition Policy: Academic Misconduct

Please take the time to read this statement about our composition policy, which refers to any written assignment (essay, composition, diary entry) that is handed in for a grade.

• Out-of-class compositions should be neatly typed, double spaced, 12 point font, with 1.25-inch margins around.

• All written work submitted for a grade is expected to be handed in on time. Please guard against PLAGIARISM.

All work should be your own -- unassisted by tutors, parents, friends, or "translation software!". Handing in work that has been written by others or for which you have received outside assistance will be considered ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT.

You should not use another person's exact words unless you put them into direct quotes and credit them with a citation.

Paraphrases of someone else's words should be credited with a citation. Please note that you do not receive fewer points because you have used someone else’s ideas – the important issue is that you credit the person for the idea.

Because of the nature of the compositions you will be writing in your intermediate German course, you should not have a great need for lengthy quotes. Avoid the strategy of filling up spaces with long quotations or stories or stories-within-stories. Your instructor will not accept this type of work for credit.

Please note that I expect all written work to be your own. If I have reason to suspect that you have received help with a written assignment (particularly an essay), I reserve the right to ask you to produce a short sample of your written work in my office – I will compare the basic quality of that work with your essay. If there are noticeable discrepancies, I will it consider it cause to submit your case to COAM.

 

PLEASE DO NOT PUT YOURSELF OR YOUR INSTRUCTOR IN THE POSITION OF HAVING TO DEAL WITH AN ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT CASE ... REMEMBER: HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY

 

 

E-mail: When contacting me by e-mail, please use a salutation and sign your name. I will not respond to e-mails that do not address me or that have no content – only an attachment. Also, please realize that there could be up to a 2-day turnaround on e-mail. I try to answer e-mails promptly, but sometimes the sheer volume does not allow for an immediate response. If you are absent, please consult the course blog page for assignments. If you have questions beyond assignments, please contact me.

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No cellphone or computer for personal use in class. Please do not have your cellphone turned on or use your laptop/tablet during class for personal use.

You are required to use it only for class purposes. If this is violated, this privilege may be taken away from you, and you will have to complete the online assignments after class at home.

 

Disability Services

Students with disabilities (including mental health, chronic or temporary medical conditions) that have been certified by the Office of Student Life Disability Services will be appropriately accommodated and should inform the instructor as soon as possible of their needs. The Office of Student Life Disability Services is located in 098 Baker Hall, 133 W. 12th Avenue; telephone 614-292-3307, slds@osu.edu.

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