Department or Program: Foreign Languages

Course Number: 101 Number of Credits: 04 S.H.

Course Title: Elementary German I

Catalog Description: Introductory German for students with little or no prior German training. Instruction in speaking, listening, reading, and writing through classroom drill and language lab work. Offered yearly.

This is an existing course that has previously been approved by A2C2: yes

Send 10 copies to: Kelly Herold

This is a new course proposal: no (If this is a new course proposal, the WSU Curriculum Approval Form must also be completed as in the process prescribed by WSU Regulation 3-4.)

Department Contact Person for this course: Ronald Mazur, 319A Somsen

Email: rmazur@winona.edu

A2C2 requires 55 copies of new course proposals:

Addendum:

This paragraph will be added to the course description in the WSU UG Catalog for 2002-2004:

As the student learns the language he/she becomes acquainted with the way German people experience and perceive their world. Through the language, the student is introduced to the customs, the arts, and the culture of Germany and the rest of the German-speaking world.

101 – ELEMENTARY GERMAN I

This course fulfills four credits of the Arts and Sciences Core Requirement in the Humanities area of the University Studies Program

COURSE OUTLINE

Course: German 101, Elementary German I, 4 S.H.

Instructor: Dr. Ronald Mazur, Professor, Foreign Language Department

319A Somsen Hall. (507) 457-5165

Textbooks: Wie Geht’s, 6^th ed. Sevin/Sevin/Bean. Holt, Rinehart, Winston, 2000. Workbook and laboratory manual.

Description: Introductory German for students with little or no prior German training. Instruction in speaking, listening, reading, and writing through classroom drill and language lab work. Offered yearly.

Material to

be covered: Schritte 1 through 5 and chapters 1 through 7.

Tests: One after "Schritte" and after each chapter.

The final examination is comprehensive (25% of the semester grade).

Course Aural Comprehension: The ability to understand spoken German dealing Objectives: everyday topics and occurrences at a moderate conversational speed

Speaking: The ability to engage in simple conversations with speakers of German.

Reading: The ability to read nontechnical German of elementary difficulty.

Writing: The ability to write simple sentences correctly on the topics presented in the text.

These skills are not taught in a vacuum and their acquisition is not the sole objective of the course. The cultures realities of the German-speaking world are discussed from the outset and the language is taught as a means of experiencing, interpreting and participating in the target culture.

Learning

Activities and

Expectations: Aural Comprehension: Regular language laboratory work (one hour minimum per chapter) and appropriate spoken responses in German to instructor’s questions and statements are expected.

Speaking: Regular appropriate participation in classroom conversation in German as well as correct responses to oral exercises are expected. Errors in pronunciation or usage are corrected daily.

Reading: Comprehension of dialogues, reading passages and exercises will be tested by discussion, true and false questions, and content questions requiring elaboration (in German).

Writing: Daily homework assignments must be done in writing and will be corrected daily in class. All tests will require evidence of the ability to write correct German as a measure of reading comprehension and the mastery of grammar.

University Studies Requirements: These areas are identified as "A,B,C" in the grid on the next page.

1. Identify and understand specific elements and assumptions of a particular Humanities discipline;

Through lectures, tests, classroom drills and discussions, students will learn the terminology and methodology of language acquisition and the details of grammatical analysis while gaining proficiency in the German language. They will come to appreciate the two-fold nature of language learning as motor-response activity and cognitive mastery. Through the correction of "interference" and by conscious analysis they will become aware of the features of language that have become automatic in their native language. They will also learn to see that a language is the clearest and most fundamental reflection of a culture’s civilization and social reality

b. Understand how historical context, cultural values, and gender influence perceptions and interpretations:

Through exercises and classroom discussion, students will learn that speakers of German classify, define structure, and conceptualize their world in categories that vary from their own and both establish and reflect different cultural, social, historical, and gender expectations. Through examples they will explore "invisible" cultural differences and learn how to deal with them constructively. Finally, they will study the contemporary cultures of the three major German speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) with an eye to historical, social and linguistic differences despite the "common" language.

c. Understand the role of critical analysis (e.g. aesthetic, historical, literary, philosophical, rhetorical) in interpreting and evaluation expressions of human experience.

As is clear from the information above, consistent comparison, analysis, and the training of students to produce correct interpretations of aesthetic, social, historical, cultural and linguistic material are a fundamental aspect of this course. They will acquire the ability to understand and speak a new language actively, perceive and experience the world through the medium of a new language and culture, view their native language more objectively, and differentiate three different German-speaking cultures.

Humanities Requirements and Learning Activities Chart