Approved by Faculty Senate.

Course Syllabus

College of Liberal Arts
Winona State University

 

Department: Foreign Languages Date of Revision: Spring 2002

Course Number: German 302 Course Title: German Conversation and

Composition

Number of Credits: 4 Frequency of Offering: Every Other Year

Prerequisite(s): German 202 or equivalent Grading: Grade Only

Oral Communication 191 SATISFIES UNIVERSITY STUDIES

Instructor: Ronald Mazur ORAL COMMUNICATION FLAG

E-mail:

rmazur@winona.edu Office: Somsen 319A Phone: 457-5165

Textbooks:

Fokus Deutsch. Robert Di Donato, McGraw Hill 2000 (Levels 1, 2, 3)

Der treffende Ausdruck. Texte, Themen, Übungen, 2nd ed., Brigitte M.Turneaure. W. W. Norton and Company, 1997.

Course Description:

  1. Catalog Description
    2.

    The practice of advanced language skills through conversation and composition. Offered every two years.

  2. Statement of major focus and objectives of the course
    3.

    This course builds on previous work in German and seeks to expand the student’s ability to speak and write original German at an advanced level of proficiency.

  3. Basic Instructional Plan and Teaching Methods Used

The student will view thirty-six chapters of Fokus Deutsch to become acquainted with contemporary linguistic usage and life in the German-speaking world. Both private and public spheres will be treated and students will observe how native speakers express themselves and communicate with one another in a wide range of real-life situations. Using these models as a point of departure, students will make extemporaneous presentations and participate in classroom discussions to develop and demonstrate an active command of the language.

Compositional Skills will be taught through the use of structural exercises and writing assignments from the second text, Der Treffende Ausdruck.

University Studies Rationale: Oral Communication Flag

A. Earn significant course credit through extemporaneous oral presentations.

    1. Students will focus on speaking on current topics and everyday subjects.
      2. bulletFamily life
      bulletEmployment
      bulletUnions
      bulletRelationships
      bulletCareers
      bulletShopping
      bulletDining
      bulletVacations
      bulletCommerce
      bulletLodging
      bulletUniversity life
      bulletThe environment
      bulletGender issues
      bulletLeisure activities
      bulletTravel by car and train
      bulletStaying in touch (letters, phone calls, e-mail)
      bulletGenerations
      bullet20th century history in the German speaking world
      bulletNazi Germany
      bulletCommunist Germany
      bulletReunification
      bulletHatred of foreigners

     

    B. Understand the features and types of speaking in their disciplines.

      1. Students will learn the different levels of style and discourse that are appropriate to the public or private spheres.

        2.  

        C. Adapt their speaking to field-specific audiences.

      2. Students will also learn to speak on subjects appropriate to German cultural concerns in three major countries: Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

        3. D. Receive appropriate feedback from teachers and peers, including suggestions for improvement.

      3. Conversations and oral presentations in German will be observed and evaluated by fellow students and the instructor.

        4. E. Make use of the technologies used for research and speaking in the fields.

      4. German language audio-visual materials, books, magazines, and internet resources are used in the course.

        5. F. Learn the conventions of evidence, format, usage, and documentation in their fields.

      5. Students will learn the proper structural formats and linguistic usage for German monologues, dialogues and extemporaneous oral presentations.

    4. Course Work and Requirements: Fokus Deutsch: Chapters 1-36

    Der treffende Ausdruck: Chapters 1-12

    Tests and Grading:

    5 extemporaneous presentations: 50%

    2 language usage tests: 20%

    3 written compositions: 30%

    Grading Scale: 100-90 = A; 80-89 = B; 70-79 = C; 60-69=D