CourSES    OFFERED

Our program offers three sequential courses:  RCLang 191: First-Year Intensive German (meets with German 100), RCLang 291: Second-Year Intensive German (meets with German 230), and RCLang 321 (meets with German 361): Third-Year German Readings. To fulfill the language requirement, RC students must take (or place out of) the Intensive language classes, pass the proficiency exam, and complete the Readings course. Students can take a second Readings course (with a different topic) to fulfill the Humanities requirement. All of the courses are open to LSA students, as well.

Intensive German (pre-proficiency)

Both of the 8-credit Intensive German classes meet for two hours a day, four times a week (M,T,Th,F). Instruction is exclusively in German and follows the communicative approach based on interactive and meaningful communication. Classes strike a balance between mastery of grammar and development of reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Activities such as memorized dialogues, improvised skits, prepared debates and oral presentations help students improve their pronunciation, intonation, and fluency in German. Journals and essays develop facility in written expression, both creative and analytical. Authentic, current and culturally relevant reading materials are incorporated from the very beginning. Progress is measured by active participation in class, performance on quizzes and tests, and regular participation in co-curricular activities (lunch table and coffee hours). 

RCLang 191/German 100 Intensive German covers the first year of German language study in one semester. The course offered in the Fall semester is intended for students who have had some high school German and/or who place below the second-year level. The Winter semester course is geared towards students who have little or no prior exposure to the language.   The goal of this course is to provide students with a basic but solid knowledge of grammatical structures and syntax, a functional vocabulary, familiarity with intonation patterns and native pronunciation, and practice in speaking and writing. Emphasis is on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, and leisure, and on basic aspects of German-language culture. By the end of German Intensive I, students will be able to do the following:

• read and interpret shorter, authentic texts without glossed vocabulary  

• understand German spoken at a normal pace in familiar contexts

• produce simple connected text, a short essay or short story without the aid of a dictionary

• converse on general, everyday topics

• describe experiences and events, hopes and ambitions, briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans

• demonstrate an awareness of social and cultural practices in the German-speaking world

Writing Sample 191

The final exam is modeled after the proficiency exam, but geared to the first-year level. It measures grammatical accuracy and aptitude in all four language skills. This course, like all RC German language courses, is conducted in German, so students quickly become accustomed to using German for daily activities.  Students have many opportunities to gain facility with the language by speaking with more advanced learners and teachers in the program in informal settings, such as RC German lunch tables and coffee hours.  In addition, they are introduced to web activities and films to help them explore aspects of German language and culture. 

RCLang 291/German 230 Intensive German covers second-year German in one semester. The goals of the course include expansion of the grammar, syntax and vocabulary presented in RCLang191 and further development of student's reading, writing, listening and speaking skills to reach a level of competency that meets advanced intermediate standards for proficiency. One hour of class builds essay writing and oral communication skills, focusing on short prose, poetry, current magazine and newspaper articles, and other media organized according to different thematic modules and addressing key issues of the 20th and 21st centuries. The second hour is devoted to in depth study and practice of grammar; it is aimed at developing students' ability to apply correct forms and syntax and to be aware of stylistic nuances even when using the language spontaneously. Through engagement with course materials, including films and other visual and performance texts, and through interaction with teachers and classmates both in formal and informal contexts, students develop speaking, aural comprehension, and writing skills. By the end of the term, students are able to do the following:

• read and interpret longer authentic texts ranging in genre, style and topic

• understand lectures of a non-technical nature and of general interest

• write a 2-3 paged analytical or creative essay with detail 

• speak spontaneously at paragraph-length on a wide range of topics with a broad vocabulary

• demonstrate a good understanding of literary and cultural themes in the German-speaking world 

Writing sample 291 

A primary objective of RCLang 291 is to "pass proficiency." Achieving this goal gives students a sense of pride and accomplishment. The proficiency exam serves as a qualifying exam for the next required course in the sequence, RC Lang 321 (German Readings).

Proficiency Exam

The Proficiency exam is held at the end of the Fall and Winter semesters, and is administered by the instructors. Students who take the LSA placement exam and place out of the second-year must take the exam before Fall semester begin to be able to proceed on to Readings.  The exam consists of five sections: grammar, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, essay, oral interview. With the exception of the 15-minute oral interview, each section is 60 minutes long and the entire written portion of the exam is completed during one 4-hour long session (with an hour break for lunch).  While we do not teach directly towards the exam, the proficiency exam reflects the cumulative grammar and skills attained in the classroom and, more informally, from the speaking and listening practice at the co-curriculars. Students become familiar with the format of the exam during the midterm exam and through targeted review sessions in the weeks leading up to the exam. 

By successfully passing the exam, students will have reached an "intermediate high" level of proficiency which means the following: 

In speaking, they  can converse with ease and confidence when dealing with the routine tasks and social situations of the Intermediate level. They are able to handle successfully uncomplicated tasks and social situations requiring an exchange of basic information related to their work, school, recreation, particular interests, and areas of competence. In writing, they are able meet all practical writing needs of the Intermediate level. Additionally, they can write compositions and simple summaries related to work and/or school experiences. They can narrate and describe in different time frames when writing about everyday events and situations. These narrations and descriptions are often but not always of paragraph length. In listening, they able to understand, with ease and confidence, simple sentence-length speech in basic personal and social contexts. They can derive substantial meaning from some connected texts typically understood by Advanced-level listeners although there often will be gaps in understanding due to a limited knowledge of the vocabulary and structures of the spoken language. In reading, they able to understand fully and with ease short, non-complex texts that convey basic information and deal with personal and social topics to which the reader brings personal interest or knowledge. These readers are also able to understand some connected texts featuring description and narration although there will be occasional gaps in understanding due to a limited knowledge of the vocabulary, structures, and writing conventions of the language. (Source: ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012 www.actfl.org)

Students who do not pass proficiency (i.e. fail the grammar section and receive a "low pass" on a skills section, or receive three "low passes" on any section) must retake the failed sections at the end of the following semester. They may proceed to the German Readings course with a "provisional pass", but proficiency will not be posted until they have retaken and passed the sections. While most students do pass proficiency on the first attempt, there have been students who have needed try once or several times again. Students come to language learning with different educational backgrounds and levels of natural aptitude. We strongly believe that, with hard work, perseverance and patience, every student can learn German and we try our hardest to support them, no matter how long it takes.

German Readings (post-proficiency exam)

RC Lang 321/GER 360 (German Readings) is a third-year level course and the last in the RC German sequence which RC students must take to fulfill their foreign language requirement. It is open to RC students who have passed the proficiency exam and to LSA students who have successfully completed their second-year courses.  RC Lang 321 may be retaken when the topics change.  The goal of the course is to improve all of the skills, with a particular emphasis on reading and writing. Students delve into a particular topic in the German-speaking world and, by discussing complex texts on compelling subjects, they strengthen their analytical and critical thinking skills. Past German Readings courses have included: 

"Creative Expression Workshop: Making Short Films, Podcasts and Blogs in German"

"Freund-, Lieb- und Feindschaften in der Deutschen Literatur" (Friends, Lovers and Enemies in German Literature)

"Berlin: Darstellungen der Großstadt in Literatur, Film und Kunst" (Berlin: Representations of the City in Literature, Film and the Arts)

"Multikulturelles Deutschland" (Multicultural Germany)

"Einführung in die Deutschsprachige Literatur des 20sten Jahrhunderts" (Introduction to 20th Century German-language Literatur)

"Verwandlung und Übergang: Kindheit, Jugend, Erwachsentum" (Narratives of Transformation: Childhood, Youth and Adulthood)

Writing sample 321 

Travel Abroad

Depending on student interest, funding, and in coordination with the LSA Center for Global and International Study (CGIS), students who have completed the German Readings course may travel to Germany with their instructor in May. Past trips have included visits to Berlin, Dessau, and Munich. Over the years, students traveling to Germany have attended theater and opera performances; participated in theater, movement and art workshops, as well as a public reading event in commemoration of the Nazi book-burnings; created video and mapping projects; went on historical and architectural walking tours; visited museums, concentration camps, and other significant sites; did a service learning project with at-risk youth in Berlin; connected with German academics, architects and artists, and RC alumns living or studying in Germany; hiked in the Alps.