Welcome to Intermediate German II: Composition and Conversation!  This class is the second course in the second-year sequence at McDaniel College.  The main focus of the course is oral and written practice in the language.  In order to express yourself correctly,  it is necessary to understand what you hear and what you read.  Therefore, the course will also emphasize listening and reading comprehension.  The course will be enhanced by selected videos that are closely related to the material in Kaleidoskop.  You will also write essays and answer essay questions on tests in German.

After successful completion of this course students will be able to:

• read and understand modern German short stories, poems, newspaper and magazine articles, and Internet pages
• discuss German topics in a variety of situations
• understand German texts such as short stories, poems, newspaper and magazine articles, and Internet pages
• compose essays on topics related to the readings
• improve their ability to understand conversational German 
• give oral presentations in German
• understand and appreciate some new aspects of German language and the culture of German-speaking countries in the areas of labor and business relations, multicultural societies, generation conflicts, stereotypes, and environmental pollution.

Required Books:

• Kaleidoskop, 6th edition (textbook only)
• A German-English, English-Germany Dictionary (any publisher)

How time flies!

Time management is crucial for every college student. Plan your week ahead of time. Learn to say NO! to people and the temptation of college life when you have assignments due. Prioritize!

Requirements

Chapter Tests	25%
Homework & Essays	25%
Daily Preparation & Class Participation	15%
Oral Presentations	15%
Final Exam	20%
TOTAL	100%

Attendance: Regular attendance is essential for academic achievement. Therefore, attendance is mandatory. Three unexcused absences will lower the final grade by 3%, four by 6%, five by 9%, and so on. Excused absences are at the discretion of the instructor. Absences caused by college-related activities are excused only if the instructor is made aware of them in advance.

Tests: You will have four scheduled tests based on the material studied in Kapitel 6-9 and Themen 6-9. There will also be some unannounced tests, both written and oral.  The material in Kapitel 10 and Thema 10 will be tested as part of the final examination.  Missed tests may not be made up and will be recorded as zeros unless a valid excuse is presented to the instructor.  If possible, please explain any absence on a test date in advance.

Homework & Essays: Doing your homework is absolutely vital. Specific assignments will include grammar exercises, essays written in German, reading of selections in the textbook, and answering questions related to these readings.

Daily Preparations & Class Participation: Daily preparations and active participation in class discussions are absolutely vital to academic growth. You must have read the assigned pages for the day and you should have prepared the vocabulary and assigned exercises. Students who come to class unprepared will lose points in the area of class participation.

Presentations:  You will be expected to participate in projects and creative activities that culminate in classroom presentations. Ideas for these projects will be discussed in class.

Final exam: There will be a final examination in the week of December 8-12. The final exam will cover selected materials from Kapitel 6-9 and Themen 6-9 and Kapitel 10 and Thema 10. The date and time of the final exam will be announced later.

Important: Do not ignore problems. Ask questions. Do not fall behind. Complete all required readings on time. Call me or send me an e-mail if you need help, or have any questions about what we learn in class.