This course
will cover current events and various aspects of contemporary cultural life
and development in German-speaking countries and societies, i.e. art and
architecture, literature and music, customs and festivals, diversity and
multiculturalism, mass media and entertainment. This is not a lecture course.
The students are expected to participate actively and regularly in class
presentations and discussions. Students are required to read all texts and
come prepared to discuss in German what they have read.
After successful completion
of this course you will
In addition to the
novel „The Reader“ by Bernhard Schlink, the students will read current newspaper
and magazine articles in German, explore German web sites, watch German
TV, films and videos and listen to German music. The students will receive
a one page concise schedule as well as detailed weekly schedules. Please
read these schedules carefully and make sure you know what is due that week.
Required Books: Bernhard Schlink. Der
Vorleser. Zürich: Diogenes, 1997 (bookstore)
German-English-German Dictionary
(bookstore)
Tatsachen
über Deutschland, Österreich und die Schweiz (professor)
Fieldtrips: The German, Austrian and Swiss embassies and
their cultural institutes offer various cultural events. Students are required
to participate in several fieldtrips to these cultural events in
Important:
Doing your homework
(written or otherwise) is absolutely vital. You must be prepared for every
class. Read the assigned texts prior to the meeting time. Prepare a very
good oral presentation. Use PowerPoint to bring your point across.
Honor Code: The college’s honor code will be strictly
enforced. Students must sign the honor pledge on all assignments and tests,
and write it on all essays. The honor pledge is posted in every classroom.
Grading:
|
Daily Preparations and Class Participation
|
20% |
|
Oral reports |
25% |
|
Essays |
40% |
|
Final Presentation |
15% |
Requirements
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.
Daily Preparations and Class
Participation: Daily preparations and active
participation in class discussions are absolutely vital to academic growth.
If you don’t show up for class, you can’t participate in class discussions.
Merely coming to class is not enough. You should read German newspapers
on-line and must have read the assigned pages for the day. Be an active
participant. Speak up, speak out, and throw your hat into the ring. Ask
questions and comment on others' opinions. Every time you are not well prepared
for class discussions, I will record a check next to your name. At the end
of semester, I will total the checks. Your participation grade will be determined
by how many times you were not prepared for class , e.g. if you were not
prepared for class 6 times, your participation grade will be B- (that is
30 classes minus 6 divided by 30).
Oral Reports: Each student will give ten (10) short oral
reports to the class about contemporary cultural aspects of German-speaking
countries. You can use the books, Focus, Spiegel, Amerika
Woche, on-line German newspapers or magazines, German TV, or other Internet
sources, etc. Please always submit a copy of what you have read. I highly recommend
using PowerPoint when you give your reports to the class.
Essays: To improve your writing skills, you will write
four (4) essays in German. Each essay must be at least 500 words each. The
essays should be typed, double-spaced, with words counted and printed at
the bottom. You can, of course, use the topics of your oral reports for the
essays. You must list all your sources if you use any books, articles or
on-line sources. Title of your essay, your name, my name, title of the course,
and any bibliographical information are not considered part of your essay,
and should not be included in your word count. Fanni Göbel, director of German
House will be your writing assistant. You will submit the first draft to
me, which I will return to you, along with comments and suggestions. You
will write a second draft and take it, along with your first draft, to Fanni
and she will help you make any necessary corrections. She will, however,
not rewrite your essay. She will sit with you and discuss with you your third
and final draft. Please turn in all three drafts for a final grade.
Final Presentation: At the end of semester, you will give a longer
oral presentation to the class using PowerPoint. You will have to
decide about a topic early on in the semester and collect materials for it.
Work on that topic as early as you can. Discuss your drafts either with me
or with Fanni Göbel, no later than November 20th so that we can give you
some feedback and suggestions. The presentations will be conducted in the
last week of classes. You can also use your imagination and make a video or
conduct a radio show on the local campus radio station.
Important:
Do not ignore
problems. Ask questions. Do not fall behind. Complete all required readings
on time. Be active in class. Call me or send me an e-mail if you need help,
or have any questions about what we learn in class.
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Please join the German Club and/or support it
and the German House by attending cultural events sponsored by both. |
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Changes to all
aspects of this syllabus are at the discretion of the instructor. |
Viel Spaß und Erfolg!