German 201: Intermediate German
Vulgamore 102
MWF 10:10-11:00 and one 50 minute tutorial per week
(With a German native speaker).
Professor: Catherine Grimm
Office: Vulgamore 107
Phone(s): office: 629-0629 home: 629-2697
Office hours: MWF
Email: cgrimm@albion.edu
Homepage: http://people.albion.edu/cgrimm/
Link to
Required Texts:
Fritz, Daniela.,Stephen
Newton, Lida Daves-Schneider,
Karl Schneider, and Robert Di Donato.
Fokus Deutsch: Intermediate German.
Welcome to German 201: Intermediate German!
Basic Learning objectives for this course
In this course we will work on strengthening and improving
your German skills. We will focus on speaking, listening, reading and writing.
If you work hard and apply yourself your German is bound to improve. I also
hope that you will realize how fun studying German can be. You may even decide that
studying German is something would like to pursue, and declare it your major or
minor. This course is also an excellent preparation for study
abroad. Most
Our textbook is the Intermediate level version of a video-based language learning series entitled Fokus Deutsch. As we work through the chapters, your knowledge of the major grammatical structures of German will be reinforced. You will also gain insight into different cultural, historical and political topics relating to life in the German speaking world.
General course outline
This course will cover at least 7 chapters of the book, plus one introductory one.
Requirements:
Participation and Attendance
Since we will cover a lot of material very quickly, it is very important that you attend each and every class and tutorial. The better prepared each of you is individually, the more quickly and thoroughly we will cover the material and the more time we will have for creative review.
You will receive a daily participation grade based on a scale of 5 (=on time, prepared, and actively participating auf Deutsch) to 0 (=absent).
If you must miss a class, please inform me of this before class on that day. Make-up tests and quizzes are possible only in the case of an excused absence. Absences are excused when due to illness, personal or family emergency.
Excessive lateness and unexcused absences either in class or in the tutorials, will affect your grade significantly: The first four unexcused absences will result in the student's final grade being lowered by one-third point (e.g., A- will become a B+); each additional unexcused absence will cause the final grade to be lowered by the same amount.
Classroom procedures
Classroom time is very precious since we only meet three times a week. In order to assure that things go smoothly I need to count on your cooperation: here are some things you need to know:
It is very important that you pay close attention to what I say in class: you might miss something important. You need to remain focused on what is being covered in class. This is not the time to daydream, read the paper, talk privately to your neighbor or look out the window. (Doing any of these things means you are not on task and I will have to subtract points from your daily participation grade).
Please make sure to bring your textbook and German notebook or folder, plus something to write with to every class and be ready to begin the hour on time.
Classroom activities will include group work; work in pairs, brainstorming activities with the whole class, and some individual work. At the beginning of class I will make announcements (if there is anything to announce) so please be aware of this and listen up!
During the course of the class you will be asked to write a number of guided essays in your best German. These are important assignments and I ask that you take them seriously. There will be other homework assignments that will consist of grammar exercises or review of some kind.
Tutorials
In addition to the MWF class you will meet in small groups
in a location to be determined to work on class-related materials with one of
our two native speakers from
Extra-curricular activities
There will be a German language lunch table (Sprachtisch)
once a week in
During the semester there will be other cultural activities related to German that you will be informed of.
Grade percentages