Instructor: Dr. Deborah Janson
Office and Phone: G-12 Chitwood, 293-5121, X 5507
E-Mail: djanson@wvu.edu
Office hours: M: 11:30-13:30, W: 11:30-12:30 and by appointment
Course Description and Goals:
This fifth-semester German language course focuses on advancing proficiency in speaking and comprehending German, while deepening students' understanding of the cultural complexities that have accompanied German unification. To this end we will discuss the information and ideas presented in films, interviews, and short texts that address the social, political and economic changes which led to and have occurred since Germany was unified. The course also involves grammar review. Course performance will be evaluated according to the guidelines given in this syllabus.
Required Texts and Materials:
-Gerda Dippmann and Johanna Watzinger-Tharp, A Practical Review of German
Grammar, 3rd ed. (Prentice
Hall, 1999)
-A Three-Ring Binder
-A good German-English, English-German dictionary
Course Evaluation:
Participation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10%
Homework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15%
Oral Report (inc. preparation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 10%
Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10%
Oral Proficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10%
Quizzes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15%
Midterm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15%
Final . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15%
Participation:
Being prepared for and participating in class activities is one of the most important means of attaining the goals of this course. It is your responsibility to form and express opinions, questions, and interpretations about the material we are studying. It is also your responsibility to anticipate which vocabulary you will need to express yourself about an assigned topic, and to look up and write down the German words that are new to you so that you can use them in class. (We will additionally be learning specified vocabulary as a group).
Criteria attached to the end of this syllabus will be used to evaluate your participation.* Participation also requires attending class. Hence, excessive absences and tardiness will negatively effect this portion of your grade.
As part of the participation component you are required to attend "Just Don't Panic," a multimedia musical that will be performed at the CAC Concert Theatre on October 14th at 7:30 p.m. and on October 15th at 10:00 a.m. This musical, performed by the E.T.A. Hoffmann Theater of Bamberg, Germany, is a retrospective of twentieth-century German history and popular music. Tickets can be purchased for $7.00 at the Box Office in the Mountainlair, or by calling 293-7469. Since the second performance coincides with our class time, we will not meet in Chitwood on the 15th, but at the theater. If you are still unable to attend either performance, you may alternatively view a German film I recommend, or attend an event related to "things German" that I approve, and write an essay about what you have learned.
Homework:
There are three categories of graded homework in this course: preparation for class discussions, such as written vocabulary preparation; written responses to or questions prepared about the cultural materials we are examining; and written exercises from Dippmann's A Practical Review of German Grammar. Many of the assignments in all three categories will be collected and graded. I will grade grammar assignments using the following scale: * means "perfect" (complete and with no mistakes); "check"+ means "very good" (complete and with few mistakes); "check" means "good" (complete and showing good effort, but with numerous mistakes); "check"- means "not quite satisfactory" (complete or almost complete but with many mistakes); - means "very inadequate" (incomplete and/or with so many mistakes that little effort is evident); 0 means "no credit given" (assignment not turned in or extremely incomplete). For written work related to course content, the same grade indicators will be used, but content, style and adherence to required length, as well as correct syntax and grammar, will be taken into consideration. For written vocabulary assignments, consideration will be given to completeness and accuracy.
We will cover the material in chapters 1-4 of the Dippmann grammar book. By the end of the semester we will have reviewed the indicative forms of all six tenses (Präsenz, Präteritum, Perfekt, Plusquamperfekt, Futur und Futur Perfekt) for all types of verbs (schwach, stark, gemischt, irregulär, Modalverben). Because little of this should be entirely new material for anyone taking this course, you will be expected to do much of the grammar review at home on your own. It is imperative that you not only do the exercises I assign, but that you also read the pages I assign, since they provide clear explanations. You should do this even if you are certain you know the grammar points being discussed. Because you have previously encountered the grammar presented in these chapters, I will assign only the type and number of exercises I feel is necessary to refresh your memory of the material. If you feel you need more practice, you are welcome to do more of the exercises, and I will be happy to correct them.
To receive credit for the homework it must be handed in on the due date. If you are absent on that day, you should still arrange to hand it in on time, either by having someone place your assignment in my mailbox or under my door if you are unable to bring it in yourself, or by e-mailing it to me. Under no circumstances should the homework be handed in later than the day you return to class. To find out what the homework assignment is, you may write me an e-mail or call a classmate. To facilitate such communication, please exchange phone numbers with a few classmates. For every 11 homework assignments I will "forgive" 1 missing one.
Oral Report:
This component involves giving an oral presentation on a topic appropriate to the course content, and preparing for the presentation. Preparation must include writing out what you plan to say and handing this in to me at least one week in advance of your report date; correcting the written version according to the suggestions I've written on your draft; and discussing the corrections and your ideas for the report with me in my office. (This means, for example, that if you were signed up to give your report on Wednesday, November 10th, you would hand in the written text to me no later than Wednesday, November 3rd, I would correct it by Friday the 5th, you would correct and rewrite it by Monday the 8th and we would meet on the 8th to discuss it. Since unforeseen circumstances could arise that would prevent us from meeting at the time planned, it is advisable to hand in your written version even earlier).
The report itself must be entirely in German, and of 8-10 minutes in duration. If you prefer, you may work with a partner. In this case, the report should be 16-20 minutes long, and the information you present should be divided evenly between the two of you. I will give more detailed guidelines and suggest topics in the fourth week of classes. Two reports per class session (or one double report) will be given beginning November 8th.
Criteria attached to the end of this syllabus will be used to evaluate your oral report.**
Interview:
Each of you will conduct an interview with someone not in our course who speaks German at least as well as you do, in order to ascertain what they know and think about German unification. On October 11th we will brainstorm about what kinds of questions you will want to ask. You will have until October 22nd to conduct your interview, which you must tape-record. It need not last longer than 10 minutes. On or after the 22nd, you will provide a five-minute summary of your findings in class. On the day you provide your summary, you will also hand in the recording of your interview to me. Since I will evaluate your spoken German not only from the summary but also from the tape recording, you need to make sure the tape is audible.
Oral Proficiency:
The grade you receive for this component will be based on the German you speak regularly in class, and on an oral test conducted as a conversation in my office during the week of November 1-5.
Criteria attached to the end of this syllabus will be used to evaluate your oral proficiency for the test and interview.***
Quizzes:
There will be "pop" quizzes on the material covered in class, and no make-ups will be given. Your lowest quiz score will be dropped, which, if you miss a quiz, will be the zero (0%) you receive for that quiz. If you are in class for a quiz and write only your name on the paper, the lowest score you will receive will be 50%.
Examinations:
The Midterm will be given on October 8th and will cover all material
we have studied up to that point;
The Final will be given from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Friday,
December 17th and will be comprehensive, but
with an emphasis on the material we have covered since the midterm.
If you miss a regularly scheduled examination for a reason I consider valid, an opportunity will be provided to make it up. In this instance, you must contact me within two business days of the regularly scheduled exam. It is preferable that you make arrangements for a make-up exam before it is given to the class as a whole.
Academic Honesty: The work you do for this course must be entirely your own. While you are welcome to ask qualified individuals for help with pronunciation or with understanding a text or a grammar point, it is not acceptable to have them correct or rewrite your work. You are, however, encouraged to ask me for help with any of the assignments.
The three-ring binder should provide a home for the course material, organized according to the different course components and including a place for this syllabus and other organizational hand-outs, as well as for class notes.
Please regard this syllabus as a contract and reread it frequently to remind yourself of what is coming up. Make sure you have read and understood all its components!
Note: This syllabus is displayed on my home page (http://www.as.wvu.edu/~djanson) which links to the German Studies and departmental home pages as well as many sites relevant to "things German."
Mutual expectations: It is my intent to establish and maintain
a positive learning environment based upon communication and mutual respect.
Any suggestions as to how to further such an environment will be appreciated
and given serious consideration. The class will be conducted in accordance
with the University's commitment to social justice and academic honesty.
Therefore, the policies and procedures of the WVU Student Handbook (The
Mountie) are expected to apply throughout the course.
Criteria for Class Participation*
Rating Points
Superior 21-25
-You
greeted people and took leave using German expressions.
-You used English only after asking for permission and after attempting
to express yourself in German.
-You listened attentively when others spoke and showed respect for your
peers.
-You actively participated in all activities and discussions and had a
positive attitude.
-You came prepared to class everyday.
-Your presence made a positive impact on getting tasks done.
Average 16-20
-You
greeted people and took leave using German expressions.
-You sometimes became distracted, did not pay attention when others spoke,
and were occasionally disrespectful.
-You occasionally used English, especially in pair and group work, or without
attempting to express yourself in German
first.
-You showed interest in activities and participated, though sometimes passively
rather than actively.
-You generally came prepared to class.
Unsatisfactory 0-15
-You
used more English than German in class.
-You did not pay attention during activities and explanations.
-You sometimes slept, read the newspaper, did homework, etc., during activities
or explanations.
-You were often distracting and disrespectful toward your peers or your
instructor.
-Your presence in group work had little impact on accomplishing the tasks
at hand.
-You were frequently unprepared for class.
Grading Criteria for Oral Report**
Name:
Course:
Topic:
Grade:
Comprehensibility
1. Completely comprehensible, very conversational
10
2. Mostly comprehensible but with some errors, sometimes slow and simple
8
3. Frequent errors in use of language or pronunciation
6
sometimes impede comprehensibility
4. Mostly incomprehensible
4
Content
1. Well developed, ideas; clear and to the point
10
2. Ideas mostly well developed, fairly clear and relevant
8
3. Ideas present but not well developed
6
4. Minimal and/or irrelevant information
4
Vocabulary
1. Broad in range, precise
8
2. Generally adequate for situation
6
3. Mostly inaccurate or inadequate
4
Fluency
1. Speech generally natural and continuous; no unnatural pauses
8
2. Some definite stumbling, but manages to rephrase or continue
6
3. Speech frequently hesitant and jerky; sentences may be left dangling
5
4. Speech halting and fragmentary; long, unnatural pauses or utterances
3
Structure
1. Utterances almost always correct
8
2. Most utterances are correct, but a few errors stand out
7
3. Many correct utterances, many incorrect utterances
5
4. Very few utterances are structurally correct
3
Presentation skills, overall success of report (assessed on a scale of 6-1) 6-1
Pace and volume of voice is appropriate; eye contact made; visual aids
used and helpful; the attentive listener is able to learn from and enjoy
the presentation; time limit adhered to; appropriate testing component
Grading Criteria for Oral Test and Interview Components***
Name:
Course:
Semester:
Grade:
Comprehensibility
1. Completely comprehensible, very conversational
10
2. Mostly comprehensible but with some errors, sometimes
8
slow and simple
3. Frequent errors in use of language sometimes impede
6
comprehensibility
4. Mostly incomprehensible
4
Content
1. Well developed, ideas; clear and to the point
10
2. Ideas mostly well developed, fairly clear and relevant
8
3. Ideas present but not well developed
6
4. Minimal and/or irrelevant information
4
Vocabulary
1. Broad in range, precise
8
2. Generally adequate for situation
6
3. Mostly inaccurate or inadequate
4
Fluency
1. Speech generally natural and continuous; no unnatural pauses
8
2. Some definite stumbling, but manages to rephrase or continue
6
3. Speech frequently hesitant and jerky; sentences may be left dangling
5
4. Speech halting and fragmentary; long, unnatural pauses or utterances
3
Structure
1. Utterances almost always correct
8
2. Most utterances are correct, but a few errors stand out
7
3. Many correct utterances, many incorrect utterances
5
4. Very few utterances are structurally correct
3
Pronunciation
1. Almost every word is pronounced and stressed correctly
6
2. Most words are pronounced correctly; a few errors stand out
5
3. Many words are pronounced incorrectly
3
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