Academic Integrity, Essays and Homework

All work submitted must be original student work produced for this course, with proper quotation and citation of the contributions of others. This course is governed by the prevailing Codes of Student Conduct and of Academic Integrity of the University of Michigan and the College of Literature, Science and the Arts (LSA).Violations of Academic Integrity will be taken seriously and can in serious cases result in a failing grade for the course and/or referral to the LSA Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education. Official LSA policies on Academic Integrity, and also a quiz on Academic Integrity, can be found at:https://lsa.umich.edu/lsa/academics/academic-integrity.html

Essays: The essays (and rewrites of these essays) that you submit for this course are where this policy crucially applies. This means:

• ADVICE: You will get the most out of writing the essays for this course by creatively using the language you have learned, and thus "making it your own." Applying what you have learned will help you master it, whereas new words and phrases you look up are much less likely to stick. When you write about a German text you have read, look for opportunities to express the ideas from the text more simply in your own words.
• You may NOT get someone who is proficient in German to proofread your essay. We recognize that you can learn a lot from having someone look over your essay with you, but we enforce this rule in order to make the grading fair for everyone. It IS OK for you to ask your instructor, an instructor in the German Lab, or some other proficient speaker 3 or 4 specific questions on how to say something. If you do so, please put the relevant text in bold print in your essay and include a note at the end with the name of the person who helped you.
• You may ONLY use an online translator for single words and short phrases. When you do, please underline the relevant word or phrase and note the source you used at the end of your essay. Do this also when you use a dictionary. It is your responsibility to make sure all the German you include in your writing has been proofread by you. Your instructor can usually tell when you have used a translator because either the language doesn't match your usual proficiency level (or personality) or certain phrases are translated in a predictably odd way. The hassle of having to cite every use of such resources in your essay will hopefully serve as an additional disincentive.
  • It is good practice to look up the genders and plurals of nouns, and the conjugation patterns of verbs you use in your essay. We also strongly encourage you to use a German spellchecker.You do not need to cite your use of these resources.
• If you consult any additional resources not assigned in the course (e.g. wikipedia or other online sources), cite them at the end of your essay, even if you did not quote from them directly. Put any direct quotes in quotation marks and cite the source with a footnote.
• If in doubt, ASK your instructor before submitting your essay!!
• Test Essays: Test review sheets for this course will always include the essay topics for the test and are an opportunity to put into practice what you have learned. Go through the course materials to find ideas. You can be very creative in this way. You are encouraged to refine your essay ahead of time and memorize it for the test.

Homework: You are allowed (and even encouraged!) to get help from others and to collaborate with classmates on homework; if you use online translators and other sources, please cite them in a clear way.

Course Administration:

Course Coordinator: Vicki Dischler (3120 MLB; vdisch@umich.edu)

Language Program Director: Hartmut Rastalsky (3214 MLB; 647-0404). 

Final Video Project & Kothe-Hildner Prize

Instead of a final exam, we will ask you to do a final video project, in order to bring the course to a creative and enjoyable end. Detailed information about the video project is available here.

Kothe-Hildner Prize

• A Kothe-Hildner Prize of $200 is awarded each semester to the group producing the best final video project in 221/231. 
• In order to make the competition fair, there is a length limit: videos nominated for the prize competition cannot be longer than 15 minutes.
• The nominated videos are usually screened from 4-6 pm on the Friday of the last full week of classes ==> please come!

Homework

Homework is graded on a scale of "check"/"check +"/"check -". "Check" means the homework has been done well or well enough, the equivalent of an A. "Check +" means it has been done exceptionally well. "Check -" means it has been done poorly and/or incompletely. Late homework automatically receives a "check -". Homework may not be accepted if it is more than two class days late (see your instructor). We enter grades into Canvas as follows: a "check" counts as 2 points, a "check +" counts as 3, a "check -" as 1, and homework that is not turned in at all receives a "0".

Attendance and Participation Policy and Grading

• Speaking and listening in class are the most important part of this course. We will keep track of your attendance and participation by an "A&P Tally" grade on Canvas, as follows:
• Each day, you will earn two "attendance points" for coming to class, and two "participation points" for participating actively. 
• If you are absent unexcused, you lose all four attendance & participation points for that day.
• If you are absent for an excused reason (e.g. documented medical, psychological or family issues; religious holidays; family events such as weddings, funerals or graduations; job interviews; musical performances or athletic events in which you are participating, etc.), you will still earn the two attendance points for that day, but you cannot earn participation points if you are not in class.
• As a courtesy to your instructor, please explain ALL absences, even if the reason is e.g. oversleeping, or work for another course, a trip, a concert etc.!
• Lateness: Loss of 1-4 points for that day, depending on how late you were.
• Inattention (inappropriate cell phone or laptop use, "zoning out," etc.): Loss of one or both participation points for that day.
• Difficulty participating: The "A&P Tally" grade is primarily an effort grade, but it is also an achievement grade. If you are in class and making an effort to participate, but you have noticeable linguistic difficulties understanding and carrying out partner activities and/or responding when called on in class, you will lose two (or one) participation points per week.
• BUT: We expect mistakes! Research has shown that language acquisition happens in a predictable sequence of stages, each stage characterized by certain patterns of mistakes. ==> Difficulty participating (on an ongoing basis) may reduce your A&P grade. Making mistakes will not!
• Absence Make-Ups/Participation Bonus: You can earn 2 make-up/bonus participation points for attending events such as
• Schokoladenstunde
• Max Kade Kaffeestunde or Deutschtisch
• German Club events
• Actively engaging with an instructor in the German Lab for more than 30 minutes
• Attending your instructor's office hours for more than 30 minutes
• Occasional special events, as announced by your instructor
• You can earn a maximum of 10 make-up/bonus points in the first 2 calendar months of the semester, and up to 10 more in the second 2 calendar months of the semester, i.e. you can earn a maximum of 20 make-up/bonus points in this way over the course of the semester
• Your instructor will enter "A&P Tally" grades weekly. S/he will enter a "comment" in the "A&P Tally" score for that week whenever the grade is different from the "standard" four points per class hour. If you wish to contest an "A&P Tally" grade, YOU MUST DO SO WITHIN ONE WEEK OF IT BEING ENTERED. ==> Please check your "A&P Tally" grades regularly!
• ***If you have lost a net total of 40 or more points (the equivalent of 10 unexcused absences) in your "A&P Tally" by the end of the semester, your FINAL COURSE GRADE will be an AUTOMATIC E*** 
• We will translate your final "A&P Tally" grade into your actual Attendance & Participation grade for the semester as follows:
• "A&P Tally" of 96 percent or more ==> 96 percent for the final Attendance & Particpation grade (i.e. an "A")
• Only in very exceptional cases ("A+" level of participation throughout the semester), your instructor may enter a higher final grade of 97-100.
• 95 percent or less: Your final Attendance & Particpation grade will be the same as your "A&P Tally" grade.

Laptops and Cell Phones

• You do not need a laptop during class (there are a few exceptions--your instructor will let you know): class activities frequently require students to move around, and a laptop could easily get knocked over.
• Inappropriate laptop/cell phone use (e.g. texting, chatting, checking facebook or sports scores, answering the phone) will lower your attendance/participation grade significantly.
• Please silence your cell phone when class begins. If there is a good reason why you must answer the call, please leave the room very briefly.

Oral Exams

Oral Exams will consist of two informal conversations in your instructor's office, for which you are strongly encouraged to practice, e.g. by going to conversation hours. We also give you the questions ahead of time. You may sign up to take the oral exams individually (a 5-8 minute conversation) or in pairs/small groups (10-15 minutes). You may retake the oral exam ONCE if you are not satisfied with how you did!

Max Kade Haus & Schokoladenstunde conversation hours--making up absences and missed work

• The Max Kade Haus is the University's German Residence, located in North Quad. For more information, check out the website at http://www.lsa.umich.edu/german/german/kade. 
• Don't be intimidated if others are at different levels: people will appreciate the effort you're making, and you'll learn a lot from speaking.
  • If you tell the R.A. or facilitator to write down your name, s/he will inform your instructor that you were there; each full conversation hour you attend can make up the 2 participation points you missed through an absence.
• If you go to a conversation hour, you can write about this for an "Abenteuer mit Deutsch" blog entry. Note that you cannot both make up an absence and write an AMD blog entry based on the same visit to a conversation hour.

Conversation hours (specific times TBA):

• Evening Kaffeestunde (conversation hour with the Max Kade RA, Assistant and residents) - North Quad East Loft
• Dinnertime Deutschtisch (conversation hour with the Max Kade residents over dinner) - North Quad dining hall. Look for signs marking the table as "Der Deutschtisch" or listen for a group speaking Deutsch!
• Schokoladenstunde (conversation hour with a German instructor)

Advice and Resources

• There is endless potential for having fun in foreign language classes. Make up interesting sentences. Be playful. Get to know fun facts about your fellow students!
• ASK QUESTIONS!! For every question you ask, there are likely to be several people in the class who will be grateful you asked it.
• Take a look at the "Reading Strategies" page on the course website. Above all: (1) Skim texts once before you read them thoroughly. This will save you time: it is the first thing you will hear in any speedreading course. (2) Fight the urge to look up every unfamiliar word. Use your knowledge and common sense to help you fill in the gaps. Remember how efficiently you do this in English e.g. when you are having a conversation in a noisy place! If you know what the word probably means, don't look it up unless what you read or hear later proves that your guess must have been wrong.
• Find a study partner. You'll have more fun, you can share pizza (or Bratwurst), two heads are better than one, and you never learn a thing as well as when you try to explain it to someone else. There is abundant research data to show that students who work in study groups are more successful language learners.
• German Lab: There is a "German Lab" in the Language Resource Center in North Quad, MTWTh 1 - 4 p.m. During these times, one or more German instructors should always be present to help you with your questions.
• Set aside a time every day to think in German about what you are doing ("Ich stehe auf. Ich putze mir die Zähne. Ich bin der/die Beste..."). This is great practice for the oral exams. Look up words for things you care about.
• Explore the many resources on the course website, including Self-Study Advice.