GERMAN 101 is an introductory course for students who have not previously studied German. Learning a new language for the first time is exciting and fun, and the course curriculum and materials focus on engaging students' interest, creativity, and sense of humor. The course focuses systematically on the concurrent development of students' ability to understand spoken and written German, and to speak and write German themselves, and on exposing students to a broad range of aspects of German culture. While children may be good at picking up a second language when living in the culture, adults are much better at learning languages in the classroom than children, and the course aims to take advantage of this by helping students to develop effective language learning strategies, and by providing students with a wide range of tools and resources to help them to learn the language. These include:
- Online video lectures introducing new structures for each chapter, accompanied by online comprehension check exercises or worksheets.
- Online vocabulary practice materials, including Quizlet flashcards, online exercises, worksheets, and detailed vocabulary handouts for each chapter.
- A virtual "German Lab" where students can practice their German or get help with homework or any questions they have, Monday - Thursday 1-4 (in the Fall and Winter terms only)
- Two weekly conversation hours hosted by instructors from the department and regular virtual
conversation hours hosted by the German House (in the Fall and Winter terms only)
- A feature film (Run Lola Run) and a popular children's book (Oh, wie schön ist Panama) integrated into the curriculum. In addition, students have access to a wide range of other feature films in the Language Resource Center (including some popular English-language films dubbed in German, such as the original Star Wars trilogy, the first Monty Python movie, Shrek, and The Big Lebowski)
- Additional cultural readings in English supplementing the cultural information in the textbook.
- Detailed review sheets to help with preparation for tests
- Outlined lesson plans for each day are available to students for (p)review outside of class via links in the online syllabus
- Cartoons and a compilation of "Videos Zum Spaß" ["videos for fun"] providing informal reinforcement of concepts from class
By the end of the term, students will have a firm foundation in some of the fundamental elements of German grammar and will be able to understand and respond appropriately to a variety of texts and basic conversational situations.
The full syllabus for German 101 is available at https://resources.german.lsa.umich.edu/kursseiten/
Course Requirements:
Course requirements include chapter tests and a final exam, two informal oral tests, a final role play, 3 short essays, class participation, and regular homework assignments.
Class Format:
Instruction Mode: As a DC (Distance due to COVID) course, all aspects of this course will be fully compatible with remote online learning.
Learning Mode: Synchronous class meetings for German 101-231 will take place via Zoom. Students will need a reasonably stable internet connection with enough bandwidth for videoconferencing, and a computer (or tablet) equipped with a camera. All other course materials will be delivered as usual via Canvas.
Course Testing/Assessment: All written tests and the final exam will be asynchronous and will consist of multiple-choice, short answer, and essay questions that will be submitted via Canvas during a designated time frame. Oral tests and any other assessments will also be administered online; students will sign up for times. All other assignments will be submitted electronically.