Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

Available to any student who have previously taken Level A or equivalent in German (equivalent to be approved by Module Leader).
German Level A students are advised not to proceed to Level B unless they achieve at least 40% in the module.
Note: Non-SML students are advised not to proceed to level C unless they achieve at least 50% in this module.

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

In consonance with the overall aims of the degrees offered in the SML, this module will:

- Focus on developing the students' written communicative and oral communicative competences in the target language (including fluency, grammatical and lexical accuracy and range, register and pronunciation);
- Facilitate students' ability to establish and maintain effective social and working relations with
speakers of the foreign language in written and spoken media. This includes students’ ability to use and understand authentic material and produce their own written and spoken output.
- Prepare students for the future study of the target language (including written and oral communicative skills, and intercultural awareness) and for their future learning experience (including independent learning and study skills; reflective skills and self-regulation);
Seminars will be taught in GERMAN as much as possible.
The Grammar component will be taught in English.
THIS COURSE WILL BE ASSESSED IN GERMAN.

Outline Of Syllabus

Students cover a variety of topics related to contemporary society and culture in German-speaking countries. Depending on student feedback, these may include:
- Social media
- Literature (Story telling)
- Cinema / Music / Visual arts
- Culture and Traditions
- Student Life
- Current affairs and current issues
- Press / Media / Advertising
- Travel and Tourism
- German languages and registers

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will have had the opportunity to learn about:
- sentence and text structure, grammatical categories and their exponents and use, lexical fields and registers and their usage.
- all areas of grammar, vocabulary and background knowledge related to the skills listed below.
- topics and issues relevant to contemporary society and culture in German-speaking countries.

Intended Skill Outcomes

Subject specific skills:

By the end of the course, students will have had the opportunity to learn about:
- using varied lexical and grammatical structures in spoken and written communication.
- reading for information using authentic material of appropriate complexity and length and responding appropriately in written and oral form.
- writing and typing in the target language (e.g.: answers, short reports, short essays, summaries)
- listening for information using different types of authentic sources in the foreign language and responding appropriately in written and oral form.
- conversing and discussing directly with peers and target language speakers and producing/giving presentations in German using an appropriate range, on agreed topics.
- how to study and apply grammar systematically.
- how to identify and present the language graduate skills developed during the course of the module.

Cognitive/ intellectual skills:

Students will learn:
- to locate, make use and critically evaluate materials for this level other than those provided by the teacher.
- to evaluate their own performance or the performance of others.
- to apply a range of strategies for language learning appropriate for this level and module
- to work independently and confidently on their own and in a group, either within or outside the classroom.
- to locate information from different authentic sources (e.g. Internet) in order to contribute their own materials and ideas to the course.
- to articulate and reflect on the skills developed during the course of the module, in written or spoken form.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Teaching in the language seminars and practicals in the language labs will focus on communication skills while the lecture materials and drop-ins will focus on key study skills and the formal structures of the language. All four skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking are fully integrated in the language seminars and associated guided work and preparation.

Independent learning and learner autonomy are further developed through the means of online grammar videos and related activities, online guided tasks, pair and group work, assessment preparation and completion, and self-study at home, via the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and in the Language Resource Centre. Particular initiative is expected from students at this level, e.g. course participants will be asked to contribute their own materials to the classes and activities.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

- The Written Examination at the end of Semester 1 (30%) will enable students to produce a 250 to 300-word written piece of work. This will be based on a text of 1000-1250 words. It will test students’ ability to read and understand written sources in the target language and to respond appropriately in written (or typed) form in the target language. [Students may be allowed to type their own answers provided that spell check / grammar check has been disabled]. Students will receive feedback so that they can assess their progress and identify their strengths and areas for improvement before the final written examination in Semester 2.

- The content of the 3-4 minute oral component (30%) will be based on 6-8 minutes of video material. This oral component will test students’ ability to listen and understand video sources (excluding written text) and to respond appropriately by producing and present their own output orally in the form of a video. This assessment provides summative information to staff and student on students’ achievement in speaking and listening in the module.

- The final written exam at the end of Semester 2 (40%) will test the students’ reading, grammar and written skills. Students may be allowed to type their own answers provided that spell check / grammar check has been disabled. This formal examination provides summative information to staff and student on student's achievement in reading / grammar and writing in the target language in this module.

General Notes

N/A