German language as a social and cultural practice

Teacher(s)

Rinder Ann; Suner Munoz Ferran;

Language

Deutsch

Main themes

1. Familiar topics related to everyday student life, lifestyles and social relations in different contexts and fields (especially in the academic world), in relation to their own experiences and knowledge. 
2. Living conditions, traditions, social relations and cultural phenomena in different contexts and fields, in the light of their own experience and knowledge. 
3. Opinions, feelings, experiences and future projects, as well as relationships and ethical issues (including the digital world). 

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Understand spoken language and texts of an informative, descriptive, narrative, discussion and contact nature, possibly containing elements of regional variation.
2	Understand short dialogues, conversations, interviews and simple messages, as well as narratives and other works of fiction, including in spoken or dramatised form.
3	Use strategies to repair details and understand context, and to adapt listening and reading to the form, content and purpose of the presentation.
4	Give and explain oral and written information in formal and everyday contexts, and justify, evaluate and discuss opinions.
5	Adapt oral and written production to clarify, vary and communicate according to purpose, audience and context.
6	Use strategies to participate in and facilitate written conversations and interactions, including in digital form, e.g. confirming, rephrasing, explaining, listening actively and ending politely.
This learning unit contributes to the development and command of the following skills and learning outcomes of the ELAL programmes : 6.2, 6.6

Content

The topics covered are mainly found in the media, and include social, political, sporting, cultural (in the broadest sense) and event-related topics. Based on these themes, basic vocabulary and grammar will be approached and studied. The course is structured in two-week thematic blocks, each including learning outcomes as well as grammar topics, text/speech types and thematic fields relevant to them. 

Teaching methods

The coordination of this course is entrusted to an academic member of the ELAL school, who is assisted by a teacher from the ILV, who will also participate in the evaluation, and by an assistant.
60 hours of classes per semester, combining both 'lecture' and exercise sessions. In the lecture parts of the course, theoretical approaches to improve reading will be discussed, as well as various reading techniques. The thematic fields, presented in the form of different types of texts and audio and video recordings, will be commented on and analyzed. In the exercise sessions, the various theoretical approaches presented will be put into practice. The instructors will ensure that equal emphasis is placed on reading comprehension and written expression. In addition to discussions on the themes covered in the lecture part, authentic documents related to the same themes – which may also lead to oral reactions – may be presented.
15 hours of individual study and work, particularly:

• Systematic, personal, and independent study of the vocabulary contained in the course materials;
• Grammar exercises on Moodle;
• Preparation for listening comprehension;
• Preliminary preparation of texts;
• Writing documents;
• Remediation work and additional self-study exercises;
• Updating notes and reviewing, memorizing.

Evaluation methods

Continuous certificative assessment (60% of the final grade) includes:

• Attendance (80% of non-graded tests completed and attendance at sessions) and active participation (interaction, submission of group work, etc.) (15%)
• Regular work on vocabulary (1 task per thematic block, management of the vocabulary list) (15%)
• Graded grammar and/or vocabulary tests at the end of each thematic block (15%)
• Completion of projects (individual or group) at the end of each thematic block (15%)

Attendance in class (see above) is a mandatory requirement to be admitted for the January and June exams, according to article 72 of the RGEE.
Final evaluation (40% of the final grade) during the January session and the June session, each including part A (oral skills) and part B (written skills). In part A, students will demonstrate their oral skills (comprehension and production). Part B will assess written skills (comprehension and production). Only those who have successfully passed part A are admitted to take part B. The final grade is the arithmetic average of the grades for parts A and B. In case of failure in January, the student retakes this part during the June session. A passing grade is set at 10/20.
In case of a second exam enrollment, only the part corresponding to the end-of-semester assessment (40% of the final grade) can be presented.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI), if used at all, must be used responsibly and in accordance with the practices of academic and scientific integrity. Since scientific integrity means citing sources, the use of AI must always be reported.

Online resources

Moodle

Bibliography

Fandrych, C. und Tallowitz, U.(2015). Sage und Schreibe. Übungswortschatz Grundstufe A1-B1 mit Lösungen. Neubearbeitung 2015. Stuttgart: Ernst Klett Sprachen. 

Faculty or entity

> ELAL