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Welcome to German 1001. This course is for students who have never studied German or who have completed fewer than 2 years of high school German. German 1001 and 1002 are the elementary German courses, followed in the second year by the intermediate courses, G2001 and G2002. This sequence provides you with a solid foundation in the German language. Further study within our program leads to fluency, literary competence and increased cultural sensitivity. We strongly advise that you take the four semesters of the language requirement consecutively. Dropping out of a language for a semester or more will only make the next course in the sequence more difficult.
Course Description: In this course, students will acquire basic listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in German through active preparation for, and participation in, classroom activities. Students will engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions in German (NS 1.1). Students will learn to understand and interpret spoken and written German on a variety of topics (NS 1.2 -- See Kontakte, Einführung 1-Kapitel 4) and will present information, concepts and ideas in German to an audience of listeners or readers on a similar variety of topics (NS 1.3). Students will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of German-speaking cultures (NS 2.2) and will acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the German language and its cultures (NS 3.2). Finally, students will also become more familiar with and demonstrate an understanding of the nature of language through comparisons between German and English (NS 4.1).*
Learning Outcomes: Students will greet and introduce themselves to others in German, engage in basic conversations about their everyday experiences: work, school, schedule, leisure time. Students will describe themselves, their families, their lives, and their experiences in basic written and spoken German. Students will read, respond to, and produce a variety of written German texts. Students will listen and respond, in writing and speech, to simple German news reports, advertisements, and conversations among others. Students will use a variety of grammatical structures, including but not limited to the following: the present and present perfect tenses, the nominative and accusative cases, modal verbs, personal pronouns, possessive adjectives, verb-second word order (see Kontakte, chapters A-B and 1-4 for entire range).
Required Materials (note this means, you MUST have these things!): · Text: Tracy D. Terrel et al. Kontakte. A Communicative Approach. 6th Edition (textbook, workbook, cd-rom). · 3 audio cds ($6) to be bought in Cobb Hall, room 107. · You will need all the same books for G1002, the next course in the sequence, so do not sell them at the end of the term.
Method: This class will be conducted primarily in German and demands regular participation on your part. In class we will focus on interactive activities based on the material you have prepared at home. Because of the collaborative nature of the in-class activities, your success and the success of your colleagues in this class depend as much, if not more, on your preparation for the class as on the professors' (see contract below). Learning/teaching are collaborative processes that demand responsibility and engagement from all involved.
There are no shortcuts in learning a language. It is a challenging task that requires consistent, committed, and hard work, but it can be enormously rewarding and fun. You should strive to avoid English during our 50 minute classes unless the instructor indicates that English is appropriate at a particular time. In large part the amount that you understand in and contribute to class will depend directly on how much time you have devoted beforehand to preparing the material, learning the vocabulary, doing the assigned exercises. Your professors are all people who began learning German at 18 and mastered it within a few years. They know how it is done. You will do well to seek their advice, listen to them and use them as models in the process of developing learning strategies that will work for you.
On a practical level, learning German will demand memorization (not a bad word -- memorization = brain development!) of vocabulary and grammatical structures and the desire/will/effort to creatively use them. Regular written assignments, listening comprehension exercises, language lab visits, and attendance (attentive and active participation – not simply classroom presence) play a role in both the acquisition of linguistic skills and their evaluation. In other words, homework, oral exams, lab visits, and exams are not merely hurdles to be jumped but important learning tools. You will benefit most from them if you can also see them as such.
Evaluation:
Extra Credit may be offered at the Professors' discretion but only if available to all students across all sections of the class. No individual extra credit will be offered.
Participation grades will be assigned on a chapter-by-chapter basis in accordance with the following scale: A: student arrives on time and is always prepared, volunteers answers but does not hog classroom time, answers the majority of questions correctly and without wasting much time, participates well in group-work, remains focused on class activities, does not have to be regularly reminded to concentrate and focus on the activities at hand, rarely uses English, is respectful to both the professor and fellow students. B: student arrives on time and is almost always prepared, occasionally volunteers and answers when called on, usually answers correctly and quickly, participates well in group-work, usually works in a focused manner and only occasionally needs to be reminded to concentrate on class work, uses a bit more English that necessary but not every day, is respectful to both professor and fellow students. C: student almost always arrives on time, is prepared about half of the time, doesn't generally volunteer answers but does answer when called on and answers are sometimes correct, needs regular reminders to focus and concentrate but heeds reminders when given them, lapses into English on a daily basis, is respectful to both professor and students. D: student averages one late per week, is rarely prepared, follows along in class and attempts to answer when called on but answers are rarely correct, needs daily reminders to focus and concentrate, uses English in almost every group-work activity, has a tendency to act out. F: student is frequently late, often absent (5-9 times), rarely prepared, inattentive in class, asks time wasting questions about aspects of the course already covered in class during his/her absences, slows down class-room activities because of lack of preparation, hinders other students’ progress in group work, is disrespectful and lacks understanding for the classroom environment.
Plagiarism Policy: The State University of West Georgia defines plagiarism as "the purchase and/or use of ghost-written papers and reports, or incorporating into a report, term theme, research paper, or project, ideas and information obtained from another person without giving credit to the person from whom such information was obtained" (Faculty Handbook, Section 207). This definition applies equally to electronic, print, and verbal sources. Plagiarism is grounds for failing this course. Furthermore, using an on-line translation service or friends, family, and/or native speakers to correct and change your German before submitting papers, projects, homework is a form of plagiarism and thus grounds for failing this course.
G1001 Schedule for F2008
Contract (for your personal records): I will prepare for and participate in class in a manner that is productive for both myself and my classmates. I will try to speak German at all times and understand that if I disrupt class in any way (talking English in group activities, demonstratively displaying bad moods, refusing to cooperate and participate), I may be considered absent. I understand that all the work I submit must be my own. I will not use an on-line translation service nor friends and family to correct any of my work in advance. I understand that such actions constitute academic dishonesty and will result in a failing grade and/or further disciplinary actions. I understand that I may not submit work completed for another class for credit in this class. I understand that attendance is important and that I am responsible for everything I miss when I skip class. I know that quizzes and homework assignments cannot be made up and that I should not ask for an exception to be made since exceptions for individuals can lead to unfairness. I understand that if I will miss or have missed an exam, I must contact my professor as soon as possible to see if it is possible to negotiate a make-up. If I have not contacted the professor before she returns the graded exams, I have relinquished the possibility of a make-up. I understand that coming to class late and/or leaving class at any point during the 50 minute period is disruptive for my colleagues and professor and I will do so only in extreme circumstances. I understand that two lates is equivalent to an absence and will be counted as such. I understand that I may not use or have cell phones or beepers turned on, even on vibrate mode, during class – under no circumstances. I understand that if a phone call is of such importance that I must be able to receive it immediately, I should use one of my absences and receive the call at home. I also understand that I cannot use a laptop or any other electronic devices (including electronic translators/dictionaries) in class. Cell phones should be put in my bag during class and may not be on the desk. I understand that absences are my own business and need not be discussed with the professor because there are no excused absences in this class. All absences affect my performance and my grade both directly and indirectly. I know that I will automatically fail the class should I amass 10 absences on or before December 5th, 2008. I understand that my finances, my job, my personal relationships, and my Hope Scholarship cannot play a role in the assigning of my grade and that my grade must be based on what I do and how well I do it in this course. I understand that if I have dire personal circumstances, I may talk to the professor and the Dean about a hardship withdrawal from all of my classes. I understand that for all official correspondence with the professor, I must e-mail her/him from my university e-mail account in order to make it easier to identify the sender of the e-mail and to avoid unnecessary security or virus risks. I know that I am responsible for keeping track of information sent by the professor to my westga.edu account. I understand that I must make a C or better in this course to enroll in German 1002. I have read and understood the syllabus and how I will be evaluated in this course. I have read and understood this contract or have asked questions about those aspects that I did not understand. I will do my best to follow these guidelines and to accept the professor's attempts to follow them and help me follow them.
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