German: Elementary German I

An introduction to all aspects of contemporary standard German: Speaking, listening, reading, writing. Cultural components include topics such as: music, art, literature, and current events.

Open to degree and PACE students; The fourth meeting of this course is asynchronous online

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Newly revised, GERM 1100 takes an innovative approach to language education. With the main goal of helping you develop into a global citizen, this beginner course engages you with authentic German materials from the start of your language learning journey. Through a dynamic, hands-on exploration of cultural products, practices, and perspectives, you will explore a variety of cultural issues in contemporary Germany while developing skills to communicate effectively in German. An emphasis on personalized content, learning strategies, and reflection skills fosters your development into an effective and thoughtful communicator. Upon completion of this course you will be able to: Interpret the main messages communicated across a range of genres, including: personal interviews, feature film clips, short stories, newspaper articles, and infographics. Communicate effectively with others in German on a variety of topics, such as: family, education, the world of work, and nutrition. Negotiate meaning across language and culture. Implement learning strategies when engaging with media and texts in order to create meaning and notice key grammar patterns/semantic nuances. Create oral, written, and digital presentations that demonstrate your growing awareness of culture, audience, language functions, and form. Draw comparisons between German-speaking cultures and those of your own culture(s).

As a hybrid course, students attend class 3 times per week in-person, and complete work once a week online. Across both platforms, expect instruction and interactions with your peers to be centered around active learning scenarios and meaningful communication. Students should expect to spend 6-8 hours per week outside of class on homework and class preparation. A copy packet of the non-commercial textbook, Augenblicke: German Language and Culture through Film, Media and Texts, is the only required text. You should obtain this text through the UVM bookstore.

Evaluation is based on active participation, consistent completion of homework activities, individual contributions to a growing class-based vocabulary list, quizzes, three end-of-module projects and tests, and a final.