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. Students will systematically develop their ability to understand spoken and written German, and to speak and write German themselves. A crucial goal of the course is to introduce students to the culture of the German-speaking countries, and to some important current issues, from a variety of perspectives.
While children may be good at picking up a new language when living in the culture, adults are much better at learning languages in the classroom. 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 learn. These include:
- Online video lectures introducing new structures for each chapter, accompanied by online comprehension check exercises or worksheets. See Darth Vader explain the Imperative at https://resources.german.lsa.umich.edu/ger101/video04/
- Online vocabulary practice materials, including Quizlet
- A "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 semesters only)
- Bi-weekly conversation hours, including a "Schokoladenstunde" with games and German chocolate. Additional conversation hours are hosted by the German House. (These conversation hours normally only take place in the Fall and Winter semesters)
- A feature film (Lola rennt) and a variety of other video materials integrated into the curriculum.
- A popular children's book (Oh, wie schön ist Panama) integrated into the curriculum.
- Additional texts & videos in English and occasionally German, exploring the culture of the German-speaking countries, and some important current issues, from a variety of perspectives
- Detailed review sheets to help with preparation for tests
- Outline 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 course, students will have a firm foundation the fundamentals of German, and will be able to understand and respond appropriately to a variety of texts and basic conversational situations. Students will have expanded their perspective on cultural differences, and developed their ability to engage open-mindedly, but also critically, with cultural differences they encounter, both at home and abroad.
The full syllabus 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: Monday & Wednesday class meetings will be in-person and Tuesday & Thursday class meetings will be remote. Remote class meetings will be held synchronously at the times listed for the class. Students are expected to be available during all scheduled class times.
Learning Mode: Remote 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.