99030 - GERMAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will gain a comprehension of the fundamental elements of German language and culture and will be able to understand and produce written and oral texts at an intermediate level. Students will be guided in the development and knowledge of contemporary German language and culture through an intensive and extensive reading programme on the subject, as well as through similar activities involving aural texts (videos, radio broadcasts, etc.). The reading and listening activities will provide the basis for the production of written and oral texts by the students. By focusing on a variety of texts and genres, students will learn to critically analyze discourses and cultural practices which inform and characterize the current German debate on national and cultural identity with a view to its current role in Europe and globally.

Course contents

Lessons will be aimed at completing the acquisition of solid active and passive competence of morphosyntactic and lexical structures in oral and written communication of standard varieties of German. The teaching activity will include both exercises to test phonetic skills, with special attention to prosody, and a resumption and completion of morphosyntax, plus tests of comprehension and production of oral and written texts of various types (dialogic, descriptive, narrative, argumentative) and summary exercises.

In addition to the above-mentioned points, the focus of the course is also on teaching a 'discursive knowledge of the country' (discursive Landeskunde). Here, "not facts or culture-specific behaviors" play an essential role, but rather "the development of a discourse ability". As an important representative of this approach, Claus Altmayer, puts it, "[t]he learners must be able to participate in constructions of meaning and to expand and question them. This is a matter of becoming aware of the plurality of discourse positions and of confronting one's own and new patterns of interpretation" (2016: 9).

Readings/Bibliography

The texts to be read will be communicated (and most also uploaded) on the IOL platform. Students should prepare a different topic each week, based on texts suggested by the teacher.

The texts to be read will be communicated (and most also uploaded) on the IOL platform. Students will have to prepare a different topic each week, based on texts proposed by the teacher.

Bibliography

Altmayer, Claus (Hg.) (2016): Mitreden. Diskursive Landeskunde für Deutsch als Fremd­- und Zweitsprache. Stuttgart.

Moraldo, Sandro M./Soffritti, Marcello (Hg.) (2004): Deutsch aktuell. Einführung in die Tendenzen der deutschen Gegenwartssprache, Roma.

Moraldo, Sandro M. (Hg.) (2009): Inter­net.kom. Sprach- und Kommunikationsformen im WorldWideWeb, Band 1: Kommunikationsplattformen, Roma.

Moraldo, Sandro M. (Hg.) (2011): Inter­net.kom. Sprach- und Kommunikationsformen im WorldWideWeb, Band 2: Medialität, Hypertext, digitale Literatur, Roma.

Moraldo, Sandro M. (Hg.) (2011): Deutsch aktuell 2. Einführung in die Tenden­zen der deutschen Gegenwartssprache, Roma.

 

Teaching methods

The teaching of the course will use in part (especially at the beginning) classroom lectures alternating (at a later stage) with moments of direct experimentation by students obtained through the production of papers to be discussed in the classroom.

The teaching and learning process is dynamic and requires the active participation of the student.

In view of the type of activities and teaching methods adopted, the attendance of this training activity requires the prior participation of all students in modules 1 and 2 of training on safety in the workplace, [https://elearning-sicurezza.unibo.it/] in e-learning mode.

Assessment methods

The exam - which has both a written and oral mode in all sessions -will cover the topics covered during the semester. The final assessment will check whether the whole and complex activity, as well as the way it was organized and the resources that were employed, enabled the full achievement of predefined goals above.

Grading scale

30-30L: Excellent level. The candidate possesses excellent translation skills, with a very high level of competence in the target language.

27-29: Above average level. The candidate makes only minor errors, and shows a solid command of the required skills and competences.

24–26: Generally sound level. The candidate displays a number of shortcomings, indicating a reasonable command of the required skills and competences.

21-23: Adequate level. The candidate displays significant shortcomings and only an adequate command of the required skills and competences.

18–20: Minim level. The candidate only meets the minimum level required and shows a minimal command of the required skills and competences.

< 18 Fail: The candidate does not meet the required standard and shows a wholly inadequate command of the required skills and competences.

Teaching tools

Teaching is supported by new media (e.g., audio and video podcasts) and powerpoint presentations. All materials used during lectures and useful for exam preparation will be uploaded as pdf files or Mp3 files and will be accessible online on the IOL platform.

Office hours

See the website of Sandro Moraldo