Course Outline, German 3300 German Conversation
Spring 2006, Dr. Bradley Holtman

Required texts:

Kuhn-Osius, K. Eckhard, D. James and L. Ellis. Access to German: Jägerbuch. Band 3. McGraw Hill, 2000. ISBN 0-07-242397-8.

Morris, Neil and Roswitha (eds.). Oxford German Cartoon-strip Vocabulary Builder. With great illustrations by the fabulous and very famous Claire Bretécher. Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-19-860305-3.

Rhue, Morton. Die Welle. Ravensburger Buchverlag, 1997. (Orig. publ. 1981.)

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Course Overview

This course aims to give students thorough oral practice in German. Vocabulary will be reviewed and supplemented in a systematic fashion by grouping it into thematic fields, such as dating, making appointments, banking, shopping, describing oneself and others, etc. These topics are presented in the form of lively, sometimes irreverent cartoons with supplementary vocabulary lists. The language to be studied is thus highly conversational, idiomatic, at times even vulgar, always interesting. Heavy emphasis on speaking necessarily also provides a great deal of practice in listening comprehension. At the end of the course, students should be noticeably more comfortable in expressing themselves in German as well as in understanding the spoken language. We will also read occasional pieces from magazines and newspapers. The language to be studied is mostly conversational and idiomatic as opposed to formal or literary.

We will also work rapidly through an intermediate-level textbook (Jägerbuch) as a way to brush up on structures and vocabulary that you may not have mastered or even learned. This is meant to increase your fluency in using structures more correctly in spoken German as well as to develop your vocabulary. The texts and exercises in this book are a sort of "soap opera" with recurring characters and is, I hope, an entertaining vehicle for our systematic review.

In addition, together we will read a very powerful book, Die Welle (The Wave), which is intended to help students understand the phenomenon of fascism and how it could have taken root in Germany. Germany's role in the Second World War is still the topic of much discussion in German schools and society. This book tells about an experiment in a social studies class in California that goes awry; it is based on a true story. The novel is fast-paced and largely in dialogue form, thus contributing to our goal of conversational fluency. Class time will be devoted to retelling and discussing the story, using vocabulary from the book.

Conversation presupposes adequate vocabulary to express oneself. The texts that will be read throughout the semester have been chosen in order to expose students to a far-ranging collection of terms. Reading large amounts of material is the tried-and-true way of developing a good vocabulary, so that will be our approach. In addition to the core texts, topics will be chosen from current events, German and international contemporary matters, ... the sky's the limit.

If time permits, I would like to include some brief exposure to German dialects in their spoken form. Dialects and regional accents can scarcely be avoided when one is in a German-speaking country. Even just a small exposure can give students more of a chance in deciphering what they may have to deal with, whether in Bavaria, Thuringia (perhaps in Jena?!), Frankfurt, Hamburg or Vienna.

Students are expected to be present at all class periods. Class time will be spent SPEAKING and manipulating new vocabulary and ideas. Obviously, if you miss a discussion, you can't really make it up easily. Students will also be asked to prepare short presentations and act out scenes in practical situations. Interaction is crucial in conversations; your active participation is therefore essential to the success of the course as well as your personal progress in speaking German.You must plan from the beginning to take seriously the need for careful preparation before class. This is NOT just a "sit and talk about whatever" situation--although there will of course be very much spontaneous interaction and, I hope, lots of fun during our discussions.

You will be scheduled for an individual conversation with me during the first week or so of classes. The final exam grade will also consist of an interview with me, possibly along with another class member. Your progress in speaking will be evident during the final conversation session as long as you apply yourself diligently throughout the semester.

Approximate grade breakdown:

• Participation in class/group discussions
  self-graded*: 15%
  graded by peers*: 10%
• Evidence of having read and studied material: 20%
  (I will give you a weekly grade on this)
• Oral & brief written vocabulary quizzes
  (material from various texts): 25%
• Oral presentations: 15%
• Final interview: 15%

*You will submit a weekly self-grading form with which you will rate yourself on various categories, such as use of German in class, amount of vocabulary learned that week, use of new words and structures in conversation that week, etc. In addition, your peers will give you simple ratings as to your participation in group discussions.

The course syllabus appears below. Adjustments may be necessary as the course progresses. All material is of course to be read and studied BEFORE the day it is to be covered in class. Especially hammer in those vocabulary words!

We will rearrange, spend more time on or omit topics as necessary or desired by the class. Please let me know if there is something in particular you wish to practice, and we will try to accommodate that.

Click here for a review of German pronunciation.

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Last revised: 20 January 2006

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All materials should be practiced aloud several times outside of class; they will be performed orally by students in class. The idea is to give students fluency in using common conversational formulas, so oral practice is essential. A fine idea might be to do this oral practice with a partner or two, that is, in an Arbeitsgruppe--preferably on a regular schedule. Progress in conversation will happen only if you make as much effort as possible to converse with others!

Vocabulary should be thoroughly studied--much will be familiar to you already, but new words and expressions should be targeted to be learned well. Again, it would be ideal to practice vocabulary fields in an Arbeitsgruppe. We will try to use a maximum of this new vocabulary in our class discussions, and students' oral participation will be graded in part on how much targeted vocabulary they can incorporate into their spoken German.

The cartoon book as well as Jägerbuch form the basis for systematic vocabulary review and expansion for the course. All thematic areas covered by the cartoons will be covered during throughout the semester. (Plus, they are just plain fun to read!)
It would help you tremendously to memorize each one! The accompanying vocabulary page for each cartoon should be thoroughly studied and new words learned well. I will also post crossword puzzles, flashcards, etc. on the web to help you with vocab practice.

Of course, it would be the most fun of all to seek out the German speakers on campus regularly. You will learn more from real-live conversations than any book can teach you.

Similar suggestions can be made for working with Jägerbuch. Especially practice grammar structures in the various chapters that give you problems, and you will begin to see good results from time invested in this way. Much of what you read and study in this book should come as a review to you, leaving you free to practice only new items or those with which you feel less comfortable. We will not cover every single page and exercise in this book formally, but you should plan to read each and every page. This book provides the core grammar review and a lot of exposure to vocabulary.

The book Die Welle will be read in sections as indicated on the syllabus. Students are responsible for giving oral summaries of each chapter prepared for each class session. It is a good idea to write the summary out and practice saying it before class so as to ingrain necessary vocabulary and/or structures. You will NOT be allowed to read it off your paper; only a plot outline will be allowed.

This course promises to be fun and fascinating, especially if each person tries to his or her best ability to participate. After all, what is a conversation with only one person involved? Right--a monolog!

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