INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Christian W. Hallstein

OFFICE HOURS: MWF 10:30-11:20; or by appointment 225-D Porter Hall

PHONE: 268-2897

MAILBOX: A60J Baker Hall

TEXTBOOKS: Treffpunkt Deutsch by Widmaier and Widmaier

Treffpunkt Deutsch: Arbeitsbuch by Widmaier and Widmaier

Course Goals

This course and its sequel in the second semester (82-122) will help you build a firm foundation for learning how to comprehend, speak, read and write German. By the end of the first year you will have learned most of the basic points of German grammar and will have developed a modest vocabulary. You should not expect to become fluent in one year, since this normally requires at least three years of study. (You can, however, accelerate your acquisition of German by participating in Carnegie Mellonıs intensive summer program in Germany during the month of July. You will receive information about this program in the coming months.)

In addition to the study of the German language, this course will also introduce you to the culture of the three German-speaking countries of today: Germany, Austria and Switzerland. To supplement the information in your textbook, you will see a series of television programs called "Lernexpress" developed by the BBC for German instruction in Great Britain. Along with teaching you German, "Lernexpress" also presents both contemporary and historical aspects of life in Germany and Austria. Through your study of German language and culture you should gain a better perspective on the language, history and current social situation in your own country and thereby achieve a goal that lies at the very heart of what we call the "liberal arts."

We will cover the introductory sections (EINFÜHRUNG) and the first five chapters (KAPITEL) of Treffpunkt Deutsch in the first semester of Elementary German and Chapters 6 - 12 in the second semester. Treffpunkt Deutsch is designed for a class that meets five times per week for an entire academic year. Since we meet only four days per week, we will not cover the last two chapters of the book. You will not miss a great deal of essential information due to this omission because Chapters 13 and 14 contain primarily a review and extension of material already presented in the preceding chapters.

Study Hints

A foreign language course differs significantly from most other university courses. Unlike the study of history, calculus, or chemistry, learning a foreign language does not primarily require mastering a given body of information. Rather, the emphasis is on learning skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). Although there is a certain amount of "content" to be learned (e.g. grammar, vocabulary, and cultural information), most of your time and energy should be devoted to developing language skills.

Like learning how to play a musical instrument, foreign language learning is a cumulative process. Each new step builds on its predecessor. If you are weak in the basics, you cannot succeed. For this reason, cramming is particularly devastating when learning German. You must keep up with the daily assignments; otherwise you will find yourself hopelessly lost. If you do keep up, you will be surprised how easy it can be.

Since foreign language learning requires skill development, you must attend class regularly. When you fail to come to class, you miss essential practice and make your study of German much harder. It will be of no help to plan to skip class and get notes from another student. If you are unprepared on a given day, come to class anyhow. It is much better to come and not participate than not to come at all. (Just let me know before class that you are unprepared and I will not call on you.)

You can greatly increase your practice time in class by answering questions silently when not asked to respond aloud. So don't breathe a sigh of relief and relax when someone else is called on to answer in class. Instead, answer each question silently to yourself and you will find that the added practice will make things go much more smoothly.

Your instructor will speak only German in class, except for grammar explanations at the end of a class period. You are not expected to understand everything that is said in German. So donıt panic if something slides by without your fully grasping it. You will probably also notice peculiar form changes in what your instructor says, but you are likewise not expected to understand immediately why these forms change the way they do. With time and practice many of these points will become clear without explicit explanations.

When you become familiar with the basic rules of German pronunciation, you should begin to do most of your studying aloud. Reading aloud to yourself will increase greatly your retention of vocabulary and new structures. Try it and see!

When you prepare the reading assignments, do not write the English meanings above the German text in your book. When you review, this can lead you to think you know a certain word when you really don't. Use the margins or better yet a separate piece of paper if you feel you must record the English meanings of words. The best way to learn vocabulary is simply to highlight or underline new words and reread the assignment aloud day after day.

You should always learn vocabulary in context rather than study vocabulary lists. Try to connect the German word you are leaning directly with the thing or idea it represents rather than with the corresponding English word. This ³direct binding² of vocabulary will help you avoid using English as a bridge to German, allow you to begin thinking in German, and thereby build a foundation for true fluency.

You should spend an average of two hours preparing for each class period for which you have an assignment. But don't do it all at once! Save your sanity and break your study time into two or three segments. Most of the Arbeitsbuch (Workbook) assignments, for example, are rather long, so you should not attempt to complete them all at once. Begin working on an assignment several days before it is due to maximize your efficiency and minimize your frustration.

Regardless of your assignment schedule, plan to spend some time every day studying German. As little as 15 to 20 minutes per day, every day, will really pay off over the course of a semester.

Review these study hints regulary throughout the semester to help you remember to implement them. In a foreign language course it is very easy to fall into bad study habits. So beware!

The Language Learning Resource Center

Treffpunkt Deutsch has an audio tape program which includes the Hörverständnis (listening comprehension) section of each chapter in the Arbeitsbuch. The tapes are available for your use in the Language Learning Resource Center (225-C Porter Hall).

Since it is impossible to get enough practice to master new vocabulary and structures during class time alone, these tapes will prove to be an indispensable tool for study outside the classroom. The more time you spend working with them, the easier it will be to prepare for exams. Don't consider this work something "extra." It is an integral part of the course.

I expect that each of you will use the Center at least twice per chapter. One listening assignment for each chapter is listed on the Course Outline. You are expected to use the Center at least one more time per chapter in order to review material from previous chapters. These assignments are exercises designed to help you increase your listening comprehension; they are not merely tasks to be completed and forgotten. Review is very beneficial and will make your study of German much easier.

Do not plan to spend more than 30 minutes in the Center at one time. If you cannot complete any given assignment in 30 minutes, come back later to continue it. It is better to have several short visits rather than one long session since the amount you can learn drops rapidly due to fatigue.

The Language Learning Resource Center will be open most mornings, afternoons and evenings starting early in September. You will receive operating hours as soon as they are available.

About your Arbeitsbuch

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Learning about Language Learning

Learning any subject effectively involves not only mastering a body of material, but reflecting on how you learn that material. In the context of learning a foreign language, this reflection involves investigating different styles and strategies that have been used by successful learners and deciding which of these helps you learn best. In the course of this semester, you will be asked to reflect on how you are learning and to deicde whether you are using the most appropriate strategies for your own learning style and needs.

The ³Learning about Language Learning² component of this course includes three special lectures and a reading on language learning, completion of a Stratgey Inventory for Language Learning, and two short papers. Each of these components is an essential part of the process of reflection on language learning. Together they will comprise 10% of your final grade in this course.

Academic Honesty

Your name at the top of your written assignments and exams will be your word to me that the work handed in is completely your own. Don't disadvantage yourself in your study of German by copying someone else's work. Do it yourself, . . . and learn in the doing. You are welcome to study together, but do not collaborate in preparing your written assignments.

Students who copy their assignments, who allow their assignments to be copied, or who cheat on exams will fail the assignment or exam on the first offense and fail the entire course on the second.

Grading

Your final grade will be determined according to the following approximate scale:

7 chapter exams = 700 pts.

final exam = 150 pts.

Arbeitsbuch assignments (25 ea. x 6) = 150 pts.

oral proficiency = 200 pts.

³Learning about Language Learning² = 150 pts.

total = 1350 pts.

Grade for class attendance - (see below)

At the end of the semester, students who have earned an average of 90% or better will receive an "A." An average of 80% or better will receive a "B," and so forth.

The Arbeitsbuch assignments and your computer exercises are the only written German assignments that will be collected on a regular basis. If you have done the work satisfactorily and hand it in on time, you will receive full credit. For the Arbeitsbuch, 8 pts. will be deducted for each day of tardiness. (This includes Thursdays, but not weekends.) By the third day you can no longer receive credit for the assignment. This would mean not merely a failing grade but a 0%! For the computer exercises, no credit will be given for late assignments. Each semester it seems that a few students lose a full letter grade (or more!) in their final average due to missing Arbeitsbuch and computer exercises. So beware!

Your grade for oral performance in class is determined by the general quality of your oral class work and by a brief, individual oral interview with me at the end of the semester. (See Day #56 on the Course Outline.) Your class attendance grade is determined simply by the number of classes you attend. Three (3) points will be deducted from your grade for each class you miss. Missing 10 classes, for example, will lower your grade by 30 points.

If you must miss an exam due to serious illness (the only acceptable excuse), please call me at my office (268-2897) before the exam begins. Otherwise you will not be permitted to make up the exam. If I am not in my office when you call, please leave a message on my answering machine.