German for Beginners 1030 (formerly 030)

Coordinator: Vladimir Tumanov (vtumanov@uwo.ca)

Course Aims
German 1030 is an introductory course for students with no prior knowledge of German. Students with OAC German, grade 12U or equivalent must consult the department before registering. The course aims to:

-develop the ability to comprehend German in a variety of social situations
-enable students to express themselves in German in different cultural contexts
-develop insights into the culture and history of German-speaking countries
-encourage positive attitudes to language learning in general and a deeper understanding of other societies and cultures
-offer a better understanding of German (as well as English) sentence structure through a sound overview of basic syntax
-further intellectual and personal development by promoting the student's general communicative capacity
-provide a starting point and linguistic foundation for progression to German 2200 (second-year German), as well as the German modules offered by UWO.

Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to:

-pronounce German accurately
-communicate using Basic German expressions
-express basic ideas and emotions in simple sentences and dialogues, e.g., introducing people, inquiring about their health, asking them about their interests etc.
-write and read simple sentences and paragraphs in German
-ask and answer questions on a variety of practical topics, e.g., university programs, the weather, hobbies, jobs, everyday life in the German-speaking world, food, entertainment, family life etc.
-describe surroundings and common objects, e.g., clothing, furniture, means of transportation etc.
ounderstand certain differences and similarities between German-speaking countries and North America.

Contact Hours
German 1030 requires 2 two-hour class meetings per week.

Texts (UWO Book Store):
Required: Deutsch Heute, 8th ed., (includes a textbook, an audio CD, a multimedia CD, an Arbeitsheft and an English-German dictionary)
*You will need to bring the textbook to every class. The Arbeitsheft contains assignments which review the contents of each chapter and which are to be handed in to your instructor on the prescribed dates (see below). Furthermore, the Arbeitsheft contains a set of self tests with answer keys which you are encouraged to use as a means of assessing your own progress.

Recommended: English Grammar for Students of German
*You are strongly encouraged to use this book. Experience has shown that students who consult it tend to achieve higher grades than students who do not. Any time a grammar topic comes up in the Deutsch Heute textbook, have a quick look at the corresponding explanation in English Grammar for Students of German.

Aural / Oral Practice
Students are marked on the completion of listening exercises and passages available on-line (CAN-8). These materials are keyed to every textbook lesson and to parts of each homework assignment. The work can be done either from a remote connection or in UC186. More information will be made available at the beginning of 1st term.

Other Academic Matters: UWO Academic Calendar (see Academic Policies/Regulations).

Mark Breakdown
1. Midterm I (2 hours in class) 12%
2. Midterm II (2 hours in class) 17%
3. Classroom quizzes 21%
There will be seven scheduled chapter quizzes, worth 3% each. The quizzes will be written in the regular class hours.
4. Written assignments 10%
The written assignment for each chapter will consist of both the "Workbook" and "Lab Manual" sections of the Arbeitsheft. There will be 11 assignments (Einführung - Kapitel 10). Each complete assignment will be worth 0.9% of the final grade. Late submissions will not be accepted because the markers cannot be made to keep track of 100+ students.
5. Attendance and oral/aural work 10%
This mark will be assessed by the course instructor, based on the student's attendance (sign-up sheets), in-class preparedness & work with CAN-8 materials.
6. Final examination (3 hours) 25%
The final examination is cumulative, i.e., it covers the entire year. It is timetabled by the Office of the Registrar, without any input from the Department. Since it may be scheduled for any date during the April examination period, and since students must write at a scheduled time, you should not make any plans which might run into conflict with the examination timetable.
7. Assignments at instructor's discretion 5%

Course Calendar (assignments must be handed in on the day of each test)
We will try to follow this schedule. Students will be notified of any changes.

Sept. 4/8 1st class: meet instructor; overview of textbook & German phonetics
begin Einführung chapter in textbook (duration: 3-4 classes)

Sept. 17/18: hand in Einführung assignment; start Kapitel 1 (duration: 3 classes)

Sept. 29/30: hand in Kapitel 1 assignment; Quiz on Einführung and Kapitel 1; start Kapitel 2 (duration: 3 classes)

Oct. 8/9: hand in Kapitel 2 assignment; Quiz on Kapitel 2; start Kapitel 3
(duration: 4 classes)

Oct. 23/27: hand in Kapitel 3 assignment; Quiz on Kapitel 3; start Kapitel 4
(duration: 5 classes)

Nov. 11/12 hand in Kapitel 4 assignment; Midterm on Einführung to Kapitel 4
(N.B. No separate quiz on Kapitel 4)

Nov. 13/17 start Kapitel 5 (duration: 5 classes)

Dec. 2/3 hand in Kapitel 5 assignment; Quiz on Kapitel 5; start Kapitel 6
(duration: 5 classes)

Jan. 19/20 hand in Kapitel 6 assignment; Quiz on Kapitel 6; start Kapitel 7
(duration: 5 classes)

Feb. 4/5 hand in Kapitel 7 assignment; Quiz on Kapitel 7; start Kapitel 8
(duration: 5 classes)

Feb. 16-20 Conference Week (Reading Week; Slack Week; Catch-up Time)

March 2/3 hand in Kapitel 8 assignment; Midterm on Kapitel 5-8
(N.B. No separate quiz on Kapitel 8)

March 4/5 start Kapitel 9 (duration: 5 classes)

March 23/24 hand in Kapitel 9 assignment; Quiz on Kapitel 9; start Kapitel 10 (duration: flexible)

Rest of Semester N.B. No separate quiz on Kap. 10; once Kapitel 10 is finished, hand in Kapitel 10 assignment and review until the end (see website with additional exercises). Make sure your UWO e-mail account is operational. We use e-mail all the time!

The Mon-Wed section will have 3 classes while the Tues-Thurs section will have 4. The difference is non-essential since at thei point the material is very easy.

Last day of first term classes: Dec. 3, 2008. Classes resume on Jan. 5 and finish on April 8, 2009.

Prerequisite: none
Antirequisite: German 1036 or the former German 002, 002w/x or 006 (former course numbers are antirequisites for all courses)

Please Note: You are responsible for ensuring that you have successfully completed all course prerequisites (or have special permission from your Dean to waive the prerequisite) and that you have not taken an antirequisite course. If you are not eligible for the course, you may be removed from it at any time, and it will be deleted from your record. In addition, you will receive no adjustment to your fees. These decisions cannot be appealed.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a major academic offense (see Scholastic Offense Policy in the Western Academic Calendar). Plagiarism is the inclusion of someone else's verbatim or paraphrased text in one's own written work without immediate reference. Verbatim text must be surrounded by quotation marks or indented if it is longer than four lines. A reference must follow right after borrowed material (usually the author's name and page number). Without immediate reference to borrowed material, a list of sources at the end of a written assignment does not protect a writer against the possible charge of plagiarism. The University of Western Ontario uses a plagiarism-checking site called Tunitin.com.

Absenteeism
Students seeking academic accommodation on medical grounds for any missed tests, exams, participation components and/or assignments must apply to the Academic Counselling office of their home Faculty and provide documentation. Academic accommodation cannot be granted by the instructor or department.

UWO's Policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness (https://studentservices.uwo.ca/secure/index.cfm)

Downloadable Student Medical Certificate (SMC): https://studentservices.uwo.ca under the Medical Documentation heading