Course Syllabus

GER 3413 Listening Comprehension and Conversation

Fall 2015

Section 0383

R 7-8 (with occasional Tuesday in-class meetings as indicated in the course materials)

*Little Hall 225 (first day in FLG 0285, thereafter always in Little 225)

Dr. Will Hasty

263A Dauer Hall

Tel.: Office: 273-3780                       

e-mail: hasty@ufl.edu

Office Hours: R 10:00-12:00 or by appointment

Course Objectives:

This course focuses on the improvement of your German listening comprehension and speaking skills, and on the expansion of the latter via a “tactical” approach to grammar items (more about this below). It is designed according to the guidelines provided by the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). These guidelines have been adopted by the Goethe Institute as well as many language departments at American universities. The CEFR was developed to help students and instructors define transparent and coherent objectives for the learning and teaching of foreign languages.

The framework divides learners into three broad divisions and six levels

A Basic User A1 Breakthrough A2 Waystage

B Independent User B1 Threshold B2 Vantage

C Proficient User C1 Effective Operational Proficiency C2 Mastery

The level of competence that students should try to reach by the end of this semester is B1 Threshold (with a grade of 1). The learner proficiency for Listening Comprehension, Spoken Interaction and Spoken Production at this level is described in the following terms:

Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst traveling in an area where the language is spoken. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

The Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) developed a set of descriptors for language examinations which relate to the Common Reference Levels and specify the proficiencies within the different skill areas. Both the skill areas as well as the description of proficiencies of Level B1 correspond to the Goethe Institute exam: Zertifikat Deutsch.

 

Listening	Spoken Interaction	Spoken Production
I can understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. I can understand the main point of many radio or TV programs on current affairs or topics or professional interest when the delivery is relatively slow and clear.	I can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. I can enter unprepared into conversation on topics that are familiar, of personal interest or pertinent to everyday life (e.g. family, hobbies, work, travel and current events).	I can connect phrases in a simple way in order to describe experiences and events, my dreams, hopes and ambitions. I can briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. I can narrate a story or relate the plot of a book or film and describe my reactions.

This course is designed to help students to become independent users of German and to communicate with German speakers on topics as described in the table above.

Approach:

This course is taught in German. Classroom meetings take place in the language computer lab in 225 Little Hall.

This is a "hybrid"-course.  All materials are web-based, all activities are computer-based, but students meet with the instructor in regular classroom sessions on Thursdays. With the exception of the first day of class, students will ordinarily not meet in the classroom on Tuesdays (but see my note below), but rather complete collaborative and independent work online, i.e. die Webmodule.

 

Web Modules will involve a variety of different assignments, assessments, and activities, some of which you will do on your own and some of which you will do together in groups. The group work will typically involve structured discussions, in which you are asked to talk about a particular topic or theme, create a dialogue, or talk about hypothetical scenarios, etc. In the Group work, I will typically ask you to integrate some of the grammatical structures on which we will be working. The individual tasks will pertain to listening comprehension, reinforcing grammatical items, coming up with vocabulary lists on certain topics that you will post to the discussion board, and other matters as necessary.

 
Typically, students will work in groups of three or four. Much of the work in this class, whether in or outside of the classroom, will be done as collaborative group work.

Listening comprehension exercises in class and as homework consist of a variety of exercises. For the most part, listening comprehension homework has the form of quizzes, oral summaries or conversations with the group partners. Typically, listening activities include lists of vocabulary that students have to learn. There will be unannounced vocabulary quizzes.

Speaking exercises in class and online will occur in Canvas Meeting Rooms.

The “tactical” occupation with German grammar items referenced above will involve the expansion of your speaking “repertoire” by means of the gradual addition of new grammatical structures into your speaking. For this reason, we will spend some time in class with grammar review, using the online Dreyer-Schmitt grammar review text (for which you will find the link in this course). Then, you will be asked in the web modules to employ the grammatical constructions we have practiced in your online speaking. As necessary, and time permitting, follow-up work with the grammatical structures will also take place, either in class or in the form of grammatical questions that form part of your online modules.

There will be a final exam testing new vocabulary, as well as the listening comprehension and speaking skills of students.

Academic Honesty:

On all work submitted for credit the following pledge is either required or implied:

On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.
Violations of this policy will result in disciplinary action according to the judicial process.
For more details go to: http://www.aa.ufl.edu/aa/Rules/4017.htm

Students with disabilities:

 Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the Instructor when requesting accommodation.

Make-up Policy:

There are NO MAKE-UPs for un-excused absences. The instructor may allow students to hand in late homework assignments in certain mitigating circumstances.

Attendance and Late Policy:

Since this is a hybrid class with fewer in-class meetings than a conventional class, your attendance at all the in-class sessions is expected. This means, no “free” absences. Since our classwork on Thursday will be circa 90-100 minutes, missing class means missing a double-block, which is to say all of the in-class work of that week (and any quizzes or assessments done in class, which cannot be made up in the case of an unexcused absence), as well as module preparation. All absences must be excused in order not to result in a grade deduction. An excused absence is either one for which a medical certificate is provided or a certified University activity for which a written excuse from the University is provided. A medical certificate must clearly state that the student was unable to attend class on the date the class was missed. (For exceptions of this policy see next item.) While there is no limit to the number of excused absences, the student is still responsible for making up missed work.
A class roll will be passed around at the beginning of the class. If a student is late, he or she will have to sign the roll after the class. Late arrivals distract other students and the instructor and will affect the student's final participation grade.

After the first week (i.e. drop-add period), student will lose 4% from their overall grade for every unexcused absence, as well as 1% from their class participation grade each time they arrive late.

GRADING

• 30% Class participation/ in-class activities (subdivided as follows: 15% for preparation and active participation; 15% for in-class quizzes and assessments
• 50%  Web Modules
• 20% Final

 

Grading Scale

A	93
A-	90
B+	87
B	83
B-	80
C+	77
C	73
C-	70
etc.

 

 

Voluntary Free Conversation on Tuesdays

The actual coursework will consist of the Thursday (and occasional Tuesday) classroom sessions, the Web Modules, and the final. Since we have Little Hall 225 available to us Tuesdays 7^th period, I will typically be available in Little Hall 225 for voluntary free German conversation.

Die Gespräche werden ganz spontan sein, kommen Sie also sprechbereit!!

I will not have any course materials prepared for these free conversational hours, so please only come if you are prepared to start speaking and/or throw yourself into spontaneous conversations, chats, debates, etc.

I will not be able to come on an occasional Tuesday (such as November 17); I will alert you in advance when I am not able to come!

This is an activity I make available to interested students; it is not required for the course, nor will (lack of) participation in the free conversation periods affect your course grade in any direct way.