Course Description
GER 401 is the writing across the curriculum component of the German language sequence. Successful completion of this course also meets the University’s graduation requirements for “International Cultures (IL)” and “Writing Across the Curriculum.” This course is designed for students who have successfully completed GER 301 and GER 302. It expands on grammatical structures and offers you the opportunity to increase the sophistication of your written German, while improving listening, speaking, and reading skills. Engaging with German culture on a daily basis will support your language study. By exploring an assortment of authentic newspaper articles, essays, STEM texts and journals, television clips, movies, fictional texts, and poems, we will look closely at a variety of genres to increase your linguistic register. Throughout the semester you will build your vocabulary, including idiomatic expression, and expand your ability to use German grammar flexibly and accurately.
A main focus of the course will be producing a variety of meaningful texts in different genres that you can continue to develop as you further pursue German Studies in the U.S. or abroad. Therefore, the course will be divided into three parts: the first will deal will practical texts needed for job applications, such as developing a resumé, cover letter, and various types of formal e-mails. The second part focuses on critically engaging with the genres mentioned above, where the emphasis will be on analysis and interpretation. In the third section you develop a research topic and practice scientific and critical writing. You will use these skills to draft an abstract and a short scholarly paper that you will present at the end of the semester. A final important aspect of the course is the development and implementation of peer review strategies, an essential skill that you will need in and outside of academia.