German Level 4

On successful completion of this module, you will be better prepared to:

• process and engage with native speech with relative ease, identifying key details of complex arguments in a variety of contexts;
• interact with a degree of fluency, spontaneity, and accuracy in a variety of contexts including academic and scientific environments;
• extract the main ideas and essential detail of complex texts from a variety of genres and topics, including scientific material;
• write detailed, well-structured texts and explain viewpoints on a wide range of subjects, applying structures and vocabulary from the B2-vantage level range (CEFR);
• demonstrate your intercultural competence by appraising socio-political practices and perspectives and relating them to your own backgrounds and contexts of practice;
• use a wide range of digital language-learning tools to develop your research and presentation skills in the target language and to support your independent learning.

In this module, you will:

• cover revision of grammatical structures, as appropriate;
• analyse of a range of linguistic registers in speech and writing;
• explore further aspects of word order, adjectives and verb forms, including use of the subjunctive;
• work on prepositions and conjunctions at an advanced level;
• develop your awareness of nouns;
• review and apply the subjunctive (including reported speech) and the passive voice;
• work with the language of science.

Linguistic structures will be applied to topics, such as:

• immigration/emigration
• the history of the German language
• poverty and community projects
• the consumer society
• the future
• the world of work in the German-speaking countries
• art, history and communication
• current affairs

In line with modern foreign languages communicative and active learning methodologies, the in-class activities you will complete will cover all four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking). These will include pair work and groupwork (dialogue practice, information gap exercises, discussion); individual tasks, discovery and formulation of grammatical rules, work with texts, etc.

Weekly preparation tasks set on the Virtual Learning Environment and coursework tasks will give you the opportunity to revise and consolidate your knowledge and skills at your own pace and to develop your awareness of how to use language-learning tools independently. Following a flipped-classroom approach, you will be provided with materials to study independently beforehand, and then will apply these during classroom time, ensuring thus that face-to-face time is devoted for interactional learning and communicative skills acquisition. This approach not only ensures you engage with a wide range of tasks and activities, but also seeks to support different learning preferences.

Your coursework will be marked and returned within two weeks. Rubrics and revision guidance (how-to guides) will be included as needed with each coursework. You will receive detailed feedback alongside suggestions for improvement and an overall percentage showing your provisional grade for that assessment.

• Coursework (20%): Integrated skills pack, in mid-autumn term, including receptive/productive skills: reading and writing (c. 250-300 words).
• Coursework (20%): Integrated skills pack, in mid-spring term, including receptive/productive skills: listening and speaking.
• Examination (30%): 1-hour in-class test on the Virtual Learning Environment (BYOD), at the end of spring term, testing lexical/grammatical awareness and reading/writing skills (writing c. 300 words).
• Practical (30%): Oral exam in the summer term, including presentation/commentary on dossier and unprepared discussion (approx. 20 minutes, in total).

You will complete two pieces of summative coursework (set during mid-autumn term and mid-spring term), which will include rubrics and revision guidance to ensure you are supported when completing your work and so that you are aware of the assessment expectations. There will also be a 1-hour in-class examination (scheduled at the end of spring term), and one practical - in the form of an oral examination (at the end of spring term or during the summer term). All summative assessments contribute to the final module grade/mark.

Assessment information for students on a course with a year abroad

• 7.5 ECTS points awarded on successful completion of the module.
• Available to take for credit towards your degree, where your department allows. Also available for extra credit. The Module options by department page has a full list of the credit options.
• You must be prepared to attend all classes and undertake approximately 3 hours of private study each week in addition to the assessment.

Coursebook

Kontext B2, Kursbuch mit Audios und Videos, Stefanie Dengler, Ute Koithan et al., Klett. ISBN: 978-3-12-605342-6 

Additional materials

Relevant reading lists and/or materials will be published on the VLE.

Further information

Further information for Year Abroad/Year in Europe Students
Further information for BSc Hons and MSc Language for Science Degrees