German Bab (Fall 2014-2015)

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Harvard University
Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures
Deutsch Bab - Beginning Intensive German
Herbst 2014

Note:This is an intensive course in which one whole year of German is taught

in one term.
Prerequisites: None. N.B. Students with three or more years of high school
German, or a score greater than 450 on the Harvard Placement Exam
maynotenroll in this course. Students who are unsure about their placement
must contact the Course Head, Dr. Lisa Parkes (lparkes@fas.).
As this is an intensive language course, there will be some instruction during
Reading Week.

Course Materials
Required:
Lee Forester et al. Auf gehts! Beginning German Language and Culture
3.3, Holland, Mich.: Evia Learning, Inc., 2013. ISBN 978-1-886553-44-6

N.B. The textbook is available through the Harvard Coop. To purchaseAuf Gehts
at cost from the publisher, visit: http://www.aufgehts.com/purchase.html

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N.B. You maydownload Unit 1 of the text and the DVD-ROM FOR FREE.This
is especially useful for students who are awaiting their new textbook materials.
Please visit: http://aufgehts.com/downloads.html

However, make sure you place your order before class begins, as Unit 1
will be completed within the rst week of the course. If your text and DVD do not
arrive in time, the multi-use DVD-ROM is available in theLanguage Resource
Center(4th oor of Lamont Library). The Lernbuch is available downstairs, at the
circulation desk on the ground oor of Lamont.
For any technical diculties with installing the DVD-ROM, please
visit:http://aufgehts.com/downloads.html
or contact:http://www.aufgehts.com/sup_main.html

Recommended:
1. Abi-lingual dictionary, readily available through amazon.com, and in the
$10-$15 range, such as:
-Langenscheidt Compact Dictionary: German-English, English-German. ISBN:
9781585733514
-Webster's New World German Dictionary,Concise Edition. ISBN
9780139536212
-Collins German Concise Dictionary. ISBN: 9780061998621
-Concise Oxford-Duden German.978-0198609766

2. Aring-binderto collect and organize all the printouts from the Interactive
DVD-ROM and the courseiSite.

Course Description and Goals

German Bab is an intensive elementary full-year course taught in one semester
and presupposes no prior knowledge of German. You will learn how to conduct
every-day conversations with native speakers. By the end of the course, you will
be able to speak and write about yourself, your family, daily routines, education,
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recreation, social life, travel, career, cuisine, and the geography of the Germanspeaking countries. You will be able to describe and compare people and places,
describe simple activities in the present and past tenses, express interests,
preferences, and dislikes, make requests, ask questions, give commands, and
make suggestions.
In addition, you will gain a critical awareness of the historical, cultural, and social
context of the German language through the study of authentic oral and written
texts, including personal narratives, short stories, songs, lm, and historical and
cultural documents. In order to develop your own reading and writing skills, you
will be guided through reading and writing strategies that will enable you to
comprehend and compose dierent types of texts.
In order to maximize your opportunities for authentic communication, class will
be conducted in German. Only on occasion, and with the permission of your
instructor, English might be used to clarify a grammatical or abstract concept, a
useful comparison with English, or anything else you nd particularly mystifying.
Please come prepared to class, be ready to ask and answer questions, and to
make mistakes! Key to your level of success and enjoyment in this course is your
daily, active participation in a variety of real communicative activities.

Requirements and Policies

Participation and Attendance:
German Bab will meet ve times a week for an hour, and an additional
conversation hour will be arranged to suit all members of the class.
"Konversationsstunde" will begin in the second week of classes.
Because participation is vital to learning a foreign language, it is imperative that
you attend class regularly and prepare thoroughly for class. Your participation
grade will reect the level of preparation and your willingness to interact with
others in class.Threeunexcused absences are allowed. Beyond these three
absences, you must present an authorized notication (in the case of medical or
family emergencies or other unavoidable events) specifying the exact time
period of your absence within three weeks. Three instances of tardiness (i.e. 10
minutes late) constitute one absence. Four or more unexcused absences without
a reasonable justication will result in a reduction of your nal grade.
For extra credit, you may also gain up to 2 participation points for attending 3 of
the many German cultural or social events organized by the Department or

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German Club (T.B.A.) during the semester, up to a maximum of 2 points (for 6

attendances).

Assignments
All assignments must be prepared thoroughly and submitted punctually on the
day indicated on the syllabus. Because there is a whole years worth of material
to cover in one semester, you will be expected to spend approximately two/two
and a half hours on homeworkbeforeeach class meeting. Daily homework
assignments, listed on the syllabus, include:

1. Interactive DVD-ROM (to be printed and submitted to your instructor on the

days indicated). The Interactive includes a rich variety of authentic listening
practice, self-testing audio vocabulary, cultural and grammar activities that you
are to complete on your computer. The printouts to each of the four subunits
aredue at the end of each unit;however, make sure to keep up with the work
indicated on the syllabus so that you are prepared for class.At the end of the
course, you are required to attend one of the two performances of a play in
German, presented by German 50, and submit a written response on the
day of your nal exam.
2.Textbook (Lernbuch) homework (writtenin your textbook, or, when indicated
on the syllabus in bold, on a separate piece of paper, and to be handed in to
your instructor). This is to be completed before each lesson. Your Lernbuch
provides you with further short writing exercises and plenty of reading practice,
which you will also review and discuss in class. Be prepared to answer questions
orally in class!
3. Grammar homework (downloaded from the courseiSite, printed out, and
completed by hand). Grammar homeworkmust be self-corrected in a
contrasting ink colorusing the keys provided on the courseiSite. You are
expected to submit a fair, neatly written copy; illegible homework will not be
accepted. Avoid writing in block capitals, because German nouns are capitalized.
We expect you to complete the assignments carefully. However, we also expect
that you will make mistakes. A few mistakes will not aect your grade; they are a
necessary part of the learning process. Carefully completed homework,
self-correction, and punctual submission will ensure a good grade. Tardy
submission, incomplete or careless and uncorrected homework will receive a
lower grade. Make sure to ask your instructor if you dont understand a specic
assignment, or, indeed, the grade assigned.

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Quizzes, Midterm, Final:

There will be seven short (10-15-minute) chapter quizzes, a 50-minute midterm,
and a nal written exam. The nal exam is comprehensive. There are no
make-up tests: All tests must be taken on the dates and at the times indicated.
Only in the case of medical emergencies or other unavoidable circumstances
may an exception be approved, provided that the student has made a timely and
formal appeal to the Course Head. Tests must be taken within a week of the
student's return to campus.
Note: All students must be present at the nal exam. Absent students
will fail the course. There are no exceptions!Students must therefore
inform themselves of nal exam dates before making any travel
arrangements!

Oral Interview:
The oral interviews will be conducted during and after class during the last week
of class. This will consist of a 10-12-minute conversation on familiar topics with
your instructor. Your instructor will discuss the expectations in more details in
class.
Final Grade:

Attendance 14%
and
Participation

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Oral
Interview

7%

Homework

25%

7 short
quizzes

24%

Midterm

10%

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Grading Scale:
A 100 - 93 % = 4.0; a+ on your homework equals a 95
A- 92 - 90% = 3.67
B+ 89- 87% = 3.33
B 86 - 83% = 3.0; aon your homework equals a 85
B- 82 - 80%; = 2.67
C+ 79 - 77% = 2.33
C 76 - 73% = 2.0; a- on your homework equals a 75
C- 72 - 70% = 1.67
D+ 69 - 67% = 1.33
D 66 - 63% = 1.0
D- 62- 60% = 0.67
<F = 0

Other Policies
Cell phones, other electronic devices, and laptops arenotto be used in class
unless otherwise announced. If you use these in class, you will not receive a
participation grade for that day.
After week 5, all email correspondence with your instructor must be in
German! This is a great opportunity to practice further. Your instructor will
teach you the appropriate email form and etiquette.
Plagiarism: Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with Harvard
Universitys policies on plagiarism. Please refer to the Student Handbook:
Plagiarism and Collaboration:Students in language courses should also note
that plagiarism includes the use of translation websites (which are evidently
unreliable), the verbatim use of any non-referenced source, or any help (i.e.
beyond individual words or short phrases) from any other source but your
instructor.

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Further Resources
The Language Resource Center,located on the fourth oor of Lamont
Library in Harvard Yard, is a multimedia computer facility supporting many of
the more than 80 ancient and modern languages taught at Harvard.
Interactive software (including a multi-user copy of the Auf Gehts!
DVD-ROM), web-based materials, and lms are all available at the LRC.
German Club, a faculty and student- and faculty-run organization, welcomes
students of all levels to join us for extra conversational opportunities such as
the weekly Stammtisch in the Queens Head on Thursdays at 5pm, or the
monthly Kaeestunde in the Barker Center. Please see website for more
information, and join the Harvard German Club Facebook page. Other events
include on-campus lm screenings, lectures, and group excursions to local
cultural events in Cambridge and Boston.
German Language Tables:Extra conversational opportunities are available
weekly at various Houses on campus. T.B.A.
Department Website: Please consult the Department of Germanic Languages
and Literatures website for more information about Study Abroad and Work
Abroad opportunities. You can also keep yourself updated with work abroad
opportunities by joining the Internships in Germany Facebook page.

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