German Courses
College Language Requirement
Completion of German 123 or 202 satisfies the college core foreign language requirement. Students who have not had any prior German may complete the foreign language requirement in four semesters by taking German 101 (fall or spring), 102 (spring), 201 (fall), and 202 (spring). Students without prior German may also complete the foreign language requirement in one year by taking German 121 (fall), 122 (interim), and 123 (spring). Students who have had prior German may start with any course in a given sequence according to their ability and comfort level.
Abroad opportunities
Calvin offers or sponsors many abroad opportunities in German-speaking Europe. The semester in Vienna, Austria, preceded by one or two months of intensive language learning in Germany, offers both an advanced language, literature and culture track and a core language track for the fall semester, the spring semester, or the entire year. On this program students typically accumulate 18-24 semester hours of credit in a semester, the majority of which may count toward the German major or minor.
The German Interim Abroad (W80), offered every January, is a four-week study trip with visits to historical and cultural sites and home stays with families in German communities with longstanding ties to the college. German 301 or an approved equivalent is the prerequisite for participation on the German Interim.
Other abroad opportunities that are regularly available, but must be arranged individually, are the summer work exchange and the summer internship program, both of which typically last 8-12 weeks and take place at sites across Germany.
Core Language Courses
101/121 Elementary German I (4). F, S. An introductory course in German language and culture that includes an investigation of cultures of German-speaking countries and training in intercultural skills. The course serves as the first course in two different sequences. It provides an introduction to German for students with no prior knowledge of the language, these students will normally progress to German 102, followed by 201 and 202. The course also provides systematic review and consolidation for students who have taken high school German but who, on the basis of a placement test, are not prepared for German 201. These students will normally continue with the sequence of 122-123. Students without prior experience with German may also enroll in the three course 121-122-123 sequence, but all students planning to continue into German 122 will be expected to meet a higher standard than those continuing into German 102.
102 Elementary German II (4). S. Continuation of German 101. Prerequisite: German 101.
122/123 Introductory and Intermediate German (3/4). I, and S. Continuation of German 121-122. Further development of skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing German. Includes investigation of cultural topics, German history, and a study of a variety of texts. Completion of 123 fulfills the core foreign language requirement. Prerequisite: German 121-122.
201 Intermediate German I (4). F. Further development of skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing German. Includes systematic grammar review, cultural topics and study of a variety of short literary texts. Prerequisite: German 102 or placement test.
202 Intermediate German (4). S. Continuation of German 201. Completion of 202 fulfills the core foreign language requirement. Prerequisite: German 201.
Advanced Language and Culture Courses
301 Advanced German Language and Culture (3). F. This course is designed to develop advanced speaking and oral comprehension skills and to prepare students culturally for travel, study or work in a German-speaking country. Course materials engage important themes in German history of the 20th and 21st centuries and key issues in contemporary German society. Prerequisite: German 123 or 202.
302 German Culture and Intercultural Studies (3). F. The focus of this course is on cultural learning, intercultural skill building, and cultural intelligence. Through exploration of German cultures, comparisons between German and US American cultures and reflection on cultural identities, students will build their cultural intelligence while improving their German language skills. Key themes include Heimat, history, religion and factors of identity. Course texts range from Jugendliteratur to newspaper articles, film, and poetry. Selections on culture and cultural learning in English will also be assigned. Students are expected to progress in all German language skills as well as their abilities to interact effectively and sensitively across cultural boundaries. Prerequisite: German 123 or 202.
303 Introduction to German Literature (3) S. The course offers an introduction to reading more substantial works of literature than those encountered in core-level courses. Works will be drawn from various periods and from various genres. Attention is also directed at the processes of reading and interpretation, and at what it means to mature as a Christian reader of literature. This course fulfills the core Literature requirement. Prerequisite: German 123 or 202.
361 Advanced Writing in Cultural Context (3). F. Further development of advanced language skills through intensive work with written, aural and visual media dealing with contemporary issues in the German speaking world. Review of selected grammar topics. Prerequisite: German 301, 302, or 303 or permission of the instructor.
362 Culture and Language through Performed Texts (3). This course focuses on different eras and cultural themes of German-speaking Europe through the reading, interpretation and presentation of a variety of texts. Works studied represent different performance genres, such as medieval mystery plays, sermons, epic poetry, traditional theater, music, radio plays, speeches, modern theater and poetry slams. Students learn to interpret these texts as cultural products with implicit goals, assumptions about audience and the role of performance texts, and worldviews. Connections to specific historical events, the visual arts and literary trends are explored as they relate to historical and contemporary performances of the various German texts. Students are expected to progress in their German language skills, including grammar, reading, speaking, and listening comprehension. This fulfills the core Rhetoric in Culture requirement. Prerequisite: German 301, 302, or 303. Not offered 2012-2013.
371 German Visual Culture and Literature (3). S. This course explores the culture of German-speaking Europe through its rich and intricately linked traditions of visual and literary culture. Students examine the interplay of texts and a broad variety of visual media including painting, sculpture, photography, theatrical and operatic production, film and television. Students will analyze materials for their rhetorical strategies and how they seek to move their audience with appeals to culturally and historically charged themes. While becoming familiar with salient ideas in German cultural history and the insights offered by a close analysis and appreciation of particular works of literature and art, students will gain valuable experience interpreting German cultural artifacts for their implicit worldviews, assumptions and goals. Prerequisite: German 301, 302 or 303. Core credit: The Arts.
372 Outside Voices: German Culture from the Margins (3). S. This course looks at German cultural history through the eyes of the outsider. Defining “outsider” as anyone marginalized because of race, ethnicity, religion, gender or native language, course materials focus on the nature of exclusion, resistance, and the way German cultural history and national identity have been shaped by voices traditionally outside of the “Leitkultur” (normative or mainstream culture). Perspectives addressed will include the experiences of women, Jews, Turks, Afro-Germans, Muslims and other minority groups. Prerequisite: German 301, 302 or 303.
381 Special Topics (1-4). F, S. This course offers the opportunity to study a specific work, topic or author intensively in a small seminar setting. The course includes intensive discussion in German of the topic or work at hand and reading of secondary literature. Prerequisite: German 301, 302 or 303.
395 German Literature and the Reading Self (3). Works by major German authors are studied in relationship to major developments in German culture and society and to other cultural expressions, such as film and visual art. The works studied engage with a range of themes relevant to Christian identity and worldview, such as technology and culture, materialism, existentialism, feminist and environmental concerns, and the self’s relationship to the world. Through study of these texts and reflection on our ways of reading them, the course explores the nature of Christian interpretation and the contours of a Christian practice of reading texts and cultures. This fulfills the core Integrative Studies requirement. Prerequisite: German 301, 302, or 303. Not offered 2012-2013.
Education
IDIS 356 Foreign Language Education in the Elementary School (3). F and I. Theory and practice of foreign language teaching in the elementary school. Study of language skill development, second language acquisition, methodologies, curricula, and programs. Off-campus school visits for observation and aiding experience. Should be taken in the junior or senior year, prior to student teaching. Required for elementary certification in foreign language, K-12 endorsement, and ESL elementary endorsement. Prerequisite: completion of or concurrent registration in Education 302/303.
IDIS 357 Introduction to Foreign Language Pedagogy (3-4). F. An introduction to the major principles and practices of foreign language pedagogy, offering a study of various methodologies and the major controversies associated with them. The course explores how a Christian approach to education affects foreign language pedagogy and how foreign language pedagogy interacts with the language learner’s personal growth. It also introduces the prospective educator to the teaching of the basic skills, to issues in evaluation and assessment, and the use of technologies in the foreign language classroom. This course should be taken in the junior or senior year, prior to student teaching. Required for secondary certification in foreign language and for the ESL secondary endorsement. Prerequisite: completion of or concurrent registration in Education 302/303. NOTE: Those in elementary + K-12 language education enroll in the four-credit version of this course. The additional credit is for a secondary field experience
IDIS 359 Seminar in Secondary Foreign Language Pedagogy(3). S. A seminar reinforcing the major principles and practices of foreign language pedagogy on the secondary level for students during their semester of directed teaching. The course will provide an opportunity for collaborative work on putting theoretical and pedagogical matters of immediate concern into a practical framework. This course is required concurrently with Education 346. This course does not count as part of the major or minor program. Prerequisites: Education 302/303 and successful completion of the department proficiency exam.
