German Language Course
The four-week language course is designed for foreign students in all areas of study. The goal of the course is to improve present language skills or to get to grips with the German language. The content of the course will focus on regional studies and the academic life giving an insight into everyday life and culture in Munich.
The course schedule for classes will be devised according to the different language levels of each group. To get an idea, you can take a look at the general schedule .
The division of the participants into groups will be based on the online test scores.
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Contents of the course
Beginner’s Course (A1 - A2)
This course is suitable for students who have no or very little knowledge of the German language.
The beginner’s course will cover fundamental grammar and language skills, as well as current political, social, and cultural issues. The course will also involve various group work and projects (e.g. creating a class newspaper). Emphasis shall also be placed upon the strengthening and enrichment of their vocabulary base.
Intermediate/Advanced Course (B1 - C1)
The course members should already have acquired a solid understanding of the grammar topics taught in the beginner’s course. Students should also be able to understand challenging texts, such as newspaper articles, and should not experience any difficulty in problems understanding everyday situations.
In this course we will concentrate on language, as it specifically pertains to academic study. Grammatical structures will be covered according to the neeeds of the course members, which are based on challenging current political and literary texts. In addition, other relevant texts (literature and history of Munich) will be treated and assigned, in part, through group work.
Furthermore the strengthening and enrichment of the vocabulary will be an aim of this course. Among other things, we will look at common situations which one could face while studying at a German university. This could include topics that do not form part of 'everyday conversation'.
The workload for the intermediate and advanced courses will depend upon involvement in independent study and group work.
For all courses (beginner / intermediate / advanced)
Speaking, Reading, Listening, Writing
Through examining regional and cultural studies, intercultural communication, grammar, and vocabulary development, the course will aim to focus upon all of the 'four abilities'; speaking, reading, listening and writing.
Oral Expression
We place particular importance on the ability of oral conversation. The course work will offer exercises to improve individual speaking ability and speaking confidence (for example, short, oral reports will be assigned), as well as many student-related conversation topics, including student slang and conversation in various contexts. These shall be practiced together so as to provide each student with practice in speaking. The necessary language elements and speaking strategies will be developed and practiced. We will also look at German expression and idiom so as to enhance the students’ ability to communicate effectively in an authentically German manner.
Reading
Many authentic texts, according to the topics, promote a solid basis in reading different types of literature. With the help of reading strategies, students will learn how to remove the barriers that are often faced when reading in a foreign language. The variety of texts will range from newspaper and magazine articles to literary and academic texts.
Listening
To develop listening skills, we will practice listening within a variety of authentic situations. To aid the students’ ability to understand everyday language, we will also discuss various listening strategies.
Writing
The ability of written expression shall be encouraged and expanded in the course. The course participants will be asked to write various texts and practice critical as well as creative writing through commentaries, satires, or letters.
Regional and intercultural studies
Part of learning a foreign language involves learning to understand a different culture. This allows one to communicate with another culture more effectively. Accordingly, during the whole course, the students will be exposed to and actively interact with different aspects of German culture. Munich’s prime location in the heart of Bavaria will allow students to experience the Bavarian culture phenomenon first-hand.
Grammar and vocabulary
The understanding of grammatical rules and structures will be reviewed and deepened according to the needs and abilities of the students. This will be developed through reading and placing many of the sources into their specific context. Vocabulary understanding will also be reviewed and enhanced through learning the association of words with various themes. In addition, helpful study strategies and techniques shall also be considered.
Project work:
Museum project: In an independent excursion, the students will research a museum with the help of assigned worksheets.
Munich project: By selecting a topic of interest, such as literature, art, history, architecture, technology or a visit at a museum, students will compile a report which will be presented during a walk through Munich or during a visit to a museum.