GERM 2224 - German IIB: Culture

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2020

This course is designed to extend students' understanding of contemporary Germany by focussing on aspects of the society and the culture that are distinctively German. Students will gradually be exposed to more complex issues in German so that they will be able to expand their vocabulary and improve their listening, speaking and writing skills. The accompanying seminar will provide students with the opportunity to study topics in more depth through the discussion of various texts associated with issues presented in the lectures.

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Course Details

Course Code	GERM 2224
Course	German IIB: Culture
Coordinating Unit	German Studies
Term	Semester 2
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Prerequisites	GERM 1003 or equivalent, new SACE Stage 2 Continuers' German with a scaled grade of B or higher or equivalent
Incompatible	GERM 2221
Assessment	Seminar presentation, written response, minor research project, major research project

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Stefan Hajduk

Dr Stefan Hajduk

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students will have:
1) an in-depth knowledge of some of the issues central to an understanding of contemporary German society, culture and language
2) the ability to locate, organise and evaluate primary and secondary sources of information pertaining to the study of those issues
3) the ability to work independently and cooperatively to further their understanding of German society, culture and language
4) the ability to communicate information, ideas and arguments about aspects of contemporary Germany cogently and coherently
5) a greater awarenness of cultural difference/s and its/their impact on German society, but also on their own
6) the capacity to understand the complex nature of contemporary German society and of the cultural productions that represent or criticise it

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1, 5, 6
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	2, 3, 6
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	3, 4
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	1-6
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	5
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	4, 5

Learning Resources

Required Resources

There will be materials provided in class and/or uploaded on Canvas from week to week

Recommended Resources

A list of recommended references will be provided with the detailed Course Outline made available to students at the beginning of the semester.

Online Learning

Some lecture materials and recordings as well as resources such as announcements, discussion boards or external web-links will be available online via MyUni.

Learning & Teaching Modes

The modes of teaching and learning employed in the course are largely classroom-based and face-to-face, but do also include e-learning forms such as discussion boards, blogs, or journals:

1) a lecture “Deutschland heute“ which is designed to contribute to students’ understanding of contemporary Germany by focusing on aspects of the culture and society that are distinctively German and to provide a context for the study of individual aspects of contemporary German culture treated in language workshops and elsewhere throughout the course.

2) a seminar based on issues discussed in the lecture which will give students the opportunity to study topics in more detail and more depth.
Students are encouraged to take personal responsibility for their learning through:

independent personal study
independent computer-based learning
online access to lecture materials, recordings and other resources such as discussion boards, blogs, journals or external web-links.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements. Below are the hours per week and per semester students are expected to devote to their German studies in “Deutschland heute”.

Hours per week	Total hours
1 X 1-hour lecture	12 hours per semester
1 X 2-hour seminar	24 hours per semester
3 hours preparation for contact hours	36 hours per semester
2 hours reading (or as required)	24 hours per semester
5 hours rsearch for presentation & assignments	60 hours per semester

Total = 156 hours per semester

Learning Activities Summary

This course is designed to contribute to students’ understanding of contemporary Germany. It does not aim to be comprehensive, but will focus on various aspects of the society and culture that are distinctively German. These include constructions of identity and the concept of “Heimat”, the cultural regions and the federal states, questions of German citizenship and immigration, traditions of German “Bildung” and the dual system of education, changes of the “Zeitgeist” and their reflection in the German language, the social market economy and welfare state, environmentalism and the energy transition to sustainability, questions of historical guilt and memorial politics, and the development of the new/old capital Berlin and the changed role of Germany within Europe. Students will be provided with a detailed course outline at the beginning of the semester.

Specific Course Requirements

Hurdle requirement
Students who do not meet the following requirement will be awarded a grade of Fail for the course:
- a minimum of 75% attendance in all classes.

Small Group Discovery Experience

In the seminar students will be given the opportunity to work independently and cooperatively to explore topics and issues that particularly interest them and to embark on their own quest to discover more about contemporary Germany.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Written responses/homework, seminar presentation, minor research project, major research project (including blogs or 'journals' on MyUni). Assignment will include:

some written responses/homework
an oral presentation,
a minor research project,
a major research assignment

ASSESSMENT TASK	TASK TYPE	WEIGHTING	COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
Oral Presentation	Formative and summative	20%	1, 2, 3, 4
Minor Assigment (1200 words Seminararbeit )	Formative and summative	25%	1, 2, 3, 5
Major Assignment (2000 words Essay)	Summative	40%	1, 2, 5, 6
Responses/Participation/Homework	Formative and summative	15%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Assessment Related Requirements

Lecture – students are expected to attend all classes, but if they are unable to attend the lecture, it is students’ responsibility to contact their lecturer or course coordinator about their absence and to ensure that they get any material that may have been handed out in the lecture missed. Students who require alternative arrangements for assessment or extensions for assignments must notify staff before the due date and must provide evidence that they have legitimate medical or compassionate grounds for their request.

Seminar– as a mark will be given for participation and performance, attendance is compulsory. Students who are obliged to miss the seminar must provide a reason.

Assessment Detail

The oral presentation gives students the opportunity to explore a topic they are interested in and also to practise presenting material in a different format. The presentation should be approx. 10 minutes long and directly related to the themes of the seminar. Material should be provided in a way that makes it accessible and interesting to other members of the seminar.

Like the oral presentation, the minor research assignment (1200 words) gives the students the opportunity to explore a topic in more detail, practise presenting the material in a written format. It should be correctly referenced, have a clear structure and be presented in an appropriate register. Individual blogs or journals as well as discussion boards of discovery groups will be part of the assessment.

Written responses give students the opportunity to respond to issues raised in the seminar and develop their language skills in German. Participation is based on preparation of the week’s material including online resources (discussion boards, blogs, journals or wikis) and participation i.e. active contribution and engagement with other members of the group.

The major research assignment (2000 words) is the major summative assessment for this course. It is designed to enable students to explore a particular topic in more depth. Students will be assessed on their knowledge of the topic, their critical engagement with secondary sources on the topic and their ability to develop and express their own point of view.

Submission

Information on submission will be provided in the detailed Course
Outline that students receive at the beginning of the semester.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator