REQUIRED TEXTS:

Sag mal: An Introduction to German Language and Culture, 3rd Edition (2021) (This package contains digital access only.)

Sag mal 3e SuperSite Plus + webSAM (36 months)

ISBN: 9781543316070

Authors: Christine Anton / Tobias Barske

• These same materials are used for four semesters: GERM 1411, GERM 1412, GERM 2311 and GERM 2312.

If you wish to challenge this course by examination, you must withdraw by the prerequisite deadline. **This is the twelfth/fourth day from the beginning of the semester for all ACC courses, not the twelfth/fourth day of your class.

Credit by Examination/High School Language Credit:

If you are not sure if this course is the correct level for you, please talk to your professor. You can earn college credit without taking this course by exploring all your options. You could easily be placed in the appropriate level, which could save you time and money. You can earn credit for this course with the following:

• High School AP or IB scores
• Course Challenge Exams (ACCs in house exams for all languages)
• The CLEP National Exam (French, German, and Spanish only)

Please be aware that there is not a financial penalty incurred for a level change at ACC. Please visit our departmental website for more information or talk to your professor: http://sites.austincc.edu/fola/credit-by-exam/
 

Late submissions are accepted, but carry a 15 pt. penalty per day. Please notify instructor in case of extenuating circumstances.

Technology: 

All participants must have cameras on. If your device doesn't have a camera, pls. log into Zoom both ways: with the device AND your cell phone for camera function.

German 1411, a first semester German course, presents the fundamentals of German: conversation, basic writing, listening and reading comprehension, vocabulary building, grammar, and culture. We study Chapters 1, 2, and 3 of our textbook Sag Mal. 

Credit Hours: 4

Classroom contact Hours per week: 2

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODOLOGY:

In this Zoom class, our primary objective for class meetings is to learn to communicate in German. We will study vocabulary and grammar with this end in mind. We will practice developing reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills.
Students will use the Blackboard learning management system as well as the textbook SuperSite. Secure testing will occur using Respondus Lockdown Browser: https://instruction.austincc.edu/students/article/respondus-lockdown-browser/

We do not meet as a class on campus. 

Homework:

All homework asssignments are due by 4 PM (=start of class meeting). Late work is accepted but incurs a 15 pt. penalty per day.

Homework consists of VHL central assignments, completed in the VHL portal and due on Tuesdays, as well as song worksheets or video questions due on Thursdays via Blackboard. To receive and A, you should be prepared to spend 8+ hours per week studying and completing specific assignments outside of class meetings. For best outcomes, plan to distribute regular study time across the entire week, ideally every day.

Attendance & Participation:

Due to the emphasis on oral practice in this course, attendance is mandatory. I record attendance at every class meeting and post attendance/participation grades by unit (6 grades total). Tardiness and/or lack of participation will result in a lower grade. Please remember that attendance and participation are worth 15% of your final grade.
Regular and timely class participation in discussions and completion of work is expected of all students. The material that will be covered in each session is indicated in the attached Course Calendar, so that you have the opportunity to study the material before class.

Foreign language classes are very interactive and you will be required to participate regularly in class, small group and partner activities. If attendance or compliance with other course policies is unsatisfactory, the instructor may withdraw students from the class.

Tests:

The tests will cover vocabulary, grammar and cultural themes studied in the previous chapters. Test One will cover material from Lektion 1A and Lektion 2B; Test Two is over Lektion 2A and Lektion 2B. Test Three covers material from Lektion 3A and 3B. Regular and focused preparation for class and the completion of homework for chapters 1-3 are the best ways to prepare for the tests.

The dates for the three Chapter Tests are indicated in the attached Course Calendar. These written tests include listening activities. The will be made available through Blackboard and taken during class. For each of these tests, you will have only ONE ATTEMPT and will need to use ACC’s Respondus software to enhance test security.

Oral Exams:

Though we will be practicing oral proficiency at every class meeting, you will be assessed at the end of our course through one-on-one oral interviews. Final Oral Interviews (15% of your grade in this course) will take place over Zoom. These are brief but comprehensive interviews and cover topics from chapters 1—3, as well as basic conversational questions practiced in class.

Extra Credit Discussion Board:

You can receive up to 2.5 pts on your final grade for participating in our five culture dicussions via the Discussion Board (Blackboard).

Missed Exam and Late Work Policies:

Late homework incurs a 15 pt. penalty per assignment. Make-up quizzes and/or tests will be made available only in cases of emergency. If you know ahead of time that you have a conflict with one of the dates of a quiz or test, please let your professor know as soon as possible.

Withdrawal Policy:

It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that his or her name is removed from the rolls should they decide to withdraw from the class. The instructor does, however, reserve the right to drop a student should he or she feel it is necessary. If a student decides to withdraw, he or she should also verify that the withdrawal is recorded before the Final Withdrawal Date.
The Final Withdrawal Date for this semester is MODAY, APRIL 22nd. 

The student is also strongly encouraged to keep any paperwork in case a problem arises.
Students are responsible for understanding the impact that withdrawal from a course may have on their financial aid, veterans’ benefits, and international student status. Per state law, students enrolling for the first time in Fall 2007 or later at any public Texas college or university may not withdraw (receive a W) from more than six courses during their undergraduate college education. Some exemptions for good cause could allow a student to withdraw from a course without having it count toward this limit. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with an advisor when making decisions about course selection, course loads, and course withdrawals.

Academic Dishonesty:

Students are encouraged to read all assignment rubrics carefully.
Use of online translating technologies or voice recognition apps and the assistance of native speakers or advanced learners are prohibited. Students not following this policy will receive a zero for the assessment.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES, GENERAL EDUCATION COMPETENCIES, & SCANS

General Education Student Learning Outcomes:

Students will demonstrate competence in:

• Critical Thinking

Gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating and applying information

• Interpersonal Skills (Teamwork)

Interacting collaboratively to achieve common goals

• Civic and Cultural Awareness (Social Responsibility)

Analyzing and critiquing competing perspectives in a democratic society, and comparing, contrasting, and interpreting differences and commonalities among peoples, ideas, aesthetic traditions, and cultural practices

• Personal Responsibility

Identifying and applying ethical principles and practices, and demonstrating effective learning, creative thinking, and personal responsibility

• Written, Oral and Visual Communication (Communication)

Communicating effectively, adapting to purpose, structure, audience, and medium

Common Course Objectives:

The main objective of the course is to help students to develop skills in the areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing in the German language at a basic level. Your ability to understand and communicate will develop along with your knowledge of the vocabulary and grammatical structures of the language. You should allow two or three hours a day for the study of German.

At the end of one semester of GERM 1411, students should be able to do the following:

READING

• use reading strategies such as reading for the main idea, recognizing cognates, and using context, sequence of events, prefixes and familiar words to guess.

• understand the main idea and some detail when reading a text based largely on familiar material.

• recognize the main topic of an authentic text or one not primarily based on familiar material.

LISTENING

• demonstrate comprehension of simple questions based on familiar topics.
• use listening strategies such as listening for the main idea and for specific details and asking for clarification or repetition.

• understand the main idea and some detail when listening to a passage based largely on familiar material.

• recognize the main topic of an authentic text or one not primarily based on familiar material.

• follow simple classroom instructions.

WRITING

• ask and answer simple questions based on familiar topics with reasonably accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation.
• write lists and provide personal information including name, address, email address and phone number.

• compose a short text about themselves and formulate personal questions about another person with reasonably accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation.
• write a letter in which they describe their/a family.

• spell numbers 0 to 1 million.
• take dictation of familiar material.

SPEAKING

• answer questions on familiar topics with comprehensible grammar and pronunciation.

• initiate and maintain a short conversation with someone.
• perform these specific functions: introduce themselves and tell a little about themselves;  identify and briefly describe people and objects;  tell what they like to do and tell what they do; tell the day and time; invite someone to do something and make plans; describe their family; talk about what they are going to do next week.

CULTURAL AWARENESS

• exhibit conceptual understanding and partial control of the use of du and Sie.
• use basic courtesy expressions and appropriate kinesics.
• identify several German-speaking countries and locate them on the map.
• describe the German school system.
• convert from official time to conversational time.
• read German addresses and phone numbers.
• identify several important landmarks in Berlin and explain their historical importance.
• cite regional differences in cultural traditions and common expressions in the German-speaking world.

Discipline-Level Learning Outcomes for German:

At the end of the fourth semester of German, students should be able to:

• Read intermediate level texts and brief literary texts with reasonable comprehension
• Comprehend familiar materials
• Use strategies to fill in the gaps of imperfect comprehension
• Extract information from authentic materials on familiar topics
• Comprehend oral instructions, questions etc.
• Converse on familiar topics
• Express abilities, likes, intentions, talents, and desires in the present and past
• Express permission or obligation
• Talk about the past and a sequence of events in the past
• Talk about directions and locations
• Talk about what will happen
• Make hypothetical statements
• Use reflexive verbs and pronouns
• Describe people and things using relative clauses
• Use infinitive clauses to state goals and intentions
• Focus on the effect of the action and on events in the past
• Use correct word order
• Write compositions on familiar topics
• Continue developing awareness of the culture of the target language

Please see the following link: https://www.austincc.edu/offices/academic-outcomes-assessment/master-syllabi/college-policies