Admission requirements
This course is only available for students in the BA International Studies programme who have passed German 1 Intermediate and German 2 Upper-Intermediate.
Description
In this course you learn how to handle successfully a variety of complex social situations you may encounter in daily life in Germany or other German speaking countries.
You learn to cope with a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognize implicit meaning. We will focus on speaking and understanding the language with a variety of oral and written communication tasks to enable you to express ideas fluently and spontaneously and to use German flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes as well as produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, e.g. social, cultural and political issues.
These learning targets are acquired by using the textbook and through a wide range of real-life situations, performed either individually or in groups. Grammar, cultural topics, current issues and pronunciation are main concerns, too.
Course objectives
This course enables the student to achieve level B1+/B2+ of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).
This course is the last course in a series of three language acquisition courses within the International Studies program. The final objective of this course series is to obtain an intermediate level of proficiency in German, aimed at communication with people in the region in everyday social situations and enabling students to follow current affairs in the region via various media.
| Skill | CEFR Level |
|---|---|
| Reading | B2+ |
| Writing | B1+ |
| Listening | B2 |
| Speaking | B1+ |
Timetable
The timetable is available on the BA International Studies website.
Mode of instruction
Tutorials
Two two-hour tutorials every week, with the exception of the midterm exam week. Attending all tutorial sessions is compulsory. If you are unable to attend a session, please inform your tutor in advance, providing a valid reason for your absence. Being absent will result in a lowering of the participation grade with 0.5 for every absence after the first four (4) times.
Course Load
Total course load for this course is 5 EC (1 EC = 28 hours), which equals 140 hours, broken down by:
| Component | Estimated time |
|---|---|
| Attending classes | 48 hours |
| Assessment hours (exams) | 6 hours |
| Preparing for classes, exams and extra activities | 86 hours |
Assessment method
Assessment
- Midterm exam, Final exam, Written tests after each chapter, in-class oral/listening performance.
Weighing
| Partial grade | Weighing |
|---|---|
| In-class-participation and homework, tests/evaluations | 20% |
| Oral presentation in class | 5% |
| Midterm exam: Reading, Listening and Writing | 30% |
| Final exam I: Reading, Listening and Writing | 30% |
| Final exam II: oral exam | 15% |
End Grade
To successfully complete the course, please take note that the End Grade of the course is established by determining the weighted average of the in-class oral and listening performance, and written exams.
The End Grade needs to be a 6.0 or higher to pass the course.
Resit
If the End Grade is insufficient (lower than a 6.0), there is a possibility of retaking the full 80% of the exam material (exams, quizzes, Midterm Exam and Final Exam). No resit for the tutorial (participation and homework) is possible.
Exam review and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for this course. Students are requested to enroll on Blackboard, but only after correct enrolment in uSis.
Reading list
Erkundungen Deutsch als Fremdsprache B2, Integriertes Kurs- und Arbeitsbuch (+CD), by Anne Buscha, Susanne Raven und Gisela Linthout, Schubert Verlag
2nd edition - ISBN: 9783941323247
3rd edition - ISBN: 9783941323438 - if possible, obtain this version rather than the 2nd edition
DO NOT GET THE COMPACT VERSION
Registration
Enrolment through uSis for Tutorials is mandatory.
Students will be enrolled for Exams by the Administration Office, as long as they have a valid Tutorial enrolment.
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Not applicable
Contact
To be announced
When contacting lecturers or tutors, please include your full name, student number, and tutorial group number.
Please use your University email-address (uMail) when communicating with any person or department within Leiden University.
Student Affairs Office for BA International Studies
Remarks
This course uses an integrated communicative language learning method. Therefore active participation in the classroom activities is essential for successful learning outcomes.