Students taking this module require to have passed all German language modules in Years 1 and 2 of the programme and to have spent Year 3 in a German-speaking country.
This module builds on the knowledge, experience and linguistic competence acquired by the students during their year abroad. It consolidates and further explores political, economic and social topics and trends of countries where the language is spoken and their current affairs. The module also consolidates and builds on language competency by working further to perfect the students’ level of linguistic accuracy and foster deeper awareness of target language style, register and tone.
The aims of this module are:
- to consolidate and enhance students’ knowledge of the political, commercial and social environment of Germany and/or other German-speaking countries.
- to deepen awareness of cultural differences between German-speaking countries and their own.
- to expand students’ appreciation of cultural and infrastructural factors in a global context.
- to provide students with opportunities to practice skills in observation, investigation, fact-finding and reporting.
- to enhance students’ critical and analytical thinking skills.
- to provide students with a stimulating and supportive environment in which they can develop their German language skills.
This module is benchmarked at C1.1 on the CEFR. On successful completion of the module, students will normally be able to perform at that level in all four language skills. They may be able to perform at C1.2 Level or above on the CEFR in familiar contexts, such as those closely related to those that feature in the teaching programme, when they have sufficient time to prepare and access to appropriate reference materials.
The minimum exit level for the module is B2.1 on the CEFR.
This module will study major political, economic, commercial and social trends in Germany and/or other countries where German is spoken.
It will address cultural and social differences in Germany and/or other German-speaking countries in European and global contexts.
Students will be encouraged to engage in current debates on a wide range of issues involving research, analysis and production of texts on selected topics.
A range of teaching and learning approaches will be used in the delivery of this module including: Interactive classes; independent media research; team work; individual and group presentations; reading and class discussions of selected texts; writing and presenting reports of events and summaries of texts.
These activities will normally take place in the setting of a communicative language class, making maximum appropriate use of German throughout.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Formal Examination | 40 |
| Other Assessment(s) | 60 |