German Grammar and Linguistics: Introduction

6 ECTS credits
180 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1023344ANR for all students in the 1st and 2nd semester at a (A) Bachelor - preliminary level.

Semester

1st and 2nd semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Taught in

German

Faculty

Academic Language Centre

Department

Academic Center for Language Education

Educational team

Philipp Bekaert
Voorzitter ACTO (course titular)

Activities and contact hours

52 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
76 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

In this course oral proficiency is systematically practiced. The approach is communicative, aiming at a fast acquisition of oral skills. Both oral proficiency and motivation are stimulated through authentic material and spontaneous usage, also allowing the acquisition of relevant knowledge about German-speaking countries. Students are provided with the tools that will allow them to autonomously improve and update their knowledge throughout life.

Course material

Course text (Required) : Deutsche Grammatik, Philipp Bekaert & Ralph Bisschops, VUB, 2220170009575, 2022
Handbook (Required) : Deutsche Grammatik, Eine kontrastiv deutsch-niederländische Beschreibung für den Fremdspracherwerb, Abraham P. ten Cate; Hans G. Lodder; André Kootte, 2e druk, Coutinho, 9789062834358, 2004
Handbook (Required) : Übungsbuch Deutsche Grammatik, Abraham P. ten Cate; Erwin K. De Vries, Coutinho, 9789062834839, 2005
Digital course material (Recommended) : Aanvullend studiemateriaal wordt tijdens het werkcollege en via Canvas aangereikt. Zusätzliche Materialien werden im Kurs und über Canvas angeboten. Additional learning material is provided in class and via Canvas., Tijdens werkcollege en Canvas

Additional info

This class is taught exclusively in German, which constitutes an important source of input, but in order to attain the required level to pass this course, students will need 1° REGULAR attendance FROM THE START (ESSENTIAL information will be delivered during the first class); 2° even more important, activities in German OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM on a daily basis (help and tips will be provided in class); 3° deepen the subject matter by means of ten Cate’s manual Deutsche Grammatik (including the Übungsbuch!).

Students who cannot attend classes are expected to contact the instructor AT TERM START. It is the student’s exclusive responsibility to make up for missed (parts of) classes. Work submitted late won’t be accepted.

Learning Outcomes

General competencies

Students can understand the main ideas of a complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in their field of specialization, and can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without excessive strain for either party. The student can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options. (comparable to European Framework of Reference Level B2)

The student is able to have a spontaneous conversation about a general topic. Pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar are to a large extent conform to standard German, and communication-disrupting mistakes in these fields (Tau-chen instead of tauchen, fragen instead of bitten, als instead of wenn, gehen instead of werden etc.) no longer occur.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 60% of the final mark.
Other determines 40% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

grammatica & schrijven with a relative weight of 60 which comprises 60% of the final mark.

Within the Other category, the following assignments need to be completed:

woordenschat with a relative weight of 40 which comprises 40% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Project task and oral examination at the end of the semester. Students who don’t hand in a project task won’t be allowed to take the examination.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context