COURSES DURING TERM TIME
General Information
The courses offered by the Department of German as a Foreign Language are aimed at the following groups:
• Students on international programmes (Erasmus, DAAD), students on international courses of study (IHP)
• Students from partner universities and other exchange students
• Students on full time courses with a final qualification, who have passed the DSH or have an adequate TestDaF grade.
• Visting researchers
Parallel to your studies, you have the opportunity to extend and to deepen your knowledge of German. Our courses are designed as content-based language courses, which aim to improve your linguistic skills and give you subject-specific knowledge (relative to the level of the course in question) at the same time.
We offer 13-15 courses per semester. Credit points can be gained for every course attended. Preconditions for the awarding of credit points are regular attendance and evidence of the completion of out-of-class work (e.g. homework). The number of credit points to be awarded is related to workload required by the course; i.e it is related to the number of hours the course demands. Additional evidence of course attendance (e.g. exams, homework, presentations) can be recorded with a mark where required.
In agreement with the individual faculties and institutes, we also offer special progammes for specific interest groups (e.g. students in English-speaking courses).
Registration and Start Dates winter semester 2012/13
Our registration days for the winter semester 2012/13 are
• Wednesday, 10 October 2012
• Thursday, 11 October 2012
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. During this time, a (contractually binding) online placement test will be carried out.
Location: Universitätsstraße 90 | 44799 Bochum
(Campus line U 35: Stop "Wasserstraße")
You must register personally, even if you have taken courses with us during the previous semester. Consultation and placement require about an hour in total.
Lessons commence on Monday, 15 October 2012.
Course Programme winter semester 2012/13
259100 Communication Training I - B.1
Group 1: Tuesday, from 04:15 p.m. to 06:45 p.m.
Group 2: Thursday, from 04:15 p.m. to 06:45 p.m.
3 hours/week, head of class: A. Antoniewicz
259101 German for Students on English-Speaking Courses - A.1
Wednesday, from 03:00 p.m. to 06:15 p.m.
4 hours/week, head of class: S. McCaskill
259102 Communication Training II - B.2/C.1
Group 1: Thursday, from 02:30 p.m. to 05:00 p.m.
3 hours/week, head of class: D. Schinauer
Group 2: Tuesday, from 02:30 p.m. to 05:00 p.m.
3 hours/week, head of class: Th. Gerlach
259104 Argumentation and Presentation in Academic Discussion - B.2/C.1
Wednesday, from 09:30 a.m. to 01:00 p.m.
every two weeks from on 17.10.2012
2 hours/week, head of class: B. Hermans
259105 Preparing and holding presentations - B.2/C.1
Wednesday, from 09:30 a.m. to 01:00 p.m.
every two weeks from on 24.10.2012
2 hours/week, head of class: B. Hermans
259125 Academic Communication I - B.2/C.1
Tuesday, from 09:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
1 date: 27.11.2012, 2 hours/week, head of class: S. Kleff
259107 Cultural Studies - B.1
Wednesday, from 02:00 p.m. to 04:30 p.m.
3 hours/week, head of class: D. Schinauer
259123 Cultural Studies - B.2
Wednesday, from 05:00 p.m. to 07:30 p.m.
3 hours/week, head of class: D. Schinauer
259109 International Internship (B.2/C.1) - Module: Applications Training
2 hours/week, head of class: S. Kleff
This course will take place at end of the winter term 2012/13
259110 Language for the Job: Law Course
1 hours/week, head of class: M. Kirsch
This course will take place at end of the summer term.
Location: Universitätsstraße 90 | 44799 Bochum
(Campuslinie U 35: Haltestelle "Wasserstraße")
All participants already registered for the course will receive more information via E-Mail. New participants welcome – if you’re interested and haven’t registered yet please contact Mechthild.Kirsch@rub.de.
259108 Phonetics - A.2/B.1
Friday, from 02:00 p.m. to 03:30 p.m.
2 hours/week, head of class: D. Schinauer
259124 Phonetics - B.2
Friday, from 04:00 p.m. to 05:30 p.m.
2 hours/week, head of class: D. Schinauer
259120 Academic Writing II - B.2/C.1
Thursday, from 09:00 a.m. to 01:00 p.m.
1 date: 08.11.2012, 2 hours/week, head of class: Dr. Dahlhaus
259106 Academic Writing: Group Counselling
head of class: Dr. Dahlhaus
259111 General Language Course - A.1.1
Thursday, from 04:15 p.m. to 07:30 p.m.
4 hours/week, head of class: C. Gnanko
259112 General Language Course - A.1.2
Group 1: Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 01:30 p.m.
4 hours/week, head of class: B. Liebig
Group 2: Wednesday, from 04:15 p.m. to 07:30 p.m.
4 hours/week, head of class: I. Marinova
259113 General Language Course - A.2.1
Wednesday, from 04:15 p.m. to 07:30 p.m.
4 hours/week, head of class: B. Liebig
259114 General Language Course - A.2.2
Friday, from 02:15 p.m. to 05:30 p.m.
4 hours/week, head of class: E. Antoniewicz
259115 General Language Course - B.1
Group 1: Wednesday, from 04:15 p.m. to 07:30 p.m.
4 hours/week, head of class: M. Klasa
Group 2: Monday, from 04:15 p.m. to 07:30 p.m.
4 hours/week, head of class: Th. Gerlach
259116 General Language Course - B.2
Thursday, from 04:15 p.m. to 07:30 p.m.
4 hours/week, head of class: B. Liebig
259121 General Language Course - B.2
Saturday, from 09:00 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
4 hours/week, head of class: N. Cappelli
259118 PhD students: course 2 - A.2
Tuesday, from 05:30 p.m. to 08:00 p.m.
3 hours/week, head of class: B. Zhegrova
259119 PhD students: course 3 - B.2
Thursday, from 05:30 p.m. to 08:00 p.m.
3 hours/week, head of class: D. Schinauer
Teaching rooms will be announced shortly before the start of the course.
Individual Course Descriptions
Basic Oral Communication
The aim of this course is to give students who have completed an A.1 course the necessary skills to overcome daily situations where oral communication is required. Through skills-based training and with the help of communication- and compensation strategies, students will practice and gain deeper confidence in formal and informal daily speaking situations. This involves training in both dialogue situations (e.g. answering simple questions, reacting to statements, exchange of information) and monologue situations (eg. introducing yourself, explaining feelings, explaining opinions).
Academic Communication I*
This course is aimed at students who are either studying for their Bachelor or begining their Master courses, who wish to improve their working strategies in order to improve their final mark. The objective of the course is to enable participants to interact better in academic situations, for example in classes, seminars or face-to-face meetings with tutors.
Communication Training I
Entry requirement for this course is competence level A2. This course offers the chance to extend and deepen skills in the following areas: to explain something in a specific context, to explain and justify opinions, to collect and pass on information, to give oral feedback, to give short statements, to formulate requests.
Communication Training II
Entry requirement for this course is competence level B1. This course offers the chance to gain the following skills: correct expression of wishes/requests, active listening, assuring oneself of facts, asking clairfying and follow-up questions, explaining procedures , precisely describing and explaining content, giving short staments e.g. in relation to controversial issues, clearly explaining, justifying and defending one’s own opinion.
Academic Communication II*
This course is aimed at students who are either studying for their Bachelor or begining their Master courses, who wish to improve their working strategies in order to improve their final mark. During the course, participants will learn how to improve their skills in the following areas:
• Reading strategies: reading academic texts
• Listening strategies: note-taking training
• Oral communication. discussion, project work
The course will take into account around the relevant study subject areas of the students involved.
Argumentation and Expression in Academic Discussions
This course is aimed at PhD students, visiting researchers and students on international programmes who already have an advanced level of German (B2/C1) and who wish to improve their speaking and writing skills in such areas as argumentation, reaction to impulses and expression of one's own point of view. The course will be based on academically related texts from various disciplines, which will be systematically discussed and debated. In this way, new language structures for argumentation will be introduced and dissected into speaking strategies (e.g. justifying, expressing intention, comparison, presumption). Furthermore, students will improve their knowledge of specific examples of academic discussion in hypothetical situations.
Preparing and Giving Seminar Paper Presentations
This course is aimed at students who already have an advanced level of German (B2/C1), who wish to develop strategies to optimise their preparation and presenting techniques. The seminar paper is one of the most important methods of text work in many subjects, particularly in Arts disciplines. A variety of different steps and techniques are required to adequately present a seminar paper, all of which will be practised during this course. Participants will have the possibility afterwards to present smaller texts and to practice with various elements e.g. quotations.
Reading and Listening Strategies
This course is aimed at students who already have an advanced level of German (B2/C1), who wish to improve their skills in listening and reading comprehension.
This course is accompanied by an eLearning module, which allows participants to train independently in specific areas.
Academic Writing II
This course is aimed at students in the Master phase of their studies, who wish to finish their studies in a more focussed and effective manner. Sadly, written skills often develop very gradually. Students taking this course will learn in small steps how to deal with the complex requirements that academic written work demands. At the end of the course, students should be able to write a short written assignment which meets the academic requirements of their faculty. The course should consist of the following elements: writing as a process, the various steps of academic written work, the formulation of questions, the use of quotations, text summaries, argument, the assumption a particular position and sentence forming in academic writing
Listening as a Study Skill (e.g. note taking)
This course is aimed at students who wish to improve their listening skills in academic situations such as lectures, seminars etc. Lectures will be simulated in en-bloc lessons, during which participants develop note taking skills and structuring techniques for listening texts. It is essential that participants are present in all lessons, as the individual skills build up from each other and cross reference each other.
Cultural Studies I
Cultural Studies II (Culture and Science)
Using authentic materials (press articles, scientific journals from the Ruhr University, online election tools, Wahl-O-Mat, caricatures, music, films etc.) students will gain an insight into cultural and scientific events here in Germany. Through a variety of teaching and learning methods, students will be able to practice all four skills (reading, listening, writing and speaking) up to a level of B2/ C1. According to the “workload” involved, credit points can be awarded if students choose to complete a task (academic paper, written record, written assignment). This can then be awarded with a mark.
Phonetics
All of our phonetic training courses help you a better understanding of German in two ways. On the one hand, you should be able to make yourself better understood as a non-native speaker by coming closer to the standard articulation and intonation of spoken German. On the other hand, you should be better able to understand spoken German by getting a better overview of the various phonetics of the German language and rules as to pronunciation of sounds and syllables (within a single word or within multi-word constructions). In addition, you will be given the chance to learn new pronunciation patterns and made aware of typical patterns for speakers of your language.
Participants will also learn the differences between the colloquial/ everyday German and the correct standard pronunciation. Every participant will prepare a text to be delivered orally, for which they will receive feedback from other students and the course tutor. Workshops in other “native languages” will be offered where demand is sufficient.
German for Business
Module -Applications Training (B.2/C.1)
4 en-bloc seminars on the subject of getting jobs/ internships, with practical language exercises in the field of applications: analysing a job advertisement, personal profiles, covering letters, the CV, applications by e-mail and job interview simulations.
International Internship
Building block: Applications training (B.2/C.1)
Do you want to start/apply for an internship in the near future? We offer a series of workshops entitled "International Internship", which provides you with the specific linguistic and intecultural preparation to step into the German job market - and tackle the challenges involved in a professionally accomplished manner.
• Consolidation of (linguistic) business skills with a view to the requirements of an internship place.
• Improvement of level of professionally oriented langauge skills/business German and teaching of relevant strategies.
• Deepening of relevant oral and written skills in internship-related situations.
Legal German (B.2/C.1)
This course deals with the special characteristics of legal language. The main focus of the course is enabling participants to recognise the special linguistic requirements demanded of students of Law, in particular when writing examination papers.
The content of this course is built around the typical grammatical structures, vocabulary and special expressions of legal German as they appear in legal texts and as they should be reproduced in examinations.
This course is aimed at all students of Law, regardless of which semester they are in, who wish to improve their professional language skills. Knowledge of German (minimum level B2) is absolutely essential.
Course for Students in International Study Programmes Taught in English: German for Learners with English as a First Foreign Language (A.1)
Use your knowledge of English in order to make your learning German more effective. If your studies and research are in English and English is your first foreign language, but you’d also like to learn some German, then this is the right course for you. You will be able to identify which type of learner you are, your individual learning habits and gain some knowledge about the specific learning strategies which you have already used when learning English. You will activate your learning potential so that your German language acquisition in the challenging German university context will become more effective.
General Language Course (A.1)
This course is aimed at students without prior knowledge of German. Within simple communication scenarios from everyday- and university life participants will be trained in the four basic skills (listening, reading, speaking and writing) and will learn basic grammatical structures. Additional stress will be laid on pronunciation, and participants will have the opportunity to learn about the cultural background of Germany, the Ruhr Area and Bochum.
General Language Course (A.1.2)
The level required for entry onto this course is somewhere between the completed beginner course (A1.1) and a level A2 course. As such, it is aimed at students who have some prior knowledge of German (acquired for example in their country of origin), but not enough to secure entry onto A2 courses. This course covers all of the four main skills and builds on the material from course A1.1
General Language Course (A.2.1 and A.2.2)
The successful completion of course A1 is a prerequisite for entry onto this course. The course aims to build on the four main skills (listening, reading, speaking and writing) by extending their reach and depth. Participants will therefore learn how to deal with situations from everyday- and student life. Grammatical structures will be presented and practised in communication scenarios. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the cultural background of Germany, the Ruhr Area and Bochum.
General Language Course (B1)
This course is aimed at students with a secure knowledge at level A2. Using communication scenarios from everyday- and student life, the main emphasis will be placed on the improvement of the four main skills: listening, reading, speaking and written communication. Building on the practically inclined grammatical base of A1 and A2, B1 level structure grammatical structures will be introduced and practised.
General Language Course (B2)
A prerequisite for entry onto this course is the successful completion of a B1 course. With a view to the skills required to participate in a course of study, reading and listening strategies will be trained intensively, as will oral communication skills in academic contexts. Also part of the course is the production of smaller texts.
Contact
Beate Hermans
Department of German as a Foreign Language/ZFA
NEW ADDRESS:
Universitätsstraße 90 | 44799 Bochum
(Campus line U 35: Stop "Wasserstraße")
Fon 0049-(0)234-32-23887
beate.hermans@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
Office hour: Monday, from 02:00 p.m. to 03:00 p.m.