Languages and Cultures (BA) - German Track Program
Administered by Department of Languages and Cultures
Effective Fall, 2011
A total of 33 semester hours is required for a major in German in addition to 53 semester hours of general education requirements. Students must receive a minimum grade of C in every course required for the major.
Required courses for the major include (27 credits):
German Track Course Requirements - 27 credits:
- 11.203 German III
- 11.204 German IV
- 11.206 Conversation and Composition I
- 11.207 Conversation and Composition II
- 11.390 German Studies Abroad I
- 11.490 German Studies Abroad II
Note: Transfer of a minimum of 15 credits from the combined 11.390 and 11.490
Secondary Education in Languages and Cultures additional requirement:
- 16.350 Foreign Language Teaching Methodology
Immersion Experience Requirement:
Students earning a degree in Languages and Cultures are required to complete an immersion experience as determined by the Department of Languages and Cultures.
In many cases the immersion experience will transfer as a regular required course or as regular required courses from, for example, study-abroad programs. If the immersion experience does not have a direct course equivalent, then it will appear in the student's transcript as a special course Immersion Experience and carry 0-3 credits (16.390).
Fulfillment of the immersion experience may include but not be limited to:
- Participation in a Languages and Cultures exchange program,
- Participation in a study-abroad program that is not a direct exchange,
- Intensive immersion courses at a university in the United States,
- Internship or practicum at a business in another country,
- Internship or practicum with a charity organization in another country,
- Internship or practicum in a domestic program for which the second language is necessary,
- Working as an interpreter.
Goals and Objectives:
Languages and Cultures are inextricably entwined. The goal of immersion in a culture of a second language will be the student's application of knowledge of a second language in an authentic social context beyond the necessarily artificial environment of the classroom. The intent is that students experience the challenges and the gratification of living in another culture. In order to demonstrate proficiency, students in Languages and Cultures must experience the authentic and at times random and unpredictable applications of their knowledge of a second language.
An immersion experience allows students the opportunity to apply knowledge of a second language in an authentic cultural context.
At the completion of this course the student will:
- 1. have a better knowledge of how visual, acoustic, gestural, and ritual systems of the target culture.
- 2. be able to identify and/or explain how a specific foreign cultural community embedded in a dominant culture chooses to perform and present itself.
- 3. be able to recognize how an immersion experience might transform the individual's native cultural domain.
Assessment:
Assessment of student learning for the immersion experience is presently embedded in courses to be transferred or in the course assessment section of the Immersion Experience (16.390) course.
Evaluations may be based on the following criteria emphasizing spoken and written assessments:
I. Oral reports, presentations using electronic media, individual interviews with the instructor, assignments requiring a second language applied outside the classroom, and extemporaneous speaking activities will be evaluated to determine students' progress in a second language in an authentic cultural context; these procedures apply to goals and objectives 1, 2, and 3.
2. Written essays, discrete written exercises on grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, tests and quizzes incorporating both structured and extemporaneous writing, everyday applications of writing tasks (email, forms, blogs, etc.), may be evaluated to determine students' progress in a second language in an authentic cultural context; these procedures apply to goals and objectives 1, 2, and 3.
Education Majors
Students seeking Secondary Education Certification in German must declare majors in both German and Secondary Education (German) and complete the full German course sequence as well as the Secondary Education Professional Course and Certification requirements. Students must consult their advisers in both departments each semester regarding course selection and other certification requirements. Full program requirements for students seeking Secondary Education Certification in German may be found at http://bloomu.edu/catalog/s2011/cops/sec_german.php.
Study Abroad in Jena, Germany
Bloomsburg University offers an exchange program with the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität in Jena, Germany. The Jena program is open to all Bloomsburg University students who have had at least two years of college German or the equivalent. Jena offers a broad range of courses for exchange students, such as German Language, Culture, Literature, Intercultural Business and Communication. Students are placed in courses after taking a placement test in Jena. The exchange usually takes place in spring semester. Students are encouraged to participate in their sophomore or junior years.