German

This course is designed for students who have successfully completed the basic level and the first part of the intermediate level of German and who have a sound knowledge of German. It focuses on encounters with various written, spoken and audio-visual texts and exchanges with other course participants. Students further develop and expand their competencies in listening, speaking, reading and writing, as well as their understanding of German culture while being enabled to learn reflectively and strategically. The course addresses cultural, political, and historical aspects of the city of Berlin and the German-speaking countries, which students analyze and compare with their own background and experiences. Through this course students develop and regularly use new strategies for language acquisition. Students participate in conversations and discussions of various topics in a German-speaking environment. Furthermore, students develop reading strategies that allow for the understanding of different texts of various levels of difficulty and from a variety of genres. In addition, students improve their essay writing skills, and are able to write texts of various length on a range of topics and revise, and proofread them.

In the B2 level, students systematize, consolidate, and expand basic knowledge of lexis and grammar acquired in the basic and lower intermediate level. The development of academic work forms and techniques is becoming increasingly important. Course objectives include the improvement of the active and passive language use through the systematic extension of the vocabulary as well as a focus on the training of oral and written skills. Further emphasis is given to the development of the language skills in everyday life as well as study-related situations in Germany. The B2 level is split into two courses, the B2.1 course covers the first half of the level and the B2.2 course covers the second half of the level.

This course focuses on different body-political movements. Which bodies are excluded, suppressed, bequeathed, violated and how? Which resistances are formed against this? How do they organize themselves? What significance does corporality have in these resistances? For this purpose the course examines activist practice, as well as some theory. The course includes guest speakers (currently planned: "Sex Worker Action Group Berlin" and "Disabled and Crazy Celebration Pride Parade Berlin"), participatory observations, and opportunities to exchange knowledge, experiences, and different perspectives. This course includes a short review of topics covered during the first semester version of the course.

This course for foreign students is designed to improve students’ language skills and vocabulary. Areas of focus include grammar, conversation, writing exercises, and listening and reading exercises. In addition, planned excursions introduce students to German culture. Students work with cultural and historical topics in everyday situations and broaden their intercultural knowledge. They are introduced to independent learning methods and familiarize themselves with typical learning situations at German universities. In this class at the C1 level according to CEFR, students do in-depth study of grammatical structures that are typical of academic writing and its application in text production and reception. They systematically expand their vocabulary (including abstract vocabulary) and stylistic ways of expression. Students critically analyze different types of texts. They learn working techniques to plan, structure, and present complex subject matter. The C1 level is split into two consecutive courses, the C1.1 course covers the first half of the level and the C1.2 course covers the second half of the level.

This course is an introduction to the evolution of the German language focusing on older, more basic developments such as the first and second High German consonant shifts. The class utilizes raw data from dialects and Old/High German in order to gain an empirical understanding of the theoretical developments discussed in class. The mastery of said languages is not necessary to enroll in the course.