German

This pre-semester course prepares foreign students for academic study at a German university. The focus is on the introduction and consolidation of basic grammatical structures, as well as on the continuous development of a basic vocabulary. Student develop listening, reading, speaking and writing skills for specific everyday situations, work on oral and written exercises, and are introduced to independent learning methods. They work with and reflect on cultural topics in everyday situations in Germany, in Berlin, and at the university. In this class at the A1 level according to CEFR, students review and learn basic grammar points and are systematically introduced to basic vocabulary. All four skills are developed and applied to everyday situations and some study-related situations. The A1 level is split into two courses, the A1.1 course covers the first half of the level and the A1.2 course covers the second half of the level.

By studying vocabulary and grammar intensively, as well as practicing speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills, students revise and develop what was learned at level A1, improving communicative competencies. This makes students better prepared for studying and daily life in Germany and enables them to proceed to level B1. The A2 level is split into two courses, the A2.1 course covers the first half of the level and the A2.2 course covers the second half of the level.

Students explore the relationships of architecture and city planning to ideology, society and politics. Specifically, the course entails the development of these relationships in the context of Berlin across a number of different political eras, including the Empire, the Weimar Republic, National Socialism, the Cold War and the subsequent time which has elapsed since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Course contents range from shorter texts and lectures to long, involved city explorations and possibly exhibition visits.

In this class on the A2 level according to CEFR, students learn to understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). They study to communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Students work to describe in simple terms aspects of their background, immediate environment, and matters in areas of immediate need. Topics are taken from Berlin and German history and culture and also include politics as well as intercultural topics and current events.