German

This class is predicated on the neuropsychology of auditory phenomena. Processes of human response to aspects of daily life such as conversation and music are explored via the reading of detailed research papers and in-class discussion of relevant topics.

This course is designed for beginners with basic knowledge of German. It focuses on encounters with various written, spoken and audio-visual texts and exchanges with other course participants. Students continue to develop and expand basic competencies in listening, speaking, reading and writing, and 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. At the end of the course, students are able to deal with various everyday situations (in a German-speaking environment) and engage in simple conversations. Students develop reading strategies to understand short newspaper articles and literary texts. In addition, students improve their essay writing skills, and are able to write short texts on various topics and revise and proofread them. Finally students are able to understand more detailed discussions on familiar topics.

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.