German

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, excursions are planned to 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 A2 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.

This course examines the dualism in urban planning between East and West Berlin chronologically. Since the division of the city into West and East, demonstrating the power of capitalism and socialism respectively was central to urban planning. Shortly after the war, the solution of obstacles to urban development proved vital, but the ideological usability of economic strategies and architectural prototypes soon became an essential concern of urban redevelopment policy of both nations. The course discusses and analyzes strategies and models of financing and commercialization of urban planning, cultural contexts, living and dwelling models, and political strategies and narratives. Students present in seminars and participate in two excursions in order to trace the diverse targets and demands of capitalist and socialist urban planning.

In this course, students learn to participate in discussions on various topics, to voice their opinions in a clear and structured manner, and to react spontaneously to the contributions of others. They acquire language structures and skills in order to reproduce complex information and to give sophisticated presentations. Students practice extracting important information and specific details from texts taken from different academic fields. Videos and listening exercises help students to understand longer academic texts as well as to identify information about specific aspects of a topic. Regular writing assignments help students to practice structuring texts, presenting and justifying opinions on current issues, and writing personal accounts, formal letters, summaries, and reviews. The class addresses current events as well as news and points of view surrounding the topics of university, research, and international exchange. Students also improve their language skills for applications and professional life. This class sometimes has a special focus on media, politics, and current events.