Montgomery College (Rockville, Maryland)
Syllabus, GR101-21397, Fall 2006, Technical Center 231. Department phone: 301-251-7407.
Elementary German I, 3 semester hours. Evening campus phone: 301-279-5242.
Mondays and Wednesdays, 9/6/06-12/20/06, 6:30pm-7:45pm.
Dr. David N. Wigtil, Instructor E-mail: wigtil@his.com Web: http://www.his.com/wigtil.
Textbooks: Treffpunkt Deutsch, Widmaier & Widmaier, 4th edition, textbook and workbook.
Language Lab: 20 hours. See pertinent handouts.
Class attendance: Mandatory. If you miss classes, you may be dropped from the course. See additional notes.
Testing and grading:
- Three tests, 50% of course grade (16.67% apiece).
- Language laboratory attendance required: deductions for non-attendance, up to 5% of your course grade.
- Workbook sheets, 10% of course grade.
- Class participation, 5% of course grade.
- Final examination: 35% of course grade, on Wed., Dec. 20, 2006, 5:00pm-7:00pm. Note the time! The final exam covers all material presented in class, in the textbook and workbook, and in the language lab. If you skip or fail the final exam, you receive an “F” for your course grade, regardless of your average scores.
Course Grading Structure: A (100-90%); B (89-80%); C (79-70%); D (69-60%); F for lower scores.
Office Hours: 7:45pm-8:45pm, Mondays, in TC-231, or by phone, or by appointment.
Course Objectives: To teach introductory German vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar; to promote language skills in German (speaking, listening, reading, writing); to introduce the culture, customs, and history of the world’s German-speaking peoples.
Course Description: Introduction to basic modern German, including the fundamentals of pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. Several instructional techniques will be used, among them: lecture, repetition and drill, conversation, language lab, and written exercises.
Target Audience: Students with no prior experience in the German language. There are no prerequisites for this course. GR101 is not designed or intended for native or near-native speakers (such as former students at a Gymnasium or Universität) or for those with substantial prior training in German (such as two years of German in an American high school, intensive or immersion courses in German, etc.). The college offers advanced courses for such persons.
Important Dates (2006): Check with Admissions and Records Office or at “MyMC Registration” for specific official details; all dates here reflect the calendar shown on the MC Web site.
· Sept. 12, the last day to drop a class with a refund;
· Sept. 26, the last day to withdraw from this course without a grade, or to switch between “audit” and “credit” status, or to add the course with instructor’s permission;
· Nov. 22, the last day to drop this course with a grade of “W” recorded.
The Study of German:
Why German? German is the primary or exclusive language for five nations in Europe and a minority language in over a dozen more. In the world of business and economics it is second only to English. Among the top ten world languages numerically, German is spoken either natively or as a regular second language by over 125 million people world-wide.
How should I study? Studying a foreign language means both adopting a new method of communication and learning a new way to think. Cramming doesn't work; mere silent reading doesn't work. You must make mistakes to make progress in a language! There is no other way. Do not be embarrassed to try. Those who don't try don't learn. I strongly recommend the following study techniques, some of which differ noticeably from what you do in other subjects:
· Plan a minimum of six hours per week of study outside of class time. You must study a minimum of one-half hour each day, for no more than 45 minutes at a sitting. Try multiple sessions every day, for six days every week. You must provide sufficient study time for yourself.
· Complete and submit all written exercises from the workbook on time. Complete all exercises in the hardcover textbook, and repeat them as often as possible.
· Further, do all "written" exercises out loud – oral practice is absolutely essential. Read all "readings" and other German textual materials out loud at least three times through.
· Memorize all patterns both orally and in writing: noun patterns, adjective patterns, pronoun patterns, and many verb patterns. You must typically recite a pattern 100 to 150 times to memorize it effectively, just as you memorize a piece of music in order to prepare for a concert performance. Dedicate for yourself a "rehearsal room" and "practice times" to carry out this effort.
· Find study partners in the class, and get together or phone one another often to practice conversation and work on exercises.
· Practice conversation with native or near-native speakers of German, but don’t expect them to explain grammar or other questions to you. After all, how much English grammar can you explain to anyone starting to learn English? For instance, what does the word “the” mean?
Your mouth will feel strange at first, the spellings will contradict all your instincts, the grammar and the words may seem peculiar...but soon German will start to become your own way of communicating and thinking, as it is for so many others.
How fast will I learn? You took five to ten years – or more! – to learn English well (or whatever your native language may be). Foreign language teaching methods can speed up this process quite a bit, but it will still take time to hold an adult-level conversation comfortably in your new language, perhaps two or three years of college classes (as opposed to intensive, 12-hour-a-day study programs). Furthermore, even the most linguistically gifted students always feel like they’re behind by several weeks, so you may feel a twinge: there is none of the instant gratification we usually enjoy in the modern world. It may take a month just for you to quit hearing “Deutsch” as a code word and to start feeling automatically that it means…just Deutsch!
And yes, you must memorize: This means the fast, smooth way you can repeat the months of the year in chronological order (rather than the bumbling way you would repeat them in alphabetical order!). In college choir everyone agreed we didn’t really know a song by memory until we had sung it 100 to 150 times. Language is very closely related to singing, so repeat, memorize, repeat, and memorize, for it may take you 100 repetitions to permanently learn a grammatical pattern or a new set of vocabulary. Listen to the schoolmaster: be patient, work hard, study every day!
What is the instructor’s job? I Cannot Make You Learn. After all, it’s possible to learn any language just by self-study, so you don't actually need me! Likewise, I do not pursue or monitor or hound you. I want only to assist you in learning. My function is to explain, to direct you on how to practice (you have to do the actual practice on your own), to motivate you to meet class deadlines, to evaluate your work and report to the world how well you’ve done, and to be the focus of your occasional confusion and frustration.
If you have any disability that may cause you difficulty in this class, I will attempt to work out whatever arrangements you wish that may assist you. I want to assure that you have the same chances as everyone else to succeed in this course. To initiate such arrangements, feel free to contact me before or after class or during my office hours, or to telephone me. The MC Office of Disability Support Services in room CAB 122 (Counseling and Advising Building), voice 301-279-5058 (TTY 301-294-9672, and fax 301-279-5097), can offer specific kinds of assistance, too. If you need an accommodation due to a disability, please call, write, e-mail, or visit me during office hours. I will need a letter from Disability Support Services (R-CB122, G-SA175, or TP-ST120) authorizing your accommodations for this course. Students who may need assistance in the event of an emergency evacuation must identify themselves to the Disability Support Services Office; guidelines for emergency evacuations for individuals with disabilities are found at https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/dss/tbl-cnt.htm.
This is a language course. That means "labor-intensive." Make room in your schedule for homework and language lab time. I expect every one of you to do your very best, both in oral and written language. I expect you to adhere to the MC student Code of Conduct in the Student Handbook and to the highest ethical behavior, both in doing your own work and in promoting the best learning situation for everyone else in the course. I will do my best to help each of you learn as well as you can.
Montgomery College, Rockville, Maryland.
German GR101-21397, Fall 2006, MW 6:30-7:45pm, Dr. David N. Wigtil, wigtil@his.com.
ATTENDANCE. Attendance is mandatory and is critical for your success in German. Attendance is recorded at the beginning of each class session. Montgomery College policy permits no more than two absences for classes that meet twice a week. It also permits me to drop you from the class roll and assign a grade for the course if there is another absence. (There are no "excused" absences.) I urge you to attend every class session, since I do regularly use this authority: I do drop students who stop attending class. You must contact other students to collect lecture notes and other information for any class time that you miss.
No advance excuse will be accepted for absence from the final exam. I accept as valid excuses only personal illness affecting your academic activity, severe illness or death among your family and loved ones, dangerous weather, or other unavoidable personal emergency.
(No classes will be cancelled due to bad weather, unless the public news media report that "Montgomery College, Rockville Campus" or "Montgomery College, All Campuses" are closing due to severe weather. You can also call the college at 301-279-5000 or check http://www.mongtomerycollege.edu for information about closings.)
Language lab attendance is fundamental. I consider it critical to success in German. According to college policy, the first 10 hours must be completed in the first half-semester, and the last 10 hours must be completed only in the second half-semester. I discard any lab attendance beyond 10 hours that are recorded in the first half-semester and any hours beyond 10 that are recorded in the second half. According to my own policy, I also discard any lab times of the following types: 1) any single (continuous-time) lab session recorded as lasting beyond 60 minutes, 2) any single-day lab session separated by less than 60 minutes from a prior lab session, 3) any single-day total lab attendance beyond 90 minutes, and 4) any lab session that is recorded as overlapping with a class session of GR101-21397.
Attending 20 hours or more will assure that you will receive no lab-related deductions when I tally the grades. If you do not complete all 20 hours, I deduct one-half a percentage point per missing hour from your overall course average, up to a maximum deduction of 5%. The lab automatically records your attendance, by start- and stop-times and by chapter, and reports it to me at mid-semester time and at the end of the semester. See also the pertinent handouts from the college.
TESTS and FINAL EXAM. All tests are cumulative. All material presented in the textbook or in class sessions may appear in any subsequent test.
There will be no make-ups for individual tests. One make-up test will be offered on Wed., Dec. 13, 2006, for any missed test. The entire class can take this exam. This make-up test will not be used to replace your score on the final exam.
- Students who have missed one test can take the make‑up and can substitute its score for the missed test.
- Students who have not missed any test can take the make-up to replace the lowest previous test score. If the make‑up score is higher than the lowest previous score, the score of the make-up exam will replace that low score. If the make-up score is lower than any of your prior test scores, it will be discarded; no harm can occur to your course grade.
- Students who have missed more than one test can take the make‑up to replace only one of the missed tests. Other missed tests will then remain at a score of zero.
In effect, your test average is based on the “best three out of four.”
There is no make-up for the final exam. Students who skip or fail the final exam receive an "F" for the entire course, even if the numerical average of coursework scores appears to be in the passing range. Again, if you skip or fail the final examination, you will fail the course. No advance excuses will be accepted for absences from the final exam period. Only absences due to incapacitating personal illness or severe illness or death among your family and loved ones will be excused after the fact. Mechanical problems, work schedules, and so on, will not be accepted as excuses. The final exam is 35% of your grade; I recommend getting to campus early, to assure that you get around car trouble, traffic jams, etc. The college permits a failing grade to be assigned to students who inexcusably miss the final.
If any other class manages to schedule its final exam in conflict with German GR101-21397, it conflicts with published "Collegewide Fall 2006 Final Exam Schedule." Please inform me immediately if you find yourself with final exam scheduling conflicts.
INCOMPLETES. Students who stop attending class without proper arrangements with me receive a "W" or an "F". Students who skip or fail the final exam receive an "F" for the entire course. I assign an "Incomplete" only by prior arrangement and in the face of unavoidable and unforeseeable circumstances of life. All incompletes must be made complete within four weeks of semester's end, roughly January 22, 2007, or they revert to failures. I pursue no one in these matters; you must initiate all actions with me and with the college.
ASSIGNMENT SCHDEDULE
9/6/06
Montgomery College, Rockville, Maryland.
German GR101-21397, Fall 2006, MW 6:30pm-7:45pm
Dr. David N. Wigtil, wigtil@his.com
I reserve the right to make changes to this schedule in class by either oral or written announcement.
Note: This class meets on Columbus Day (October 9, 2006).
Date Treffpunkt Deutsch
6. Sep. Erste Kontakte (Seiten 1-9) und Kapitel 1.
11. Sep. Kapitel 1.
13. Sep. Kapitel 1.
18. Sep. Kapitel 1.
20. Sep. Kapitel 1.
25. Sep. Kapitel 2. Blätter vom Arbeitsheft für Kapitel 1 sind fällig.
27. Sep. Erste Prüfung (Einleitung und Kapitel 1). Kapitel 2.
2. Okt. Kapitel 2.
4. Okt. Kapitel 2.
9. Okt. Kapitel 3. Blätter vom Arbeitsheft für Kapitel 2 sind fällig.
11. Okt. Kapitel 3.
16. Okt. Kapitel 3.
18. Okt. Kapitel 3.
23. Okt. Kapitel 3.
25. Okt. Zweite Prüfung (von Einleitung durch Kapitel 3). Kapitel 4. Blätter vom Arbeitsheft für Kapitel 3 sind fällig.
30. Okt. Kapitel 4.
1. Nov. Kapitel 4.
6. Nov. Kapitel 4.
8. Nov. Kapitel 4.
13. Nov. Kapitel 5. Blätter vom Arbeitsheft für Kapitel 4 sind fällig.
15. Nov. Dritte Prüfung (von Einleitung durch Kapitel 4). Kapitel 5.
20. Nov. Kapitel 5.
[22. Nov. Keine Vorlesungen.]
27. Nov. Kapitel 5.
29. Nov. Kapitel 6. Blätter vom Arbeitsheft für Kapitel 5 sind fällig.
4. Dez. Kapitel 6.
6. Dez. Kapitel 6.
11. Dez. Kapitel 6.
13. Dez. Kapitel 6. Blätter vom Arbeitsheft für Kapitel 6 sind fällig. Extra-Prüfung (von Einleitung durch Kapitel 6).
20. Dez. Examen (Einleitung und Kapitel 1-6), 17.00 bis 19.00 (5:00pm-7:00pm).