German Language Program

Overview | Courses | Placement
Articulation of the Curriculum

Courses in the German Language Program | Current Courses

German 1: First-Year German I. Credits: 1.00
First semester of a two-semester sequence. Communicative approach to the language of every-day life in German-speaking countries. Practice in spoken and written German (speaking, listening, reading, writing); introduction to German culture and society through poems, songs, films, and other authentic materials. Computer, video, and audio labs are an integral part of the course. Click here for sample
German 001 Syllabus.

German 2: First-Year German II. Credits: 1.00
Second semester of first-year sequence (see above). Click here for sample German 002 Syllabus.

German 14: Intensive First-Year German. Credits: 2.00
Combines in one semester the work of German 1 and 2. Also taught in Duke-in-Berlin fall semester program.

German 65: Intermediate German. Credits: 1.00
First semester of a two-semester sequence (65-66). Builds language proficiency through a topic-oriented syllabus focusing on contemporary German-speaking cultures and societies (family, leisure, work, education, environment, current events). Provides a thorough review of German grammar. Authentic texts from a variety of media will provide the basis for discussion and cultural awareness. Extensive reading includes one longer prose text (in 65) and one full-length play (in 66) by contemporary German, Swiss, or Austrian writers.
Click here for sample German 65 Syllabus.

German 66: Intermediate German. Credits: 1.00
Second semester of Intermediate German (see 65 above). Click here for sample German 66 Syllabus.

German 69: Intensive Intermediate German II. Credits: 2.00
This one-semester intermediate course (two-course credits) provides a thorough review of the basic structures of the German language, and further develops reading, listening, speaking and writing abilities through a topic-oriented syllabus dealing with contemporary German-speaking cultures and societies (see 65-66). Authentic texts from a variety of media will provide the basis for discussion and cultural awareness. This course effectively combines the two-semester Intermediate sequence (65-66) into one semester, thus preparing students more quickly for 100-level courses. Click here for sample German 69 Syllabus.

German 100S: Business German. Credits: 1.00
Introduction to the language and culture of German business.

German 117S: Advanced German I: Culture and Society. Credits: 1.00
German 117 and 118 expand and deepen students' cultural literacy and interpretive skills by focusing on issues of social, cultural, and political significance in German-speaking countries (e.g. reunification, multiculturalism, representations of women, globalization of media, role of Germany in United Europe, dealing with the holocaust, issues of identity). Students work on increasing active and passive vocabulary and perfecting sentence structure for oral and written communication in various formats: formal and informal. Intensive work on idiomatic vocabulary, sentence structure and patterns of expression will enable students to discuss a variety of complex topics with increasing ease and confidence. Click here for sample German 117 Syllabus.

German 118S: Advanced German II: Text and Context. Credits: 1.00
This course is designed to further students' overall German language proficiency at a very advanced level. Focus is on increasing their ability to express own ideas as convincingly and precisely as possible. In particular, it will focus on the use of writing to foster an understanding of the varied communicative functions of language. We will read authentic texts from a variety of media and genre, each with a thematic focus. We will also analyze the various genre in terms of form, content, style, audience, and purpose, emphasizing the process through which a writer creates and produces meaning. Through a process of carefully guided writing exercises, including free writing, composing drafts, peer editing, and revising, students will practice writing various kinds of texts, such as biographical portraits, place descriptions, narratives, reports, reviews, argumentation and persuasion, and literary interpretive essays.