Colby College                                                     Fall 2000

GM 333
Contemporary Germany
Deutschland heute

http://www.colby.edu/german/contemp_germ

Time/Location
 Tuesday, Thursday  1:00 - 2:15 p.m.  LRC, Lovejoy 404

Professor 
 Ulla Reidel; Lovejoy 446;
 872-3127 (office); 547-3887 (home); u_reidel (e-mail)

Office Hours
 Monday 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. Freitag 10.00-11.00 a.m. and by appointment

German Language Assistant
 Sara Kühne, Lovejoy 452; x 3624

Books/Internet
Tatsachen über Deutschland. Herausgegeben vom Presse- und Informationsamt der Bundesregierung. 
Frankfurt: Societäts-Verlag, 1999.
To be handed out  free of  charge

GM 333 Coursepack/Workbook. Hard copy of the course web pages.
To be purchased in the secretarial office, Lovejoy 317A. $ 6:00

GM 333 web pages
http://www.colby.edu/german/contemp_germ

Course Description
A guided tour of Germany on the internet for advanced students of German. 
Students explore authentic German web sites that provide information  about  Germany's  political, socioeconomic and cultural  landscape. Topics  include  political geography, population,  the government, the economy, European integration as well as education, society and cultural life.
Discussion focuses on issues such as disparities after unification, the integration of foreigners, the social security system, similarities and differences with the US, traditional values and fragmentation of national identity.
The course  is a technology  based learning experience that includes a class list-server for e-mail exchanges and the publishing of students' projects on the web.
It is experimental and untraditional in its exclusive use of internet resources.
There are no papers, vocabulary tests, or exams.  It does away with the split between the instructor centered classroom and the computer centered lab work. 
Instead, this course is a guided collaborative exploration of the resources the web provides. Students develop their computer skills and gain expertise in working receptively and creatively with the internet .
Students utilize and expand their German language skills through immersion in the target language and culture as it presents itself  in virtual reality.
The course provides an opportunity to experience todays global network as a source of inspiration for students when thinking about  career paths and  planning  for the future.

Requirements and Grading

  •  Preparation and Work in Class
You work through the assigned course web page before each class meeting.
You follow the instructions in the course workbook while looking at the web sites and take notes. 
In class we clarify the matrial and discuss the web sites.
Your contribution to this discussion depends on your preparation and will be evaluated as the oral part of your performance throughout the semester.
After the discussion of the material in class you go back to your notes and type your answers or comments into the copy of the workbook page on your zip disk.
These copies are obtained from Colby's General Server/Course Materials/ German/GM 333.
After completion of a section, you print out the assignment and hand it in.
It will be checked, not graded or corrected. 
25 % of the grade is based on this part of the course work reflecting preparation, oral contribution and evidence of understanding and finalizing a section.
 
  •  Writing 
You post a message/report ( in German, approximately 200 words) on the class list-server once a week. You are free to follow the assignment as listed or to comment on or discuss a message of a fellow student.
The purpose of the list-server is communication among the participants and should be a platform for a lively exchange of ideas. The contributions can express individual opinions or criticism, but should always be relevant to the material. 
These messages will be corrected by the instructor and you will get individual feed-back on your performance. 
The messages count for 25 % of the final grade.
 
  •  Project
Early on in the semester students choose a topic which they want to explore in depth on the internet and for which they design their own web site. Click on this link for an example.
After being instructed how to create a web site, students work continually throughout the semester on the design of a web page for their project. They write their own texts and use a digital camera or the scanner to create images. 
When using quotations and images from the internet the source (web address) has to be provided.
The project counts for 35 % of the final grade.
 
  • Exercises
The web page exercises are printed out in the second part of the course workbook. They focus on developing language skills. 
You copy the files from Colby's General Server/Course Materials/German/GM 333/Übungen on to your zip disk. 
Work through the exercise on the screen and on your disk. Print out and hand in.
They are graded and count for 15 % of the final grade.
 

Hints

  • When switching between web sites you have three options:
1. Use the green back button on the left side of the Netscape ruler.
2. Use the GO pull down menu and click on the site you want to pull up.
     The GO option is only active when you are in Netscape.
3. Use the COMMUNICATOR pull down menu and return to the site you want.
  • Use the net on a daily basis. 
  •  Take your time to study a web site.
  • Scroll down before leaving a web page.
  • Take notes.
  • Write down web addresses when at a Colby computer. Bookmarks might get lost.
  • Stop surfing the net and settle for a specific site.
  • Be patient with yourself and the computer.
  • Enjoy your increasing competence and confidence in using technology.


Syllabus
The syllabus is outlined in detail on the overview page of each chapter.  It lists the  "Themen in der Klasse" and the "Aufgaben". 
The sequence and the extent in which the individual chapters are covered is flexible in order to leave room for digression from the course web pages.
The pace of the course will be determined by students' initiative and creativity as well as by their progress in language and technological skills.