Composition/Conversation

Catalog description

Composition & Conversation is designed for post-intermediate students of German who have a solid grasp of German grammar and vocabulary and wish to extend their knowledge of the German language, history, and culture through reading, watching films, discussions, and writing. Conversation & Composition is a reading- and writing-intensive course. Emphasis will be placed on refining written expression and developing the ability to express, discuss, and argue opinions.This course will give you an overview of recent German political, social and cultural history after 1945 and onwards. Focus will be placed on moments of social criticism and changes – from the youth cultures in the 50s and 80s to the women's movement and ecological protests, from love happenings and terrorism to mass demonstrations and the fall of the wall. During the course, we will explore narratives that are related to our topics from a variety of genres: newspaper/magazine articles, TV/radio documentaries, music, film, photography, and other visual material. The class is taught entirely in German and emphasizes the language skills necessary to communicate effectively in a foreign language speaking, reading, viewing, writing, and listening.