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About the Course
Develop your German language skills and learn about the cultures in German-speaking parts of the world. You'll practice communicating in German and study real-life materials such as newspaper articles, films, music, and books.
Skills You'll Learn
Understanding German when you hear it and read it
Holding conversations in real-life situations
Writing stories, letters, emails, essays, and other texts
Equivalency and Prerequisites
College Course Equivalent
An intermediate level (typically third- or fourth-semester) college course in German language
Recommended Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites, but students are typically in their fourth year of high-school-level study. In the case of native or heritage speakers, there may be a different pathway of study leading to this course.
Exam Date
About the Units
The course content outlined below is organized into commonly taught units of study that provide one possible sequence for the course. Your teacher may choose to organize the course content differently based on local priorities and preferences.
Course Content
Unit 1: Families in Different Societies
You’ll learn German language skills in the context of studying family life and values in German-speaking societies and explore contemporary beliefs and challenges that families face.
Skills you will practice may include:
- Interpreting promotional materials
- Understanding the elements of a formal letter
- Describing data from a table, chart, graph, map, or infographic
- Interpreting the context of a conversation and participating in it
- Crafting an email reply
- Giving a presentation on the nature of family and society
Unit 2: The Influence of Language and Culture on Identity
You'll build your vocabulary and learn about how language and culture shape and reflect evolving ideas about identity in German-speaking societies.
Skills you will practice may include:
- Identifying the main idea and summarizing poetry and literary texts
- Interpreting audio recordings and movies
- Comprehending articles and charts
- Drawing connections between texts and their larger cultural context
- Justifying ideas and opinions in writing
- Giving a presentation comparing German cultural concepts to familiar ones
Unit 3: Influences of Beauty and Art
You'll explore how ideas of beauty and art influence and reflect culture in German-speaking communities.
Skills you will practice may include:
- Analyzing articles and advertisements about health and beauty
- Interpreting fables and children’s stories
- Understanding what is included in the format of typical letters and interpreting their meaning
- Practicing conversational skills
- Analyzing cartoons and infographics
- Replying to emails
- Giving a presentation on beauty and German-speaking culture
Unit 4: How Science and Technology Affect Our Lives
You'll examine how developments in science and technology affect daily life in German-speaking communities and use your growing language skills to help you interpret unfamiliar words and engage in more complicated texts.
Skills you will practice may include:
- Interpreting charts, tables, and infographics in context
- Reading articles about technological trends
- Understanding interviews
- Following verbal instructions
- Comprehending oral presentations
- Writing essays and citing sources
- Giving a presentation on the impacts of scientific and technological developments
Unit 5: Factors That Impact the Quality of Life
You'll learn more about contemporary life in German-Speaking communities and how social status, cultural perspectives, and access to jobs and resources can make an impact on the quality of life.
Skills you will practice may include:
- Connecting literary texts to larger cultural topics
- Interpreting charts and articles
- Identifying perspective, tone, and attitude in a podcast
- Interpreting audio and video recordings
- Understanding instructions
- Crafting an email reply using idioms and expressions
- Participating in conversations
- Giving a presentation comparing cultures and quality of life
Unit 6: Environmental, Political, and Societal Challenges
You'll explore how complex global issues affect people’s lives in German-speaking communities and engage in deeper discussions to suggest possible solutions.
Skills you will practice may include:
- Analyzing articles and charts on social issues
- Listening for connections and meaning in audio reports
- Making cultural connections among presentations
- Writing essays to address global issues and suggest solutions
- Giving a presentation on global challenges
Credit and Placement
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Course Resources
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