GRN1515

Advanced language and literature 3, part 1

C Rigby

6 points - 5 hours per week - First semester - Clayton - Prerequisites: VCE (HSC group 1) German - Prohibitions: GRN1115, GRN1215, GRN1315, GRN1415, GRN1615 or GRN1030 or GRN1070 (pre-1997 codes)

Objectives Upon successful completion of this subject, students should have extended and deepened their knowledge of the German language and German culture; improved their knowledge of the finer points of German grammar; extended their vocabulary as much as possible through wide reading of various types of texts, including television and radio materials; acquired practice in using German in both spoken and written form to discuss topics of current interest, based principally on the reading of a wide range of newspaper articles; become familiar with language containing varying degrees of dialect influence; acquired the ability to translate complicated, non-specialist German texts into idiomatic English, and to translate fairly complicated English texts into German. Students should have been enabled to expand their knowledge of German culture and society in the 20th century; to develop an understanding of the role of language and aesthetics in shaping social life in a German context; to enhance their ability to recognise and analyse different types of texts in terms of their internal structures and their functions in the contexts in which they were produced and received; to develop their German language skills in the areas of reading, listening, speaking and writing; to acquire skills in researching, both individually and collaboratively, and in presenting the results of their research and reflection in both written and verbal form.

Synopsis Part 1: German language. Spoken and written German. Areas covered will be politics, history, social issues, environmental issues, humour, literature and literary figures. Attention will also be given to general aspects of daily life, including colloquial language and proverbs, and to technical language. Part 2: German literature, culture and society. The main trends in the literature and culture of the German speaking countries in the twentieth century, together with the study of selected literary texts.

Assessment Written (2500 words): 35% - Examinations (3 hours): 65%

Prescribed texts

Borchert W Draußen vor der Tür Rowohlt
Dreyer H and Schmitt R Lehr- und Übungsbuch der deutschen Grammatik Verlag für Deutsch
Fulbrook M The divided nation: Fontana history of Germany 1918-1990 Fontana
Terrell P and others German-English English-German dictionary Collins

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