ATS3859 - Style and register: Scholarly and professional writing in German - 2019

The unit aims to enable 3rd year German Studies students to develop stylistic competence in the areas of German research writing and German as a Language for Special Purposes (GLSP). The advancement of research writing skills will assist students with aspirations toward further postgraduate studies, GLSP seeks to equip double degree students to operate more efficiently in a German speaking professional environment (for example engineers, medical or legal professions).

Students will be able to capitalise on their research capabilities through a GLSP-facilitated focus on their language development. This will be achieved through a) a scholarly focus on the articulation of research themes and the development of academic research projects in German and b) applied research in vocational areas such as journalism, teaching German, engineering, science, medical and legal professions

Students will be given an opportunity to explore the nuances of German stylistics and deepen their competence of oral and written styles of texts.

Particular focus will be on different registers and styles (e.g. style and deviation, general stylistic principles, metaphor, iconicity, ambiguity, cohesion, deixis, style and choice, selected professional jargons and communicative efficacy).

There will be a strong emphasis practical application through weekly writing workshops and project development and presentation. The dual focus on research writing (for students aspiring to undertake honours and postgraduate studies in German), as well and writing for the professions (GLSP).

Upon successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:

1. identify a variety of stylistic and genre choices in German language;
2. critically determine the advantages of stylistic competence;
3. apply different styles, genres and register to match the communicative purpose of their German;
4. communicate in German using advanced written and oral presentation skills;
5. apply research skills to produce a written project.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information

German studies