German Language for Humanities (20028)
Degree/study: Degree in Humanities
Year: 2nd
Term: 2nd
Number of ECTS credits: 6 credits
Hours of studi dedication: 150 hours
Teaching language or languages: Spanish
Teaching Staff: Leonhard Thoma
1. Presentation of the subject
This subject aims to provide students with an interdisciplinary approach to the German culture and language. The subject is structured in three central themes:
1. Systematic theme, which presents some of the formal aspects of this language in a descriptive way. Even though this is not a conventional German course (only focused on learning this language), students will learn the basics of this language.
2. Historical theme, which deals with the development of the German language from the origins to the present day. The analysis of the fragments of German literary texts and visual material will allow the study of some of the transformations of the German language throughout the centuries, in connection with the political, economic, social and cultural history in the German speaking countries (German language origin, the incidence of printing and the Reformation; the importance of what is usually referred to as "the republic of letters"- the Enlightenment and Goethe's time; the Romanticism and its derivations up until the connection between the German language and "the German nation" took place). The last part of the subject aims to be an approach to the German language throughout the 20th century in the context of Weimar Republic, the National Socialist Dictatorship and the Cold War until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
1. Pragmatic theme. This theme will be relevant in all the blocks of the subject. It aims to help students improve their skills in managing information resources (such as dictionaries, encyclopaedias, search engines, and so on).
The following general aims specify this approach:
(1) Developing the capacity to analyse and reflect on language in general.
(2) Acquiring basic knowledge on German literary tradition and culture.
In order to take this course no previous German knowledge is required.
2. Competences to be attained
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Generals Competences |
Specific Competences |
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Instrumental competences 1. Being able to justify postures with sound arguments both in written and in oral interventions 2. Using deductive reasoning, that is, using premises to reach a conclusion 3. Being able to use a limited set of data to generalise. 4. Having oral and written communication skills. 5. Analysing and synthesising information from diverse sources. 6. Organising and planning academic work 7. Using previously acquired knowledge from other learning activities. 8. Putting new knowledge into practice. Interpersonal competences 1. Being able to work in teams and negotiate meanings. 2. Being able to work individually. 3. Incorporating teamwork in autonomous work. 4. Being able to communicate both in small group (seminars) and large group sessions Systemic competences 1. Creativity. 2. Capacity to learn both autonomously and through continuous formation. |
1. Having correct pronunciation in standard German. 2. Understanding some expressions and elements of basic vocabulary related to personal information, learning, and so on (in German). 3. Understanding some of the main semantic and syntactic structures of the German language. 4. Knowing the order of constituents in German sentences. 5. . Understanding some aspects of German language history. 6. Understanding some aspects of language relations.
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3. Contents
Block 1: Brief approximation to the German language (4 weeks).
Block 2: Introduction to the history of German language and literature; Approximation to German culture:
Unit 1: German language origins. The incidence of language in printing and the Reformation
· Unit 2: The Enlightenment and Goethe's time.
· Unit 3: the Romanticism and its derivations up until the connection between the German language and "the German nation".
· Unit 4: The development of the German language throughout the 20th century in the context of Weimar Republic, the National Socialist Dictatorship and the Cold War until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
*The full version with the sections 4. Assessment, 5. Bibliography and teaching resources, 6. Methodology and 7. Planning of activities is available in the original version.
4. Assessment
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5. Bibliography and teaching resources
5.1. Basic bibliography
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5.2. Complementary bibliography
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5.3. Teaching resources
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6. Metodology
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7. Planning of activities
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