This article discusses a three-course sequence which has been designed to aid students' attainment of Advanced Low proficiency according to ACTFL guidelines. A cycle of iterative tasks (with increasing learner autonomy) within and between the courses in the sequence are highlighted and their implementation discussed. Additionally,…

This article reports on the ways of incorporating paintings, posters, and film into an advanced German content- and language-integrated course called "Green Germany." It demonstrates how these visual media can be employed for enriching the exploration of various aspects of the course's environmental themes. In line with the research…

In this article we present an integrated curricular model for addressing the transition from the intermediate to the advanced language level through peer-assisted learning activities in the post-secondary German classroom. In a series of group projects between students in second- and third-year conversation courses, we employed a learner-centered…

Culture has always been a part of foreign language learning. However, in recent years, more and more language professors advocate placing culture at the center of our classes. The question of just how to teach culture remains a topic of debate. This paper describes the reworking of a traditional German grammar and reading course into a class that…

Small German programs need to reach out to first-year students in order to expand the pool of potential majors and minors and to increase program visibility on campus. This article demonstrates how an interdisciplinary Seminar for Freshmen on Vienna and Berlin can be used to introduce students to the study of the German-speaking world by comparing…

This article describes an undergraduate, German-language course that aimed to improve students' language skills, critical thinking, and declarative knowledge of German history and culture by studying multiple manifestations of the legend of Siegfried the Dragonslayer. The course used web-based e-learning tools to address two major learning…

Content-based instruction (CBI) has been part of the foreign language curriculum for many years at US colleges, leading to courses that combine language instruction with specific content domains, such as film, literature, politics, sports and many others. This article presents a rather unusual choice of content domain for a second-year language…

Courses on the culture of the German-speaking world (GSW) have long dotted the landscape of undergraduate course offerings at North American colleges and universities. The primary purpose of this article is to share information about a new kind of undergraduate culture course that uses castles as a vehicle for introducing students to past and…

Fifteen years after the "peaceful revolutions" brought about the collapse of communism and the reunification of East and West Germany, a heated debate rages over the legacy of communism and the continuing impact of 1989. This paper describes a new course that explores the contentious issues in this debate through the innovative use of the course…

Introduces a computer-assisted business translation course, developed as part of a grant. Discusses course goals and mechanics, choice of software and texts, educational backgrounds, classroom activities, strengths and weaknesses of computer assisted translation and evaluates the success of the course(Author/VWL)

Identifies areas that need improvement in teaching assistant training programs in the foreign languages if graduates are to be competitive in the job market, including course design, syllabus writing and identification and statement of curriculum and course objectives; design of content courses; materials development; articulation between the…

Students in a third-year introduction to German literature course chatted over networked computers, using "FirstClass" software. A brief description of the course design is provided with detailed information on how the three chat sessions were organized. (Author/VWL)

Recounts one teacher's experience in teaching the concept of childhood and 19th-century German children's books in a fourth semester German course. Outlines the methodology, evaluates the accomplishments of the course, and discusses the problems encountered. The students' familiarity with some of the images, symbols, and experiences shown in the…

Suggests an approach to compositions that addresses the special character of intermediate foreign-language writing through process assignments that involve strategic corrections and a series of interrelated, in-class writing activities, including expansion exercises intended for use during the revision period. This essay design also coordinates…

Describes a St. Olaf College (Minnesota) seminar on German- Americana, and suggests ways in which instructors in other areas of the country can create a course reflecting local experience. The course, taught in German, offers information about the broad spectrum of German language and German immigrant life in the United States. A dozen goals of…