Describes a literature course designed for students studying abroad, aimed at improving their chances of becoming "culturally fluent" during their stay abroad. Using writings by German and Austrian authors on dealing with cultures other than their own, provides an ongoing orientation and help to develop cultural sensitivities. (AS)

Discusses institutional constraints in the foreign language and intercultural learning process within the framework of an online collaboration project between a German and a U.S. university. Shows the benefits and constraints of such a collaboration and provides suggestions for the improvement of similar international computer-supported learning…

Investigates the effectiveness of an interactive, computer-mediated instructional segment designed to educate students about ethnicity in German-speaking countries. Fifty-two intermediate German students worked with computer-mediated segments and rated the segments' effectiveness on a Likert-scale questionnaire. (AS)

Discusses a theoretical framework for Internet-enhanced German language instruction based on sociocultural aspects of second language acquisition theory and Vygotsky's educational concept of zone of proximal development. These principles are illustrated in an Internet-based work unit on the topic of journalism. (Author/VWL)

Describes the creation and use of Web sites developed by secondary school teachers of German and European history who participated in an NEH-sponsored summer institute titled "Post-Wall Germany: Integrating Post-Unification German Culture into the High School Curriculum. Teacher participants also offer suggestions for using sites they created in…

Describes a project for first-year German that combines integration of standards with computer technology. Based on ongoing curricular changes in German programs, the focus on language instruction increasingly includes German studies approaches that introduce content-based and culture-oriented instruction as early as possible. Suggests using the…

Demonstrates the pedagogical implications of a student-conducted ethnographic interview on-site in one of Germany's new Bundeslander. Students who have had more than adequate German language preparation and who have been provided with social/historical and political background information gain lasting insights into Germans' personal perspectives…

Describes the objectives, methodology, and resources for a college German course, taught in English, that examines the concept of "outsider" and is aimed at fostering critical thinking, ethical relations, and understanding of contexts. It traces representations of cultural groups in literature and the visual arts. Students learn to question…

Explores whether and how an offering of authentic texts can be made useful for a German class that is focused on German culture and geography. Learning goals and practical strategies are derived from the unique characteristics of the texts. (Author/DMK)

Argues that despite the decline in enrollments in German at elementary and secondary schools and colleges and universities, there is reason to hope that interest can be invigorated. Suggests that there are easy instructional methods and materials for developing a new motivation in learning the language. (Author/VWL)

Suggests an approach to teaching German as a second language in which students jointly create a character and her family and then write a series of stories during he year about the character in various everyday situations. Benefits include use of basic language, cultural issues, and stimulation of student creativity and interest. (Author/VWL)

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)

Demonstrates the successful teaching of German literature through distance delivery and suggests that distance delivery does not require revolutionary changes in instructional methods. (Author/VWL)

Introduces activities designed to wean students from equivalency thinking in the German as a foreign language classroom. Suggests that with sufficient prior linguistic awareness and some target language knowledge, use of a bilingual dictionary--in book form or on a computer--can become a successful learning experience. (Author/VWL)

Responding to the gap between language and content that prevails in most foreign language departments, discusses the reconceptualization of third-year German in the curricular reform at Georgetown University. Comments on the concept of "task" that guided the reform and outlines the design of the new advanced course, discusses one course module in…