Our Courses
GER 1, 2, and 3 is the three-semester sequence that comprises the Basic German Language Program at Penn State. Students who successfully complete GER 3 or its equivalent will satisfy the 12-credit language requirement for most majors.
Our Approach
We follow a communicative approach to language teaching which means that students are asked to interact with each other but also with different media, e.g., informative texts, short literary texts, and films, in a meaningful way. During class, students practice high-frequency grammar structures and vocabulary in interactive, communicative activities. We help students develop all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students are exposed to a variety of cultural practices of the German-speaking world and learn about diverse members of various German-speaking communities. Our expert instructors strive to create meaningful, productive, and fun classes. We offer a comfortable and welcoming learning environment.
Our Goals
- Provide students with the linguistic and cultural tools that will allow them to interact with German-speakers in a variety of contexts
- Expose students to art, literature, and music from the German-speaking world
- Increase cultural awareness of the German-speaking world amongst our students
- Help our students develop intercultural competence
- Promote study abroad opportunities for our students
- Provide students with a solid foundation for pursuing a minor or major in German Studies at Penn State
- Help students increase their level of German proficiency from beginning to beginning intermediate/A0-A2.1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CERF)
Not sure which of our Basic German Language classes is the right fit for you?
Please check Penn State’s Placement Policy for World Languages for more information.
Questions?
Please do not hesitate to reach out to
Sarah Henneböhl, Ph.D.
Basic German Language Coordinator
suh976@psu.edu
In this 4-credit German language course, students will develop basic competence in speaking, listening, reading, and writing in German at the beginner level. Students will learn and practice high-frequency grammar structures and vocabulary in interactive, communicative activities, but also encounter various cultural perspectives and explore cultural practices and behaviors of diverse members of various German-speaking communities.
The goals of GER 1 are…
- to introduce students to the basic aspects of German grammar so that they can carry out basic communicative tasks
- to help students acquire necessary vocabulary for expressing themselves on basic everyday topics
- to introduce students to significant cultural practices and historical events from the German-speaking world
- to help students develop skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening
- to provide opportunities for interaction and continuous practice and review of German
- to help students develop into skilled and strategic language learners and language users so that they can successfully continue their German learning experience.
Students must keep in mind that language learning is a long-term process and will not happen overnight. In order to ensure successful completion of the course and to achieve the course objectives, students are required to take responsibility for their own learning (rather than passively memorizing things), to work steadily throughout the semester (no last-minute cramming!), to be engaged, attentive, to work collaboratively with others inside and outside of the classroom, and finally to have fun while learning to communicate in German. While learning can be frustrating and challenging at times, students must not forget that it is an enriching experience to be able to communicate in a foreign language and explore a foreign culture.
At the end of their first semester of German, students will be able to perform the following language tasks in German:
- Introducing yourself
- Greeting and saying goodbye to friends
- Learning courtesy expressions
- Talking about yourself and others
- Spelling your name
- Performing simple math problems
- Asking and telling time
- Describing your university and classroom
- Exchanging information about courses of study
- Talking about the calendar and dates
- Asking and responding to simple questions
- Talking about your family and friends
- Describing yourself, other people, and things
- Saying how old you and others are
- Talking about things that belong to you and others
- Talking about pastimes, weekend activities, and sports
- Talking about what you are going to do
- Describing your daily routine
- Talking about personal hygiene
- Expressing likes and dislikes
- Talking about food and ingredients
- Reading a menu
- Ordering food in a restaurant
In this 4-credit German language course, students will further develop basic competence in speaking, listening, reading, and writing in German at the beginner level. The course is a continuation of students’ language learning process which started with GER I. Students will learn and practice high-frequency grammar structures and vocabulary in interactive, communicative activities, but also encounter various cultural perspectives and explore cultural practices and behaviors of diverse members of various German-speaking communities.
The goals of GER 2 are…
- to introduce students to the basic aspects of German grammar so that they can carry out basic communicative tasks
- to help students acquire necessary vocabulary for expressing themselves on basic everyday topics
- to introduce students to significant cultural practices and historical events from the German-speaking world
- to help students develop skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening
- to provide opportunities for interaction and continuous practice and review of German
- to help students develop into skilled and strategic language learners and language users so that they can successfully continue their German learning experience.
Students must keep in mind that language learning is a long-term process and will not happen overnight. In order to ensure successful completion of the course and to achieve the course objectives, students are required to take responsibility for their own learning (rather than passively memorizing things), to work steadily throughout the semester (no last-minute cramming!), to be engaged, attentive, to work collaboratively with others inside and outside of the classroom, and finally to have fun while learning to communicate in German. While learning can be frustrating and challenging at times, students must not forget that it is an enriching experience to be able to communicate in a foreign language and explore a foreign culture.
At the end of their second semester of German, students will be able to perform the following language tasks in German:
- Talking about celebrations and holidays
- Extending invitations
- Planning activities
- Talking about and describing clothing preferences in a store
- Talking about how much things cost
- Negotiating and paying for items you buy
- Saying and describing what you bought
- Talking about people and places you are familiar with
- Comparing people, things, and situations
- Talking about where and how you live
- Talking about furniture, household items, and household activities
- Talking about your vacation plans
- Describing a hotel
- Talking to hotel personnel
- Talking about how you and others feel
- Talking about the seasons and the weather
- Talking about means of transportation and technology
- Expressing actions or states completed in the past
This 4-credit German language course is designed to help you develop your skills in speaking, reading, and writing German at the intermediate level. You will learn, review, and practice high-frequency grammar structures and vocabulary in interactive, communicative activities, but also encounter various cultural perspectives and explore practices and behaviors of diverse members of different German-speaking communities.
The course goals of GER 3 are to:
- consolidate your knowledge and command of the basic points of German grammar so that you can carry out a variety of communicative tasks
- broaden your vocabulary for expressing yourself on topics relevant to everyday life in German
- help you consolidate and advance your skills in reading, listening, writing, and speaking German
- provide you with opportunities for interaction in and continuous practice and review of German
- help you develop into a skilled and strategic language learner and language user
- help you developed knowledge related to the diverse nature of German identity through a variety of textual and visual media, as well as in a variety of contexts
- help you developed critical thinking skills to recognize author positions, author voice, and author stance/attitude in society by analyzing both content and language
- help you develop communicative skills to describe your observations, indicating your increasing awareness of power structures accurately and respectfully in German-speaking society, your ability to adopt and understand perspectives of individuals in marginalized groups, and your knowledge of how power and privilege influence (communicative) relationships and dynamics on interpersonal, intergroup, and institutional levels
- help you to draw connections between your developing awareness about the multifaceted aspects of German-speaking culture/society and how it relates to your home cultures/societies, to understand how you negotiate your own identity in multiple (intercultural) spaces
Students must keep in mind that language learning is a long-term process and will not happen overnight. To ensure successful completion of the course and to achieve the course objectives, students are required to take responsibility for their own learning (rather than passively memorizing things), to work steadily throughout the semester (no last-minute cramming!), to be engaged, attentive, to work collaboratively with others inside and outside of the classroom, and finally to have fun while learning to communicate in German. While learning can be frustrating and challenging at times, students must not forget that it is an enriching experience to be able to communicate in a foreign language and explore a foreign culture.