In this course we will learn how to function in German in various business settings. We will cover topics such as: communication through phone, emails, letters; writing a resume and job application, preparing for a job interview; ordering and marketing; banking; company organization forms, and doing a presentation on a product and on your company. We will use a textbook with a CD, the internet, and a discussion board. We will also talk about current issues of the German and European economy. Practice and assessment through dialogue, group work, role play, writing tasks, student presentations, and exams.

Prerequisites

At NC State University you need to have completed FLG 202 or have placed into the 300 level; in more general terms, you should have four semesters of college German or the equivalent.

Student Learning Objectives

By the end of the course you should be able to:
• communicate successfully in many common business situations that require oral skills such as telephone conversations, job interviews, company visits, product or company presentations for prospective clients, etc.
• write a variety of business letters, emails and other documents in German for transactions such as ordering, making an offer, advertising a product or a position; write an appropriate resume and job application letter.
• understand, describe and explain various German business practices that differ from those in the American business culture.
• converse in German about selected topics from the world of European economics.

Texts

Required

Michael Hager: Deutsch im Berufsalltag (Thomson Heinle, 2002), ISBN 0-03-025561-9. Includes an audio CD. $66.95.
Website accompanying this text: http://deutsch.heinle.com/siteresources.html. This book has gone into "custom printing" by Thomson Learning, requiring 6 week in advance ordering; its new custom ISBN is 1413099203. Both of these books are identical, except for the book cover; both also come packaged with the CD. Get either one.

A good-size dictionary, such as the New College German Dictionary (Langenscheidt); even better: PONS Handwörterbuch für die berufliche Praxis, mit CD-ROM (Stuttgart: Klett, 2004, ISBN # 3125179629. 45,00 EUR); or the previous edition from 2001, without CD-ROM, ISBN # 3125179459, 24,95 EUR. Campus bookstores will not have the PONS dictionary on hand, please order it yourself, e.g. from these online sources for German language books: http://www.globalbooks.de, http://www.amazon.de, http://www.ibiservice.com.

You may also use on-line dictionaries such as: http://dict.leo.org and http://www.linguadict.de; there are others on the web (Google will turn them up, or see the list of links on the WebCT course site), but these may be the best or biggest ones. For help on German computer language check out http://www.goethe-verlag.com/computer.htm. However, the use of electronic (internet or CD-ROM) translation programs is NOT allowed and will constitute an academic integrity violation (see below).

Working with Multimedia Materials

At NC State the Foreign Language Technology Center (FLTC) in the Laundry Building, LAU 214, on the corner of Stinson Drive and Current Drive has many computer work stations for word processing or any other task requiring a computer. Check http://fltc.chass.ncsu.edu/ for opening hours and info on the FLTC. At UNCG and UNCW, please find out from your instructor of record or department office where you have access to a computer work station. Five times throughout the semester you will need access to a computer that has a microphone hooked up, so you can do the WIMBA role plays.

Course Requirements and Evaluation

Attendance Impact on grade is defined below in “Class Attendance Policy” (not applicable to internet students)
Class Work for videoconferencing students / WIMBA audio files and WebCT Quizzes for internet students 12%, see below for details
Roleplay on WIMBA Voice Direct 5%, see below for details
Discussions 10%, see below for details
Written Homework Assignments 18%, see below for details
Product Presentation 7%, see below for details
Company Presentation 8%, see below for details
Midterm Exam 20%, exam on material from first half of semester
Final Exam 20%, exam on material from second half of semester

Class Work/WIMBA Audio Files/WebCT Quizzes - 12%

For videoconferencing students: All 10 points will come from your performance in class. Your participation in class and therefore your grade will be determined using the following criteria:
A = you are well prepared, often with written notes, and participate actively; you are attentive, respond when called upon and volunteer often with pertinent questions and comments.
B = you are usually prepared, sometimes with written notes, and always respond when called on; you volunteer on occasion.
C= you show evidence of being unprepared; you have some trouble when called on and do not volunteer often.
D = you are unprepared and/or inattentive; you never volunteer; you come to class late and/or leave early.
F= you exhibit a lack of concern for the class; you sleep in class; your behaviour may have a negative effect on the class.
Videoconferencing students do not have to "complete" the WebCT Quizzes, however: they are highly recommended as an effective and fun way of preparation for good classwork! Do them as often as you like!

For internet students: your "classwork" or oral grade will be determined from the submitted audio assessments on the WIMBA server (6%) and the submitted WebCT Quizzes (6%). Look for details about WIMBA and the Quizzes on the WebCT site. All deadlines are noted on the schedule. WIMBA assessments are W + numbers, Quizzes are Q + numbers. The Quizzes carry points. Evaluation of the WIMBA audio assessments will follow these guidelines:

A = you answer all questions or fulfil all tasks with substantive, appropriate and somewhat detailed responses, your pronunciation is easy to understand, your choice of vocabulary demonstrates excellent command of the business language required for the task, and your grammar does not interfere with comprehension by your listener.
B = you answer most questions and fulfill most task with appropriate responses, your pronunciation does not interfere with understanding; your choice of vocabulary demonstrates a good command of the business language required for the task, and your grammar is adequate for getting your message across.
C = your answer is not as complete or as long as it should be, your pronunciation occassionally interferes with understanding; your choice of vocabulary is not always accurate and appropriate for the business context, and your grammar occassionally interferes with understanding by your listener.
D = your answer is below the minimum quantity that an appropriate response would require; your pronunciation is difficult to understand, your choice of vocabulary is often inaccurate or inappropriate, and your grammar seriously interferes with comprehension by your listener.
F = you did not complete the task.

To produce the German characters while doing the WebCT Quizzes, you may have to use the ALT-key combinations. Check here for information: http://www4.ncsu.edu/~hgb/flg307/307umlaute_fa05.htm

Role play on WIMBA VoiceDirect - 5%
WIMBA Voice Direct is a conference tool that functions like chat, but you are speaking instead of typing! Your instructor will set up 5 voice conferences for you and a partner. They are on topics related to the "Segment" that is being learned and discussed at the time. Deadlines for the role plays ("Rollenspiele") are noted on the syllabus. There are only 5 opportunities and you need to complete all 5 to get your 5 points. Check the WebCT Vista site for more information on "WIMBA Rollenspiele".

Discussions - 10%
You will complete the assigned tasks and participate in the online WebCT discussion board. Deadlines are noted on the syllabus. The discussion topics are posted on the WebCT site, both as a file for you to print ("Discussion Instructions and Topics"), and also as a task description on the discussion board itself. The file with the instruction and topics contains more details, check it out (link from the WebCT course homepage)!
To produce the German characters check here for information: http://www4.ncsu.edu/~hgb/flg307/307umlaute_fa05.htm

Written Homework Assignments - 18%
You will submit written assignments via the WebCT site assignments tool (in your course toolbar, top right). All of these assignments need to be typed, double spaced, in 12 pt. Times Roman font, with 1 inch margins on all sides. They should either be Microsoft WORD files or, if you are using a different word processing package, saved in "rich text format" (during the saving procedure, go to "save as type" then choose "Rich Text Format"). Be sure to include the class, your name, the assignment number and title, and the due date, typed at the top INSIDE your document! A brief English description of the assignment and the due date can be found in the schedule, but the German description in the "assignments" tool will contain more detail. Important: KEEP COPIES OF ALL FILES YOU HAND IN, so you can re-submit in case of technical difficulties. Keep these copies around for the length of the semester, just in case, and also to study for exams. Hand in your assignment by attaching a file when you submit through the WebCT Vista Assignments tool; I need a file in order to grade it properly. Do NOT type or copy your text into the submission text box (maybe just type: Hier ist meine Hausaufgabe) and then click on "add attachment" (as it opens up the window, click on the computer icon to the left to browse to the file on your own computer, then "open" to select it, then click on "upload file"). Check the "WebCT Orientation for Students" learning module on the course homepage for more details on this procedure; and also the "Startseite", which has a link to interactive demos on how to function as a student in the WebCT environment.
To produce the German characters check here for information: http://www4.ncsu.edu/~hgb/flg307/307umlaute_fa05.htm

Product Presentation - 7%
Together with a colleague you will do a presentation of a product. A script for it will be handed in first and returned with feedback. For more details on what to do, how to do it, a model, and evaluation criteria, click on the icon "Präsentationen" on the WebCT site.

Company Presentation - 8%
For your final project you will again collaborate with a colleague and present your own company. Each one of you may write up and present certain parts of the project, but you should critique and coordinate each other’s work and generally collaborate like a real work team. A detailed task description can be found in DB 245-246. The product of this company should be different from the ones presented before. More information can be found in DB, Segment V, esp. pp. 202-222. For more details on what to do, how to do it, a model, and evaluation criteria, click on the icon "Präsentationen" on the WebCT site.

Exams - 2 x 20 = 40%
The midterm will cover roughly the first half of the semester, the final exam the second half. Exam expectation sheets will be posted later.

Grading scale for exams (in %)

Audit Only Option
Attend all class meetings until the end of the semester; be prepared for class (read, take notes, prepare daily activities) and participate in classroom discussions. You will not have to hand in written work, audio files, or take exams, but may do so, if you wish.

Class Attendance Policy

Regular attendance is a university requirement. For every unexcused absence in excess of 2 (two) classes, your semester grade could be reduced by 1 point. If you accumulate 6 (six) or more unexcused absences your semester grade will be F. If you miss more than 10 minutes of a class period (unless pre-approved by me), it will count as an absence, but I encourage you to still attend the class so as not to miss the material. If you have to miss a class for a compelling reason, please inform me about it beforehand or as soon as possible after the absence. You will still be expected to be prepared for the next class; contact a class mate for information on the missed material and any assignments. For information about what qualifies as an excused absence, please consult: http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/academic_regulations/attend/reg.htm

Policy on Late Assignments

Late assignments may receive lower grades: one day late = one grade lower, two days late = two grades lower, etc. Exception: pre-approved or approved late submission or lateness in connection with an excused absence.

For both missing class and late submission of assignments: I strongly encourage you to communicate with me about any problems you’re having. I usually work with my students on helping them catch up and get on track again, if there are serious reasons beyond their control for having missed class or assignments. Being overworked, forgetting, etc. are NOT reasons that would qualify. As for technical difficulties with submission, we will address that problem together.

Students with Disabilities

Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with verifiable disabilities. Before talking to me, you need to register with Disability Services for Students at 1900 Student Health Center, Campus Box 7509, 515-7653. For more information consult http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/offices/affirm_action/dss/.

Academic Integrity Policy

Human interaction and effective communication function on the basis of trust. An atmosphere of trust, honesty and respect for each other fosters educational progress and success. Please do not give me any reason to be suspicious of your honesty; we do not want to train future Enron executives. You are to do your own work on all class assigments, presentations, projects, and exams, unless it is a designated pair or group assigment. That also means not incorporating others’ ideas and selling them as your own—this is called plagiarism. Whether you take ideas (verbatim or just as an idea) from books, the internet, or other sources does not matter: you need to acknowledge their source if they are not your own. The NC State Library has a Plagiarism Tutorial at: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/scc/tutorial/plagiarism/index.html

The use of electronic (internet, CD-ROM, etc.) translation programs is forbidden and constitutes an academic integrity violation.

Please ask me about anything that remains unclear. Violations of academic integrity (plagiarism, cheating, etc.) will be prosecuted according to NC State’s policy on academic integrity, posted at: http://www2.ncsu.edu/ncsu/provost/info/hat/current/appendix/appen_l.html
For UNCG students the respective UNCG policies will apply. Check your University's website and/or contact your local professor, Dr. Andreas Lixl for more information.

Semester Schedule

DB = Deutsch im Berufsalltag. Numbers are page numbers, read and study everything; come prepared with exercises indicated (“Preparation”); use the CD as indicated in the text. The scripts for the DB Hörverständnisse are printed in the back of the book, but I highly recommend doing the exercises without them and using them only AFTER you have at least attempted the exercises! Always study vocabulary, a list is at the end of each “Segment.” The grammar review items presented throughout the chapters and also the exercises that go with them (after p. 250: G1-78) are voluntary but highly recommended. Some of the "Übungen" from the back of the book (after the grammar part, pages Ü 1-56) are assigned for classwork; do the others on a voluntary basis. Also voluntary are the Quizzes in WebCT Vista, but only for the videoconferencing students. Internet students need to do tthem to avoid loosing 6 points on the written homework grade (see above); these quizzes often cover material that the videoconferencing class will work with during class, so for that group, they will help prepare you for class.

Q = Quizz on the WebCT Vista site. These quizzes are mandatory for internet students and a voluntary practice ground for videoconferencing students. Start them from within the WebCT Vista site. You can do them as often as you like before the due date listed in the schedule.

WIMBA = Wimba audio server exercises. All of the "assessments" are mandatory for internet students and will be the basis for their oral grade. The 5 voice direct role plays are mandatory for both internet and videoconferencing students.

Discussion = WebCT Discussion Board: throughout the semester you will post a number of discussion contributions on the WebCT discussion board. Deadlines are on the syllabus in the "submission" line.

All submissions of homework (“Submission”) are due on the date under which they are listed, by 12 p.m. The portions are not completely even, so I strongly suggest working ahead on some of the tasks, especially when they are due on Thursdays. Anything listed in the submission category is to be done by all students, both by the videoconferencing class and by the internet class. Submit your work as a WORD file (if you're not working in WORD, save it as "rich text format" with the .rtf extension before submitting. Submit your files with the WebCT assignment tool. In addition, students from the internet class submit WIMBA assessments (marked as "submission internet students only"); these are supposed to take the place of oral contributions in class.

A Few Tips: How to Succeed in German Class

Languages are used for communication and foreign language learning works best as a team effort. As part of the team, your instructor will do his or her best to make the class atmosphere creative, lively, and accepting of your best efforts. You have to do the other part:
1. Prepare all assigments for each class. The focus during class time is on practicing what you studied at home. It is nearly impossible to "cram" for this course and do well. Learning a language is like building a house of cards: each one must be well in place before adding the next. Spend at least 30 minutes on German per day, rather than studying all at once before exams. Regular repetition of small quantities of information is the most successful method for learning a foreign language.
2. Attend class regularly. Learning to speak a foreign language is an interactive process and you must interact with your instructor and your classmates in order to progress. Bring your book to class every day; it is essential that you have your own book for partner or group activities.
3. Participate actively in each lesson. Mentally answer each and every question whenever a classmate is responding. The more you participate, the better your grade will be, and the better your German will become.
4. Speak German as much as possible in the classroom, even before class when chatting with classmates. If you should need clarification in the classroom, the following expressions will be helpful:
Wiederholen Sie, bitte! Repeat, please.
Wie sagt man "…" auf deutsch? How do you say "…" in German?
Was bedeutet "..."? What does "..." mean?
Ich weiß nicht. I don't know.
Tut mir leid, ich verstehe nicht. I’m sorry, I don't understand.
Ich habe eine Frage. I have a question.
5. Take notes in class whenever appropriate. A lot of us are "visual" learners. By writing things down you will remember them much more easily and also give yourself a chance to review them after class.
6. Use memory tricks, songs, chants or other devices to learn new material. Say the answers to homework exercises in addition to writing them. This will train your mouth to form the right sounds and will also reinforce memorization when you hear the sounds; it helps your brain connect the sounds with the words on the page.
7. Take risks. Speak out. The more you speak, the more you will get out of the class. Making mistakes is a necessary component of the learning process. Let your instructor and your classmates assist you and make learning a joint and cooperative experience.
8. Be a good team partner in partner work or group activities. Turn your chair to create an easy setting for interaction with your partner(s). Volunteer information, keep the work moving along, but don't dominate. Help your partners, if they are having a more difficult time: helping others is an excellent way to learn for yourself. In order to be a good team player you need to be well prepared for class. Stick to German whenever possible.
9. Enjoy language learning and have fun with the language. You can create a whole new persona for yourself in the foreign language. Be playful and creative in ways that contribute to everyone’s pleasure and learning experience.
10. Stay in touch with other classmates by phone or e-mail and study together outside of class. Students in study groups often do very well. Contact a fellow student for information about a missed class, so you will be prepared when you return.
11. See German movies in theaters or on video. Video stores and online services like Netflix have them. Also check your library for holdings (the Media Center in D. H. Hill Library has a nice collection; find out what your campus library offers!) A few good ones to start with are: Lola rennt/Run, Lola, run; Die weisse Rose/The White Rose; Das schreckliche Mädchen/The Nasty Girl; Das Versprechen/The Promise, this one by director Margarethe von Trotta; Good-bye Lenin. Ask your instructor or local professor for more suggestions.
12. Participate in a German Club, if your university has one (find out locally). We have our own club at NC State and then there is one in the Triangle. The NC State German Club / DeutschKlub has weekly Stammtisch (conversation) meetings; parties; film viewings; hikes; and other activities. It is free and you can attend as many or as few events as you like. You’ll meet other students of German and also usually a few exchange students from the German-speaking countries. Check out their website at http://www4.ncsu.edu/%7Edlsmith2/Deutschklub.htm. Contact faculty advisor Helga G. Braunbeck, 515-9320, helga_braunbeck@ncsu.edu for more information.
The German-Austrian-Swiss Club of the Triangle (GAST) can be checked out at http://www.orgsites.com/nc/gast. They have monthly meetings and other activities.
13. Consider going for a German Minor. At NC State, you’ll need only five courses: FLG 201, 202, and three courses at the FLG 300 level. For more details, see the German Section Web Page at http://sasw.chass.ncsu.edu/fl/german/ or contact the German Section Coordinator, Helga G. Braunbeck, 515-9320, Helga_Braunbeck@ncsu.edu. Find out about requirements at your own institution!
14. Transform yourself by studying abroad! International experience is an invaluable asset in today’s global job market. NC-State has a large number of opportunities available, some with stipends, ranging from a five week summer program to a full year abroad. Your German does not have to be perfect for this. The Study Abroad Office (2118 Pullen Hall, 515-2087, http://www2.ncsu.edu/ncsu/stud_affairs/study_abroad/) has more information. Check out their programs in Germany, Austria and Switzerland by using the links on the German Section webpage at http://sasw.chass.ncsu.edu/fl/german/ . Especially nice are NC-State’s summer program in Vienna, Austria, (see http://www2.ncsu.edu/ncsu/stud_affairs/study_abroad/vienna.htm) and the exchange program between the UNC system and the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany for a semester or a year abroad (UNC-EP, http://www.uncep.org/bw.htm). This program is available to students from the any university in the UNC system. NC-State advisor for UNC-EP is the German Section Coordinator, Helga G. Braunbeck. Also talk to your instructor, to fellow students who’ve been abroad, and to students from a German Club to learn more!

Viel Glück mit dem Deutschstudium!
We wish you a lot of luck with your German Studies!