Course Description

The German-speaking culture has a long "green" tradition reflected in the arts, in literature and in scientific discoveries that have made Germany, Austria, and Switzerland leaders in the development of alternative environmental technologies. In this course we will discuss everything from nature poetry and landscape painting to the Germans' strong environmental consciousness, issues of climate change, and the latest environmental technologies. We will start with texts and art on the concepts of nature during Romanticism, briefly look at the effects of industrialization at the end of the 19th century, discuss the Nazis' attitude towards nature and then spend most of the semester discussing the second half of the 20th and the beginning 21st centuries. The time after 1960 brought a steep rise in environmental consciousness, the success and tremendous political effect of Germany's Green Party, issues of increased air and water pollution, waste management, energy production, climate change, transportation systems, green architecture, and how to develop sustainable alternative energy sources. We will study literary and non-literary text and image sources and you will learn to discuss nature and environmental issues in German through our class debates, essays, oral presentations and projects. Practice and assessment through dialogue, group work, role play, writing tasks, student presentations, and a portfolio.

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

As a successful student by the end of the course you should be able to:

• demonstrate familiarity with German nature poetry, songs and other fictional texts about the human/environment interaction
• discuss environmental issues, among them water and air pollution, green architecture and urban planning, genetic engineering, and global warming
• demonstrate knowledge about the history of the German movement to protect nature, started in the 19th century, and the environmental movement and the Green Party started in the seventies
• explain selected environmental technologies, e.g. alternative energy sources such as wind and solar energy and their projected impact on the life of future generations
• critically evaluate and assess the impact of the lifestyle of Western industrial civilization on the global environment and the economic development of Third World countries
• explain the role of German, Austrian and Swiss technological inventions in addressing global political, economic and environmental issues
• discuss environmental ethics and European Union versus US environmental policies
• demonstrate all of the above mentioned skills in German.

Texts

Required

Torsten Mertz: Ökologie (Köln: Dumont, 2006). 14.90 EUR.

A good-size dictionary, such as the New College German Dictionary (Langenscheidt)

Online sources for German language books: http://www.globalbooks.de, http://www.amazon.de, http://www.ibiservice.com.

You can also use online dictionaries: http://dict.leo.org, http://dict.tu-chemnitz.de/, http://www.dict.cc/, http://wolfram.schneider.org/dict/, and http://www.linguadict.de.

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

If you want to work on the NC State campus, the Foreign Language Technology Center (FLTC) in the Laundry Building, LAU 214, on the corner of Stinson Drive and Current Drive and the other CHASS computer lab in Withers Hall have many computer work stations for word processing or any other task requiring a computer. Check http://chasslabs.chass.ncsu.edu/laundry/home for opening hours and info.

Course Requirements and Evaluation

Class Preparation and Participation 20%
Discussion Board 10%
Essays 20%
Portfolio 20%
Short Presentations 10%
Major Presentation 20%

Here is more information on these tasks:

Attendance Impact on your grade is defined below in “Class Attendance Policy”

Class Preparation and Participation - 20%
Your preparation for and participation in class will be evaluated 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.

Discussion Board- 10%
You will complete the assigned tasks and participate in the online WebCT VISTA discussion board. Deadlines are noted on the syllabus. The discussion topics are posted on the WebCT VISTA 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 instructions and topics contains more details, check it out (link from the WebCT course homepage)! You have 7 opportunities to post and are required to make 5 postings, each counting 2%, for a total of 10%.
To produce the German characters check here for information: http://www4.ncsu.edu/~hgb/flg307/307umlaute_fa05.htm

Essays - 20%
We will write 3 essays, see the semester schedule for due dates. You will write a first draft ("Konzept") and then hand in a corrected and improved final version ("Reinschrift"). I recommend saving your first draft as a file so you can then easily make changes to it for the final version and do not have to retype it (which often causes new mistakes!). Your grade will be the average of the first draft and the final version. Each essay should be about 1 1/2 to 2 pages long (up to 3 pages is fine). These essays need to be typed, double spaced, in 12 pt. Arial/Helvetica font, with 1 inch margins on all sides. Be sure to include your name, the class, the essay number, "Konzept" or "Reinschrift", typed at the top right, single spaced, then the title centered underneath ! Also be sure to type all umlauts and proof read your essay. To produce the German characters on your computer check here for information: http://www4.ncsu.edu/~hgb/flg307/307umlaute_fa05.htm. Staple the pages together.
Evaluation of the essays is in terms of content (i.e. what you say: correct facts, good ideas and arguments), effective communication (i.e. is there a good introduction, then a substantial main body, then a good conclusion; do you get your points across?), use of appropriate and rich vocabulary (especially the new vocabulary relating to nature and the environment!) and of correct and higher level grammatical structures (e.g. use of hypotactical sentence structures, i.e. dependant clauses. Do not write only short main clauses!).
To produce the German characters check here for information: http://www4.ncsu.edu/~hgb/flg307/307umlaute_fa05.htm
From the WebCT VISTA course web site click on "Essays" to get a list of essay topics and more detailed instructions.

Portfolio - 20%
Throughout the semester you will create and collect items for your portfolio, such as vocabulary lists, reflections on your learning process, creative writing pieces, essays, etc. From the WebCT VISTA course web site click on "Portfolio" to get all the details on how to assemble it and how it will be evaluated.

Short Presentations - 10%
Throughout the semester you will do a few short presentations on assigned topics. For more details on what to do, how to do it, and evaluation criteria, click on the icon "Präsentationen" on the WebCT VISTA site.

Major Presentation - 20%
For your presentation during final exam period you will present a longer project with your partner. For more details on what to do, how to do it, and evaluation criteria, click on the icon "Präsentationen" on the WebCT VISTA site.

Grading scale (in %)

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

"CR" (Credit) Policy

If you are taking this course for "CR", you need to do ALL the work for a grade and all other policies (except audit policy) also apply. In order for you to receive a "CR" (credit), you will need to make a semester grade of C- or better. Please be aware that a CR course will not count for your GER requirement (if you need it for that purpose) and that it will also not count for your German Studies Major or German Minor.

Audit Policy

In order to receive an "audit" for this course you need to attend at least 20 of the 29 class sessions and attend at least one session in the last two weeks of the semester. You should also prepare the material to be covered, so you can actively participate in the class discussions and group activities. You do not need to hand in any work, write the essays, prepare the portfolio, or do the presentations - however, you may do so, if you wish. Contact the instructor if you have questions.

The official NC State Policy on Grading (and CR, Audit, Incompletes, etc.) can be found here: http://www.ncsu.edu/policies/academic_affairs/grades_undergrad/REG02.50.3.php

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. 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 assignments. Being overworked, forgetting, etc. are NOT reasons that would qualify. As for technical difficulties with electronic submission, we will address that problem together, but please allow a little extra time when submitting your work electronically, so it will arrive on time.

Incomplete Policy

Incompletes (IN) will be assigned at the instructor's discretion in line with university policies on grading: http://www.ncsu.edu/policies/academic_affairs/grades_undergrad/REG02.50.3.php

Students with Disabilities

Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with verifiable disabilities. In order to take advantage of available accommodations, students must register with Disability Services for Students at 1900 Student Health Center, Campus Box 7509, 515-7653, for information see http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/offices/affirm_action/dss/. For more information on NC State's policy on working with students with disabilities, please see the Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Regulation (REG02.20.1) at: http://www.ncsu.edu/policies/academic_affairs/courses_undergrad/REG02.20.1.php.

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. 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

Semester Schedule

For information on what texts or websites to read and prepare for each class, you need to check the respective "Lektion" on the VISTA course website! This schedule just lists our topics and the due dates for work to be handed in or posted.

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

All submissions of homework (“Einreichen”) are due on the date under which they are listed, at the beginning of the class period.

A Few Ideas for more and better German in your Life!

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 for more suggestions.
Listen to German radio stations on the internet! A list of them can be found here: http://www.multilingualbooks.com/online-radio-german.html.
4. Participate in a German Club. 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/~nbuch/dk/. Contact faculty advisor Ralph Jones, re35rjje@us.ibm.com for more information and to be included in the listserv that sends out information about weekly activities.
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.
5. Consider going for our new German Studies Major with three different tracks! 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.
Or decide to do a German Minor. At NC State, you’ll need only five courses: FLG 201, 202, and three courses at the FLG 300 level. The German Minor Advisor can answer your questions and sign you up: Dr. Lutz Kube, lkube@unity.ncsu.edu.
6. 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://studyabroad.ncsu.edu/ 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, and the exchange program between the UNC system and the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany for a semester or a year abroad, check out the links on the German Section web page: http://sasw.chass.ncsu.edu/fl/german/. 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 Spass bei diesem Kurs und in Ihrem Deutschstudium!