WCAS Department of German: Undergraduate: Second-Year German

The primary goal of intermediate German (German 102) is twofold: students will develop and refine basic German language skills while learning about German literature, culture, and history. Students will work with a variety of materials (video, film, audio material, cultural readings and literary short stories) to insure exposure to different styles of written and spoken language. Reading, writing, listening and speaking is practiced during the year. However, each quarter, a different skill is emphasized and practiced. Students who lack some of the basic knowledge or simply have forgotten some German over the summer, wil be able to review all important German grammar points with the help of an online grammar program.

Students in Intermediate German get to meet Bauer Gischow who tells a compelling story about the loss of his farm to the former East German government as well as many other citizens of a small former East German town.

Ja, so war es, so war es, ich erzähl hier die Wahrheit. Das durfte ich während der anderen Zeit alles gar nicht erzählen, ne? Wenn das einer gehört hätte, hätt' er mich angezeigt, dann hätten sie mich abgeholt - dann wär' ich auch weg vom Fenster gewesen. So war es.
(To hear Bauer Gischow's voice, click on the picture.)

If you would like to learn more about Bauer Gischow and what life is like ten years ago for him and for other fascinating people in the former East German city of Neubrandenburg, sign up for Intermediate German 102. Here are some other highlights of Intermediate German.

Oral language practice with native speaker guest interview.
Language and culture practice with interactive multmedia software.
Grammar and vocabulary review with interactive computer program.
Exploration of the internet and its German resources.
Skit performace and skit evening.

If you have questions about the Intermediate German sequence, contact the coordinator of second-year German Katrin Völkner (k-voelkner@northwestern.edu).