GM201 German Intermediate B1 - Course Materials and Goals - Fall Term 2019

Sep 22, 2026

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GM201 German Intermediate B1 (Group A) Fall Term 2019 is a course designed to raise communicative competence for intermediate proficiency in German. It emphasizes speaking and writing to express personal ideas, developing strategies to understand spoken and written discourse, and building grammatical, lexical, and cultural accuracy. Students practice through group/partner interaction, audiovisual listening, writing tasks, and discussion of short texts. Requirements include hardcopy homework, specific formatting, time investment of at least 12 hours weekly, and strict submission and grading rules.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Course Materials

Required Textbooks and Recommended Resources

Course Description and Goals

Communicative Competence and CEFR Alignment

Classroom and Outside-of-Class Practice

Attendance

Absence Limits and Late Policy

Disability Accommodation Procedure

GM201 German Intermediate B1 (Group A) Fall Term 2019 Instructor: Christiane Bethke Course Number: GM 201, Group A Times: Monday, 15:45-17:15 Wednesday, 15:45-17:15 Friday, 15:45-17:15 Location: E-Mail: [c.bethke@berlin.bard.edu](c.bethke@berlin.bard.edu) COURSE MATERIALS Begegnungen B1+ Integriertes Kurs-und Arbeitsbuch. Deutsch als Fremdsprache. Leipzig: Schubert, 2013-ISBN: 978-3941323209 Bookstore near campus: Buchhandlung Chaiselongue, Dietzgenstr. 68, 13156 Berlin. Phone: 030 476 111 31, E-Mail [info@chaiselongue-buch.de](info@chaiselongue-buch.de) Note: You will have to order and purchase the book. Please make sure you have a copy at the start of the semester! Strongly Recommended: English Grammar for Students of German. Eds. Cecile Zorach, Charlotte Melin. Olivia Hill Press, 2001. ISBN: 0-934034-31-1 or: Essential Grammar of German with Exercises. Ed. Monika Reimann. Max Huber Verlag, 2012. ISBN-10: 3192015756 I strongly encourage you to make use of the following resources: 􀁸 The Bard Center for Foreign Languages and Culture provides various language learning materials on the website at [http://flcl.bard.edu/resources/german/](http://flcl.bard.edu/resources/german/) 􀁸 Check out the “Resources” section at the Bard College Berlin German Studies Program website; it provides an overview of useful links and online resources on German language, literature and media at [https://berlin.bard.edu/academics/german-program/](https://berlin.bard.edu/academics/german-program/) COURSE DESCRIPTION AND GOALS This course is designed to advance your communicative competence to reach an intermediate level of proficiency in German. By “communicative,”we mean that you will learn to express your own ideas orally and in writing, and to develop strategies for understanding spoken and written discourse - as opposed to merely memorizing vocabulary lists and grammar rules. By “competence,” we mean that your acquisition of the language must show a high level of grammatical, lexical, and cultural accuracy. Our goal is not simply a list of rules and words, but real communication between speakers. To achieve these goals, you have to engage in as many communicative exchanges as possible. The course will give you ample opportunity to do so: in the group or with a partner, indirect interaction with me, in listening to dialogue between other native speakers on audiovisual media, in expressing your ideas in writing, and in understanding and discussing short texts. 􀁸 The classroom interaction will be in German , because input and use are the chief engines of foreign language acquisition. 􀁸 Active and consistent classroom participation is crucial to your success at acquiring the language. A language cannot be “crammed” in. So as to get the most out of this class, you need to constantly use and practice the language. 􀁸 Outside the classroom, you are expected—and will need to—spend at least 12 hours a week, which corresponds to two hours each day, doing your homework, and learning and practicing your grammar and vocabulary. 􀁸 Make sure to always bring a hardcopy of your written homework to class. Assignments need to be double-spaced and have margins of about 3 cm on each side for comments and corrections. You will have to compose two versions of each of the longer written assignments. Based on your instructor’s feedback on version one, you will have to correct your essay and then receive a grade. 􀁸 Essays that are up to 24 hours late will be downgraded one full grade (from B+ to C+, for example) . Instructors are not obliged to accept essays that are more than 24 hours late. Where an instructor agrees to accept a late essay, it must be submitted within four weeks of the deadline and cannot receive a grade of higher than C. Thereafter, the student will receive a failing grade for the assignment. The learning goals of B1 are in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages:

FAQs

What is the main goal of GM201 German Intermediate B1 for Group A?

To advance communicative competence to reach intermediate proficiency, focusing on real communication rather than memorizing lists and rules.

How much time are students expected to spend outside the classroom?

At least 12 hours per week, corresponding to about two hours per day, for homework and grammar/vocabulary practice.

What are the attendance rules and consequences for absences?

Students may have no more than three absences; additional absences lower the final grade by half a point, and six absences or more lead to automatic failure.

Sep 22, 2026

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