Variationen: advanced German
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This course follows on from Motive: upper intermediate German (L203). Variationen provides opportunities for you to study aspects of German speaking cultures in greater detail and develop your academic skills and language competence in the process. You will learn, for example, to understand and analyse authentic spoken and written sources, communicate and collaborate through media such as emails, forums and wikis, and present your own work by writing a variety of personal, journalistic and academic texts as well as by giving presentations.
Fees 2012
See fees and funding options for study from September 2012.
Course facts
An undergraduate course in Environment, Development and International Studies and Languages.
| About this course: | |
|---|---|
| Course code | L313 |
| Credits | 60 |
| OU Level | 3 |
| SCQF level | 10 |
| FHEQ level | 6 |
| Course work includes: |
|---|
| 5 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) |
| End-of-module assessment |
| No residential school |
Register for the course
This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees and financial support may vary by country.
What you will study
Most of the materials for this course are delivered online via the course website, and you will spend a considerable amount of time carrying out interactive online activities.
Each of the six themes studied covers different aspects of German speaking cultures today. You will be working with authentic print-based materials, video features on the course website and on DVD and audio features on the course website. The materials also include a set film, Nirgendwo in Afrika (Caroline Link, 2001). A range of online activities gives you the opportunity to access further authentic materials and develop your ICT and communication skills.
The themes in detail are
- Landschaft und politische Strukturen: German-speaking regions, including looking in detail at the city of Wilhelmshaven in the north east of Germany; the notion of ’Heimat‘; issues that arise from differences in local, regional and national governance.
- Geschichte: key periods of German and Austrian history such as the revolutionary movements in 1848 and 1968, and the 1953 uprising in East Germany; the beginnings of the two post-war German states in 1949, Austria in 1955, and re-unified Germany in 1990; life during the Nazi period in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, immediately after World War II, and the period of RAF terrorist activity in West Germany.
- Sprache im Kontext: the evolution of modern German since the eighth century; the roles of dialects; issues relating to language such as identity, humour; language and communication in relation to minority and migrant communities.
- Migration: emigration from Germany during the nineteenth century and during Nazi rule in the twentieth century; history of immigration in post-war Germany; issues relating to asylum, dual citizenship; living in a multi-cultured society, including an audio feature on the city of Aachen in the west of Germany bordering on Belgium and the Netherlands.
- Literatur und Film: German-speaking literature since 1945; analysis of a short story by Ingo Schulze; history of German-speaking film during the twentieth century; analysis of Caroline Link’s film Nowhere in Africa.
- Innovationen: aspects of the history of research and scientific discoveries in German-speaking countries in the nineteenth and twentieth century; famous scientists and scholars; German speaking inventions and inventors.
The course uses a wide range of mixed media that has been selected to increase your knowledge of the themes and develop your confidence in the four language skills (reading, listening, writing and speaking). You will also progressively develop your analytical skills leading up to a small scale project at the end of the course. The structure of the material allows you to evaluate your progress regularly and provide strategies to improve your language and general learning skills. The materials are interactive and encourage your participation.
This course is designed to enable you to achieve a level of language proficiency equivalent to level C1 of the Council of Europe Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Entry
This is a Level 3 course for students who have successfully completed Motive: upper intermediate German (L203) or who have an equivalent knowledge of German.
If you have not studied a language with The Open University before or you have any doubt about the standard of your German, you are strongly advised to contact your regional or national centre to look at reference copies of the courses. If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Preparatory work
If you have time before the course begins, we suggest that you continue to use your German in any way you can. You could do this by: redoing some of the activities in Motive: upper intermediate German (L203); watching and listening to the audio and video materials on the L203 DVD-ROM; reading a German newspaper; listening to German speaking radio or television broadcasts; accessing authentic resources such as online editions of newspapers and magazines, internet radio and television; or borrowing German books and films from the local library. Anything you can do to keep practising your German will help you to prepare yourself for the start of the course.
If you are new to The Open University, it would be useful to look at some of the L203 Motive materials and work through them. Materials are available to buy from the Open University Worldwide website or for viewing at your regional or national centre.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
Please note that this course makes substantial use of audio and visual materials for which full transcripts are provided. The study materials are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. Comb-bound versions of the printed study materials can be provided on request. Other alternative formats of the study materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
You’ll need to make extensive use of a personal computer throughout the course as most of the study materials are delivered online. If you use specialist hardware or software to assist you in operating a computer or the internet and have concerns about accessing this type of material, you are advised to talk to the Student Registration & Enquiry Service about support which can be given to meet your needs.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our publication Meeting Your Needs.
You can also find information about accessible study materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Study materials
What's included
Books, a DVD, a set film on DVD and a dedicated website which is the focal point of your study, with access to a range of electronic tools, including real-time conferencing and asynchronous tools such as forums.
You will need
You will need a headset with a microphone and earphones to take part in online tutorials, record spoken TMAs, complete the speaking activities on the course website and to take part in the speaking test at the end of the course. You will also need to be able to play DVD-video.
Please also check the Computing requirements and Assessment sections.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2005 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.
Materials to buy
Set books
- Bill Dodd et al. Modern German Grammar, Routledge £23.99 - ISBN 9780415273008
- Collins German Dictionary, Collins £35.00 - ISBN 9780007252756
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor to help you with the study material and mark and comment on your written and spoken tutor-marked assignments (TMAs). You can also ask your tutor for advice and guidance. This course usually includes a mix of face-to-face and online tutorials. Please note that depending on where you live, the mix will vary and in some places face-to-face tuition may be replaced by telephone conferencing. Although you are not obliged to attend any of these, you are strongly encouraged to take part as they will provide you with plenty of opportunities to speak and listen to German. The online tutorials will give you practice in using the conferencing tool used for the end-of-module speaking test. How tutorials are held will depend on the distribution of students taking the course in your area.
Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You can choose whether to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) by post or online through the eTMA system. You may want to use the eTMA system for some of your assignments but submit by post for others. This is entirely your choice, but please note that the written part of the end-of-module assessment (EMA) must be submitted online. The EMA also includes a speaking test which is carried out online.
If you wish to submit your TMAs on paper by post, please ensure you have an audio cassette recorder (full size, not mini format) with microphone and at least one blank cassette to record and submit your speaking test.
Professional recognition
The Chartered Institute of Marketing now recognises this course under their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in February 2013. We expect it to be available once a year.
Fees 2012
See fees and funding options for study from September 2012.
Course facts
An undergraduate course in Environment, Development and International Studies and Languages.
| About this course: | |
|---|---|
| Course code | L313 |
| Credits | 60 |
| OU Level | 3 |
| SCQF level | 10 |
| FHEQ level | 6 |
| Course work includes: |
|---|
| 5 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) |
| End-of-module assessment |
| No residential school |
Study explained
- Financial support
- - find out if you qualify for support with your fees with our eligibility checker.
- Study explained
- - all you need to know about distance learning with the OU.
Student Reviews
L313 is called 'Advanced' for a reason and L203 sets the scene well. The course is rich in literature, politics ...
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This was an excellent course and as my last with the OU, just the right way to finish. Good tutors, ...
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Or contact an adviser in our Student Registration & Enquiry Service Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90+44(0) 845 366 60 35
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