The
German department at Northwestern University offers
a broad spectrum of courses either in English or in
German in an effort to serve not only potential majors
or minors but also a variety of students from different
fields within the college and from other schools across
campus, such as engineering or communication. It is
our goal to expose students in our classes to a variety
of learning approaches (including learning with technology),
content areas, and a broad range of texts so that they
may gain a rich understanding of the language, the
history, and the culture of the German-speaking world.
The courses we offer strive to combine the acquisition of intellectual content with the acquisition of language on all levels of our curriculum. We think that students learn best when their attention is focused on form and content: therefore, we have designed integrated sequences of courses across all instructional levels that emphasize the explicit and implicit acquisition of both. For example, a carefully designed language acquisition sequence in the first two years allows students to acquire a basic knowledge of German quickly without compromising the acquisition of literature, culture, and history. Conversely, courses in the third and fourth year are designed to deepen literary, cultural and historical knowledge while emphasizing the refinement of language accuracy and fluency, coupled with increasing the language complexity. We also recognize that in addition to exposure to various classroom learning situations and scenarios, learners need opportunities to use the target language with native speakers in the target culture to progress to an advanced level of language skills. We strongly encourage all of our students, majors or non-majors, to take advantage of our many study-abroad opportunities (including internships) to complement their course work at Northwestern.
Even though our first- and second-year language and culture sequences primarily emphasize the communicative approach where students practice the target language in real and simulated situations, we strive to teach a balanced approach in which all four language-skills are stressed: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The pedagogical approach underlying our curriculum, whenever possible, is task-based teaching and learning on all levels of instruction from students in the first year interviewing a mystery guest to students in the fourth year researching a topic, interviewing relevant people, and producing a film sequence in German. We recognize that language learning does not proceed in a predictable linear fashion but is a complex organic process. In our judgment, a task-based or project-oriented approach to learning offers a better way of engaging and teaching students and works well to support our students in becoming well-rounded independent learners who can successfully employ their German knowledge in a wide range of intellectual and professional activities upon graduating from Northwestern University.
In short, it is our goal to offer a program to our students that reflects their interests, is personally enriching, engaging and motivating, intellectually fulfilling, and, at the same time, broadens and deepens their learning of language, literature, culture and history. We hope that students in our program acquire a fundamental understanding of the German-speaking world and that the new insights will engage their mind, shape their thinking and guide future actions. We furthermore hope that the focus on a balanced approach produces well-rounded students that have “…the ability to think analytically and write and speak clearly and persuasively” (Northwestern Undergraduate Catalog, 2001-2003, 1), even in a foreign language.
The courses we offer strive to combine the acquisition of intellectual content with the acquisition of language on all levels of our curriculum. We think that students learn best when their attention is focused on form and content: therefore, we have designed integrated sequences of courses across all instructional levels that emphasize the explicit and implicit acquisition of both. For example, a carefully designed language acquisition sequence in the first two years allows students to acquire a basic knowledge of German quickly without compromising the acquisition of literature, culture, and history. Conversely, courses in the third and fourth year are designed to deepen literary, cultural and historical knowledge while emphasizing the refinement of language accuracy and fluency, coupled with increasing the language complexity. We also recognize that in addition to exposure to various classroom learning situations and scenarios, learners need opportunities to use the target language with native speakers in the target culture to progress to an advanced level of language skills. We strongly encourage all of our students, majors or non-majors, to take advantage of our many study-abroad opportunities (including internships) to complement their course work at Northwestern.
Even though our first- and second-year language and culture sequences primarily emphasize the communicative approach where students practice the target language in real and simulated situations, we strive to teach a balanced approach in which all four language-skills are stressed: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The pedagogical approach underlying our curriculum, whenever possible, is task-based teaching and learning on all levels of instruction from students in the first year interviewing a mystery guest to students in the fourth year researching a topic, interviewing relevant people, and producing a film sequence in German. We recognize that language learning does not proceed in a predictable linear fashion but is a complex organic process. In our judgment, a task-based or project-oriented approach to learning offers a better way of engaging and teaching students and works well to support our students in becoming well-rounded independent learners who can successfully employ their German knowledge in a wide range of intellectual and professional activities upon graduating from Northwestern University.
In short, it is our goal to offer a program to our students that reflects their interests, is personally enriching, engaging and motivating, intellectually fulfilling, and, at the same time, broadens and deepens their learning of language, literature, culture and history. We hope that students in our program acquire a fundamental understanding of the German-speaking world and that the new insights will engage their mind, shape their thinking and guide future actions. We furthermore hope that the focus on a balanced approach produces well-rounded students that have “…the ability to think analytically and write and speak clearly and persuasively” (Northwestern Undergraduate Catalog, 2001-2003, 1), even in a foreign language.
