I. Statement of Teaching Philosophy
II. Teaching Responsibilities
III. Courses Taught
IV. Representative Syllabi
Appendix
1. Example of Session Plan (Grammar)
2. Examples of Session Plan (Literature)
3. Peer Observation
4. Student Feedback and Evaluations
I. Statement of teaching philosophy
What I hear, I forget;
What I see, I remember;
What I do, I understand. (Chinese Proverb)
1) How do people learn?
The proverb above is probably about 2000 years old, but it summarizes rather well what recent studies on learning have revealed: We remember 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we hear and see, 90% of what we do and say. In my role as a teacher, I consequently encourage students to be learners who are actively involved in the learning process. A typical session begins with a warm-up exercise; for example, students are asked a silly question to which they have to find a creative answer. This is followed by a short lecture, which is enhanced by powerpoint slides that contain mostly images and little text. This lecture introduces the main idea of the session and presents the goals for the day. For the rest of the session, students often engage in group or partner work. In designing these group projects and partner activities, I rely on Problem Based Learning techniques. Working in groups or with partners increases students’ construction of knowledge as they explain and negotiate their contributions and interact with peers who have different knowledge and ideas. I believe that students thus learn the most important skills they need later on in the workplace (e.g. organization, negotiation, delegation, teamwork, cooperation, leadership and problem solving). In addition, students have to prepare short presentations on a topic of their choice, which fits the content of the course. They are evaluated on the content, presentation, interactivity and extra material they bring to class. Students also evaluate each other’s performance within groups.
Learning (and teaching) involves taking risks. Like leaving one’s familiar environment to go and live in a foreign country, learning (particularly a foreign language) often involves leaving one’s comfort zone. I often remind my students that it is normal to feel shy and nervous about learning and speaking a foreign language. I create situations in which they have to overcome their uneasiness and in which they have to speak in order to get what they want.
All my courses are generally designed to motivate students to connect to people, ideas and realms of life and entice them to learn about themselves and others. I ask students to look at literary and news texts as well as films as cultural products that reveal complex historical, intellectual, and social developments. Together, we explore society in German-speaking countries and their past and present contributions to art, philosophy, music, film, and science.
2. How do I facilitate this learning?
I consider my main role as a teacher as the person who structures my students’ learning process. At the beginning and throughout the course I remind students of the larger questions and connect course themes to interests likely to be on their minds. In my classroom I ask students to adopt goals they want to reach. If students sense that I do not care about their goals, questions and answers, they will not care either. They will not try to reconcile, explain, modify, or integrate new models of reality. I conduct class and craft assignments in a way that allows students to try their own thinking, come up short, receive feedback, and then try again. I make it a priority to listen to students’ conceptions before challenging them. Rather than telling them they are wrong and then providing the “correct” answers, I ask questions and encourage students to question what I tell them. In order to help them connect what they are learning to other areas, I invite scholars from other disciplines and individuals outside of academia to the classroom or take my students to them.
3.What goals do I have for my students?
Rather than placing students into categories as good, immediate and bad students, I try to see every student as an individual. I appreciate and focus on students’ strengths and talents. I set high goals for all my students and tell them that I trust their capabilities to do their best. I usually do not discuss the requirements to “pass the class” at the beginning of the first session, but rather present the promises or opportunities that the course will offer. I tell them that I expect them to have a desire to participate and that what they get out of my class depends on them as much as on me. My main goal is to develop creative, independent learners and giving them confidence in themselves.
4. Self-Evaluation and Future Teaching Goals
I always reflect on what I do and do not do in each class. Part of this process involves thinking back over the class immediately after the session has finished. By reflecting on the session while it is still fresh in my mind, I try to identify what worked and what did not work. This process of continual self-evaluation allows me to make mid-course corrections. I often invite my peers to attend my classes. I usually provide students with a midterm evaluation and ask them to evaluate the class and me as well. That way, I can incorporate their suggestions in the second half of the term. I also find that I learn a lot from watching my colleagues teach. Over the past eight years I have attended a great number of teaching workshops. Most recently, I attended a Preparing Future Faculty Course Series, which focused on the most recent trends in college teaching, syllabus construction, and ways to use technology in the classroom.
II. Teaching Responsibilities
My beginnings as a teacher date back to high school. I understood early on that teaching others was the best way to learn. During my high school years, I tutored close to thirty children aged 10-18. I mainly focused on giving them self-confidence and proving to them that if they tried to be enthusiastic about learning, they would not only get better grades, but also come to like the particular subject that gave them trouble.
For the academic years 1999-2000 I was awarded a Fulbright fellowship and spent a year at Bowling Green State University where I taught all German language courses (Elementary, Immediate and Advanced), including a Conversation Class for Honor students. This year abroad made an important impact on my teaching skills. Removed from my familiar surroundings and forced to speak a foreign language myself, I could better relate to my students´ learning obstacles.
While still in Bowling Green, I applied for the position of Österreichlektorin with the Österreichkooperation (the Austrian equivalent of the German DAAD). From 2000-20002 I taught a variety of language classes and lectures at the University of Wales, such as grammar and conversation classes for second and third year English and Welsh students. I also designed a lecture on Austrian history, culture and politics for 50+ students. The teaching load in Wales was much more intense than any other program I had participated in before. I enjoyed the experience of team-teaching and designing examinations, quizzes, syllabi and evaluation as well as assessment material.
After returning to the USA in 2002, I joined the Department of German Studies at the University of Cincinnati where I taught a variety of first, second and third language classes, mainly for undergraduate students (German Majors and Minors). During the summer quarter, I taught a translation course for graduate students from a variety of backgrounds. In my last year as a graduate student, I was entrusted with an advanced, three-quarter long German Literature and Culture Class Series, which covered the period from 1888-1990.
Since August, I have been teaching another Literature and Culture Survey Class at Northern Kentucky University. In this class students read excerpts from representative texts of the Middle Ages throughout Junges Deutschland.
III. Courses Taught
Elementary German (Grammar and Conversation)
Intermediate German (Grammar and Conversation)
Advanced German (Grammar and Conversation)
German Readings, Translation course for graduate students
German Language and Culture (Elementary-Advanced)
Austrian Facts and Figures (Lecture)
I would be interested in designing and teaching the following courses:
German Fairytale
Children and the Holocaust
German Film
Madness in Literature
Exile Literature
Transnational German literature
(Austrian) Women Writers
German Trough Music
IV. Representative Syllabi
GR-233 The German-Speaking World Today (taught during 1999-2000 at the University of Wales, Swansea, UK)
Credit Points: 20
Coordinator: Julia K. Baker
Staff-led Contact Hours: 44
Class Type: Seminar
Course Aims:
The aim of this course is to examine key issues in the German-speaking world in the period since the unification of East and West Germany.
Course Content:
The first part of the course (TB1) focuses on the Federal Republic since 1990, and in particular on the continuing impact of the unification process on current affairs. Topics include party politics, changes in government and social issues. At the end of the first teaching block we examine some examples of cultural responses to changes in Germany since unification. The second part of the course (TB2) moves outside the Federal Republic. It focuses on three main areas: European issues, contemporary life in Austria, and contemporary life in Switzerland. Teaching consists of a mixture of lectures, seminars and student presentations.
Reading List:
F.C. Delius, Die Birnen von Ribbeck
You will also be provided with a series of short articles by, among others, Günter Grass, Martin Walser, and Peter Schneider, concerning recent cultural debates in Germany.
You will be provided with a full bibliography covering all aspects of the course.
Learning Outcomes:
Linguistic Skills:
You will increase your ability to comprehend German texts from a wide variety of sources.
Modern German Culture:
You will develop your understanding of political and social developments in German-speaking countries today, in the context of recent European history.
Research and Writing Skills:
You will be able to research and write an essay. You will be able to interpret texts through close reading, application of suitable critical techniques and concepts, and contextualisation; evaluate critically secondary literature; reference your sources properly; and develop and articulate a balanced, logical and well-structured argument.
Key Skills:
Improving own learning and performance: self-study
Effective communication: seminar paper
The use of IT: word processing
Working effectively with others: group discussions
Assessment:
Assessment is on the basis of coursework (50%) and an end-of-year, two-hour examination (50%). The coursework is requirement is as follows: one 2000- word essay (by Tuesday 25 March 2003, 25% of total); oral presentation (to take place at the end of TB2, 25% of total). In the examination you are required to write two essays. Each piece of assessed work must refer to a different topic.
Course Calendar
Teaching Block 1: The Federal Republic since Unification
Topic 1
Unification and its legacy Weeks 1-2
Topic 2
Helmut Kohl and Gerhard Schröder Weeks 3-4
Topic 3
Government and party politics in the FRG Weeks 5-6
Topic 4
East v West Weeks 7-8
Topic 5
Die Birnen von Ribbeck and other cultural issues Weeks 9-10
Revision Week 11
Teaching Block 2: Switzerland, Austria and International relations
Topic 1
Contemporary Swiss Society Weeks 14-17
Topic 2
Contemporary Austrian Society Weeks 18-21
Topic 3
The Federal Republic and the international community Weeks 22-23
Revision Week 24
Spring Quarter 2007 15-GRMN-323 German Language and Culture III
Instructor: Julia K. Baker
Office: Old Chemistry 723
steiermarkat@fuse.net
Office Hour: M, T, F, 10-11 am and by appointment
Course Description: This course is designed as a transition from language to content and will include an advanced review of German grammar, vocabulary building and expansion with speaking and writing exercises, plus readings and discussions of contemporary cultural topics that deal with the German speaking world. This course will be conducted in German and may be used toward fulfilling the A&S Humanities Requirement.
Required Texts: Rankin/Wells: Handbuch zur deutschen Grammatik, 4th ed. (RW)
Lixl-Purcell: Stimmen eines Jahrhunderts (LP)
Course Objectives: Practice and use of everyday German, with added emphasis on the active use and expansion of vocabulary and communicative skills, review and expansion of grammar, oral expression and reading and writing skills. By the end of this course, you will be able to understand and speak enough German to communicate with a native speaker on a variety of topics. We will review and extend your understanding of the basic grammatical structures of German, expand your vocabulary, demonstrate your ability to write simple texts on everyday themes, read literary texts and discuss them, thereby helping you to develop your conversational, writing and reading skills.
Grading Policy:
20% Active Attendance and Participation (Group Presentations)
20% 1 Midterm
20% Homework (including Compositions/Blogs)
10% Quizzes
30 % Final Exam
Attendance
Attendance counts. Because the Communicative Method of language learning devotes classroom time to activities such as group discussions, role-playing, and interviews, class attendance and participation are vital to success. You are expected to arrive to class punctually. Classroom activities will take place in German. You need to attend every class and participate in classroom activities. Your class participation grade includes not only your presence in class, but also the seriousness with which you carry out activities and the attempt you make to use German.
Please don't miss class because you feel unprepared. If you get behind in your work, missing class will only contribute to the problem. Come see me right away or alert me to your situation.
Due to the nature of this course, your regular attendance, participation and timely completion of homework assignments are crucial and mandatory! After three unexcused absences your final grade is reduced by one letter. Active participation is required to pass the course.
Participation also entails to check your email account and blackboard regularly. Prior to discussing a text in class, I will email you three questions, which you are expected to answer via email. This will ensure that we are on common gronud as to what was difficult, interesting, fascinating etc. about the text.
Homework Assignments
Written assignments are to be placed in your folder on the day they are due. Grammar review exercises in the reader will be either corrected in class or returned to you the next class day. Essays must be typed, 12-pt. and double-spaced. Please use Umlaute instead of ae, oe, ue. If you are not sure where to find the symbols for Umlaute, come and ask me. I will mark the mistake and have you try to come up with the correct version yourself. Once the grammar has been covered in the course, it becomes fair game in determining your grade. The compositions are returned and you are asked to do a rewrite and turn the draft and the revision in to be graded.
Note: I have a one day late policy. Homework more than one class day overdue will not be accepted. You may email me your homework.
Homework will be graded as follows:
(+) complete/outstanding
(ok ) complete/satisfactory
( - ) incomplete/unsatisfactory
Essays/Blogs
We will be working on perfecting your written German through grammar review and short essay/blog exercises. This will help to you focus on form. Essay/Blog grades have two components: content (30%) and grammatical accuracy (70%). You are encouraged to revise and resubmit your essays/blogs (revised dates on syllabus). Points will be deducted for each class day an essay/blog is late. Essays/blogs not submitted at all will receive a zero (0). The one day late policy does not apply to essays/blogs.
Testing
In order to help you to maintain a study schedule and in order to identify trouble-spots early, we will have five vocabulary quizzes and one midterm exam.
Missed quizzes will not be made up. However, you will receive a copy of the missed quiz. I will also drop the lowest quiz grade from the average. You are encouraged to arrange meetings during office hours and discuss your mistakes with me individually.
n.b. Unless you inform me ahead of time or have a valid, written excuse from your doctor, NO make-up exams will be given.
Group Project
You and your group members will pick one topic related to the themes (in consultation with your instructor), you will research this topic online and present it in an easy to understand and fun way to the rest of the class. Your instructor will assess your oral performance during your cross-cultural presentation in class. For your part of the presentation, you are expected to hand in a brief summary at least two days before you give your presentation. Failure to hand in material prior to the presentation will result in a grade deduction.
Final Exam
The final exam consists of a written exam, which will cover the grammar and reading assignments.
Final Notes
Please don't put off coming to talk with me about difficulties. I am here to help you. So are the other Teaching Assistants whose hours can be found on the door of the TA room Old Chem 706.
Academic Dishonesty: All work for this class should reflect YOUR work. Unless otherwise noted, the only “outside help” that is allowed is from your instructor, dictionaries, spell checker, and grammar books. Help from tutors, other instructors, or other speakers of German for graded assignments will be treated as cheating. Using online translation packages (such as Babelfish or Lycos) are also NOT admissible. Please read the Code of Policies and Regulations Applying to All Students to see penalties for any infraction of academic integrity.
Students with Disabilities: If you have a documented disability and anticipate needing accommodations in this course, please make arrangements to meet with your instructor soon. Please provide a "Request For Accommodation" letter from the Division of Rehabilitation-Education Services to validate the need for the accommodation. Please adjust all cellular phones and pagers to non-audible notification during class.
Extra Credit
Come and join the Stammtisch-crowd, lectures, film nights or events hosted by the German Club for extra credit. Dates, places and times will be announced in class or on the website. Swing by for a very informal chance to chat with native and non-native speakers of German. Only if you can demonstrate that you are unable to join Stammtisch or other events will your teacher provide you with other forms of extra credit. Extra credit points will be applied to homework or quiz grades.
Please make sure you have had breakfast before class and that you are well-rested. Chewing and yawning are not appreciated.
GER320: Survey of German Literature, Fall 2007
T/R, 10.50-12.05, LA 531
Exam period: Thursday, December 13, 10:10 a.m. - 12:10 p.m
Instructor: Dr. Julia K. Baker
Office: LA 529
Phone number: 572-5416
E-mail: bakerj15@nku.edu
Online dictionary: http://dict.leo.org/
Online texts: http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
Texts: Thomas Grasberger. Nachgefragt: Deutsche Literatur. Basiswissen zum Mitreden.
Additional texts will be made available or can be viewed/printed online on Blackboard.
Das Hildebrandslied
Ausschnitt aus Das Nibelungenlied
Hans Sachs Das Kälberbrüten
Gedichte von Andreas Gryphius, Friedrich von Logau
Ausschnitt aus J. C. Grimmelshausens Simplicius Simplicissimus
Ausschnitt aus I. Kants "Was ist Aufklärung?"
Ausschnitt aus Gottscheds Moralischer Wochenschrift Der Biedermeier
Ausschnitt aus G. E. Lessings Nathan der Weise
Ausschnitt aus F. Schillers Die Räuber
Ausschnitt aus J.W. von Goethes Werther
Ausschnitt aus J.W. von Goethes Faust I
Gedichte der Klassik
Gedichte der Romantik
Ausschnitt aus Novalis' Heinrich von Ofterdingen
Grimms Märchen: Hänsel und Gretel
Adelbert von Chamisso: Peter Schlemihls wundersame Geschichte
Gedichte von A. Stifter
Ausschnitt aus G. Büchners Woyzeck
Gedichte von H. Heine
Student Learning Outcomes: In this course you will be introduced to the basic concepts of German literature by reading both historical and literary texts. You will be expected to read such works for overall grasp of the lyrical message (if poetry) or for plot and character development (if prose or drama), as well as to write, and speak about them in German. You will continue to develop your ability to read, write, speak, and understand German beyond the level of GER 202. Students who complete the course successfully should be able to communicate verbally and in writing at the intermediate mid level or higher on the ACTFL proficiency scale.
Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes: Achievement of these outcomes will be assessed through quizzes, oral presentations, one short essay, one take home exam (project), and class discussion as appropriate.
Grading:
Quizzes 15 %
Oral Presentation 10 %
Essay 25 %
Take home exam/project 25 %
Class discussion/participation 25 %
Quizzes:
These consist of short identification items about main events or characters in a given reading assignment/period.
Presentation:
Each student will present one feature/person/fact about a period of his/her choice. Directions for this oral presentation will involve use of the Internet/and a Powerpoint presentation or preparation of a poster/handout. Students will be expected to send in their preparation to the instructor in an email two sessions prior to presenting, to have bibliographic information at the top of the sheet if an Internet source is used, and to prepare well enough to perform the exercise without referring to notes/read from slides during the presentation. Students who do not have written preparation and did not submit it via email cannot expect to receive a passing grade on the oral presentation.
Essay:
In one short written essay in German, students will be asked to compare two features of a given period with characteristics they identify in the reading for that week. The essay will be written outside of class, and students will be required to revise it after the instructor has marked all mistakes; type them using appropriate diacritical marks according to a specified format, spellcheck them using Word, and turn them in for a final grade. You may not consult a tutor, a native speaker, or use an on-line translation program. This basic exercise in linking abstract concepts about literature to specific concrete features of texts prepare students for the final take home exam/final project, which asks them to assess issues treated in texts read from different periods.
Attendance/Participation:
Students are expected to come prepared to class and to participate in group work and other oral assignments. Three absences for any reason can occur without affecting the course grade. Students who miss more than four classes must expect a significant penalty affecting the semester course grade as calculated above by one letter. Students whose absences exceed six will not normally receive a passing grade in this course. Requests for exceptions for absences for activities in which a student participates as an official representative of NKU will be considered on an individual basis based on a student's prior history of attendance. Students who miss class for any reason are responsible for all work assigned for the following class, including any changes in assignments made by the instructor. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor to ask about any assignments made.
Make-up policy:
Under some circumstances tests may be made up if a student makes arrangements in advance of an absence. Documentation of absences may be required. All make-ups are at the discretion of the instructor. In some cases there may be a grade penalty. Making up an assignment in advance does not necessarily excuse the absence.
Honor code:
Work in this course is subject to the Student Honor Code, a commitment to the highest degree of ethical integrity in academic conduct, and a commitment that, individually and collectively, the students at Northern Kentucky University will not lie, cheat or plagiarize in order to gain an academic advantage over fellow students or in order to avoid academic requirements. All written work turned in must be your own work down without the use of a computerized translation program or without assistance from parents, classmates, siblings, or tutors unless you are explicitly authorized to request assistance. All graded assignments must include a written pledge, normally a variation on the following statement. Bei dieser Prüfung (bei diesem Test/bei diesem Referat, usw.) habe ich weder Hilfe geleistet noch erhalten.
In-class conduct: Please come to class prepared and well rested. You are expected to behave courteously toward other members of the class and toward the instructor. Please refrain from yawning, eating, and chewing gum in class.
Accommodation of disabilities: Students who require accommodations (academic adjustments, auxiliary aids or services) must register with the Disability Services Office,
UC 320, 859/575-6373. Verification of disability is required.
Honors enhancement: Students with a minimum ACT composite score of 24 or a GPA of 3.25 may complete this German course as an Honors-enhanced course to count toward the minor in Honors by making the instructor aware of their desire to do so during the first week of the semester and completing an appropriate final project.
Nota bene: All of the above is subject to change by the instructor, should the needs of the class dictate. This statement applies explicitly to the grading categories and percentages listed above. Grading categories and percentages may be adjusted at the end of the semester to reflect assignments actually completed.
Tutoring: The Learning Assistance Center, FH 209, 572-5475, http://laplearn.nku.edu/ , will provide one hour per week of tutoring at no cost. Frequently, native speakers of German are available for conversational work. Tutors may not provide assistance on graded written assignments.
Retroactive credit: Students who take the WebCAPE placement test and subsequently complete two sequential language courses with a grade of C or better may receive retroactive credit for any courses below their initial placement if they apply at the beginning of their language study for the Foreign Language Incentive Program. Transfer students may receive retroactive credit by taking one additional course beyond their transfer credit. Forms are available in the office of the Department of Literature and Language, Landrum 500. Students must request retroactive credit after completing the appropriate language courses. Students can also receive retroactive credit by taking the CLEP test, obtaining an acceptable score, and completing an additional language course. Under normal circumstances the WebCAPE and CLEP tests must be taken and the FLIP application submitted during the first week of the semester. Information on the WebCAPE test can be found at http://www.blogger.com/_. Information about the CLEP test may be found at http://laplearn.nku.edu/.
Courses I would be interested in teaching:
Austrian Literature of the 20th and 21st Centuries
Instructor: Julia K Baker
Office/ Hours:
E-mail: steiermarkat@fuse.net
Phone:
Course website:
Requirements:
Course Description and Goals:
In many respects the development of Austria differs from that of other European countries. At the beginning of the 20th entury, the Austrian-Hungarian empire was a major entity on the European map, a vast country uniting many different cultures and ethnicities. Around 1900, Vienna was a major cosmopolitan center of the world; among its artists and intellectuals were many of Jewish descent. In the late 20th century, however, Austria was but a small and relatively homogenous nation. In this seminar we will investigate literary responses to Austria’s transition from a major global power to a small nation state. Without a doubt this transition was far from a smooth one.
We will focus on the question what 20th -century Austrian literature tells us about the ability of this nation to forget and repress its own past. (Ernst Jandl in fact once felt it necessary to remind his compatriots that “auch hitler war ein österreicher / nicht nur christus.”) Our readings will however also focus on the question to what extent literature can function as a form of counter memory, bringing back to light in particular the multi-ethnic aspect of and the importance of Jewish life throughout 20th and early 21st century Austria. The red thread through the seminar will be the role of memory in Austria’s continual reconceptualization of its national identity; special attention will be paid to the question to what extent class, race, and gender play a role in the process of remembering the national past. In the seminar, we will discuss texts by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Robert Musil, Arthur Schnitzler, Joseph Roth, Ödön von Horváth, Heimito von Doderer, Marlen Haushofer, Ingeborg Bachmann, Thomas Bernhard, Peter Handke, current nobel prize winner Elfriede Jelinek, Christoph Ransmayr, Josef Haslinger, Wolf Haas, Robert and Eva Menasse.
Texts:
Arthur Schnitzler: Leutnant Gustl, 1900.
Robert Musil: Die Verwirrungen des Zöglings Törless; 1906.
Joseph Roth: Radetzkymarsch; 1932.
Ödön von Horváth: Jugend ohne Gott; 1937.
Heimito von Doderer: Die Merowinger oder Die totale Famile; 1962.
Thomas Bernhard: Heldenplatz; Suhrkamp, 1988.
Marlen Haushofer: Die Wand; DTV Verlag, 1999.
Peter Handke: Der kurze Brief zum langen Abschied; Suhrkamp Verlag, 2001.
Elfriede Jelinek: Die Klavierspielerin. Rowohlt Verlag, 1983.
Christoph Ransmayr: Die Schrecken des Eises und der Finsternis; Fischer Verlag, 1996.
Josef Haslinger: Das Vaterspiel; Fischer Verlag, 2002.
Robert Menasse: Erklär mir, Österreich. Suhrkamp Verlag, 2000.
Eva Menasse. Vienna. Kiepenheuer & Witsch, 2005.
Requirements:
*Weekly position papers (one page each) with ideas and questions related to the reading for a specific day.
*Final paper (between 14 and 20 pages). Please discuss the topic of your paper with me during office hours or after making an appointment. The first two pages of your paper, with some basic ideas, are due after week 6. An additional 4 pages (a review of secondary literature) are due after week 10. Discuss a draft of your final paper with me before starting work on the final version. If you decide to write your paper with a fellow student, arrangments should be made beforehand. Please come and see me.
*Attendance and active participation in class. Active participation in discussions is expected. You may miss one session without grade deduction (excused absence—please notify me ahead of class if you must miss). You must prepare assigned readings and writings ahead of class in order to be able to participate meaningfully. “Preparing” readings for class = reading and taking notes on the texts as well as working through any assigned study questions.
Grading policy:
final paper 60%
position papers 20%
attendance and participation 20%
Semester overview
Week 1
Introduction
Week 2
Arthur Schnitzler: ‘Leutnant Gustl’ (1900); an electronic version of this text is available at http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/schnitzl/gustl/gustl.htm and http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/schnitzl/gustl/gustl2.htm
Week 3
Robert Musil: Die Verwirrungen des Zöglings Törless (1906)
Week 4
Joseph Roth: Radetzkymarsch (1932)
Week 5
cont. Radetzkymarsch
Week 6
Ödön von Horváth: Jugend ohne Gott (1937)
-------------part 1 of the final paper due-----------------
Week 7
Heimito von Doderer: Die Merowinger oder Die totale Famile (1962)
Week 8
Thomas Bernhard: Heldenplatz (1988)
Week 9
Marlen Haushofer: Die Wand (1963)
Week 10
Peter Handke: Der kurze Brief zum langen Abschied (1972)
-------------part 2 of the final paper due-----------------
Week 11
Film: Die Klavierspielerin (based on the novel by Elfriede Jelinek)
Week 12
Christoph Ransmayr: Die Schrecken des Eises und der Finsternis (1984)
Week 13
Josef Haslinger: Das Vaterspiel (2000)
---------------*first draft for final paper due----------
Week 14
Excerpts from: Robert Menasse: Erklär mir, Österreich. 2000.
Eva Menasse. Vienna. 2005 Part 1
Week 15
Eva Menasse. Vienna. 2005 Part 2
Transnational Literature and Film: Dialogue between Cultures
Course Description: Transnational Literature and Film: Dialogue between Cultures is a seminar that looks at the literature of and films on immigrants in Germany. The course will focus on borders, migration, and identity issues, with a goal of introducing you to a differentiated picture of Germany today. The seminar will lead you to a better understanding of diversity in the New Europe. We will focus primarily on Muslims, Jews and Eastern European immigrants, including ethnic Germans.
Course topics will include: diasporic communities; multi-ethnicity; youth culture and the role of film in raising awareness; globalization; gender issues; individual and collective definitions of physical space, “home” and “nation”; and memory. We will study Germany's history in dealing with “foreigners” and the language and framework these provide for everyday life, both for nationals and non-nationals. We will look through “lenses” provided by research, literature, film, and the arts to seek both answers and new questions that help us understand how national and supranational borders mirror, challenge and shape the self's internal borders.
Homework will entail: any assignments given in class or on the syllabus (frequently updated), research, outside readings, exploration of course-related materials on the web.
Course Requirements and Assessment
* 25% attendance and participation
You should be present and on time for all class sessions and related events. You are expected preparation of reading assignments (this includes close reading of texts required of all, and texts), evidence of engagement with reading materials, timely and thorough completion of any short oral or written assignments, active participation in class discussion (degree and quality of participation, effort, and increased familiarity with topics, etc.)
* 50% response papers/essays
There will be 4 short papers/essay (3 pages typed). You will receive a choice of topics in advance for three of the papers. Further details about papers, expectations, etc. will be forthcoming.
* 25% final research or creative project
As a final project/paper, you will develop one longer (4-5 page) paper, which demonstrates thoughtful and perceptive treatment of a topic of the student's choice, related to the course. The project should include additional research (i.e., beyond that required on a week-to-week basis for class discussion). This project may be in the form of a standard short research paper, or it may be contain text and image/s.
Texts (Course Reader)
Bhabha, Homi (Hg.). Nation and Narration. London. New York: Routledge 1990.
Crofts, Stephen. "Concepts of National Cinema". In: Hill, John / Church Gibson, Pamela (Hg.): Oxford Guide to Film Studies. New York: Oxford UP 1998, S. 385-394.
Brah, “Diaspora, Borders, and Transnational Identities.” Carto-graphies of Diaspora: Contesting Identities.
Broder, Henryk: "Heimat, nein Danke." (Home, no thanks!) in: A Jew in the New Germany.
Chiellino, Gino Carmine. Es gab einmal die Alpen. WortWechsel Bd.4 (Hg.), Dresden 2005.
Clifford, James."Diasporas." Cultural Anthropology, Vol. 9, No. 3, 1994, 302-338.
Elsaesser, Thomas. New German Cinema: A History. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press 1989.
Dischereit, Esther. Als mir mein Golem öffnete. Gedichte. Passau 1997
Enzensberger, Magnus. “The Great Migration.” Granta 42.
Güngör Dilek. Das Geheimnis meiner türkischen Großmutter. 2007.
Hallensleben, Silvia / Noack, Frank: "Auferstanden aus dem Ghetto. Die spannendsten deutschen Filme werden derzeit von Türken gedreht: Dealer und Lola und Bilidikid erzählen vom Leben zwischen zwei Welten". In: Der Tagesspiegel (11.2.1999), S. 23.
Kaminer, Wladimir. Russendisko. Goldmann, 2002.
Karpf, Ernst / Kiesel, Doron / Visarius, Karsten (Hg.): "Getürkte Bilder": Zur Inszenierung von Fremde.
Malik, Sarita: "Beyond 'The Cinema of Duty'? The Pleasures of Hybridity: Black British Film of the 1980s and 1990s". In: Higson, Andrew (Hg.): Dissolving Views: Key Writings on British Cinema. London: Cassell 1996, S. 202-215.
Mandel, Turkish Headscarves and the "Foreigner Problem": Constructing Difference through Emblems of Identity. In NGQ, No. 46, Winter 89, 27-46.
Martenstein, Harald: "Ich Chef, du Turnschuh. Filme mit doppelter Staatsbürgerschaft: türkisches Kino auf dem Weg in die deutsche Gegenwart". In: Der Tagesspiegel (11.2.1999), S. 31.
Moníková, Libuše. Unter Menschenfressern. Frankfurt am Main 1990.Naficy, Hamid: "Phobic Spaces and Liminal Panics: Independent Transnational Film Genre". In: Rob Wilson/Wimal Dissanayake (Hg.): Global/Local: Cultural Productions and the Transnational Imaginary. Durham/London: Duke University Press 1996, S. 119-144.Schoenberner, Gerhard / Seifried, Ursula: "Ausländer unter uns. Ein Filmkatalog". In: Deutsch lernen. Zeitschrift für den Sprachunterricht mit ausländischen Arbeitnehmern. (Heft 2/3, 1983), S. 1-273.
Özdamar, Emine. Die Brücke vom Goldenen Horn. Roman, 1998. (Excerpts)Shohat, Ella / Stam, Robert: Unthinking Eurocentrism: Multiculturalism and the Media. London/New York: Routledge, 1994.
Senocak, Zafer, Atlas of a Tropical Germany: Essays on Politics and Culture, 1990-1998 (Excerpts).
---. Territorien, mein Europa, Die Heimat trägt der Mensch in sich, Der Bart, Jenseits der Landsprache.
Tawada, Yoko. Das Tor des Übersetzers oder Celan liest Japanisch.
Tebbutt, Susan (Ed., 1998) Sinti and Roma in German-speaking Society and Literature. Oxford: Berghahn.
---. Das nackte Auge (Erzählung) (2004)
Zaimoğlu, Feridun. Leinwand. Roman. Hamburg: Rotbuch, 2003.
Week 1
Introduction
Week 2
Film: Bread and Chocolate (1973)
Enzensberger: The Great Migration
Week 3
The concept of the "Stranger"
Brah, “Diaspora, Borders, and Transnational Identities,” Carto-graphies of Diaspora: Contesting Identities.
Clifford, James."Diasporas," Cultural Anthropology, Vol. 9, No. 3, 1994, 302-338.
Week 4
Gastarbeiterliteratur?
Excerpts from Chiellino, Biondi, Schami
Week 5
Literatursprache als Heimat
Libuše Moníková Unter Menschenfressern, Frankfurt am Main 1990
Emine Özdamar Die Brücke vom Goldenen Horn. Roman, 1998. (Excerpts)
Week 6
Becoming German
Film: Tevfik Baser’s 40 qm Deutschland
German: "Heimat-Texte"
Broder: "Heimat, nein Danke." (Home, no thanks!) in: A Jew in the New Germany.
Week 7
Roma, Gypsies
Film: Abschied von Sidonie
Sinti and Roma in German-speaking Society and Literature. (excerpts)
Hackl, Abschied von Sidonie
Week 8
Memory & Imagined Identities, Jews in Germany
Wladimir Kaminer, Kurzgeschichten aus Russendisko.
Hung Gurst ″Moru, der kleine Elefant“; Der Zwischenfall
Week 9
Migration
Senocak, Atlas of a Tropical Germany: Essays on Politics and Culture, 1990-1998 (Excerpts);
Territorien, mein Europa, Die Heimat.trägt der Mensch in sich, der Bart, Jenseits der Landsprache.
Week 10
Literature of Displacement?
Dilek Güngör. Das Geheimnis meiner türkischen Großmutter
Week 11
Islam & Muslims in Europe
Mandel, Turkish Headscarves and the "Foreigner Problem": Constructing Difference through Emblems of Identity. NGQ, No. 46, Winter 89, 27-46.
Zaimoğlu, Feridun. Leinwand: Roman.
Week 12
Afrikaner in Deutschland
Film: Das Fest des Huhnes (1992)
May Aim blues in schwarz weiss (Gedichte)
Farbe bekennen. Afro-deutsche Frauen auf den Spuren ihrer Geschichte
Week 13
Filme: Lola und Bilidikid (1999) Dealer (1999) Ich Chef, Du Turnschuh (1998)
Week 14
Yoko Tawada: Das Tor des Übersetzers oder Celan liest Japanisch.
Das nackte Auge (Erzählung) (2004)
Week 15
Zusammenfassung und Ausblick
Holocaust Childhood in Literature and Film
Instructor: Dr. Julia K Baker
Office/ Hours:
E-mail: steiermarkat@fuse.net
Phone:
Course website:
Requirements:
Description:
This course explores the topic of childhood during Holocaust as depicted in oral testimonies, autobiographies, fictional texts and (documentary) films. It provides insights into the role and fate of children during the Second World War, and examines provocative and influential interdisciplinary responses. We will discuss findings by scholars in trauma studies, migration studies, exile studies, history, anthropology, and cultural studies. Students will have the privilege to interact with Holocaust child survivors and be exposed to a variety of scholars and programs offered at this university and in the community.
By reading texts written from the perspective of child protagonists as well as by authors who look back and remember their childhood during the Holocaust, we will take a look at how children were valued (if they were Aryan) and how they were expelled and persecuted (if they were Jewish) under Nazi reign.
The literary texts and films depict different aspects of the experience of European children during this period: daily life in the Nazi state, the trials of war and bombardment in Germany, the experience of exile and hiding, and life in concentration camps.
Course Reader of selected articles:
Binjamin Wilkomirski, Bruchstücke
Elie Wiesel, Nacht
Ruth Klüger, weiterleben
Karen Levine, Hana´s Koffer
Georges-Arthur Goldschmidt Die Absonderung
Lore Segal, Wo andere Leute wohnen (Teil 1)
Stefanie Zweig, Selections from Nirgendwo in Afrika
Stefanie Zweig, Selections from Irgendwo in Deutschland
Karen Gershon, Das Unterkind
Erich Hackl, Abschied von Sidonie
Ulrich Treichel, Der Verlorene
W.G. Sebald Austerlitz
Grading:
Course Diary: 30%
Final Essay: 30%
Course Presentation: 20%
Participation: 20%
Films: Over the course of the semester, we will view films that portray some aspect of children’s lives in the Third Reich and/or World War II. Screening Times will be announced in class. If you are unable to attend the screenings, you will need to arrange to view them on your own; the films will be held on reserve in the library and can be viewed there.
Attendance: Your class participation grade includes not only your presence in class, but also the seriousness with which you carry out activities and the attempt you make to understand and discuss the readings and films. Due to the nature of this course, your regular attendance, participation and timely completion of assignments are crucial and mandatory! After three unexcused absences your final grade is reduced by one letter. Active participation is required to pass the course. Participation also entails to check your email account and blackboard regularly.
Writing Assignments: You will compose a course diary in which you note your experiences and insights, your feelings and reactions to the texts, the films, and the class in general. Each student will be asked to share some of his/her thoughts with the whole class at the beginning of each session. At the end of the course, I will collect all diaries and you will receive a grade based on content, organization, style and basic grammar. You are also going to write one essay 5 pages in length in which you will address a particular aspect of one of the texts we have read or film we have viewed or compare two of the texts/films. The papers will be graded based on content, organization, style and basic grammar.
Course Presentation: You will prepare one oral presentation, 10 minutes in length, in which you will introduce a work, an author, a piece of secondary literature etc. of interest to this course. Please inform me about your choice by the end of the second week. You will speak freely and not read from notes or powerpoint slides. You are expected to use at least one other medium apart from your voice, e.g. audio, video, powerpoint, you tube clip. Each student has to come up with one activity that will involve the whole class. The course presentation can also be conducted in pairs. This involves peer grading, i.e. you will be asked to evaluate your partner.
SCHEDULE:
WEEK 1: On Childhood. How do people remember their childhood? How do I remember my own childhood? How does an individual remember his/her childhood during the Holocaust? The Holocaust and ME: What does it mean to each one of us? How can I identify my skills, knowledge and interests, as well as personal bias, ignorance, unquestioned beliefs?
WEEK 2: The Camps I
Binjamin Wilkomirski: Fragments
WEEK 3: The Camps II
Ruth Klüger: weiterleben
WEEK 4: The Camps III
Elie Wiesel: Night
Film: Fatelessness
WEEK 5 The Camps IV: The unique story of the children of Terezin
Karen Levine: Hana´s Koffer
WEEK 6: Children in Exile I: Accounts of the "Kindertransport"
Lore Segal: Wo andere Leute wohnen (Part I)
Film: Vielleicht habe ich Glück gehabt
WEEK 7: Children in Exile II
Karen Gershon: Das Unterkind
WEEK 8: Children in Exile III
Stefanie Zweig: Nirgendwo in Afrika (Excerpts)
Film: Nirgendwo in Afrika (Excerpts)
WEEK 9: Children in Exile IV
Stefanie Zweig: Irgendwo in Deutschland (Excerpts)
WEEK 10: Children in Hiding I
Georges-Arthur Goldschmidt: Die Absonderung
WEEK 11: Children in Hiding II
The Story of Henry Blumenstein
Film: Finding Family
WEEK 12: Andere Opfer der Nazis
Erich Hackl: Abschied von Sidonie
Film: Abschied von Sidonie
Week 13 Nach dem Krieg I
Ulrich Treichel: Der Verlorene
Week 14 Nach dem Krieg II
W.G. Sebald: Austerlitz
Week 15 Review, Reflection and Outlook
Appendix
1. Example of Session Plan (German 321)
This German 321 session was taught, observed and videotaped on November 8th, 2006. In attendance: 16 undergraduate 3rd year students, Michaela Walser, Laura Traser-Vas (teaching assistants) and Prof. Jennifer Kelly-Thierman (supervisor).
Vorbereitung: Mittwoch 8. November
Lernziele: Bedeutungsunterschiede und verschiedene Tempora der Modalverben. Konversation (Sich verabreden)
Lehrmethoden: Lückentext, Gruppenarbeit
Hausaufgabe bis heute: Lesen Sie Rankin-Wells 111-122 Present and Past Tenses of Modal Verbs + A, C, G. Was ist neu, schwierig?
1) Ice breaker – ich fordere die Studenten zum Tanzen auf, aber sie haben alle Ausreden.
Julia: Darf ich Sie zum Tanzen auffordern?
Ich kann nicht tanzen.
Ich will nicht mit Ihnen tanzen.
Mein Arzt sagt, ich darf mich nicht anstrengen.
Ich mag diese Musik nicht.
Meine Freundin sagt, ich soll nicht mit anderen Frauen tanzen.
Muss ich?
2) Wir sprechen über die verschiedenen Bedeutungen der Modalverben und bilden die Präteritumform. Wie geht das im Perfekt?
Er konnte nicht tanzen. (was not able to dance)
Er wollte nicht tanzen. (he did not want to dance)
Er durfte nicht tanzen. (did not have the permission)
Er mochte die Musik nicht. (he did not like the music)
Er sollte nicht mit anderen Frauen tanzen. (he ought not dance with other women)
Er musste nicht mit mir tanzen. (he did not have to dance with me)
2) More advanced forms: Grammatik Kreativ S. 45-47 Ich konnte nicht kommmen
3) wenn noch Zeit ist: Wechselspiel 18: sich verabreden
4) Für Montag: 4. Aufsatz: Meine Traumreise (Anleitung in Rankin-Wells, 148 C)
5) Frage des Tages: Was hat .. gesagt, als ich ihn gefragt habe, ob er mit mir tanzen will?
2. Goethes “Der Zauberlehrling”
Lernziel: Im Zentrum der Einheit steht die Bearbeitung von Goethes Ballade Der Zauberlehrling. Die StudentInnen sollen am Ende der Einheit gelernt haben, dass die Ballade Elemente der drei literarischen Hauptformen enthält. Im Vordergrund steht dabei der praktische Zugang und das Lebendigmachen der Ballade, d.h. Betonung des dramatischen Elements. (Learning by Doing)
Lernschritte:
Einführung in den geschichtlichen Hintergrund und die Bedeutung der Ballade.
Lyrische Elemente/Tanzlied: traditioneller Zugang: Einführung in Metrik, Strophenaufbau, Reimschema + Anwendung
Epische Elemente: Die Ballade als Erzähltext – Inhalt
Dramatische Elemente: Die Ballade als Theatertext
Lehrmethoden:
Powerpoint, kurzer Frontalunterricht (Einführung), Partner- und Gruppenarbeit, Diskussion im Plenum, Rollenspiel, Hörübung, Einsetzübung.
Ice Breaker: Simsalabim Magische Namen: Zur Vorstellung sollen sich die StudentInnen Adjektiva oder Partizpien ausdenken, die denselben Anfangsbuchstaben wie ihre Vornamen haben.
Einstieg:
3 Grundarten der Poesie: Benennen der drei Grundarten literarischer Produktion
Was werden wir im Verlauf der Einheit mit Goethes Ballade machen?
Erarbeiten:
Vermitteln bzw. Aneignung von theoretischem Wissen (traditionell) Daten zu Goethes Ballade: Enstehungsgeschichte, Balladenjahr, Reimschema Stoff
Das Balladenjahr: geschichtlicher Hintergrund
Reimschema: sehr kurze Einführung in Metrik, Reimschema, Kadenz und Analyse einer Strophe bzw. des Refrains. Die StudentInnen sollen davon mitnehmen, dass das Gedicht konstruiert ist. Gemeinsames Lesen und Betonen.
Stoff
Zur Verständnissicherung finden die StudentInnen in Paararbeit 6 Überschriften zu den einzelnen Abschnitten der Ballade am Handout
Kam Ihnen der Stoff bekannt vor? Überleitung zu Fantasia (kurzer Filmausschnitt)
Erarbeiten der Unterschiede zwischen Originaltext und Disney-Version
Fantasia: Daten; ˝The Sorcerer´s Apprentice”
Im Plenum: Diskussion von 2 Unterschieden und 1 Gemeinsamkeit Ballade-Film
Reproduktion des Besen (Reproduktion durch Filmtechnik, Feiern des Meisters W. Disney als Meister der Technik; biblische Elemente (Meister teilt das Wasser), Mickey’s Größenwahnsinn-Traum, Bestrafung durch den Meister am Ende)
Persönlicher Zugang: musste die Ballade als Schülerin auswendig lernen. Fand in der Plattensammlung meiner Eltern eine Version, von Oskar Werner gelesen.
EIN WECHSELBAD DER GEFÜHLEWie nennt der Lehrling im Verlauf der Ballade den Besen?Partnerarbeit: Die Studentinnen tragen die Bezeichnungen des Besens und die Emotionen des Zauberlehrlings in die Tabelle am Handout ein.
Übergang zum dramatischen Darstellen
Gruppenarbeit und Rollenspiel: Die StudentInnen erarbeiten gemeinsam einen auf der Ballade basierenden Theatertext.
Aufführung des Zauberlehrlings
Ausblick: Wie werden die Emotionen des Zauberlehrlings bzw. die Reaktion des Meisters und der Besen in den verschiedenen Versionen dargestellt? Verhältnis Meister-Lehrling - strukturell verarbeitet? Mit wem identifiziert man sich als Leser/Zuseher/Zuhörer.
Aufforderung zur Autoritätskritik und Aufmüpfigkeit
Harry Potter/The Apprentice
Der Zauberlehrling als Theaterstück
1. Szene Der Zauberlehrling fegt die Kammer des Hexenmeisters aus. Er hat keine gute
Laune, weil er zaubern will – nicht immer nur saubermachen!
Zauberlehrling: Schon wieder muss ich die Kammer ausfegen! Ich kann euch
gar nicht sagen, wie oft ich das schon getan habe! Wozu
lerne ich eigentlich zaubern, wenn ich die ganze Arbeit
alleine machen muss?
Meister: Mein lieber Lehrling! Bist du endlich fertig?
(murmelt: „ Meine Güte, der macht sich das aber
auch schwer mit all seinem Gejammer! Ich hätte das alles
schon längst erledigt.“ )
Zauberlehrling: Ach Meister, mir ist so langweilig!
Wozu lerne ich denn zaubern, wenn ich dann immer nur die
Drecksarbeit machen muss?
Meister : Zaubern ist eine gewaltige Kraft!
Du solltest sie nicht für Dinge verschwenden, die du
leicht selber erledigen kannst!!!
Die wahre Bedeutung wirst du noch lernen!! Und nun –
Husch, husch - räume die Zimmer auf und wische Staub !!!
Ich eile nun in den Wald, um Misteln zu schneiden.
Wenn ich wiederkomme, möchte ich ein schönes, heißes Bad
nehmen. (Meister setzt seinen Hut ab, wendet sich ab und geht)
2. Szene Der Zauberlehrling fegt lustlos und seufzt dabei mehrmals tief!
Zauberlehrling: So ein alter Knacker.
(hat eine Idee; setzt sich den Hut selber auf): Juchuu!
Nun ist er endlich weg!
Ha, ich habe aber doch gut aufgepasst- Er wird es gar nicht merken, wenn ich den Besen die Arbeit tun lasse! Der Besen soll das Wasser holen!
Chor: rappt Walle! walleManche Strecke,daß zum Zwecke,Wasser fließeund mit reichem, vollem Schwallezu dem Bade sich ergieße.
Besen 1 ( tanzt auf der Bühne): Ich habe einen Kopf!!!! Ich kann sehen!
Ich habe Arme!!!!!!! Ich habe Beine !!! Beine !!!! Wie wunderbar!
Zauberlehrling: Hurra, es funktioniert, da läuft er, der blöde Besen.
Ich bin ein Genie! (reibt seine Augen) Der ist aber schnell.
Jetzt kommt er schon wieder und die Wanne ist schon ganz
voll.
Chor: rappt Stehe! stehe!denn wir habendeiner Gabenvollgemessen!
Zauberlehrling: Jetzt bleib doch stehen. Oh nein, ich habe den Zauberspruch
vergessen! Bitte Besen, bleib doch stehen! Der hält nicht an.
Was tu ich nur? Da kommt er schon wieder ... wird der nicht müde?
Da ist eine Axt, die schnapp ich mir! Zoing! Da hast du´s, jetzt bist
kaputt.
Chor: rappt Wehe! wehe!Beide Teilestehn in Eileschon als Knechtevöllig fertig in die Höhe!
Besen 1+2 (tanzen auf der Bühne): Huch, jetzt sind wir zu zweit, da
läuft´s sich´s gleich noch schneller!
Wie wunderbar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3. Peer Observation
DATE: November 8, 2006
FROM: Laura Vas, Adjunct Instructor of German, Dept. of German Studies; vasl@email.uc.edu; 513-751-5391
OBSERVED: Julia K. Baker
On November 8, 2006 I had the chance to observe Julia K. Baker’s 300-level German Conversation and Composition class. The class started on time as students received their personal folders before teaching actually started. The first task, a rather unusual one, writing a postcard to one of the peer students being in hospital at the moment, reflected Julia’s deep engagement with her students and commitment to teaching. During the playful warm-up activity which made students find good excuses to avoid dancing, not only music was played and students’ giggling were heard but also the six modals verbs and their meanings were clarified. As today’s class focused on practicing modal verbs in different tenses, the well-prepared warm-up activity laid the foundations for the next activities in a lively and meaningful way. Each activity reflected that Julia has a strong theoretical foundation with many options at hand and uses wonderful authentic and creative materials to inspire her students in their learning process.
The next activities – a blend of top-down and bottom-up frontal and group work activities (jig-saw puzzle text, frontal discussion and role-play reading) displayed Julia’s solid knowledge of language teaching pedagogy. Each student contributed to the class, none of them shied away from participation, which demonstrated that students in her classes are as much agents of the class as the instructor. One of them was even brave enough to read his part of the dialogue in a high-pitched voice. At the same time, Julia made sure that she corrected pronunciation and crucial grammar mistakes. The second half of the class focused on grammar exercises, however the exercises, which covered five verbal tenses of modal verbs, were nicely contextualized so that meaning did not get lost and students enjoyed the funny situations while giving fitness advices or helping a friend who has to take a difficult German test.
It is remarkable that Julia uses almost exclusively German during teaching and for her students it is the most natural thing to follow instructions exclusively in a foreign language and communicate with her in the target language. It is unavoidable to make mistakes while learning a second language and Julia makes every effort to maintain a relaxed classroom atmosphere that is supportive to language learning and in which students become curios about the subject matter and take risks to communicate their ideas. Julia’s pedagogical knowledge, teaching style and interest in her students’ progress makes her a highly potential candidate to teach effective, high-quality language, culture and literature courses on a variety of levels. Teaching for her is not only a duty but also an art and profession. Without hesitation, I recommend her highly for any teaching position.
4. Student Feedback and Evaluations
Julia,
I submitted the online evaluation but it would not take personal identification, so you will never know it's mine (rest assured I appreciate your careful preparation, prompt feedback, and ability to relate to us poor students (ie, caring for us despite our poor skills in your native language). I will continue to slug along next term (if you permit me to join your closed class next term- auditors come last and need permission).
Bis Mittwoch
John
***
March 25, 2007
To whom it may concern:
Re: Julia Baker
I highly recommend Julia Baker for a faculty position in German. I speak from experience, having taken third year German this year. Julia was my instructor for two quarters. Most members of the class were undergraduates, who had family from Germany or intended to work there as part of a UC co-op program. I was the one “adult learner”, who was gainfully employed and enrolled because of interest.
Julia was always on time for class and extremely well prepared. Julia is fluent in both English and German. The class was conducted in German. Assignments were clear and included exercises in reading and writing, as well as oral presentations. Julia has the knack of explaining difficult grammatical concepts, which is sometimes not true of individuals who are bilingual. One of her strengths is thoroughness in constructively grading students’ essays. We did a lot of writing, sent essays to her electronically, and had them returned with correction of errors, each correction accompanied by an explanation of what was wrong. Her promptness and thoroughness were greatly appreciated. Classes were fun, as well as challenging.
The German Department at UC takes pride in the quality of teaching in its undergraduate program. Teachers such as Julia have been taught how to teach. This is readily apparent when I compare my experiences in German with experiences in other courses at UC. Instructors in German know how to engage the students. Classroom materials are well planned and time in class is spent productively with a lot of dialog between the instructor and the students. Julia knew each student’s name and encouraged each to participate in class. I have continued to take courses in German because of the quality of the program. I enjoy the courses and the instructors. Julia will be a fine addition to your faculty. If you have questions, please feel free to call me at 513-636-0265 or e-mail me at john.hutton@cchmc.org.
Sincerely yours,
John Hutton, MD
Dean Emeritus and Professor of Pediatrics
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Vice President, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Ben Cooney
Jahnstraße 8
October 13, 2006
To whom it may concern,
During my second year at the University of Wales, Swansea, I had the privilege of being taught
by Julia Baker in two of my German classes, General Language and spoken German.
Julia's classes were always a highlight of the day, as I knew that they would be both
challenging and enjoyable. Julia's teaching style always encourages participation, as she is
very lively and engaging. It was clear from the beginning that she enjoyed teaching and
interacting with all of her students, whether in class or out.
Julia's relationship with me and the other students was one of mutual respect and friendship,
and she was always approachable if you had a problem or issue. I always had, and still have, a great deal of respect for her. At the same time, Julia was by no means incapable of disciplining students or letting them know that certain behavior was unacceptable, and this only strengthens my regard for her.
If anyone had difficulties with any aspect of the course, Julia would endeavor to help them work at it until it was clear in everyone's mind. I had not always been entirely comfortable with my spoken German, but Julia's classes really helped me to practice my skills and I became a lot more comfortable speaking German as a result. I now live and work in Germany, which requires me to speak German on a daily basis, something I would not be so comfortable doing without Julia's help.
Julia would be an asset to any academic institution and I have no doubt that her students would grow to like and respect her as much as I do. I was only taught by Julia for one year but she has made a lasting impression on me and other students, many of whom often lamented the fact that we would no longer be taught by her. However, our loss can only be someone else's gain.
Yours truly,
Ben Cooney
***
Chiang Mai, Thailand,
13th October 2006
To whom it may concern,
Re: Letter of Recommendation for Julia Baker
During my studies at the University of Wales, Swansea, I took many classes with Julia as the lecturer. I have no hesitation in recommending her teaching style and practice to you today.
Classes with Julia were invariably interesting and well-structured. Course outlines and requirements were clear from the beginning of each course, and the targets were always reached.
There was a friendly and encouraging atmosphere in Julia’s classes, as she sought to relate to each student on a personal level, not purely academic. This is one of Julia’s strongest characteristics – by talking to her classes like they are her friends, she puts everyone at ease and helps them to produce their very best.
Another of Julia’s strengths is her clarity in teaching. When faced with difficult subject material, she can make explanations in simple terms that her students can grasp. I personally never left her class feeling confused or unsure of what we had studied, and always felt confident that I could apply that knowledge later.
Overall, not only did I enjoy Julia’s classes and the topics she taught, but I also grew to respect and appreciate Julia as a friend, who I could go to if ever I needed help on any matter. As I am now working as a foreign language teacher, I only hope to have as positive an effect on my students as I’m sure Julia had on many of hers.
Yours,
Helen Green
Helen Green,
Montfort International College,
269 Charoen Prathet Road,
50100, Chiang Mai,
Thailand
helen_green81@hotmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment