Department of German
UW-Madison
College of Letters & Science

226: Conversation and Composition II, 3 cr.

Lec 1,  MWF. 9:55, Love

Prerequisites: German 225.

The course emphasizes skill development in using the German language (listening, speaking, writing, reading) with the goals of improving fluency and accuracy.  German culture will be introduced through modern German cinema, with class discussion centering on seven recent German films (screened outside of class) and selected readings about them.  In-class work also includes informal and directed conversation, group work, and grammar and vocabulary exercises. Written work will include regular grammar exercises, topical questions on the screened films, short quizzes, and seven essays (one every other week).  Course language is exclusively German and there will be homework expected for every class meeting.  Prerequisite: German 225 or equivalent.

Required Textbooks:

• Rankin, Jamie and Larry Wells.  Handbuch zur deutschen Grammatik.  Houghton Mifflin.  3rd or 4th edition acceptable.
• Adriana Borra and Ruth Mader-Koltay, German through Film. Yale University Press, 2007.

Recommended:

• An advanced bilingual dictionary (German/English and English/German), such as Collins Unabridged German Dictionary (5th edition) or The Oxford Duden German-English Dictionary (3rd edition).  NOTE: these dictionaries are adequate for all upper-level German courses.