Intro to German: First Encounters (Foreign Cultural Literacy) [Contents / Contexts]
Topics linked to Contexts linked to Cultural Products
- Concrete topics dealing with every-day events and situations (e.g. family, leisure, work, food, travel, housing, education)
- Introduction to major social institutions, political parties, historical events, cultural and political figures, and concepts that are familiar to most German-speaking populations.
- Exposure to some of major cultural products (art, architecture, music, poetry, film, legends, literature, etc.) with which most German-speakers are familiar.
Texts
- Every-day “realia” (contained in most current textbooks).
- Background readings / videos / internet resources in English (e.g. Meet United Germany These Strange German Ways [Stern], Federal Republic of Germany: Questions and Answers [Embassy Website], The Germans [Craig], newspaper and journal articles; Videos on United Germany, Kafka, Bauhaus, etc.).
- Texts in German (poetry, art, songs, urban legends, films/videos, stories).