The University recommends students take two courses from the following list. Students take German language plus one other course in English for a total of 7 credits. A minimum enrollment of 10 students is required for each course offered.
German language courses
A placement exam after arrival determines appropriate levels. German language classes are mandatory and are taught for 60 contact hours for 4 credits and appear on a Humboldt University transcript. Courses meet Monday through Friday. Each course is divided into grammar, conversation, vocabulary and culture. There is a maximum of 15 students in each class.
| German language courses | |
| Course Code and Credits: | German 101 (4) |
| Course Title: | Elementary German |
| Course Description: | |
| Students with no previous German or with only one semester in college usually place into this level. Functional uses of the language as well as grammar, cultural themes, introductions, exchanging information, writing letters, the present tense, the noun and the cases, personal pronouns and possessive pronouns, sentence structure, questions, prepositions, list of irregular verbs, basic communication and listening comprehension. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | German 102 (4) |
| Course Title: | Advanced Elementary German |
| Course Description: | |
| For students with more than one semester of German at elementary level. Further development of functional uses of German language as outlined in German 101. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | German 201 (4) |
| Course Title: | Lower Intermediate German |
| Course Description: | |
| Students who have studied German throughout high school and continued with one semester in college, or students who have 2 to 4 semesters in college, usually place into this level. Practice of communication and speaking techniques, listening comprehension, analyzing texts and training in everyday situations typical of students studying at Humboldt University, reading comprehension, revision of old and learning of new vocabulary, synonyms and paraphrases in context, verb, noun, adjective, flexion, prepositions, personal and possessive pronouns, sentence structure, main and subordinate clauses, auxiliary verbs, special focus on sentence construction and use of past tenses in context. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | German 203 (4) |
| Course Title: | Upper Intermediate German |
| Course Description: | |
| Students with at least 6 semesters of college German, experience living in a German-speaking country or German study on a regular basis since elementary school usually place into this level. Practice of communication and speaking techniques in everyday situations and situations typical of students: listening comprehension; short reports; personal statements; arguing in discussions; reading comprehension; analysis of authentic texts; exercises, producing texts; deepening and enlarging vocabulary; synonyms and paraphrasing; appropriate use of vocabulary in context. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | German 301 (4) |
| Course Title: | Advanced German |
| Course Description: | |
| Students who are nearly fluent usually place into this level. It concentrates on refining and further developing communicative skills, review of indicative and the subjunctive, expressions of doubt, probability, feelings, opinions. Preparation of university-level texts. Reading of newspapers and modern literature texts. | |
Optional courses in English
Each year the content of the optional courses in English is adjusted slightly, but the following course descriptions give students a good idea of what to expect.
| Optional courses in English | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Business/Politics 312 (3) |
| Course Title: | The Berlin Wall and European Integration |
| Course Description: | |
| The course covers topics such as: implications of the Berlin Wall on architecture, contemporary history and museums; history of post-war Germany; European integration on both sides of the Berlin Wall (before and after the reunification); structures of the European Central Bank and the Bundestag. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Culture 304 (3) |
| Course Title: | Contemporary German Culture: Berlin’s Music and Art Scene |
| Course Description: | |
| The course covers topics such as: globalization and popular music; Berlin’s music scene (rock, pop, punk and jazz); introduction to the music industry and the history of popular music in Germany. A visit to MTV Berlin or German record labels may be included. | |
| Course Code and Credits: | Religion/Culture 308 (3) |
| Course Title: | New! Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Germany |
| Course Description: | |
| National Integration Summit, German Islam Conference, Intercultural Week and Carnival of Cultures… the list of initiatives to approach the multicultural landscape of the country and especially its cities is not only long but also as colourful as the different expressions of cultures and religions in the country. The course explores interreligious and intercultural life in Berlin as well as different forms of dialogue and some debates that have unfolded about the concept of dialogue. Focus is put on experiencing and describing diversity and the various ways to "manage" it. It begins with examining causes and developments that have led to the current picture, one of the most relevant being migration, but will also allow a look at the younger history of dealing with cultural and religious diversity, since dialogue is a recent "buzzword" in the political arena. With the participation of researchers and activists in social, political, religious, and cultural fields, the course will take a look at the challenges of Berlin’s cultural and religious mosaic looking at different concepts of approaching the city's and the country's diversity. Site visits, readings of academic as well as media texts and political statements will support lectures and debates in the seminar. The participants will be invited to draft a presentation on a specific topic discussed during the summer school, supported by different forms of media according to the individual interests. The lecturer for this course recently won an Award for Best teaching. | |
