2024/25 Undergraduate Module Catalogue
GERM2070 Behind the Headlines: Germany in the 21st Century
20 creditsClass Size: 50
Module manager: Professor Ingo Cornils
Email: i.cornils@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2024/25
Pre-requisite qualifications
GERM1010 or GERM1020 and GERM1021Pre-requisites
| GERM1010 | German Language Awareness and Skills |
| GERM1020 | Beginners German (A1 of the CEFR) |
| GERM1021 | Pre-Intermediate German Language (A2/B1 of the CEFR) |
This module is not approved as a discovery module
Module summary
This module sets out to introduce students to selected current political, social, economic and cultural debates in Germany with equal emphasis on the acquisition of German language, media analysis, critical thinking and presentation skills. By engaging with a key issue in a collaborative project and researching a second issue of their own choice in depth, they learn to confidently analyse, and participate in, the German public sphere.Objectives
This module aims to:- introduce students to the key debates which are shaping the identity, politics and culture in Germany today, and enable them to participate in these debates.
- engage with and produce reasoned responses to a variety of media and cultural texts and enable students to analyse and critically reflect on them in order to develop their own positions.
- engage students with key debates in present-day Germany by exploring selected case studies, identifying the ‘distinctiveness’ of German politics, society, economy and culture and their representation in the media.
- develop students’ own interpretations based on an informed, critical understanding of the issues and their independent research.
- develop the skills to research, critically reflect on, and effectively participate in the German public sphere.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Demonstrated a knowledge and understanding of the key debates which are shaping the identity, politics and culture in Germany today
2. Analyse Engaged with a range of German media texts by analysing intention, content, context, subtext and rhetorical means
3. Demonstrated a critical understanding of the medial and cultural representation of key political, social, economic and cultural debates in Germany today
4. Demonstrated an ability to identify, critically engage with, and evaluate a range of different views and opinions in the German media and in secondary literature
5. Presented and defended their own reasoned position in German and English in a range of formats and contexts
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
6. The ability to deliver effective and engaging oral and visual presentations to a variety of audiences
7. The ability to use the oral, written, auditory, and visual language proficiency needed to be able to learn effectively and demonstrate understanding.
8. The ability to collaborate with fellow students build positive relationships with other people which then enables successful projects or other collaborations.
9. The ability to prioritise, work efficiently and productively and to manage your time well in order to meet deadlines.
Syllabus
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module
Teaching methods
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
| Seminars | 20 | 1.50 | 30.00 |
| Private study hours | 170.00 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 30.00 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200.00 | ||
Opportunities for Formative Feedback
- Regular feedback on performance in seminar through informal feedback; short writing tasks; short presentations in class- Student groups will be given feedback on the proposal for, and script sample, of their video blog. Module tutors will also be on hand to help at the planning and production stage.
- Students will be given feedback on their literature review.
Methods of assessment
Coursework
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
| Essay | 2,250 words Essay | 70.00 |
| Group Project | 15 min Group Video Blog | 30.00 |
| Literature Review | 750 word Literature Review | 0.00 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100.00 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Reading list
The reading list is available from the Library websiteLast updated: 03/05/2024
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- Undergraduate module catalogue
- Taught Postgraduate module catalogue
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