This is an introductory subject for students with little or no knowledge of German. Its goal is to generate a firm grounding in the basics of German grammar and language structure in conjunction with the development of cultural literacy (including a sensitivity to the social contexts of communication). Students acquire a basic vocabulary, learn to discern and employ the structures, patterns and grammatical features of a foreign language, and develop the ability to engage with simple texts. Students reach a level of simple text production (eg. letters, emails, personal résumés or family backgrounds). Students will learn how to converse in a number of different informal communicative situations and begin to use language in limited formal settings. The study of culture is integrated into language acquisition and is designed to develop basic listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. This engagement with a range of different authentic texts and media will be embedded in the learning about key aspects of German, Austrian and Swiss culture.

This subject consolidates and builds upon the basic skills and knowledge acquired in German 1. It continues to provide a firm grounding in the fundamentals of German grammar, the tense system and language structure in conjunction with the development of cultural literacy, focussing on regional cultural and linguistic diversity in the German-speaking world. Through cultural components, which include architecture, music and literature, students enhance their vocabulary and engage with more complex grammatical and syntactic structures to enable them to understand more sophisticated texts drawn from a variety of sources – such as biographical, journalistic, popular media and literary texts – and expand their appreciation of texts in context. Emphasis is placed on increased oral proficiency, enhanced communicative skills and the ability to initiate and sustain conversation in a greater range of informal and formal settings. Students also improve their written proficiency in German through writing short narratives, i.e. news reports and biographies, and engage in guided creative writing.

Learning a language involves not only linguistic and cultural proficiency but also the development of skills in areas valued by industry: intercultural competence, communication and digital literacy. This subject offers students the opportunity to develop these skills by engaging with an industry collaborator in target-language communities in Australia. Students will work in teams to progress an existing project, in consultation with the industry partner. The subject brings together students from a mix of language majors and is taught in English, but will result in some assessable outcomes in a target language.

The subject comprises three phases: 1) three initial weeks of seminars (delivered in English to students in all language streams) which introduce students to team- and project-work strategies, workplace culture, career pathways, as well as the industry partner’s project; 2) eight weeks of collaborative work in response to a project brief, under close supervision and to a schedule of reporting deadlines, documenting progress through an online platform; and 3) the presentation of project outcomes to an audience of industry specialists, community members and peers.

This subject examines the relationship between language and society in Europe. It focuses on issues of relevance in an increasingly integrated Europe in which European and other languages are in contact through migration, travel, business, and mass media, and in which English is taking on an important role as a lingua franca. The topics to be covered include: the relationship between majority and minority languages, dialects and the standard language. bilingualism and multilingualism. semi-communication. language planning at state and European levels. politeness and forms of address. and the status and influence of English.