German 101

GRMN 101 Critical, Integrative Thinking Essay on Culture

General description of the assignment

Students will demonstrate knowledge and understanding of particular aspects of the culture of

the countries where German is spoken by writing a reflecting essay in English. GRMN 101

students will research and write about one of the following topics: sports and exercise,

friendships, shopping habits, and education.

Assignment Goals

This assignment is linked to two of our four Program Learning Outcomes in World Languages

and Cultures. Students who complete course work in the World Languages and Cultures

Program will be able to: (1) apply cultural knowledge to facilitate communication with native

speakers and (2) analyze cultural differences.

The assignment is also connected the following course outcome on our GRMN 101 syllabus:

Compare and contrast typical cultural frames of reference held by Anglos and Germans on

interpersonal space, time, food, family, work, sports, pastimes, politics, and religion.

Having students reflect on how the target language makes itself meaningful within its social and

cultural context helps them not only to make judgments about the target language culture but

also to examine critically their own language and culture.

Description of Assignment Specifics

Using Microsoft WORD and 12th font size, GRMN 101 students will write a reflective essay in

English between 750 and 1,000 words in length. Following MLA style, students will have at

least one primary source and at least three secondary sources to address similarities and

differences between the United States and German-speaking countries on the cultural topic(s)

chosen.

Students will receive the assignment the second week of the semester along with the

Vincennes University Critical Thinking Rubric: Humanistic and Artistic. The first draft of the

essay will be due the week of midterms. The final draft will be due the week of semester finals.

Explanation of the Value of the Assignment Relative to the Overall Course Grade

The essay will weigh 10% percent of the total course grade.2

Explanation of the problem, question, conflict, or issue

GRMN 101 students will choose to do one of the four following reflective essays:

Context or scenario for all assignments:

Imagine that you want to communicate with a person from a German-speaking country.

Although this person has some degree of proficiency in English, he or she is not well acquainted

with US culture. For example, think of a student from Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, or

Switzerland who has not been in the United States long and is starting classes at Vincennes

University.

Assignment A

Essay on problems (culture shock) created by cultural differences in sports and

exercise and suggestions to help a student from a German-speaking country

studying in the United States deal with those problems

GRMN 101 students will address the following questions in a reflective essay:

There are important differences concerning sports and exercise in German-speaking countries

and in the United States. Think about things such as passion for soccer in German-speaking

countries versus passion for baseball, basketball, football, or hockey in the United States, the

influence of famous sports personalities in both the Germanic and Anglo cultures, and the

tradition of leisurely walks in German-speaking countries. What are the greatest problems that

the cultural differences in this area would create for a student from a German-speaking country

who is studying in the United States? What specific suggestions do you have to help the

student overcome these problems, or, in other words, to deal with the culture shock?

How could you communicate to the person from the target culture that you are aware of and

appreciate his or her cultural frame of reference? As a person from a culture different from

that of a German-speaking country, what are some of your own assumptions and values about

sports and exercise that this person might not understand about you? How could you help this

person understand these assumptions and values, and–at the same time–show respect for his

or her culture?3

Assignment B

Essay on problems (culture shock) created by cultural differences in friendships

and suggestions to help a student from a German-speaking country studying in

the United States deal with those problems

GRMN 101 students will address the following questions in a reflective essay:

There are important differences between the idea of friendship in German-speaking countries

and the notion of friendship in the United States. Make sure you reflect on the concept of

friends versus acquaintances in the German-speaking world and how that differs in the United

States. What are the greatest problems that the cultural differences in this area would create

for a student from a German-speaking country who is studying in the United States? What

specific suggestions do you have to help the student overcome these problems, or, in other

words, to deal with the culture shock?

How could you communicate to the person from the target culture that you are aware of and

appreciate his or her cultural frame of reference? As a person from a culture different from

that of a German-speaking country, what are some of your own assumptions and values about

friendship that this person might not understand about you? How could you help this person

understand these assumptions and values, and, at the same time, show respect for his or her

culture?

Assignment C

Essay on problems (culture shock) created by cultural differences in shopping

habits and suggestions to help a student from a German-speaking country

studying in the United States deal with those problems

GRMN 101 students will address the following questions in a reflective essay:

There are differences in the ways people shop, seek the best prices, and interact with one

another in commercial settings in German-speaking countries and in the United States. If you

have been to an open-air market in a German-speaking country, answer the following

questions: What did you buy? Did you negotiate a price? What did you say? If you have not

been to an open-air market, imagine what you would buy and how you would answer the

questions above. Make sure you reflect on what you have learned about specialty shops, store4

hours, and the desire for fresh food with which to cook at home. What are the greatest

problems that the cultural differences in this area would create for a student from a German-

speaking country who is studying in the United States? What specific suggestions do you have

to help the student overcome these problems, or, in other words, to deal with the culture

shock?

How could you communicate to the person from the target culture that you are aware of and

appreciate his or her cultural frame of reference? As a person from a culture different from

that of a German-speaking country, what are some of your own assumptions and values about

shopping that this person might not understand about you? How could you help this person

understand these assumptions and values, and–at the same time–show respect for his or her

culture?

Assignment D

Essay on problems (culture shock) created by cultural differences in education

and suggestions to help a student from a German-speaking country studying in

the United States deal with those problems

GRMN 101 students will address the following questions in a reflective essay:

There are important differences between education in the German-speaking world and in the

United States. Think about differences in the following areas: the educational system from

kindergarten through university, courses taught, college entrance requirements, tuition costs,

and housing for college students. What are the greatest problems that the cultural

differences in this area would create for a student from a German-speaking country who is

studying in the United States? What specific suggestions do you have to help the student

overcome these problems, or, in other words, to deal with the culture shock?

How could you communicate to the person from the target culture that you are aware of and

appreciate his or her cultural frame of reference? As a person from a culture different from

that of a German-speaking country, what are some of your own assumptions and values in the

area of education that this person might not understand about you? How could you help this

person understand these assumptions and values, and–at the same time–show respect for his

or her culture?5

Evidence: selecting and using information to investigate a point of view or

conclusion

GRMN 101 students must include at least one of the following primary sources: information

about speakers of German from the GRMN 101 textbook or the electronic workbook that

accompanies the textbook, or an interview which they conduct with a native speaker of

German. As secondary sources students will refer to at least three scholarly articles on the

cultural topic(s) with which they are dealing as they address the questions for the essay.

Influence of context and assumptions

The assignment focuses the students attention on the importance of a cultural context on

communication. Students will grapple with how cultural frames of reference influence cross-

cultural communication.

Student position

As students do this assignment, they will examine their own ideas and attitudes they had before taking

GRMN 101 and consider whether those notions and perspectives had affected their interaction with

native-speakers of German. Students will explain how learning the German language and culture from

the German-speaking world has influenced their understanding of people from German-speaking

countries. Also, students will consider how they might help native-speakers of German understand

assumptions and values typical of people in the United States, and, at the same time, show respect for

the German-speaking culture. Students will even be examining how reflective their own assumptions

and values are of US culture in general.

Conclusions and related outcomes

The reflective essay on cultural topics in GRMN 101 will be aligned with both Education

Outcome Competencies from the State of Indiana and Program Outcomes dealing with culture

for students in Vincennes Universitys World Languages and Cultures Department

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