German: advanced receptive skills I [ LGERM1312 ]

Listening and reading comprehension.

To acquire advanced skills in listening and reading (B2 level - Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).
At the end of the course, the student will be able to :
- understand the main ideas of propositionally and linguistically complex speech on both everyday life and academic concrete, abstract, cultural and literary topics delivered in a standard language, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization.
- follow extended speech and complex lines of argument provided the topic is reasonably familiar, and the direction of the talk is sign-posted by explicit markers;
- follow the essentials of lectures, talks and reports and other forms of academic/professional/cultural/literary presentation which are propositionally and linguistically complex;
- read with a large degree of independence, adapting style and speed of reading to different texts and purposes, and using appropriate reference sources selectively;
- quickly identify the content and relevance of news items, articles and reports on a wide range of professional topics, deciding whether closer study is worthwhile;
- scan longer texts in order to locate desired information, and gather information from different parts of a text, or from different texts in order to fulfil a specific task;
- obtain information, ideas and opinions from highly specialized sources within his/her field;
- understand specialized articles outside his/her field, provided he/she can use a dictionary occasionally to confirm his/her interpretation of terminology - use a variety of strategies to achieve comprehension, including listening for main points; checking comprehension by using contextual clues.