German

Course summary

- Develop communication skills in four skill areas in a foreign language and work towards a qualification in a highly respected A Level. - Explore topical issues and participate in lively discussions on current affairs, politics and history in the German-speaking world. - Write with increased fluency and confidence on German literature and film. The course is for you if you have an interest in both the language and culture of German-speaking countries and a strong desire to develop language skills to a high level. You also need an ability to work with commitment and to work well independently. You should have an active interest in current affairs and contemporary issues and an enthusiasm for participating in conversation, discussion role-play situations and working with our German Assistant. The first year of the course will focus on how German-speaking society has been shaped socially and culturally and how it continues to change. You will develop your language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing through the study of a range of contemporary topics such as the changing state of the family, the digital world, youth culture, festivals and traditions, art and architecture and cultural life in Berlin. There will be an in-depth study of grammar and translation into both English and German. In the second year of the course, further aspects of the social background of German-speaking society are covered as well as studying aspects of the political landscape. You will continue to develop your language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing through the study of a range of topics such as immigration, integration, racism, Germany and the European Union, politics and youth, and German reunification and its consequences. You will also study the literary text, der Vorleser, in German and develop the skills needed to write critical and analytical essays on the film and the text that you have studied.