Germany and the world. Yesterday and today

general courses

(in Polish) Znajomość języka niemieckiego na poziomie B2

Remote learning

The course will enable students to broaden their knowledge about contemporary and past relations between Germany and the United States, China, European countries such as: France, Great Britain, Russia and Italy, moreover Turkey and Israel, as well as some African, South American and Arab countries. Thus, the students will have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of issues in such fields as: history, politics, sociology, cultural studies, linguistics and art, as well as to use and revise the vocabulary and structures related to the above-mentioned topics. Thanks to the analysis of information, the listeners will be able to understand the genesis and meaning of many current events.

The course is conducted remotely on Google Meet in German at B2 level.

Which came first: the egg or the hen? Where does the significant position of Germany in the modern world come from? Were the German relations with other countries first and then its role in the economy and politics? Or vice versa? There is no one answer. However, we will try to discuss some important facts during the course:

- economic and cultural ties between Germany and the United States,

- Germany's economic dependence on China,

- the influence of Germany and France on the European Union, their different approaches to art and fashion,

- history of Windsor and Anglo-Saxons, cultural exchange between Germans and British, the impact of Brexit on the relationship,

- Germans on the tsar's throne, the Volga Germans,

- the Holy Roman Empire and its meaning, the image of Italy and its inhabitants in "Italian Journey" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, fascism versus national socialism, Italians in Germany and their "deutsche Vita", the stereotypes of an Italian in Germany,

- German colonies in Africa, the return of bronzes from Benin and other African artifacts

- the attractiveness of emigration to South America from the point of view of Germans, a German enterprise in Brazil, the escape of the Nazis to Argentina after Germany's defeat in the Second World War,

- Turks in Germany,

- history of the Arabs, "arabness" in German,

- the history of Israel, the meaning of Hebrew and Yiddish, kosher cuisine, Israel's relationship with West and East Germany

Selected by the teacher fragments of films, reports, interviews and publications. Developed by the teacher lexical tasks.

Listener:

- uses vocabulary related to history, politics, sociology, cultural studies, linguistics and art,

- uses B2 level structures,

- understands statements of native speakers of German on the above-mentioned topics,

- expresses an opinion and supports it with arguments,

- formulates longer oral statements,

- actively participates in the discussion.

One mid-semester oral credit covering the first part of the material and one final oral credit covering the second part of the semester. To receive a positive grade, the student has to obtain from each oral credits min. 60%.