Basic Danish Language, Culture and Conversation

BASIC DANISH LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND CONVERSATION

Fall Semester 2005

Description.

This class is intended for students with little or no prior study of Danish. The aim of the course is to enable guest students to handle communication in some vital situations and to solve some of the communicative problems that occur most frequently, especially for university students.

The course will focus primarily on the spoken language. It will concentrate on skills in understanding spoken Danish and actively making oneself understood, using simple words, sentence structures and communication strategies. Information about Danish society and culture will also be a priority.

The course is divided into two parts: Part A. is the Basic Danish Language course offered by the Center for Linguistics, and Part B is Language, Culture and Conversation Exchange, organized by International Programs, Faculty of Humanities.

• Part A. Basic Danish Language consists of 50 hours of instruction. It begins with a ”Language Bath” on Saturday, September 10, from 09.00 – 16.00 (Kroghstræde 3), followed by seven weeks of classroom instruction, i.e., two times per week, for two hours each session, consisting of texts and dialogues, exercises and drills for homework. Every two weeks a minor written test will keep track of class progress. Frequent group exercises will support the objective of spoken language proficiency. Part A. culminates with ”Language Bath II” on Saturday, October 29th 10:00 – 15:00. A written and oral exam will take place in the following week – week 44 – on November 2nd and 3rd.

• Part B Language, Culture and Conversation Exchange consists of approximately 20 hours of work outside of class, including eight one-hour meetings (beginning week 38) with an AAU student who is a native speaker of Danish. Students will spend 30 minutes speaking in Danish, (conversation and pronunciation practice) and 30 minutes speaking in English, French, German or Spanish (about Danish traditions and customs and current events). Exchange students are also required to read at least one article each day---in Danish and in English—and to discuss them with their exchange partner. (see and ). Finally, exchange students are required to maintain language journal, in which they write two sentences each day. Conversation partners will correct the sentences at each weekly session.

ECTS: Four (4) ECTS will be awarded for Danish Language, Culture and Conversation. Note: Basic Danish Language, with the examination, awards three (3) ECTS, and one (1) ECTS is awarded for Danish Language, Culture and Conversation exchange. The workload for 4 ECTS is 64 hours.

GRADE: The grade is based on attendance at 80% of the class sessions, completion of assignments (including the language journal) and on the written and oral examination. Students can choose Pass/Not Pass, or a grade based on the 13 point Danish scale.

Registration: To enroll in this course, complete the application for Basic Danish Language, then add “Basic Danish Language, Culture and Conversation” to your Early Registration Form, which is due September 12.