Teaching Business German at Wenzao Ursuline College Teaching Methods and Curriculum
Business German becomes more and more an important part in German language teaching, because language students with a broad knowledge in German are more eager to look for a career in the field of business. Teaching Business German therefore has to be orientated on the practical work in the field of business. In order to achieve this goal new teaching methods have to be introduced. In the first part of this contribution an overview is given over experiential methods in the classroom like role-plays, simulation and project work. The material being used in this course is introduced. The methods are based on a curriculum especially designed for teaching Business German at Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages. In the second part the curriculum for Business German with its underlying objectives and goals are explained and discussed.
"Deutsche Welle tv": Using Video to Introduce Business German.
The University of Texas at Austin offers a content-based, interdisciplinary Business German program that presents vocabulary, language structures and discourse strategies in authentic settings. While the overall Business German curriculum consists of six classes ranging from beginning German to an advanced course targeting the level of German expected in the Prufung Wirtschaftsdeutsch International, this article focuses on the preparation of teaching materials for the beginning level. Video material selected from Deutsche Welle tv, the internationally available German language broadcast, is the basis for the teaching units with business content. Since the summer of 1995 the authors have developed classroom materials for the first semester course of the Business German curriculum. While the number of universities that offer Business German courses is growing, the University of Texas at Austin is one of the few universities that offers Business German at the introductory level. The first semester course was taught successfully in the fall of 1995 and was offered for the second time in the fall of 1996. Deutsch Zusammen, the Donahue/Watzinger textbook, is the basis for the first three semesters of the German curriculum at the University of Texas at Austin. It is the purpose of the first semester Business German section to teach the same language skills that are taught in the standard course, but the regular syllabus has been supplemented with video units that address topics related to business and economics. While the video segments and the accompanying exercises are thematically and/or grammatically linked to the chapters of Deutsch Zusammen, we will demonstrate that our approach to introductory Business German instruction can be used in any foreign language program. In the following we will provide a rationale for the use of authentic video and show the advantages it brings to the foreign language classroom. We will guide the reader in the selection of visual material by pointing out specific criteria which make video clips appropriate for language teaching. Finally, we will offer concrete examples of previewing, viewing, and post-viewing activities that we employed in the introductory Business German
An analysis of an integrated approach to cross-cultural training
Abstract Various approaches have been used in training people to effectively function in a foreign culture. This paper reviews six approaches that are currently being used in cross-cultural training. The approaches reviewed are: (1) the intellectual approach, (2) the area simulation approach, (3) the self-awareness approach, (4) the culture awareness approach, (5) the behavioral approach, and (6) the interaction approach. The advantages of using an “integrated” approach to cross-cultural training is discussed and research is presented which supports the effectiveness of this approach. The results offer preliminary evidence that an integrated approach to training can improve participants' attitudinal satisfaction with their stay in another culture. Finally, the paper offers suggestions for the future direction of cross-cultural training.