GERMAN 101: ELEMENTARY GERMAN Fall 2025
Catalog description: A study of the fundamentals of German grammar, with special emphasis given to aural-oral practice in the language. Grammar, conversation, aural comprehension, and elementary reading selections. Three hours of lecture.
We will approach the German language and culture by engaging in different activities. The main emphasis is on reading, writing, grammatical and cultural understanding. Continuous practice will be assessed through weekly assignments. Regular attendance is essential for academic success in this course. Excessive absences will hurt your grades on assignments and exams. Student learning outcomes are divided into cultural and grammatical objectives listed below.
Meeting times: MWF 9:00-9:50 in Bronson Hall # 236 Instructor: Mark Gruettner, Ph.D. Office hours: MWF 7:30-9 & 10:50-11 Email: mgruettn@lsus.de or mgruettner@comcast.net
Text (required): Kontakte (7th edition). ISBN: 978-0-07-338634-8.
Students will be able to achieve the following objectives:
08/25-08/29: Introduction A:
Themes & cultural objectives
Names, numbers, and colors
Greetings and farewells
Grammatical objectives
Describing yourself: “Ich bin….”
What is your name? The verb “heißen”
The German case system
Grammatical gender: nouns and pronouns
Addressing people: “Sie” versus “du” or “ihr”
09/03-09/05: Introduction B:
Themes
Classroom setting, family, origin, and nationality
Cultural objectives
Geography of Germany
Young Germans
Grammatical objectives
Definite and indefinite articles
The verbs “sein” (to be) and “haben” (to have)
Plural forms of nouns and personal pronouns
Possessive adjectives: “mein” and “dein/Ihr”
09/08-09/24: Chapter 1: “Wer ich bin und was ich tue” (Who I am and what I do)
Themes and cultural objectives
Leisure, work (daily routines) and study (schools and universities)
Grammatical objectives
The present tense
Expressing likes and dislikes: “gern/nicht gern”
Telling time
Separable-prefix verbs
Word order in statements and questions
09/26-10/10: Chapter 2: “Besitz und Vergnügen” (personal possessions and fun)
Themes and cultural objectives
One’s belongings, clothing, appearance, and types of fun
Grammatical objectives
The accusative case
The negative article “kein, keine”
“I would like …”= “Ich möchte ...”
Possessive adjectives
The present tense of stem-vowel changing verbs
Asking people to do things: The “du”-imperative
10/13-10/24: Chapter 3: “Talente, Pläne, Pflichten” (talents, plans, duties) / midterm W 10/16
Themes and cultural objectives
Talents, plans, duties, and chores
Physiological and psychological states
Grammatical objectives
Modal verbs “können, wollen, mögen, müssen, sollen, dürfen”
Accusative case: personal pronouns (mich, dich, ihn, sie, uns, euch, sie)
Word order in dependent clauses
10/27-11/07: Chapter 4: “Ereignisse und Erinnerungen” (events and memories)
Themes & cultural objectives
Daily routines, holidays, and vacations
Universities in Germany
Grammatical objective
Talking about the past: the present perfect tense
Strong and weak past participles, past participles with and without “ge-”
Dates and ordinal numbers
11/10-12/05: Chapter 5: “Geld und Arbeit” (money and work)
Cultural objectives
Education and jobs
Grammatical objectives
Dative case: articles, possessive adjectives, and personal pronouns
Question pronouns: “wer, wen, wem”
Expressing change: the verb “werden”
Location: “in, an, auf” + dative case
Grading: 60% Homework: 12 assignments (weekly). 5 points each.
15% Midterm (Wednesday, October 16)
25% Final exam (December 10, 8:00 am-10:00 am)
Notes:
Students are expected to conduct themselves according to the standards set by their instructors. As stated in the catalog, the university reserves the right to “deny admission, readmission, or continued enrollment to any student whose behavior is or may be disruptive, dangerous, or abusive.”
Academic Misconduct:
All instances of academic misconduct (e.g., cheating or plagiarism) will be reported to the Office of Student Affairs, and will be investigated by the Student Conduct Board. Students are expected to purchase a copy of Understanding Plagiarism (in the bookstore), thereby gaining an understanding of what it is and how to avoid it.
Here is a closer look at what constitutes academic misconduct and its consequences quoted directly from the Code of Student Conduct online:
High standards of academic integrity are crucial for the University to fulfill its educational mission. To uphold these standards, procedures have been established to address Academic Misconduct. A Student is responsible for submitting work for evaluation that reflects the Student’s performance. If a Student has a question regarding the Instructor’s expectations for assignments, projects, tests, or other items submitted for a grade, it is the Student’s responsibility to seek clarification from the Instructor.
An Instructor may not assign a disciplinary grade, such as an "F" or zero on an assignment, test examination, or course as a sanction for admitted or suspected Academic Misconduct in lieu of referring the Student to the Dean of Students under the provisions of this Code. Any grade assigned because of Academic Misconduct must be in accordance with this Code.
A Student found Responsible for Academic Misconduct may NOT drop the course in which the violation occurred. Any Student who drops the course without written permission from the Dean of Students Office will be re-enrolled in the class and then given the appropriate grade as provided in the Outcome.
A Student may be charged with Academic Misconduct for the following acts or omissions:
1. Unauthorized communication or interaction between two or more individuals on any academic work by giving, receiving, or otherwise sharing information without permission of the Instructor.
2. Copying from another Student's academic work; assisting with copying by making answers or other completed assignments available, in whole or part, to another Student, whether or not the recipient’s intentions to copy were known to the Student prior to the sharing.
3. Failure to Follow Course Requirements. Failure to adhere to standards of conduct for academic integrity that are promulgated by an academic unit or instructor.
4. False Information. Falsifying or fabricating any information, data, or citation in any academic work including but not limited to documents intended to support medical excuses or absence from class or academic work.
5. Misleading an Instructor as to the condition under which the work was prepared including, but not limited to, substituting for another Student or permitting another person to substitute for oneself on any academic work.
6. Other Academic Misconduct. Attempting to commit or assisting someone in the commission or attempted commission of an offense defined in this section, or any other act that may create an unfair academic advantage.
7. Lack of appropriate citation, or the unacknowledged inclusion of someone else's words, structure, ideas, or data; failure to identify a source, or the submission of essentially the same work for two assignments without permission of the Instructor.
8. Unauthorized Materials. Using any material, technique or device on an academic assignment that is prohibited; having any forbidden or unauthorized material, technique or device available on any academic work will be considered a violation.
SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) was established at LSU Shreveport to ensure access to all university programs and services and to provide a campus-wide standard for accommodation provision. SSD is coordinated out of the Office of the Dean of Students, and is located in the Administration Building, Room 208; (318) 797-5116.
