UCL CENTRE FOR LANGUAGES
& INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
SSCs 2015-2016
German Medical Affairs and Culture
(Social, Historical and Political)
Prerequisite for entry
Successful completion of Syllabus German for Medicine and Current Affairs at the UCL CLIE, a high ‘A’ level grade, if you
have spent an extended period of time in a German speaking country or if you have a very good grasp of the language
and are able to conduct a conversation without difficulty.
Course duration
Year 1 students: double-block (16 x 3-hour classes. Block 1: 8 x 3-hour classes; Block 2: workshops and tutorials related
to Project).
Year 2 students: single block (8 x 3-hour classes).
Self-Study
40 hours in total.
Course codes
LCGM6006.
Aims and Objectives
The course is designed for students of Medicine who have already acquired an advanced level of German and who
require German for different purposes such as study or work abroad or personal interest in the future. The course is
taught entirely in the target language with a balance of receptive (reading, listening) and productive (speaking, writing)
skills. Issues/vocabulary related to medicine will be the tropical focus of this course.
The course develops and enhances detailed knowledge and understanding both of the more complex structures of the
German language and of the social, professional, political and administrative contexts in which German is currently used
in the medical and scientific field. It enables participants to use their language skills in a wide variety of situations. The
course covers day-to-day issues a medical professional might encounter, current issues relevant to the medical
profession and socio-political developments. Cultural awareness and sensitivity and various transferable skills will also
be further developed.
Functions
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establishing rapport with patients and taking a medical history;
giving a diagnosis and drawing up a treatment plan;
debating; speculating;
suggesting, accepting, refusing;
describing (detail) and paraphrasing, defining; explaining;
composing written pieces of information (e.g. letter writing, written reports, summaries);
conducting presentations on medical topics;
summarising complex / extensive authentic written and audio-visual material;
selecting and editing authentic material autonomously according to relevance and suitability for particular tasks
Course Content
Main topics/themes to be covered (selection, in no particular order):
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consultation with patients, taking a detailed medical history and developing a treatment plan;
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an outline of the German health insurance system;
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medical studies and the medical profession in German speaking countries;
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EU-directives and policies;
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different organic systems and related illnesses;
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developments in research and treatment;
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prominent German speaking figures in medicine, past and present
Skills
Reading
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reading for gist, scanning for specific information;
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in-depth analysis of complex topics in major newspapers and specialised publications
Writing
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patient reports;
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analysis and review of articles;
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summaries;
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enquiries
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critical comments
Listening
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authentic radio, TV, audio- and video-clips and internet sources;
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directed listening for specific tasks;
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presentations, summaries
Speaking
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formal and informal discussions, debates, round table;
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presentations;
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role-plays
Linguistic Structures
Discourse Strategies
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spontaneous conversation with native speakers in specific situations (doctor-patient-discourse, conferring with
colleagues;
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analysing/comparing texts from various sources (different text types);
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recognising and applying different linguistic registers in writing and in speaking;
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preparing oral contributions for different audiences
Main aspects of these strategies
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improving confidence in using German as a foreign languages in medicine-related situations;
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consolidating and improving listening and reading skills by dealing with a variety of complex authentic materials;
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consolidating and improving oral and written linguistic range as well as accuracy;
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improving the ability to use subject-specific vocabulary
Grammatical Features (selection)
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complex sentences and connectors;
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passive and alternative forms;
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subjunctives I & II;
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revision of adjective declension;
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past tenses;
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verbs and prepositions;
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the use of nouns with prepositions versus the use of clauses with a connector (stylistic considerations);
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fixed nouns-verb-connections and idiomatic expressions
Learning Resources
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Bilingual dictionary (e.g. Collins). Not pocket size.
Materials for the course will be drawn from:
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Authentic written material from various sources, including specialist publications and the media;
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Authentic audio and audio-visual material;
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Variety of internet sources
In addition there is a wide range of language learning materials available for self-study in the Self-Access Centre. Also,
there will be regularly updated information on cultural events connected with Germany, German language and culture,
which can be accessed through the CLIE website.