Form C4
Heriot-Watt University - Course Descriptor
1. Course
Code
C47GH
2. Course
Title
Introduction to German History and Culture
3. SCQF 7
4. Credits
Level
6. Course
Elizabeth Thoday
Co-ordinator
15
5. School
Management and Languages
7. Delivery:
Location &
Semester
Edin
SBC
Orkney
Dubai
IDL
Collaborative Partner
Approved Learning Partner
Sem 2.
Sem…….
Sem………..
Sem……..
Sem….
Name…………………….....Sem..…...
Name …………………………………Sem………..
8. Pre-requisites
None
9. Linked Courses
(specify if synoptic)
10. Excluded Courses
11. Replacement Courses
C47EH - Introduction to European History and Culture
Code:
12. Degrees for which
this is a core course
Date Of Replacement:
13. The course may be
delivered to:
UG only
PG only
UG & PG
German and Applied Language Studies
14. Available as an Elective?
Yes
No
15. Aims
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To provide students with an overview of the nineteenth and twentieth century history of Germany and other European German-speaking countries.
To complement their historical understanding through the study of selected written and audio-visual material in the FL.
To familiarise students with the main developments in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as they have shaped Germany (and other German-speaking European
countries) in their present form.
To enable students to consolidate and broaden this historical knowledge by engaging with a variety of sources from selected historical periods.
To provide a framework of understanding for students’ work in German.
To consolidate students’ ability to construct an argument in line with academic text conventions.
To provide students with the opportunity to research and write self-directed essays
To provide students with the opportunity to research and present a short presentation
16. Syllabus
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Weekly lectures will outline the major events and changes which have shaped the history of Germany.
The lectures will be complemented by a prescribed programme of self-study which includes a variety of illustrative materials.
A series of seven workshops will address specific historical and cultural issues in greater detail and practice critical engagement with these issues. A list of topics
and source materials will be provided at the start of the Semester.
These tutorials will be based on written and audio-visual material which reflects the history of the country of study. Classes will be dedicated to a discussion of this
material and provide students with practise and guidance on how to analyse these sources and how to construct a coherent written argumentation on a question
relating to them. Students will prepare for classes by reading texts of a historical or literary nature as well as viewing films. Classes will involve group and pair work.
Detailed reading lists will be provided by individual lecturers at start of the academic year.
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Form C4
Heriot-Watt University - Course Descriptor
17. Learning Outcomes (HWU Core Skills: Employability and Professional Career Readiness)
Subject Mastery
Understanding, Knowledge and Cognitive Skills
Scholarship, Enquiry and Research (Research-Informed Learning)
Demonstrate a broad knowledge and understanding of German
(European German-speaking) history and culture
Show critical understanding of key historical theories, concepts and
principles.
Use a wide range of routine skills and some advanced skills associated
with academic essay writing (data selection, argumentation, referencing,
editing).
Personal Abilities
Acquire an awareness of the changing nature of history.
Develop the ability to apply a systematic and critical assessment to
historical texts and films.
Develop the ability to identify and analyse historical problems and issues
and to evaluate related arguments.
Industrial, Commercial & Professional Practice
Autonomy, Accountability & Working with Others
Communication, Numeracy & ICT
Work with others, taking account of own and
others’ roles.
Demonstrate ability to gather and sort information.
Structure and make simple presentations.
Learn appropriate historical register and
vocabulary.
Exercise initiative and independent thinking.
Participate in teamwork, peer conversation
and group activities (lectures and tutorials).
Self-management skills fostered by the need to be
committed to a purpose, to manage self-study
effectively and to work to deadlines .
Present information, complex ideas
and arguments in a well- structured
and coherent form (written/oral).
Use presentation software to
make simple presentations.
Demonstrate the ability to understand
and use appropriate diagrams and
charts.
18. Assessment Methods
Method
19. Re-assessment Methods
Duration of Exam
Weighting (%)
Synoptic courses?
Method
(if applicable)
Summative Assessment:
2 Written essays.
Duration of Exam
(if applicable)
30% and 30%
n/a
1 presentation
10%
1 class test
30%
If the student’s final mark
falls below a D the Exam
Board will identify elements
that have been failed and
ask the students to resit the
appropriate elements.
Students must obtain an
average grade of D or more
in their resits in order to
pass.
20. Date and Version
Date of Proposal
Date of Approval by
School Committee
Date of
Implementation
Version
Number
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Diet(s)