School of Languages, Literatures &
Cultural Studies
Department of Germanic Studies
BESS German
Handbook 2013/14
Please note that a word version of this document is available from the
Departmental office (Room 5065) on request.
General Information
The BESS German handbook deals with the Junior Freshman and Senior
Freshman year of the BESS Business German course. General information
relevant to study within the Department of Germanic Studies can be obtained from
the Departmental website (https://www.tcd.ie/Germanic_Studies/). You must also
read the statement on Plagiarism at the back of this handbook.
Any additional questions that you might have in respect of the content of the
handbook, can be addressed to either Dr Gillian Martin (Room 5071, e-mail:
gsmartin@tcd.ie) or Ms. Brigitte Morrogh (Room 5078-80, e-mail:
morroghb@tcd.ie).
Course Co-ordinator: Dr Gillian Martin
Office: Room 5071
Tel.: 8962329
Fax: 8963762
e-mail: gsmartin@tcd.ie
Attendance: Attendance at two thirds of lectures/tutorials is required.
Study Skills: To keep on top of your work you need to develop good study skills.
As part of your undergraduate study, we will be helping you to develop important
soft or transferable skills such as planning, time management and multi-tasking so
that you can manage your learning more effectively. These skills are life-skills and
are as critical for study as they are for the world of work. When you are planning
your study time, try to remember that for every hour of class, you should be doing
at least an hour of private study. You will find advice on how to study by clicking on
https://www.tcd.ie/Germanic_Studies/language-resources/ and downloading the
study advice documents.
Marking Scheme for assessed work and examinations
The Department of Germanic Studies uses the full marking scale between 0% and
100%. This scale is subdivided into 6 classes which can be glossed as follows:
I
II.1
II.2
III
F1
F2
70% +
60%-69%
50%-59%
40%-49%
30%-39%
0%-29%
distinction – work of exceptional quality
very good – merit
average – good
passable – adequate
redeemable fail
not a serious attempt
The Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences has laid down guidelines for
assigning classes to essay-type assignments. You can find a detailed overview of
the criteria for grading at https://www.tcd.ie/Germanic_Studies/languageresources/.
In the case of Objective tests you should note the following. Objective tests are
correct answer tests/items that have unequivocal answers. They can be designed
to focus on specific knowledge and skills.
Objective test types
 Gap tests of various kinds
 Comprehension exercises (True/False; Multiple choice; questions requiring
students to locate specific information in the source text; …)
 Matching questions + answers/beginnings + ends of sentences; Sentence
completion
In the Department of Germanic Studies the top mark for objective tests is normally
80. This is an indication of a very high I class mark. Exceptional performances
may, however, be awarded a mark in excess of 80.
Objective tests are normally used in conjunction with other types of question
in order to ensure that students may obtain an overall mark within the full range 0100.
The pass mark in objective tests is determined by the difficulty of the test,
the range of skills and knowledge that are being tested and the level of the
students.
Guide criteria for awarding marks and classes
Full details of criteria for awarding marks and classes are provided on the
departmental website: https://www.tcd.ie/Germanic_Studies/language-resources/
The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is an
academic credit system based on the estimated student workload required to
achieve the objectives of a module or programme of study. It is designed to
enable academic recognition for periods of study, to facilitate student mobility and
credit accumulation and transfer. The ECTS is the recommended credit system
for higher education in Ireland and across the European Higher Education Area.
The ECTS weighting for a module is a measure of the student input or
workload required for that module, based on factors such as the number of
contact hours, the number and length of written or verbally presented
assessment exercises, class preparation and private study time, laboratory
classes, examinations, clinical attendance, professional training placements, and
so on as appropriate. There is no intrinsic relationship between the credit volume
of a module and its level of difficulty.
The European norm for full-time study over one academic year is 60 credits.
The Trinity academic year is 40 weeks from the start of Michaelmas Term to the
end of the annual examination period 1 ECTS credit represents 20-25 hours
estimated student input, so a 10-credit module will be designed to require 200250 hours of student input including class contact time and assessments.
ECTS credits are awarded to a student only upon successful completion of
the course year. Progression from one year to the next is determined by the
course regulations. Students who fail a year of their course will not obtain credit
for that year even if they have passed certain component courses. Exceptions to
this rule are one-year and part-year visiting students, who are awarded credit for
individual modules successfully completed.
Photocopying: All students are required to pay 30 Euro each year to cover the
costs of photocopying. This sum must be paid by the end of Week 3 to Frau
Morrogh.
Study Week: There is a study week in Week 7 of Michaelmas Term and in Week 7
of Hilary Term.
Socrates: Students taking the course are encouraged to apply to participate in the
SOCRATES exchange programme in a German-speaking country during their
Junior Sophister year. They must achieve a minimum II.2 grade in the Senior
Freshman examinations in order to go abroad.
At present, there are exchange programmes with 7 German and Austrian
universities. They are: Düsseldorf, Koblenz, Mannheim, Regensburg, Trier, Linz
and Innsbruck. Extensive files on each of the partner universities in Germany and
Austria are available in the School of Business Studies (Aras an Phiarsaigh). Dr
Domenico Campa is the German Socrates co-ordinator in the School of Business
Studies. Information evenings are organised during the year for students interested
in participating in an exchange. Interviews are held in Hilary Term. Keep a close
eye on the notice boards in the Department of Germanic Studies and in the School
of Business for information. The BESS notice boards (Level 3, Arts Building)
should also be consulted.
Examinations: The Department sets aside a day after the publication of the annual
examination results when you can discuss your scripts with members of staff.
Please keep an eye on the notice board for dates.
Junior Freshman Year
Module Details:
GR1004 BESS German 1 (3 hrs per week) 10 ECTS
Title
Module Content/Outline
GR1004 BESS German 1 (10 ECTS credits)
This module prepares students for using German in
their future professional lives and in international
business. The approach is thematic and task-based.
All teaching is through German.
Aims
 to consolidate general language proficiency and
to develop proficiency in the business register;
 to develop the productive and receptive skills of
speaking, writing, listening and reading in
German in both general and business contexts;
 to provide an introduction to economic, business,
Lecturer(s)
Lectures&Tutorials/
Contact hours
Recommended Texts/ Key
Reading
social and political institutions in Germany.
Learning Outcomes: On successful completion of
this module, students should be able to:
 Discuss issues related to the German economy
and society;
 Correctly use appropriate specialized vocabulary
for the themes named above;
 Understand native speakers in everyday
situations and when discussing the specialist
topics covered in the module;
 Understand and summarize in English short
newspaper articles in German dealing with
economic and business issues;
 Make short oral presentations in accurate
German on a specialist topic;
 Write short essays in accurate German on the
topics covered in the module;
 Describe and analyse in accurate German, both
orally and in writing, simple graphs and statistics;
 Negotiate priorities and workloads when working
in teams;
Ms Brigitte Morrogh
3 hours per week
All materials are provided by the Department.
Students are advised to purchase a good bilingual
German-English/English-German dictionary such as
the Collins German Dictionary and a grammar book
such as Dreyer, H. and Schmitt, R. (2000): Practice
Grammar of German. Ismaning: Verlag für Deutsch.
Assessment/Examination
Module Evaluation
 In-class test during MT (Wk. 12) (20 marks)
 3-hour end-of-year written language examination
(60 marks)
 60-minute end-of-year aural (10 marks)
 15-minute end-of-year oral 10 (marks)
 Students are required to submit regular
homeworks.
Students complete evaluation forms at the end of
the module.
A 2-hour in-class Christmas test is held in Week 12 of Michaelmas Term. It is a
shortened version of the end of year written examination. The three-hour end of
year written examination, together with an oral examination and an aural test take
place during the annual examination period in April/May. The written examination
consists of a specialist terminology section, an essay question, an English
summary of a German text, and a grammar section. The oral (15 mins) requires
students to converse on general and business topics. The aural (60 mins) is video
and audio based.
Homework is given regularly and monitored by the lecturer. Students are required
to submit three written homeworks per term. Homework helps vocabulary
acquisition and allows students to practise grammatical structures. It is essential
for progress in the foreign language.
Students must pass the module if they wish to continue Business German in SF.
Compensation between the individual assessment components is permitted at F1
level as long as the overall numerical mark remains over 40. An F2 cannot
normally be compensated.
Candidates who do not pass the module in the annual examinations and who are
permitted to sit a supplemental in September are required to retake all failed
components. Students required to retake the ‘Xmas test must submit a 1000-word
essay instead of the test. The title of the essay will be provided by the module
lecturer. The time/date of submission of the essay is 12 noon on 22 August 2014.
Senior Freshman Year
Module Details:
GR 2004 BESS German 2 (3 hrs per week) 10 ECTS
Students may take this module only if they have satisfactorily completed the BESS
German Programme at Junior Freshman level.
Title
Module Content/Outline
Lecturer(s)
Lectures
&
Contact hours
GR2004 BESS German 2 (10 ECTS credits)
This is the second year of the Business German
Option for BESS students. It deepens the knowledge
and expands the skills acquired during the JF year.
The themes covered are: economic indicators,
employment,
management,
insurance
and
investment. Additional skills developed during this
module are commercial correspondence, analysis of
statistical tables and PowerPoint presentations. All
teaching is through German.
Aims
 to develop receptive and productive skills in
general language;
 to consolidate and develop proficiency in the
specialist register;
 to prepare students for a Socrates exchange in
a German speaking country.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students
should be able to
 understand aural and written specialist texts
dealing with the themes covered in the module
 analyse and explain situations drawing on the
concepts presented in the module;
 speak and write using basic but appropriate
vocabulary from the specialist register;
 evaluate statistical material orally and in written
form;
 summarize texts written in the specialist
register using the L2;
 make PowerPoint presentations in the L2 on
business topics related to the themes covered
in the module.
Ms Brigitte Morrogh
Tutorials/
Recommended Texts/ Key
Reading
3 hours per week.
All materials are provided by the Department.
Students are advised to purchase a good bilingual
German-English/English-German dictionary such as
the Collins German Dictionary and a grammar book
such as Dreyer, H. and Schmitt, R. (2000): Practice
Grammar of German. Ismaning: Verlag für Deutsch.
Assessment/Examination
• In-class test during MT (Wk.12). (20 marks)
• 3-hour end-of-year written language examination
(50 marks)
• 60-minute aural (15 marks)
• 15-minute oral (15 marks)
Module Evaluation
Students complete an evaluation form at the end of
the module.
The in-class test normally, held in Week 12 of Michaelmas term, consists of a
specialist terminology section, an essay and a summary of a German text in
German. The oral (15 mins) requires students to do a PowerPoint presentation on
a business topic in German and to discuss this with the examiners. The aural (60
mins) is video and audio based. The end-of-year examination, held in April/May,
consists of a terminology section, a summary of a German text, an essay, and a
translation from German into English.
Three written homeworks must be submitted each term.
Compensation between the individual assessment components is permitted at F1
level as long as the overall numerical mark remains over 40. An F2 cannot
normally be compensated.
Candidates who do not pass the module in the annual examinations and who are
permitted to sit a supplemental in September are required to retake all failed
components. Students required to retake the ‘Xmas test must submit a 1000-word
essay instead of the test. The title of the essay will be provided by the module
lecturer. The time/date of submission is 12 noon on 22 August 2014.
STATEMENT ON PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is defined as being ‘the wrongful act of taking the product of another
person’s mind and presenting it as one’s own’ (A. Lindey, Plagiarism and
Originality, 1952, p.2). It can arise from actions such as:




copying another student’s work;
enlisting another person or persons to complete an assignment on the student’s
behalf;
quoting directly, without acknowledgement, from books, articles, the internet, or
other sources, either in printed, recorded or electronic format;
paraphrasing, without acknowledgement, the writings of other authors;
Everyone gets a large proportion of their ideas from elsewhere: indeed you should
make use of other people’s writings. However, it is important that you distinguish
clearly between your own words and the ideas and words of someone else. Direct
quotations must be indicated by quotation marks and an indication of the source,
with a page number and a reference traceable through your bibliography. When
you paraphrase someone else’s work, it is enough to indicate the source, with a
page number and a reference to the bibliography. The bibliography should list all
the works you have consulted, not only those that you quote from. Including a work
in the bibliography is not sufficient: you must indicate the source of any quotation
or paraphrase in the body of your work.
Your attention is drawn to the entries in the College Calendar which deal with
plagiarism. The Calendar is available on line at
http://www.tcd.ie/calendar/part1/ (click on General Regulations and
Information (PDF, 116 kB). You should in particular consult paragraphs 49
and paragraphs 82 to 89 (in the 2013-14 Calendar these paragraphs are on pages
H11 and H20-H21).
In accordance with the Calendar regulations the School and its component
departments regard plagiarism as a serious offence which may lead to a 0 mark for
the work submitted and possibly to disciplinary action by College.
Students should note that, in addition to downloading material from the World Wide
Web, asking native speakers in your target language to correct work is also defined
as plagiarism and will be monitored and penalised.
The above regulations on plagiarism apply in exams, in submitted essays,
dissertations, case studies, and in assessed language work. Remember that if you
fail to give adequate sources, lecturers may ask you to account for the originality of
your work.
For advice on referencing, consult the TCD Library website at
http://www.tcd.ie/Library/help/howtocite.php and advice from your department.
EXTRACTS FROM THE CALENDAR
[…]
49 Examinations or other exercises which are part of continuous assessment are
subject to the same rules as other College examinations. Where submitted work is
part of a procedure of assessment, plagiarism is similarly regarded as a serious
offence and is liable to similar penalties.
(Calendar 2012-13, p. H11, § 49)
82 Plagiarism is interpreted by the University as the act of presenting the work of
others as one’s own work, without acknowledgement. Plagiarism is considered as
academically fraudulent, and an offence against University discipline. The
University considers plagiarism to be a major offence, and subject to the
disciplinary procedures of the University.
83 Plagiarism can arise from deliberate actions and also through careless thinking
and/or methodology. The offence lies not in the attitude or intention of the
perpetrator, but in the action and in its consequences.
Plagiarism can arise from actions such as:
(a) copying another student’s work;
(b) enlisting another person or persons to complete an assignment on the student’s
behalf;
(c) quoting directly, without acknowledgement, from books, articles or other
sources, either in printed, recorded or electronic format;
(d) paraphrasing, without acknowledgement, the writings of other authors.
Examples (c) and (d) in particular can arise through careless thinking and/or
methodology where students:
(i) fail to distinguish between their own ideas and those of others;
(ii) fail to take proper notes during preliminary research and therefore lose track of
the sources from which the notes were drawn;
(iii) fail to distinguish between information which needs no acknowledgement
because it is firmly in the public domain, and information which might be widely
known, but which nevertheless requires some sort of acknowledgement;
(iv) come across a distinctive methodology or idea and fail to record its source.
All the above serve only as examples and are not exhaustive.
Students should submit work done in co-operation with other students only when it
is done with the full knowledge and permission of the lecturer concerned. Without
this, work submitted which is the product of collusion with other students may be
considered to be plagiarism.
84 It is clearly understood that all members of the academic community use and
build on the work of others. It is commonly accepted also, however, that we build
on the work of others in an open and explicit manner, and with due
acknowledgement. Many cases of plagiarism that arise could be avoided by
following some simple guidelines:
(i) Any material used in a piece of work, of any form, that is not the original thought
of the author should be fully referenced in the work and attributed to its source. The
material should either be quoted directly or paraphrased. Either way, an explicit
citation of the work referred to should be provided, in the text, in a footnote, or
both. Not to do so is to commit plagiarism.
(ii) When taking notes from any source it is very important to record the precise
words or ideas that are being used and their precise sources.
(iii) While the Internet often offers a wider range of possibilities for researching
themes, it also requires particular attention to be paid to the distinction between
one’s own work and the work of others. Particular care should be taken to keep
track of the source of the electronic information obtained from the Internet or other
electronic sources and ensure that it is explicitly and correctly acknowledged.
85 It is the responsibility of the author of any work to ensure that he/she does not
commit plagiarism.
86 Students should ensure the integrity of their work by seeking advice from their
lecturers, tutor or supervisor on avoiding plagiarism. All schools and departments
should include, in their handbooks or other literature given to students, advice on
the appropriate methodology for the kind of work that students will be expected to
undertake.
87 If plagiarism as referred to in §82 above is suspected, in the first instance, the
head of school, or designate, will write to the student, and the student’s tutor
advising them of the concerns raised and inviting them to attend an informal
meeting with the head of school, or designate, and the lecturer concerned, in order
to put their suspicions to the student and give the student the opportunity to
respond. The student will be requested to respond in writing stating his/her
agreement to attend such a meeting and confirming on which of the suggested
dates and times it will be possible for the student to attend. If the student does not
in this manner agree to attend such a meeting, the head of school, or designate,
may refer the case directly to the Junior Dean, who will interview the student and
may implement the procedures as referred to under CONDUCT AND COLLEGE
REGULATIONS §2.
88 If the head of school, or designate, forms the view that plagiarism has taken
place, he/she must decide if the offence can be dealt with under the summary
procedure set out below. In order for this summary procedure to be followed, all
parties attending the informal meeting as noted in §87 above must state their
agreement in writing to the head of school, or designate. If the facts of the case are
in dispute, or if the head of school, or designate, feels that the penalties provided
for under the summary procedure below are inappropriate given the circumstances
of the case, he/she will refer the case directly to the Junior Dean, who will interview
the student and may implement the procedures as referred to under CONDUCT
AND COLLEGE REGULATIONS §2.
89 If the offence can be dealt with under the summary procedure, the head of
school, or designate, will recommend to the Senior Lecturer one of the following
penalties:
(a) that the piece of work in question receives a reduced mark, or a mark of zero;
or
(b) if satisfactory completion of the piece of work is deemed essential for the
student to rise with his/her year or to proceed to the award of a degree, the student
may be required to re-submit the work. However the student may not receive more
than the minimum pass mark applicable to the piece of work on satisfactory resubmission.
90 Provided that the appropriate procedure has been followed and all parties in
§87 above are in agreement with the proposed penalty, the Senior Lecturer may
approve the penalty and notify the Junior Dean accordingly. The Junior Dean may
nevertheless implement the procedures as referred to under CONDUCT AND
COLLEGE REGULATIONS §2.