Joint online intensive course with The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Course information:
Online intensive course
February 20, 2023–March 9, 2023 (between the semesters)
Open to undergraduates of all disciplines

Course Staff:
Dr. Ruth Tobias and Nadia Fischer (FUB), Chaya Fischer and Alix Glotz (HUJI)

Course credit:
FUB: ABV = 5 credits
HUJI: Cornerstones (outside Humanities) / Elective (for Humanities) = 4 credits

Additional information / Prerequisites:
The course is intended for FUB students with no prior knowledge of Hebrew and for HUJI students with no prior knowledge of German; the language of instruction is partly English (please see the course description).

Short course description:
This joint online intensive course offers students from FUB and HUJI the opportunity to work in synergy towards further developing intercultural competencies. The course takes the approach that language and culture are deeply interwoven and, therefore, communication between cultures should be explored and practiced while also beginning to acquire the language and reflect on underlying meaning; at the same time, language courses defined as such do not typically provide the opportunity for direct exchange with members of the target language/culture within the framework of the course itself. Hence, we invite you to join this new blended, online module to work in Tandem with peers from diverse backgrounds, at both of our universities, in real-time.

The contact hours are composed of three key elements, over the course of three weeks:

Monday-Thursday (mornings):
Joint thematized intercultural input sessions, facilitated by joint FUB-HUJI staff.

Language instruction and hands-on practice in German/Hebrew designed to explore select themes from “within” (FUB students with HUJI teacher and HUJI students with FUB teacher + independent study).

Tuesday and Thursday (early afternoon, in addition to the morning meetings):
Synchronous, mixed-group work devoted to reflection on cultural concepts, particularly as reflected by language, and to applying newly acquired communicative competence in Tandem, in both languages.

Course themes include

• Initial contact and first impressions
• Levels of formality and personal space
• Time
• Gender, age and family settings
• Communication and norms in academic settings
• What only locals know

Evaluation:
Formative assessment throughout, for both culture and language aspects of the course; submitting a final joint portfolio in mixed groups.

Registration:
For students of FU Berlin: Please register by sending an e-mail to katherina.reisner@fu-berlin.de between October 1, 2022 and January 31, 2023 including a letter of motivation (1 page max.).
Places are limited to allow maximum interaction.