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Professional German

Course developers

Course abstract

The study course aims at the development of students’ foreign language (German) knowledge and skills necessary for comprehending, interpreting and evaluating professional information, explaining and comparing processes, participating in discussions, giving presentations in professional and academic environments as well as for communication with foreign students, specialists and academic staff. The focus is on the terminology related to food manufacturing and technology. The German language proficiency level corresponds at least level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for foreign languages.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Knowledge and understanding terminology of field.
Students know terms from the field of:
- university education, food industry, the development stages of food industry, contributions made by the food scientists to this field, healthy nutrition, types of nutrients, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, minerals. The structure of academic texts.
(Test No. 1).
- the composition of milk (proteins, lactose, vitamins), milk properties, milk processing, pasteurized/unpasteurized milk, cheese: the diversity of cheese by type of milk, fat content, and texture, cheese assortment; meat for human consumption: red and white meat. The importance of meat in a human diet, food safety, sanitation.
(Test No. 2).
Skills:
students are able to define terms, select professional information, explain procedures in relation to the food manufacturing and technology, think critically, participate in discussions applying professional terminology and communication skills: in written form - writing descriptions of procedures, business letters; orally - in discussions, dialogues, giving a presentation.
Competence of professional and academic German language in order to apply it creatively in spoken and written communication for student mobility, professional and academic activities in international environment.

Evaluation takes place in every class through the completed home assignments.

Course Content(Calendar)

Kursa plāns/saturs / Course plan
1. The course requirements. University education. 2h
2. Food industry. The development stages of food industry. Contributions made by the food scientists to this field (Nicolas Appert, Louis Pasteur etc.). Creating a glossary of terms for each topic. Common types of academic texts.2h
3. Healthy nutrition. The nutrients and other food substances. Energy consumption in the human body. The food-health connection: obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus coronary artery disease, osteoporosis. Food intolerance. Dietary guidelines. The structure of academic texts.2h
4. Types of nutrients. The macronutrients: proteins, carbohydrates, fats. The micronutrients: vitamins and minerals water. Supplements. High-protein foods Nutrition related to stage of life. Analytical reading, terminology, the format of academic writing, pair work: direct/indirect questions, dialogue. 2h
5. Test I (the development stages of food industry, healthy nutrition. The nutrients and other food substances, terminology).2h
6. Milk (fluid milk. dried and concentrated milk). Nutrition, selection, storage, safety issues. The composition of milk (proteins, lactose, vitamins), milk properties, milk processing, pasteurized/unpasteurized milk. Simple and complex sentences. Writing: a business letter.2h
7. Cheese. History of cheese (origin, cheese in Ancient Greece and Rome), cheese making, and nutritional value. Serving suggestions. Writing: a paragraph, terminology.2h
8. The diversity of cheese by type of milk, fat content, and texture, cheese assortment: fresh cheeses, semisoft cheeses, reduced-fat and imitation cheeses, soft, white-rind cheeses, blue or blue-veined cheeses, hard and firm cheeses. The role of cheese in a human diet. Writing: description, terminology.2h
9. Meat. Meat composition and additives. The protein and fat content of meat. The biochemistry of meat. The tenderness of fresh meat. Definitions of terms used in meat science and technology. Additives: proteins, carbohydrates, fillers and other additives. Colour in fresh meat and in cured meat products. Writing: Letter of complaint.2h
10. The importance of meat in a human diet. Meat consumption and problems associated with it (health, ethics). Vegetarianism. Types of vegetarians. Vegetarian diets for children, teens and older adults. Academic vocabulary. Pair work: while/post-listening activities, discussion.2h
11. Fish and shellfish products. Nutritional value and importance in a human diet. Safe handling and preparation of fish and shellfish products. Using raw seafood. Academic vocabulary. Pair work: while/post-listening activities, discussion. 2h
12. Food safety, sanitation: food poisoning and infections, quality improvement, hygiene inspection. Developments in food industry. Types of innovations. Source of innovations. New product development innovation and commercialization. Work in small groups. Discussion: plagiarism in academic environment.2h
13. Test II (proteins, food safety, terminology).2h
14. Genetically modified organisms (GMO) (methods, development, usage of GM organisms in agriculture and medicine). Risks. The politics of GMOs. Degrees of plagiarism. Analytical reading, terminology, discussion. Summarising and paraphrasing.2h
15. Annotation writing: components of annotation, assessment.2h
16. Students’ presentations of individual work.2h

Requirements for awarding credit points

Assessment: Formal test with a grade.
It is made up of cumulative assessment.
Successfully written 2 tests, the glossary of terms for each topic, timely completed home works, completed individual work (reading of professional texts, presentation on a selected topic, the glossary of terms). Tests and home works are with a positive evaluation. The number of the missed classes shall not exceed 20%.

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

Individual work:
1. Reading of the independently chosen professional texts (the amount: 10 000 characters);
2. Prepared PPoint presentation and oral presentation (5-10 minutes) in front of the class;
Submitted glossary of terms (30 terms translations, 10 definitions).

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

The cumulative assessment is composed of the grades in two tests and a presentation of the individual work. The grade in tests is successful if at least 70% of the answers are correct. All home works should receive a successful grade.

Compulsory reading

Doillard, J. (2017): Esst Weizen! Weizen und Milchprodukte essen ohne Angst. 1. Aufl. Kopp Verlag. 363 S. ISBN:978-3-86445-506-3.

Katz, S.E. (2014): So einfach ist Fermentieren. Wie Sie durch Vergärung wohlschmeckende und gesunde Lebensmittel herstellen: von Brot über Sauerkraut bis hin zu Bier und Wein. 1. Aufl. Kopp Verlag. 304 Seiten. ISBN:978-3-86445-161-4.

Schwekendiek, A., Pils, J. (2015): Zwiebeln@Knoblauch. Die heimlichen Helden der Küche. 1. Aufl. Hädecke Verlag GmbH. 176 Seiten. ISBN:978-3-7750-0678-1.

(Hrsg.) Heiss, R. (2012): Lebensmitteltechnologie. Biotechnologische, chemische, mechanische und thermische Verfahren der Lebensmittelverarbeitung. 6. Aufl. Verlag Springer. 595 Seiten. ISBN:978-3-642-62447-6.

Dittrich, H.H., Grossmann, M. (2011): Mikrobiologie des Weines. Handbuch der Lebensmitteltechnologie. 4. Aufl. Ulmer Eugen Verlag. 288 Seiten. ISBN-10:3-8001-6989-4.

Albrecht, W., Dürr, P. (2010): Technologie der Obstbrennerei. Biotechnologie, Praxis, Betriebskontrolle. 3. Aufl. Verlag Eugen Ulmer. 326 Seiten. ISBN:978-3-8001-4899-8.

Further reading

Gasow, A. (2015): Lebensmittelverfälschungen und -verunreinigungen im Mittelalter. Maßnahmen zur Kontrolle der Lebensmittelqualität am Beispiel der Stadt Berlin. 1. Aufl. Verlag GRIN Publishing. 20 S. ISBN:978-3-668-08860-3.

Lehnert, S. (2010): Vocabular Wortschatz-Bilder: Obst, Gemüse, Lebensmittel. Bildtafeln und Kopievorlagen. 1. Aufl. Verlag Schubi Lernmedien. 84 Seiten. ISBN:978-3-86723-231-9.

Kunz, B. (2012): Lexikon der Lebensmitteltechnologie. 1. Aufl. Verlag Springer. 327 Seiten. ISBN:978-3-642-48055-3.

Bogenreiter, M. (2009): Der Konsum biologischer Lebensmittel in Österreich. Einfluss sozioökonomischer Faktoren. VDM Verlag. 128 Seiten, ISBN-10:3-639-14596-8.

Ternes, W., Tunger, L. (2007): Lexikon der Lebensmittel und der Lebensmittelchemie. 4. Aufl.Verlag Wissenschaftliche. 2134 Seiten, ISBN-10:3-8047-2275-X.

Periodicals and other sources

Zeitschriften zum Thema: Nahrungsmittel-Food-Getränkeindustrie. [tiešsaiste] (skatīts 22.10.2021.) http://www.fachzeitungen.de/zeitschriften-magazine-nahrungsmittel-food-getraenkeindustrie

Lebensmittelpraxis. [tiešsaiste] (skatīts 22.10.2021.) http://lebensmittelpraxis.de

Lebensmitteltechnik. [tiešsaiste] (skatīts 22.10.2021.) http://www.lebensmitteltechnik-online.de
Spektrum der Wissenschaft (ISSN: 0170-2971). [tiešsaiste] (skatīts 22.10.2021.) www.spektrum.de
Focus Magazin (ISSN: 0943-7576). [tiešsaiste] (skatīts 22.10.2021.) www.focus.de
Der Spiegel (ISSN: 0038-7452). [tiešsaiste] (skatīts 22.10.2021.) www.spiegel.de

Notes

The course is included in the mandatory part of the PTF Higher Education Studies Programme “Food Quality and Innovation”.