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German Language in Forest Sector

Course developers

Course abstract

The study course is aimed at the development of students’ foreign language (German) knowledge and skills necessary for comprehending, interpreting and evaluating professional information and scientific literature, 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 Forestry. The German language proficiency level corresponds to at least level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for foreign languages.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Knowledge and understanding of terminology of the industry. Students know terms from the field of:
- forest works and machinery, forest economy and policy (Test No 1);
- ecology and forestry; wood materials and technologies (Test No 2).
Skills: students are able to define terms, select professional and scientific information, think critically, explain processes, apply professional terminology, communication skills and academic language skills: in written form - writing essays, business letters; orally – participating in case studies, discussions, role plays, debates, giving a presentation, collaborating with group mates in order to achieve a task’s goal, analyzing and evaluating their learning.
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.

Course Content(Calendar)

1 Scientific research, its role in sectors of national economy and its specifics in globalization.2h
2 Types and methods of scientific research. Master's thesis, its structure.2h
3 Working with scientific literature. Plagiarism. Types of plagiarism.2h
4 Formulation of the goal, tasks and hypothesis of the Master's thesis.2h
5 Topicality and novelty of the Master's thesis. Justification of the choice of research topic.2h
6 Analysis of scientific texts by acquiring the necessary terms.2h
7 Essay Development in German. Specialty of essay writing, components, choice of language elements.2h
8 Test 1: Terminology.2h
9 Summary analysis.2h
10 Annotation analysis.2h
11 Ensuring the competitiveness of the household sector in the labor market.2h
12 Research methods. Bibliographic description of the literature used.2h
13 Descriptions of tables and figures in scientific work.2h
14 Test 2: Terminology.2h
15 Preparation of a scientific publication. Annotation of a scientific article.2h
16 Development of an annotation sample for the Master's Thesis. The most important aspects of an effective presentation. Presentation analysis and self-evaluation.2h

Requirements for awarding credit points

Assessment: Examination. The examination consists of: a terminology test, a presentation. A student is admitted to the examination if there are: successfully written 2 tests, the glossary of terms for each topic, timely completed home works, completed individual work (reading of professional texts, the prepared PPoint presentation on the 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 an independently chosen professional text (the amount: 10 000 characters);
2. giving a presentation (5-10 minutes) about the chosen professional text in front of the class;
3. submitted glossary of terms (30 translations, 20 definitions).
Students are able to present information, summarize it, express opinions, reason logically and answer questions about a scientific article they have read.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

The cumulative assessment is composed of the grades in tests, assessment during classes, assessment for the individual work, as well as the grade for the exam. The grade in tests is successful if at least 70% of the answers are correct. Home assignments should be submitted and tested.
The examination grade is calculated as an arithmetic mean of grades obtained in two examination tasks (a presentation about Master’s thesis and a terminology test). The grade in the terminology test is successful if at least 70% of the answers are correct.

Compulsory reading

1. Göbel Chr. G. Forstwirtschaftslehre. Verlag: Histor. Wirtschaftsarchiv. 2011. 208 S. ISBN-10:3-383-012-1.
2. Gillet Chr. Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf die Forstwirtschaft im Saarland. GRIN Verlag, 2011. 124 S. ISBN-10:3-656-07896-3.
3. Wippermann C. Mensch und Wald. Einstellungen der Deutschen zum Wald und zur nachhaltigen Waldwirtschaft. Verlag: Bertelsmann, 2010. 164 S. ISBN-10:3-7639-4692-6.
4. Engelhart R. Grundzüge der agrargeschichtlichen Entwicklung in Deutschland. 1. Aufl. GRIN Verlag, 2010. 36 S. ISBN-10:3-640-51759-8.

Further reading

1. Stiens G. Gegen den Verfall lebensweltlicher Landschaften. Beiträge zur Sozialästhetik. Verlag: Projekt Verlag, 2009. 424 S. ISBN-10:3-89733-193-4.
2. Seidl A. Deutsche Agrargeschichte. Frankfurt: Verlag Deutsche Landwirtschaftsg. 2006. 348 S. ISBN-10:3-7690-0655-0.
3. Kornmeier M. Wissenschaftlich schreiben leicht gemacht: fuer Bachelor, Master und Dissertation. 4. Auflage. Stuttgart: Verlag Utb GmbH. 2010. 322 S. ISBN-10:3-8252-3154-2.

Periodicals and other sources

1. Deutsche Agrartechnik: Landtechnische Zeitschrift für Wissenschaft und Praxis. Kammer der Technik, Fachverband Land- und Forsttechnik, and KDT. Berlin. ISBN: 0011-9784.
2. Agrar- und Umweltrecht. - Zeitschrift für das gesamte Recht der Landwirtschaft der Agrarmärkte und des ländlichen Raumes. ISSN 0340-840X. [skatīts 17.03.2021.]. Anotāciju līmenī pieejams CAB Abstracts datubāzē: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,uid&profile=ehost&defaultdb=lbh
3. Profi : Magazin für professionelle Agrartechnik. Münster : Landwirtschaftsverlag. ISSN 0937-1583. [skatīts 17.03.2021.].Pieejams: http://www.profi.de/

Notes

Compulsory course of study in the studies of MF Master's study programme “Forest Works and Engineering”, “Forest Economy and Policy”, “Forest Ecology and Forestry”, “Wood Materials and Technologies”.