Professional German I

Total Hours in Course81

Number of hours for seminars and practical classes32

Independent study hours49

Date of course confirmation03.02.2021

Responsible UnitLanguage Centre

Course developers

lect.

Aija Pētersone

Mg. paed.

lect.

Oksana Mališeva

Mg. philol.

Course abstract

The study course is aimed at the development of students’ foreign language (Germany) 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 wood science, timber and furniture production, environmentally friendly technologies. The Germany 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 in the following fields:
- tree and its structure, roots, trunk, foliage and their functions, types and species of trees (Test No 1);
- structure of wood, chemical composition of wood – cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, texture, fibrosity, grain of wood, mechanical properties of wood,
defects of wood and their classification (Test No 2).
Skills: students are able to define terms, select professional information, think critically, participate in discussions applying professional terminology and communication skills: in written form - writing descriptions, summaries, business letters; orally - in discussions, dialogues, giving a presentation.
Competence of professional and academic Germany language in order to apply it creatively in spoken and written communication for student mobility, professional and academic activities in international environment.
The assessment according to the 10 point scale.

Course Content(Calendar)

1. Introduction to professional foreign language. 2h
2. Dictionaries and glossaries of forest sector terminology. 2h
3. Higher education. Studies at the Forest Faculty. Wood processing speciality. 2h
4. The Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies. 2h
5. The tree and its structure. 2h
6. Division of trees into conifers and deciduous trees. Names of trees. 2h
7. Test 1. General characteristics of Latvia`s forests. 2h
8. Structure of wood. Chemical composition of wood. 2h
9. Texture, fibrosity, grain of wood. 2h
10. Mechanical properties of wood. 2h
11. Defects of wood. Classification of defects of wood. 2h
12. Test 2. Moisture of wood. Drying of wood. 2h
13. Logging. Transportation of timber to sawmills. 2h
14. Sawmills. Technical equipment of modern sawmills. The biggest sawmills of Latvia. 2h
15. Basic principles of making Power Point presentations. 1h
16. Presentation about a topic related to the speciality. 3h

Requirements for awarding credit points

Assessment: Test (pass / fail).
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, summary). Tests and home works shall have 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: 20 000 characters);
2. A written summary (the amount – 2000 characters);
3. Prepared PPoint presentation and oral presentation (8-10 minutes) in front of the class;
4. Submitted glossary of terms (30 terms- translated, 20 terms- defined/ explained).

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

The cumulative assessment (pass / fail) is composed of the grades in tests, home assignments, assessment during classes and a presentation of the individual work. The grade in tests is successful if at least 60% of the answers are correct.

Compulsory reading

1. Eder, J. (2014): Tischlerei: Sicherheitsstandards im Licht neuer Erkenntnisse. Konsequenzen für industrielle Fertigung und fachpraktischen Unterricht. Verlag: AV Akademikerverlag. ISBN-10:3-3-639-63297-4.
2. Wigand, A. (2013): Der Baum: Betrachtungen über Gestalt und Lebensgeschichte der Holzgewächse. Verlag: Auxo Verlag. 272 S. ISBN-10:3-95622-094-3.
3. Gleason, Chr. (2013): Alles aus Holzpaletten: Günstig – kreativ – selbstgemacht. 2. Aufl. Verlag: Leopold Stocker Verlag. 127 S. ISBN-10:3-7020-1425-X.
4. (Hrsg.) DIN Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V. (2011): Holzfaserplatten, Spanplatten, OSB, Sperrholz, Furnierschichtholz, Massivholzplatten, Paneele. Verlag: Beuth Verlag. 459 S. ISBN-10:3-410-15951-7.

Periodicals and other sources

1. http://werkstoffzeitschrift.de - Werkstoffe in der Fertigung. Das Portal für die Fertigungswelt von morgen [skatīts 03.02.2021.]
2. http://www.fachzeitungen.de/zeitschriften-magazine-schreiner-moebelwerkstaetten-holzdesign-holzwerker-kuechentechnik - Fachzeitungen: Schreiner - Möbelwerkstätten - HolzDesign – Holzwerker – Küchentechnik [skatīts 03.02.2021.]
3. http://www.hob-magazin.com - HOB - Die Holzbearbeitung ONLINE [skatīts 03.02.2021.]
4. Profi. [tiešsaiste] (skatīts 03.02.2021.) http://www.profi.de
5. Agrartechnik. [tiešsaiste] (skatīts 03.02.2021.) http://www.agrarheute.com/agrartechnik
6. Der Spiegel (ISSN: 0038-7452).
7. TopaAgrar. - Das Magazin für moderne Landwirtschaft (SBN 3-7843-3075-4).
8. Forschung (ISSN: 1522-2357).
9. Spektrum der Wissenschaft (ISSN: 0170-2971).
10. Focus Magazin (ISSN: 0943-7576).
11. Landeskultur-Magazin (ISSN: 0044-300X).

Notes

The study course is included in the compulsory part of the professional Bachelor’s degree programme “Wood Processing”.

Atsauksmes