Description
If you want to brush up your German conversational skills this once a week session involving lively group dialogue, punctuated by multimedia virtual presentations on a wide range of topics, may be just what you’ve been looking for. New topics for each week will be announced and emailed a few days before each two-hour class. Participants are encouraged to suggest topics tailored towards their own specific interests and experiences including, among others, travel, art, film, literature, hobbies, family history, holiday traditions, favorite foods, and current events. Sessions may include readings of poetry or news articles in German, fun tips on modern German-language television productions and pop songs, or insights into science, nature, sports, pets, and sustainable lifestyle trends. Participants are welcome to enhance individual weekly verbal presentations by sharing photos, videos or short texts, which may be distributed via email or virtually during class. Each presentation is followed by a question and answer period allowing for ample conversation time. The idea is to focus on communication and fluency by understanding each other via an informal, friendly dialogue. Key vocabulary words may also be shared on to round out these discussions, along with select links to helpful further resources such as news or travel features produced with subtitles for language learners in German. The primary focus will be on fostering dialogue among all participants to build confidence in striking up smooth conversations in German.
Karen Carstens is a bilingual, German-American writer, editor and translator who has lived and worked as a journalist in the US and Europe, including in the German cities of Hamburg, Bonn and Frankfurt.
What Students Are Saying:
-Engaging weekly topics and lively discussions. Karen is an upbeat and fun instructor!
–Karen does an excellent job including all participants. For this course the ZOOM format works really well. The group is small enough, we are all in different locations, we can screen share presentations we have prepared, and relative videos. The level of the course is high and the participants are fully engaged. I have signed up for my third German Conversation class with Karen.
