Expand+This two-year programme will help students develop the skills to communicate successfully in the German-speaking world. Through the programme’s module on German culture, students will gain a deeper insights into a region that plays a vital role in c...

Hide-This two-year programme will help students develop the skills to communicate successfully in the German-speaking world. Through the programme’s module on German culture, students will gain a deeper insights into a region that plays a vital role in central Europe's intellectual and economic life, as well as in its cultural history. In its language and culture elements, the programme aims to excite students’ curiosity for other cultures since German is not only the official language of Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein, but is spoken in regions of France, Italy, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Poland and many other East European countries.

Who’s Suited to This Course

The Diploma in German is designed for those who have little or no previous knowledge of the language and wish to gain German language skills for personal or professional reasons.

Expand+The programme aims to equip students with appropriate written and oral skills in German. Much emphasis will be placed on teacher-student interaction, continuous assessment, written assignments and feedback to students. Students will begin with the ba...

Hide-The programme aims to equip students with appropriate written and oral skills in German. Much emphasis will be placed on teacher-student interaction, continuous assessment, written assignments and feedback to students. Students will begin with the basic elements of German grammar and vocabulary and will progress to the study of a selection of social and cultural issues in the contemporary German-speaking world. By the end of each term, students will have learned to converse on, and comprehend, a variety of topics in situations that are normally encountered in a modern German-speaking environment. There are six modules are on offer throughout the two-year programme. Students must successfully complete three modules per year.

Programme content Year 1
Introduction to Beginners’ German – written and spoken
Beginners’ German continued – written, spoken and comprehension
Introduction to aspects of 20th Century German, Swiss, and Austrian culture

Programme content Year 2
Intermediate German – written, spoken, and oral comprehension 1
Intermediate German – written, spoken, and oral comprehension 2
Contemporary German, Austrian and Swiss Culture and conversation

Expand+All modules in the Diploma are individually assessed. The assessment for each module takes the form of essays, written assignments or presentations during the semester and a written examination at the end of the semester.

The teaching method is ma...

Hide-All modules in the Diploma are individually assessed. The assessment for each module takes the form of essays, written assignments or presentations during the semester and a written examination at the end of the semester.

The teaching method is mainly based on a communicative approach, which focuses on teaching language structures through conversation and exercises rather than on memorizing forms. This approach helps students develop productive skills (speaking and writing) as well as receptive skills (listening and reading), as vocabulary and grammar activities progress from controlled and form-focused to open-ended and interactive. Whenever useful, grammatical structures are contrasted with parallel structures in English.

Students are encouraged to spend time at home incorporating language practice in their everyday routines and availing of the self-access language-learning facilities at the University.

Basic computer skills will be an advantage. E-mail, internet and NUI Galway's online learning environment are in use throughout the course.