Undergraduate Courses: German for Biotechnology and Science Students

Lecturer: Dr. Christa M. Brennan-Loeffler

Email: Christa Brennan

Room 343 Arts Millennium Building

Tel.: 00 353 91 492967

Course Aims

• To develop all language skills in German at Beginner’s and Improver’s level
• To introduce students to and extend their knowledge of German/Austrian/Swiss society, culture and politics
• To prepare students for everyday life in a German speaking environment should they wish to travel abroad, study or take up a summer job
• To help 3rd Year Biotechnology Students to cope successfully when working in a lab in one of the international research centres in Germany/Austria during their 4-monthly placement
• To teach students to read and understand articles about Biotechnology and other related fields and to discuss topics of that nature
• And thus to contribute to a positive development of students’ careers

Requirements

Biotechnology Students and Science Improvers I and II require Leaving Certificate German. There is no previous knowledge of German required for the Beginners Course.

Science students may study German in their second and third year in college.

Teaching Methods

Active student participation in small scale classes; role-plays; group work; presentations and report writing; translation of texts and text analyses; video and cassette work; tuition in the language as well as the multi-media lab.

Contact Hours

4 hours per week for the German Beginners course (Science Students).

3 hours per week for 1st, 2nd and 3rd Year Biotechnology Students.

3 hours per week for Science Improvers I and II.

Textbooks and Additional Teaching Material

Schritte I II, Klipp und Klar, Essential Grammar of German and A Practice Grammar of German represent the main Grammar books being used as well as supplementary handouts from other language books. Extensive authentic teaching material for translations is taken from current German/Austrian news magazines and from the science supplements of newspapers; videos, cassettes, CD-Roms etc. are also applied.

GR 224 - Beginner’s German for Science Students

First meeting for students of GR 224 to take place on Monday 10th September 2012 at 4 p.m. in A M 204 (first floor of Arts Millennium Building)

 

This course equips students with the basic elements of German grammar, vocabulary, text comprehension and conversation and also provides an introduction to basic subject-related scientific terms. Students will have to practice all four language skills.

Students who wish to advance to Improvers I have to complete the course with 70% .

BG 101 – 1st Year Biotechnology / GR 252 – Science Improvers I

This course is designed to improve and develop all existing language skills. Students learn about developments on the biotechnological and scientific sector in the German speaking areas through the translation of current articles, through video clips about scientific developments/innovations/ inventions and they have to report on their own science subjects. A specialized science vocabulary is introduced from the beginning and gradually expanded. They also learn about different aspects of German/Austrian/Swiss society/culture/politics.

Science students require 40% to advance to Improvers II.

BG201 – 2nd Year Biotechnology/GR 353 – Science Improvers II

In this course students practice report writing (e.g. reporting on lab experiences, practices in the labs, lab procedures, and also science assignments/projects), curriculum vitae, job applications, interview situations, etc. A large part of the course deals with Biotechnology and Science based topics (e.g. medical/pharmacological research, diseases and addictions, genetics and genetic engineering, environmental issues, bio-hazards, microbiology, etc.).

BG 301 – 3rd Year Biotechnology

This course concentrates on the preparation of the 3rd Year Students for their placement in one of the international research centres in either Germany or Austria. Students have to report in detail about procedures and experiences in their laboratory practicals , they learn about work etiquette abroad, about recent developments in the area of biotechnological engineering, about the emergence of new biotech centers abroad, about ethical problems connected with medical/genetic research, about the performance of biotech companies on the stock exchange, etc.

Placement of 3rd Year Biotechnology Students in Germany/Austria

At the end of third year, Biotechnology Students have the invaluable opportunity to spend four months at one of the international Austrian/German research centres where they will be involved in specialized laboratory procedures and gain important experience for their future career.

In recent years students were placed at the I.M.P. (Institute for Molecular Pathology) and the L.B.I. (Ludwig Boltzmann Institute) in Vienna, at E.M.B.L. (European Molecular Biology Laboratory) in Heidelberg and at the Max Planck Institute in Dortmund.

Studying in Germany/Austria

Excellent students of Biotechnology/Science have the opportunity of applying for DAAD Summer Scholarships to study German at a German University.

Examinations, Assessment and Marking

• Two-Hour-Paper at the end of the year (35%)
• Oral Examination at the end of the year (25%)
• Continuous assessment in all years with two in-house tests per year (40%) 

Why study German?

• To get to know and appreciate the German speaking countries, their people and cultures
• To enhance your career opportunities in general
• To be able to apply, to be equipped, and to be prepared for post-graduate research in a German-speaking country
• To be able to apply to compete better (when applying for a position) in Ireland in the rapidly expanding biotechnology industry, e.g. with German-based pharmaceutical companies. 

 

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