English and German - through Arts.

what.to.do

Hi there,

Sorry to be another Leaving Cert at ye all for information about courses, but I'm awfully curious about hearing a students perspective!

I'm looking to study English and German in September, and I'm just wondering about the assignments and general workload of the course (either or).
What is studied in English (era's, genre's, etc) and likewise in german (is the standard very high for first year, is it difficult to keep up)?

What modules does anyone recommend? I'd love to try out another language for a year or two if that's possible!

Thanks!

unknown13

It should be noted. That you will not be studying the German language for the whole course, there will be modules about culture, the political system, literature etc. I don't do the course, so I can't comment in depth about it.

what.to.do

unknown13 wrote: »

It should be noted. That you will not be studying the German language for the whole course, there will be modules about culture, the political system, literature etc. I don't do the course, so I can't comment in depth about it.

Ah yeah, one of the lecturers mentioned that at the open day, should be interesting, thanks!

Niles

In 1st year English there isn't much choice. There are four core modules, you have to do at least two of them, but it's recommended you do all four if you intend to go on to English in 2nd year. You get a bit more choice in 2nd/3rd year but there are still some mandatory "core" modules.

Topics covered include Children's Literature, Medieval Lit, 17th/Renaissance Lit, 18th century Lit, 19th Century, 20th Century, Irish, etc... There are also some modules that are teach different types of criticism, genre, etc rather than focus on any one particular area.

With some of the option modules in 2nd and 3rd year there are some more "specific" modules, like a particular poet/writer etc...

This may have changed since I did it but assessment wise it used to be mainly essay based for semester 1 core modules (usually 2 essays per module, one of which might be an essay proposal/outline plan, particularly in 1st year). In semester 2 it's usually one essay and then a end of semester exam in May. There at least used to be some marks given for tutorial attendence & contribution, not sure if this is still the case for all modules.

This might give you a rough idea:

1st year

http://www.ucd.ie/englishanddrama/undergraduatestudies/english/stageone/

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2nd year

http://www.ucd.ie/englishanddrama/undergraduatestudies/english/stagetwo/leveltwo/

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3rd year

http://www.ucd.ie/englishanddrama/undergraduatestudies/english/stagetwo/levelthree/



Can't help with the German I'm afraid...

Danielbride06

Hi i am a german student in UCD.

The course is very interesting. There are modules on the following:

1. German Linguistics (Optional Module) (Strongly recommended)
(German grammar, how to pronounce words, how words are formed, how to identify different parts of a sentence)
I found this module extremely helpful with my grammar and understanding the german language a lot better

2. German language Ia and Ib (Core language modules)
(Topics include Reisen, Essen, Films, Familie, Beziehung, Schule und Musik)
These two modules are compulsory and are the exact same as your current leaving cert german classes.
You will submit little essays (200 words, half a page) on the topics and showing off grammar. The first semester is very basic as they go through the basic grammar rules again (z.B Der, Die, Das table, die Pronomen, Nominative, Akkusative usw..)

For the german language module you will be streamed based on your LC results in german, so don't worry about level, you'll be placed in a class that suits your level of german.

3. German Politics since 1945 (Optional Module)
Basically a module that takes up from the end of WWII (8th May 1945) and shows how germany was divided and reunited, how the economies went 2 ways, how different political ideologies terror in the West during the 1970's, the significance of the Wall and of course how they are coping today.
Very interesting module if you like history, if you like politics it's also a good pick. You can still take it even if you didn't take LC history

4. German Textual Analysis (Optional Module)
You will study one or two small texts and complete assignments about it as you go along. The text is available in english also but you are advised to try it in german.
I didn't take this module but i would recommend it as you study german texts later on in your german degree.

So I hope i have been help.

For more information on these modules visit www.ucd.ie

Go to Current Students ====> Course search ====> Arts =>>> DN500 Arts FT=>>> Group C (German) ======> Stage 1 - Non beginners.

GobBass

I have just finished my third year with German as a major.I will tell you one thing without a shadow of a doubt. If you do end up doing German,do the Erasmus. You will be at a tremendous disadvantage in final year if you don't do it like I didn't. It was my biggest regret in my UCD career and I'm paying for it now. I knew several people who did English and German and most did very well given their experiences of essay writing transferred their work in German classes (especially the literature modules). However,all essays are done in English (unless you wanna really razzle-dazzle the German dept.:D)

Second year consists of:

German Language II a/b (Core) - Language classes with expanded oral exams (Referat). It has been on health the past three times so don't be surprised if there is a change.

Faust (Option) - A study of Goethe's famous 'Faust' play and associated readings. Better than first thought. Donovan is excellent.

Third Reich (Option) - Like Political Culture but with a presentation (in English) about a chosen topic at some point in the semester - easiest A I ever earned,loved the relaxed atmosphere in the class.

19th Century German Literature (Core) - I always found it difficult to get my point across in the literature modules. English students will have an advantage in the essays as they are similar in their layouts in most respects.

German-English Translation (Intermediate - aimed at future translators and business people with German in mind).

Third year consists of:

German Language III a/b (Core): Both modules have oral exams (a group role play in IIIa and a review [Rezension] in IIIb). Both carry equal percentage of 30% at stake. There is a nasty Protokoll at the end of IIIa,it is a tough one to pass,trust me. By then,your German would have come along nicely I hope.

German Prose After the Fall of the Wall (Option): Very approachable texts and a presentation in German. Don't let the English essay worth 70% put you off..do well in the presentation,get the essay out of the way and there's no final to worry about.

Bilders Helvetias (Option): Swiss literature class. Not for the faint of heart from what I heard but it is also really engaging and the texts are supposed to be fairly simple to follow. Also has a German presentation worth 25%, five more than Prose.

German Modernism (Core): This module is like the other core literature modules before it in terms of its structure. However,brush up on Freud and expressionism and don't be surprised to find that there is a lot more to this module than simply the modernist era.

The German Minority in Italy (Option): Unlike the previous two history modules, this one proved quite outside the confines of conventional German history. It proved to be very,very interesting.

I can't sell it enough. Did I have a good time doing these modules? Ask me in five years I guess whether I'm still speaking ein bisschen Deutsch. :rolleyes:

The only advice I can give you is the same advice Dr.Simone Schroth gave me in German IIb...online translators are your enemy,not your friend.

what.to.do

Oh, wow, brilliant! Thanks for the in-depth replies!!


I was really torn with third year, actually. Ever since I got to know a cousin of mine from Boston, I've wanted to go study in the states for a year. But since I realised my liking for German, I've been toying with Germany.

Sounds like Germany's my best bet. :P

Ponta

I did English with film in UCD this year, with option modules in German language 1a/1b and German linguistics

English covers a bit of every era in first year for the modules literature and context 1 and literature and context 2 - Medieval, Renaissance, neo-classicism, romanticism, victorianism, modernism and postmodernism. You'll focus more on some than others. The course is very broad in first year and then it becomes more specialised for second and third year I think, since you have more choice for modules and they are more specific.

Assignments for English: It was all continuous assessment for semester one of English for us. In semester 2 it's about half continuous assessment, half exams. We had group work for both semesters. This was difficult, but it's great for making you think about how literature from centuries ago can still have relevance today. For example, we did an article which compared Chaucer's criticism of the monk and the prioress in The Canterbury Tales with scandals occurring in the church today. We also did a prototype for a periodical in 1818, and a presentation of sorts for The Two Gentlemen of Verona (encouraging young people to see the play - it involved sketches for posters but everyone did what they could, so you don't have to be artistic).

Standard for German language: If you have honours German then you do German language 1a and 1b. If you don't have honours you do German general purposes (minimum B2 in ordinary level or D3 in higher level I think). I think they are introducing beginners German in UCD this year though. German language 1a and 1b are about Leaving Cert standard.


German linguistics isn't difficult. We had two class tests and then an exam at the end of the semester (which as revision of topics covered in the class tests). You need to learn off some notes and practise examples done in seminars to do well. I found this to be one of the easier modules. You need honours German to do this I think. It's technical but that's what I liked about it.