GERMAN FOR THE PROFESSIONAL WORLD - 2025/6

Module Overview

In this module, students develop their fluency and accuracy in the target language, through language-learning tasks across all four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), with a focus on the use of German in professional contexts. This module is taught in the target language in semester 2 of FHEQ Level 4.

Module provider

Literature & Languages

Module Leader

KAUP Judith (Lit & Langs)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 4

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None.

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• Delivering a presentation, e.g. body language, visual aids, handling questions,


• Negotiating: making suggestions, accepting and rejecting proposals and suggestions, bargaining, summarizing results


• Making phone calls


• Handling complaints and giving advice Chairing and participating in meetings


• Listening comprehension


• Workplace writing genres, e.g. e-mails and letters, minutes, reports CVs and cover letters


• Intonation, stress, pitch


• Grammatical terminology in German


• The grammar of spoken and written German

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate

• Knowledge and understanding of the use of the target language Ability to analyse and interpret texts


• Ability to select and synthesise information from written and oral texts


• Ability to take notes effectively and use IT skills to find and present relevant information


• Subject-specific knowledge of German language in a professional environment

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Coursework assignments. 1- Written Assignment (CV and Cover Letter) (40%); 2 - Speaking Assignment (Job Interview) (20%). (60% combined)

These tasks enable students to develop subject specific knowledge, and to improve their written and oral German in a variety of professional contexts

• online exam (4-hour window) (40%)

Students answer questions on reading comprehension and write an essay relating to topics studied over the course of the semester

Formative assessment and feedback

• Formative assessment will focus on student participation and class discussions throughout the module.


•  Students will be provided with detailed written feedback following coursework assignments.


•  Verbal feedback will also occur in class and individual appointments if required.

Module aims

• This module aims to develop the linguistic skills to enable students to participate and communicate effectively in a range of
  professional contexts in the German-speaking world. Students develop these skills by learning about industry and
  employment in German-speaking countries, through the exploration of relevant issues such as changes in work culture,
  sustainable working practices, equality in the workplace, intercultural communication and conflict. The module builds upon
  the skills developed in semester 1, and feeds directly into FHEQ Level 5, and PTY preparation, through the preparation of
  a useable CV and cover letter.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

• Enable students to develop their language skills as a medium for understanding, expression and communication, through listening, speaking, reading and writing in the target language 


• Enable students to acquire explicit knowledge of the linguistic structures, grammar and stylistic registers through attending classes and reading in the target language


• Encourage student participation and learner autonomy, through small group classes, reading outside contact hours and participating in seminars


• Develop research skills, through reading and presenting findings, through informal class presentations and in the written assignment


• Enable students to engage in analytical and evaluative thinking, to analyse and interpret texts and other cultural products, through attending classes and engaging in individual study


• Develop communication skills through interactions in class


• Acquire a broad knowledge of the history, culture and institutions of the societies in which German is used.

The learning and teaching methods include:

• Three contact hours per week over Semester 2


• Classes will include lectures and seminars


• Students are expected to read extensively outside classes in order to follow lectures and participate in seminars

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: GER1059

Other information

Surrey's Curriculum Framework is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills and capabilities in the following areas:

Employability: This module enables students to develop their German language skills for use in a range of professional contexts, with a particular focus on placements. This will prepare them for the PTY and the world of work more broadly, and equip them with the proficiency to undertake roles in German-speaking companies and institutions. Students produce cover letters and CVs which they can adapt for their placement applications, and gain experience in interviewing in German as part of their speaking assessment.

Global and Cultural Capabilities: In this module, students develop an understanding of major industries in the German-speaking world, and examine the similarities and differences between work cultures in the Germanophone world, and have the opportunity to compare these to their own experiences and backgrounds. Students are enabled to develop their fluency in speaking and writing across a range of professional contexts, gaining in-depth understanding of intercultural communication in a global context in which the German language is used in industry and business.

Sustainability: Students learn about the ways in which companies in the German-speaking world are developing more sustainable practices, and examine critical issues such as greenwashing in advertising, through their language learning activities. Alongside the subject-specific knowledge acquired through studying sustainable development in a professional context, students are also enabled to develop the linguistic skills required to discuss confidently a range of issues relating to sustainability in the target language.

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.