• Students enrolled in regular German-language degree programs
• Exchange students
• Students in English-language degree programs
• Doctoral candidates
• Researchers and employees

• Application to register for a course submitted in good time using the online form on our website
• Completion of Language Center placement test or grade from language course previously attended at Freie Universität (students who have obtained the DSH qualification from Freie Universität Berlin do not need to complete a placement test)

5 credit points / ECTS

Coursework (during the semester)

• Regular and active participation
• Regular completion of homework
• Completion of an oral assignment (analysis and presentation on a complex issue related to one of the course topics)

Module assessment

• Completion of a written assignment (approx. eight pages in length), featuring both a first draft and an edited version, to be submitted by the end of the semester.

Bachelor students can complete the course as part of the “ABV” (General Professional Skills) section of their studies (foreign language skills).

General Focus:

Develop the skills required for dealing with tasks in an academic and professional context, in particular linguistic and verbal reasoning skills and the ability to address abstract terms and intellectual concepts, as well as intercultural and transnational topics and questions:

• Process facts, information, complex issues, and correlations in a structured manner
• Produce written and spoken texts
• Targeted, systematic vocabulary work
• Deal with selected difficult grammatical phenomena

Learning Objectives:

After completing this course, students fulfill the basic proficiency requirements of level C1 CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) in German.

Students will have the following

linguistic skills:

• The ability to use language in a problem-oriented and subject-relevant manner, both at university and in other context
• The ability to present abstract, complex information in a convincing, audience-appropriate manner
• The ability to constructively contribute to debates by responding to others with relevant information
• The ability to recognize complex arguments in difficult texts and understand implicit clues regarding the author’s stance
• The ability to confidently implement linguistic techniques to describe information in a differentiated, balanced, and nuanced manner

strategic skills:

• Complex presentation techniques that they can use in an appropriate manner based on the information to be presented and target audience
• The ability to recognize and implement a series of strategies for interpreting texts, as well as for planning and producing their own texts
• A number of strategies for editing their own work and improving their language skills

intercultural skills:

• The ability to recognize and account for cultural influences when it comes to discourse on the binational or multinational level

Course Topics:

Academic and scientific work – the concept of academia – plagiarism – procrastination – Europe – dealing with history: commemorating and remembering – the purpose of reading – working with and on literary texts – luxury food and drink – beauty – happiness