Pre-Semester Language course

I enjoyed the pre-semester language course that took place in March. Since I hadn’t studied German since December, a refresher course was much needed. The SLI-sponsored program placed students in different classes based on their performance of the onDaF placement test. I thought that my class was suitable for my level; even though some parts were review, any type of review is appreciated. We also looked at a lot of texts, varying from biographies to magazine articles. We also did a lot of conversational activities with partners and amongst the whole class. I found the professor to be very supportive, patient, and humorous. During the pre-semester language course I met many people who I consider to be friends even after the course ended. Because we had all recently arrived, it was comforting to know that everyone felt a bit lost in a new place, and we explored the city together. The class ran from 9:15 in the morning until about 1:00 in the afternoon. We have a break in the middle of the class to break up the long time block. After the first week of classes, we began our Vorlesung or Übung (lecture or seminar/discussion). The SLI offers a variety of courses from which to choose in order to get the full credit for the pre-semester course. I ended up choosing “Geschichtes des deustchen Films” (History of German Films). The class meets every weekday from 16:30-18:00. I found the class to be interesting. There was no final project/paper for this lecture, but attendance was mandatory. The lecture followed German film through the decades, starting with films in the late 1800s and finishing in the 2000s. I have not been exposed to many German films, so this topic was very new and intriguing for me. The professor spoke entirely in German, and every so often I had to consult my dictionary. Other than a few unknown words, I was able to grasp most of the synopses he described.

After class we had a break for a few hours before my lecture started at 4:30. The lecture  runs until 6:00 pm, so it's a bit late) and the topic is "Geschichtes des deutschen Films" (history of German films). The class was very interesting, and it met every week day until the end of March.