This foundation module in Modern German Language for beginners or near beginners covers the main linguistic (oral, listening, written, spoken) skills. In 5 taught hours of German a week, including a grammar lecture as introduction to key grammar topics, students work on understanding the way the German language works, and applying that knowledge actively in speaking and writing. By the end of the year students will be able to sustain everyday conversations in German, read authentic texts, follow the gist of visual and spoken material from a variety of media, and be able to write a range of texts in German including stories, e-mails and short essays. Students will also work on basic translation into and out of German as a way of showing how grammar is used in practice, and to underline similarities and differences between English and German. There is also a strong emphasis on vocabulary acquisition and application. In addition to class-time, students will be required to complete a range of study tasks aimed at complementing and deepening the material covered in formal instruction.