Funds from the grant will be used to expand our German language coffee hour (Kaffeestunde) to include German-speaking guests, as well as field-trips to local sites. These required weekly co-curricular gatherings have long been central to the semi-immersive “learning beyond the classroom” pedagogy of the RC language programs. They are an excellent opportunity for current and former RC German students to mingle and speak German. Students dramatically improve their listening comprehension skills and become more comfortable speaking German.

These gatherings also provide the opportunity to present topics and materials that are not covered in the classroom.
Many of the Kaffeestunden are intentionally unstructured, with individual and group conversations evolving organically, much as they would in real life. However, we would like to include some more structured gatherings that allow students to meet with a wider range of German-speakers, to learn about particular cultural topics, and to go on fieldtrips out into the community to learn about local and regional German-related sites. Grant money would help defray the cost of honoraria, transportation and tickets. What follows is a list of proposed structured events for select coffeehours (Wednesdays 3-5 pm) this semester.