Dr.

Hall Harris TG1000A Reading Theological German

Todd 211 (214) 887-5305 (office) Summer Semester 2015
214-770-4825 (mobile) MWF 1:00 – 3:30 (5/11-6/5, 4 weeks)
hharris@flash.net

Reading Theological German

TG1000 COURSE SYLLABUS

DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSE:

This course is a noncredit course in reading theological German, designed to bring students to a level of proficiency
in reading that fulfills the Ph.D. requirements at Dallas Theological Seminary for reading ability in German. This is
not a course in conversational German, although points concerning conversation and pronunciation occasionally will
be covered as an aid to study and memorization.

GENERAL PROCEDURES:

Students are expected to work through the assigned material for themselves before coming to class. Class time
will be spent in discussion of the assigned material from the textbook or reading exercises, introduction of new
material, responding to questions, and covering assigned exercises. It is the student’s responsibility to keep up by
completing the assigned reading and exercises. This is crucial for the student’s success in mastering the material and
developing a reading knowledge of German.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

This course is primarily designed to enable a student to pass the requirement to be able to read (translate) modern
theological German which is part of the PhD program at Dallas Theological Seminary. However, it will benefit
anyone who wishes to develop a reading ability in theological German, including those planning doctoral studies at
another institution (though it will not necessarily fulfill any requirements at other institutions) and master’s students
who wish to conduct research in foreign-language material.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

The student is required to attend class, read through the assigned chapters in the textbook, and work on exercises and
sample translations as assigned by the professor. Some of these practice translations will come from the textbook
and some will be handed out in class by the professor. In addition, the student will successfully complete two unit
exams and a final exam over the course material. The two unit exams will cover the assigned chapters in the
textbook and also include some short translations. The final exam will involve the translation of an article with the
aid of a dictionary and the reference grammar section of the textbook.

REQUIRED TEXTS (these are required of all students enrolled in the course):

Coles, Waltraud, and Dodd, Bill. Reading German: A Course Book and Reference Grammar. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1998. [1st edition] ISBN-13: 978-0198700203 ISBN-10: 0198700202

This text is by far the best one currently available for a reading course in Modern German, since it contains not only
exercises and authentic sample texts, but a reference grammar section at the back (obviating the need for the student
to purchase an additional text), and a systematic approach to translating longer texts and more difficult texts, with
specific suggested strategies for attacking such material. It also incorporates the 1996 spelling and punctuation
reform revisions, which have rendered obsolete some of the older methods and strategies for translating German
presented in earlier texts.
Ziefle, Helmut W., ed. Modern Theological German: A Reader and Dictionary. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1997.
ISBN-13: 978-0801021442 ISBN-10: 0801021448

This dictionary is the best easily available source for theological terms. An earlier version (now out of print) was
published in 1992 without the reading selections. If you can obtain a copy of this older version with the dictionary
only (from used book dealers, other students, etc.) it is perfectly acceptable for use in this course.

COURSE BIBLIOGRAPHY (recommended dictionaries):

The Oxford German Dictionary : German-English, English-German. 3rd ed. W. Scholze-Stubenrecht, J.B. Sykes,
and Michael Clark, editors. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.
ISBN-13: 978-0199545681 ISBN-10: 0199545685

This is by far the best available one-volume German-English dictionary. It is far more comprehensive and up-to-date
than Cassell’s German Dictionary. Note: The earlier first edition (1990) or second edition (1999) is also acceptable
if you happen to have it.

The Oxford Duden German Dictionary : German-English, English-German. 2nd ed. W. Scholze-Stubenrecht and
J.B. Sykes, chief editors. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

This is the older second edition of the previous dictionary; it is perfectly acceptable for use in the course.

Ziefle, Helmut W. Dictionary of Modern Theological German. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992.

Out of print; this is an earlier version of the required text by Ziefle without the reading selections. This work, if you
have it or obtain it used, is acceptable as a theological dictionary in place of the other required text by Ziefle.

BASIS FOR GRADING IN THE COURSE

Note: Although this is a non-credit course, a grade of 86 or higher (passing at doctoral level) is necessary in order to
fulfill the German requirement of the Ph.D. program at Dallas Theological Seminary.

1. Unit Exam 1 .....................................................................................................................................30%

2. Unit Exam 2 .....................................................................................................................................30%
3. Final Exam .......................................................................................................................................40%

The following (standard) grade scale will be used in this course:

A+ 99-100 B+ 91-93 C+ 83-85 D+ 75-77 F below 70

A 96-98 B 88-90 C 80-82 D 72-74
A- 94-95 B- 86-87 C- 78-79 D 70-71

SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS:

Meeting Date Assignment

1 Mon May 11 Introduction and Orientation

2 Mon May 11 Survey of electronic and online dictionaries and resources

Preview Coles and Dodd pp. x-xi and ch. 1 (pp. 9-13)

3 Wed May 13 Read and study ch. 1 of Coles and Dodd (pp. x-xi; 9-13)
Complete exercises 1a, b, c, d before class
4 Wed May 13 Preview Coles and Dodd ch. 2 (pp. 14-21); in-class exercises

5 Fri May 15 Read and study ch. 2 of Coles and Dodd (pp. 14-21)
Complete exercises 2a, b, c, d, e, f before class

6 Fri May 15 Preview Coles and Dodd ch. 3 (pp. 22-29); in-class exercises

7 Mon May 18 Read and study ch. 3 of Coles and Dodd (pp. 22-29)
Complete exercises 3a, b, c, d, e, f, g before class

8 Mon May 18 Preview Coles and Dodd ch. 4 (pp. 30-37); in-class exercises

9 Wed May 20 Read and study ch. 4 of Coles and Dodd (pp. 30-37)
Complete exercises 4a, b, c, d, e, f, g before class

10 Wed May 20 Preview Coles and Dodd ch. 5 (pp. 38-43); in-class exercises
Review for Unit Exam 1

11 Fri May 22 Read and study ch. 5 of Coles and Dodd (pp. 38-43)
Complete exercises 5a, b, c, d, e, f before class

12 Fri May 22 Unit Exam 1, covering chs. 1-5 (exam given in class during second hour)

Mon May 25 Memorial Day Holiday; no classes!

Grill some Bratwurst! Drink some … Mineralwasser!

13 Wed May 27 Read and study ch. 6 of Coles and Dodd (pp. 44-50)
Complete exercises 6a, b, c, d before class

14 Wed May 27 Preview Coles and Dodd ch. 7 (pp. 51-57); in-class exercises

15 Fri May 29 Read and study ch. 7 of Coles and Dodd (pp. 51-57)
Complete exercises 7a, b, c, d, e before class

16 Fri May 29 Preview Coles and Dodd ch. 8 (pp. 58-64); in-class exercises
Review for Unit Exam 2

17 Mon June 1 Read and study ch. 8 of Coles and Dodd (pp. 58-64)
Complete exercises 8a, b, c, d, e before class
Preview Coles and Dodd ch. 9 (pp. 65-72)

18 Mon June 1 Unit Exam 2, covering chs. 6-8 (exam given in class during second hour)

19 Wed June 3 Read and study ch. 9 of Coles and Dodd (pp. 65-72)
Complete exercises 9a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h before class

20 Wed June 3 Read and study ch. 10 of Coles and Dodd (pp. 73-79)
Complete exercises on p. 78 and vocabulary test, p. 79

Final questions and discussion over reading strategies;

Review for Final Exam

21 Fri June 5 NO CLASS! Final Exam Day (viel Erfolg!)

(Take-home final exam due by 6:00 PM
emailed as .pdf or .docx to Professor at hharris@flash.net)