Kommentiertes Vorlesungsverzeichnis (KoVo) / List of Courses - Summer 2025

Dear Students,

Welcome to the new semester! We hope that, once again, we have compiled an exciting and inspiring course programme for you.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the English Department is still not operating as it usual would. Safety and preventative measures are implemented regularly by health and university officials. These can and will change regularly, so please keep yourself updated by visiting the TUC website.

Despite the restrictions this challenging situation has placed on us, we are doing everything we can to prepare for a successful winter term. Most lecturers have already made adjustments for online courses. Be sure to register for your courses as requested in the course descriptions so that lecturers are able to contact you in lieu of any changes. You can also check the university’s central database for the most up-to-date information regarding your courses: https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/verwaltung/vlvz

Unless stipulated otherwise, all courses start in the week of 7 April 2025.

Stay healthy and stay motivated in summer 2025,

Your English Department staff

Note: Please make sure to check your university email regularly since OPAL uses this address by default. Alternately, you can also impose a forwarding rule in the university mail program to the provider of your preference.

The general course requirements are issued by the lecturers of the English Department and aim at improving the cooperation in class as well as student’s academic skills. The requirements establish a fair working atmosphere and are binding for all students.

Active participation is required for success in your courses.

• Come to class. If you know you cannot attend regularly (at least 12 sessions/80%) for some reason, please speak to your lecturer right away. You will need to arrange how you will participate and interact with other students attending the seminar. Students who are absent frequently may receive additional tasks to complete for the subsequent session. Additionally, the lecturer may include short tests in class that are part of the Prüfungsvorleistung (PVL) or Prüfungsleistung (PL).
• Come to class ready to participate. You should be eager to answer questions of the lecturer and participate in discussions with your peers.
• You need to be able to discuss the assigned readings. This usually entails reading a set text more than once and engaging with it in some way. Write down its main ideas and take note of any terms or concepts that are introduced in the text. What questions do you have for the lecturer and your fellow students? Please remember that we are all responsible for reaching the course objectives and that your participation is also important for the other students in the class. Students who do not prepare for the session may be asked to leave.
• For student presentations, you are required to meet with your lecturer at least two weeks prior to the presentation to discuss its structure as well as its content. You should also send the presentation to the lecturer at least one week prior to the presentation. If you do not do this, you may lose your presentation slot. Alternative dates will only be given in case of illness.
• Using smartphones in class not only distracts you but also your lecturer and your peers. Therefore, you should refrain from using them during class – except if the lecturer asks you to use it for a specific task or classroom response system.

Additional tasks and supplementary reading can increase your learning and help you reach your short-term and long-term academic goals.

In addition to the course requirements, you should complete additional tasks to further advance your progress in the course. Be sure to speak to your lecturer if you need more ideas for self- study. Here are a few suggestions:

• Try to find a second complementary text that relates to the assigned reading and analyse how it corresponds to the set text.
• Search for an academic video that relates to the text.
• Share what you learn during your self-study with your classmates, e.g. by uploading articles or adding links to the course’s OPAL website.

It is essential to follow each section’s guidelines, requirements and citation styles (APA/MLA/Chicago) for writing term papers and theses.

Lecturers will inform you about the specific guidelines for written papers and the due dates for handing them in during the respective course and semester. Please note the following:

• Structural and stylistic standards need to be followed. They will usually be explained in class, summarized on a handout, or, if necessary, discussed during the lecturer’s office hour. If you do not follow the requirements, the lecturer can deduct points in the paper. This is especially important for BA students who have already attended a research colloquium in their 4th or 6th semester and MA students in their 3rd semester.
• The thesis, argument and/or outline have to be discussed with your lecturer before you start writing. Otherwise the lecturer can refuse to accept your paper.
• The due dates for term papers are fixed for every individual semester and will be announced at the beginning of the semester. Extensions can only be granted with previous notification by the student on the basis of a reasonable cause (e.g. sickness, impairment, family emergencies). Term papers that are handed in after the due date without early notification (at least one week prior to the due date) or a sufficient cause will receive a failing grade (5.0).

Be sure to talk to your lecturers right away if you have any questions about the course requirements.

Several courses may also be taken by students not enrolled in the English and American Studies programme. These are marked separately. The numbers indicate the appropriate semester of study.

• B_AA = B.A. Anglistik/Amerikanistik
• B_EG = B.A. Europäische Geschichte
• B_Eu = B.A. Europastudien
• B_Ge = B.A. Geschichte
• B_InEn = B.A. Informatik NF Englisch
• B_Ko = B.A. Interkulturelle Kommunikation
• B_MK = B.A. Medienkommunikation
• B_MP = B.A. Print & Media Technology PMT
• B_Pä = B.A. Pädagogik
• B_Ps = B.A. Psychologie
• M_AA = Master Anglistik/Amerikanistik
• M_Ge = Master Geschichte
• M_GI = Master Interkulturelle Germanistik
• M_In = Master Informatik
• M_Ko = Master Interkulturelle Kommunikation
• M_MK = Master Medienkommunikation
• SELAEn = Lehramt Grundschule

Two translation courses are part of the MA curriculum.

Do you have a certificate for German at the A1, A2, or B1 level? You are not required to take the Translation classes in the Practical Language Program (Translation English-German; Translation German-English). Instead, you may take German language classes at the Language Centre, but you must register for these courses online through OPAL (found under “Sprachenzentrum” / “Deutsch als Fremdsprache”).

Do you have a certificate for German at the B2 level? You can take the C1-level German course at the Language Centre. After you have completed the C1-level German course, you may take the Translation German-English course the following semester. If you do not want to attend the Translation German-English course, you may attend a specialisation course at the C1 German level (e.g. Wissenschaftliches Schreiben) instead, but you must register online through OPAL (found under “Sprachenzentrum” / “Deutsch als Fremdsprache” or “Wissenschaftliches Schreiben”).

If you have any questions, please contact the Practical Language Programme Coordinator

Dear ERASMUS Students,

Welcome to the English Department at Chemnitz University of Technology! We hope you will enjoy your stay in Chemnitz.

You are welcome to attend many of the Bachelor's seminars offered by the Department. These courses have "ERASMUS" below their titles.

Erasmus students who would like to improve their English language skills are welcome to attend the course Vocabulary Building after completing the Placement Test

The Placement Test has two parts: 1) a computer-based part which tests your writing, grammar and reading skills, and 2) an oral part which evaluates your speaking and pronunciation skills.

To take the computer-based part of the exam, you must obtain your TUC login (a combination of username and password) from the Universitätsrechenzentrum several days prior to your test date and bring the login information and your student ID with you when you come to take the test.

To sign up for the Placement Test or get more information, please send an email to the Practical Language Programme Coordinator, Dr. Isabelle van der Bom: isabelle.vanderbom@…

• your first and last name
• the name and city of your home university
• the name of your Erasmus coordinator

You will then receive further information about available test dates and times.

As many of you have noticed or will notice soon, many people expect students of English to be able to speak and write perfectly. While we know that such expectations are often exaggerated and unrealistic, we still strive for our students to achieve a very good command of English. Apart from the importance of sound language skills for your later professional career, you need to be proficient in the language as a basis of your course work: reading books and scientific articles, writing term papers, giving presentations and participating in class discussions are only a few of the areas you will need good English skills for to be successful in your studies.

In order to help students with the admittedly long and laborious task of enhancing foreign language skills to a level adequate for the academic world, the English Department offers Practical Language Courses (PLCs) targeting the language problems of our students. Yet, students need to keep in mind that these courses merely represent the MINIMUM of the time and energy that you should invest to improve your linguistic competence sufficiently. In other words, you will need to spend more time on developing your skills outside of class, for example by reading (e.g. English and American newspapers and magazines, available in the library and, perhaps more conveniently, on the Internet), listening (e.g., English TV or radio channels or listening sources on the Internet), writing, speaking, and practicing grammar and vocabulary via training websites or CD-ROM applications.

In addition, students need good reference books to work effectively and successfully. Some helpful resources, including online language learning websites, can be found on this page.

The European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) is a standardized system for the approval of university courses within the European Union. It gives students the opportunity to have their academic credits recognized at any university within the EU. This applies not only to students from TUC who partake in an exchange program but also to our guests and those who change their place of study within Germany or the EU. The ECTS is running parallel to the credit systems already existing at the respective universities.

The ECTS consists of two components:

1. In the credit system, course achievements – the amount of work required of a student for the individual courses – are evaluated annually.
2. The grading scale has been implemented to guarantee a common European standard for the assessment of individual achievements (from A = excellent to F = fail). However, if an ERASMUS student’s university uses another system, we can convert everything.

For the courses at our department, students will receive Credit Points according to the type of course they attend:

• Lecture: 3 Credits
• Seminar/Übung: 5 Credits
• Practical Language Course: 3 Credits (2 LVS), 6 Credits (4 LVS)