AP German Language and Culture Unit 1 - Familie und Gemeinschaft

Unit 1 - Familie und Gemeinschaft Families and Communities Essential questions: ● Wie versteht man den Begriff „Familie“ in deutschsprachigen Regionen? ○ In Deutschland gibt es normalerweise kleine Familie und auch Menschen, die keine Kindern haben. Viele Deutsche haben Kinder, als sie älter als Amerikanischen sind. Sie gründen ihre Familie später als in Amerika, weil sie sich mehr auf ihre Karriere konzentrieren ● Was sind einige wichtige Aspekte und Werte des Familienlebens in deutschsprachigen Regionen? ○ In der deutschen Kultur sind Familien grundlegend und sehr wichtig. In einer deutschen Familie ist es wichtig, immer ehrlich zu sein und die Familie zu schätzen ● Welchen Herausforderungen müssen sich Familien heutzutage stellen? ○ Deutsche Familien müssen sich mit Generationsproblemen auseinandersetzen, da zwischen den Generationen ein größerer Altersunterschied besteht. Erklären Sie, wie die deutsche Kultur diese Bräuche, Traditionen und Werte geschaffen und beeinflusst hat. Unit 1 sub themes and keywords Familienstruktur: ● Family structure in German societies does not just mean how many people, on average, live in one household in German speaking countries or the normal age gap between generations in families. The more cultural aspect of family structure means understanding the perceived roles of each family member and how these roles are particular to german societies. ● Whether or not most German families have pets in their house and how it relates to their culture/traditions ● German families tend to be pretty small, usually only one kid or none at all Important vocabulary for family structure: ● Die Rolle -- role, in this case, one’s role and “duties” within a household and for the family ● Das Haustier -- pet, literal translation is house animal Vielfältigkeit: ● There is a lot of diversity in German speaking countries because they are a prime destination for immigrants and refugees. There were guest workers coming from Turkey and other countries after World War II and which created diversity. With their aging population and big economy there is a great need for new young workers to join the workforce. ● Germany and other german speaking regions are open to immigrants and encourage them ● Turkish guest workers are considered to have transformed German society following the war Important vocabulary for diversity: ● Die Vielfältigkeit -- diversity ● Der Gastarbeiter -- guestworker, after WWII in Germany there was a high request for workers to bring back the economy which attracted many young workers (mostly men) in search for a better life and better job. They would then send most of their money back to their families who stayed in their homeland ● Der Einwanderer -- immigrant ● Der Flüchtling -- refugee, forced to leave homeland for fear of armed conflict, violation of human rights, religious persecution,... Beziehungen: ● The traditions and characteristics of friendships in German speaking regions and how they are different than the United States/other communities. ● Dating life in german societies is another major part of personal relationships and to understand German culture, in particular contemporary life in German countries. ● An important aspect of culture in personal relationships is an acceptable age to have a first boyfriend/girlfriend in society and in families Important vocabulary for personal relationships: ● Der Lehrer -- male teacher ● Die Lehrerin -- female teacher ● Der Partner/ der Lebensgefährte -- different terms to say boyfriend, Lebensgefährte is least common, mostly used by older generations in a formal setting. ● Die Partnerin / die Liebhaberin -- different terms for girlfriend. Die Liebhaberin is more formal ● Der beste Freund -- best friend (male) ● Die Freundin -- female friend ● Die Beziehung -- the relationship or bond, this can be used for a romantic relationship or a simple acquaintance Jugendkultur: ● Youth culture means cultural traditions involving the young generations in German culture ● The youth culture category comprises the types of activities most popular in German societies for example sports, video games, makeup, social media ○ Almost all the boys play soccer, the most popular sport in Germany and other German speaking countries. Teenagers also follow soccer games between big European teams (Juventus, Milan, Borussia Dortmund,..). The sport is a source of entertainment and something to talk about between teens but also with other generations which follow soccer as well. Teens watch the Bundesliga with their families or friends ○ Compared to the United States, very few German teenagers use Snapchat, as they prefer Instagram or other social media platforms. Teens also use an online messaging platform, Whatsapp, as opposed to iMessages, as do most other german speaking areas ● Examples could be: which kind of phones youth mostly likes compared to the U.S. ○ As opposed to American teenagers, who almost always have Apple iPhones, German, Swiss and Austrian teenagers have other brand phones and rarely are Apple phones considered popular or prevalent. This shows a big cultural difference. Important vocabulary for youth culture: ● Der Fußball -- soccer, the most popular sport among young boys ● Das Handy -- mobile phone Leben in der Stadt, Vororten und auf dem Land: ● People in German societies live in urban, suburban and rural areas, compare the reasons for living in these areas with the United States and find cultural/ traditional significance ○ Sometimes rural houses with hills and fields stay in the same family for generations because they have sentimental value but also because the younger generations carry along the culture and traditions of farming. This factor plays a role in the distribution of people in rural, suburban or urban homes. It is important to note that people might have a house in an urban area, which is beneficial for the economy and education but also might have a second home in the periphery. ● The amount of people living in urban, suburban and rural areas also depends on what region of Germany/Austria/Switzerland they live in. ● A very high percentage of German population is clustered in cities and urban areas because of the many economic and career opportunities. Important vocabulary for urban, suburban and rural life: ● Der Bauer -- farmer (male) ● Die Bauerin -- farmer (female) ● Ländlich -- rural ● die Peripherie -- periphery ● Die Stadt -- city or urban area ● Der Bauernhof -- farm or farmland