Sommerhochschule

The University of Vienna Sommerhochschule (SHS) was established in 1949, since then an International Summer Program is offered every year. The four week program offers high level European Studies in the morning and German Language courses in the afternoon. The European Studies courses are held in English and focus on the emerging new Europe. They cover political, economic, and legal but also historical and cultural aspects of the multiple transformations the continent is currently undergoing. The German Langauge courses are offered at four different levels of proficiency (German I - German IV).

The International Summer Program is located in the picturesque village of Strobl in the "Salzkammergut" region, one of Austria's most attractive summer vacation areas. Students and faculty are accommodated in high standard single and double rooms at the program's beautiful summer campus on the shore of Lake Wolfgang.

TEACHING APPROACH: The success of the German Language program of the Sommerhochschule is based on careful student placement, teachers well-trained in methodology, and balanced communicative teaching methods. These methods help you to learn quickly and gain confidence in your communicative skills while having fun at the same time. Our teaching approach for effective language learning: 1)German will be the only language spoken in class. 2)You will be actively involved all the time. 3)Pair work and role play will be used to simulate real life situations. 4)Discussions and presentations will be recorded for analysis and feedback. STUDENT PLACEMENT: There will be a placement test on the first day to find out which level will best suit your needs. CLASS SIZES: Students will learn German in small groups. If the number of students in a German class exceeds 16, this class will be split up into two smaller sections. The minimum number of students per class is ten. The Sommerhochschule reserves the right to cancel a class should there not be enough participants. LEVELS: The German courses are available on four levels: beginners, intermediate, advanced intermediate, advanced. They consist of 8 ECTS credits (60 credit hours) each. (One credit hour consists of 50 minutes.) GERMAN I: is a real beginner’s course. It provides the fundamentals of grammar and should enable the students to develop communication and comprehension strategies in everyday situations. GERMAN II: is the right course for students who can understand German when it is spoken slowly and clearly and can make themselves understood in everyday situations. GERMAN III: is for students who are able to use German effectively in familiar situations in both academic and private life, even though they might still make some mistakes. GERMAN IV: is a course in which students who are already fairly fluent speakers can improve and perfect their knowledge of the German language. TUTORIALS: Ample opportunity for informal conversation and discussion in German will be provided by tutorials conducted by fellow Austrian students. The tutorial groups will consist of three to five students. The tutorials are part of the German language courses and attendance is obligatory.

The campus consists of 156 acres of meadows, woods, and parkland located directly on the shore of Lake Wolfgang. The standard of the houses on campus can be compared to *** hotels. Students are generally accommodated in comfortable single or double rooms with private bathrooms. Sheets, towels, and hairdryers will be provided.

SPORT COURSES: tennis and windsurfing (see: http://www.univie.ac.at/sommerhochschule/sport.html) EVENING ACTIVITIES: interdisciplinary seminars, dance courses, intercultural evenings, chamber concert, soccer game, beach volley ball, midsummer nights ball, EXCURSIONS: to St. Wolfgang, Salzburg and Ebensee (see: http://www.univie.ac.at/sommerhochschule/culture.html);