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Working Group 36 Academic Language and Academic Communication in German (2019–)
Aside from extensive theoretical and methodological knowledge in one’s respective academic field, the successful completion of a doctorate in Germany also involves a high level of academic language proficiency. This poses a particular challenge to doctoral candidates who are not native speakers of German. To address this, the Working Group Academic Language and Academic Communication in German provides a forum for participants to jointly hone their language skills in academic communication
Employing up-to-date materials and interactive practice formats, the working group seeks to train the participants’ proficiency in speaking and writing in German academic contexts, refine their academic linguistic style, and systematically improve their ability to fluently communicate with others about their own and other research projects in German at a high level of sophistication.
Apart from its linguistic goals, the working group also intends to contribute to disciplinary and social networking among international junior scholars and provide opportunities to engage in interdisciplinary exchange beyond the confines of one’s own discipline with other doctoral candidates at Philipps-Universität Marburg.
The working group focuses on
- The typical structures of German academic language.
- Which expressions make texts appear objective/subjective, how the author becomes visible, and how one’s own opinions can be incorporated in academic texts.
- Participation in academic discourse in German and facilitation of such discourse.
- How to present, analyze, and comment on complex (graphical) representations of different subject areas.
The target group is international doctoral candidates of all disciplines at Philipps-Universität Marburg who as non-native speakers are interested in further enhancing their linguistic proficiency in academic German toward a high level of sophistication through systematic input and exchange with other doctoral candidates. Participants are expected to be proficient in German at the B2–C1 language level.
The working group is supported by the Chair for German as a Foreign Language.