Moran, Alexander

E-mail: amoran6@nd.edu

Language: German

Location of Study: Munich, Germany

Program of Study: Carl Duisberg Centrum

Sponsors: Nanovic Institute for European Studies, the College of Arts and Letters, and the Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures

Blog URL: http://sites.nd.edu/sla2018/author/amoran6/

 

A brief personal bio:

I’m a rising sophomore at Notre Dame. I’m a double major in International Economics (German) and the PLS, as well as a student in the Glynn Family Honors Program. I’m originally from Buffalo, New York, and I live in St. Edward’s Hall here at Notre Dame. I first began studying German this year, undergoing two semesters of Intensive German in preparation for my International Economics degree.

Why this summer language abroad opportunity is important to me:

The SLA Grant will allow me to spend six weeks undergoing language instruction at the Carl Duisberg Centrum in Munich, Germany. Strictly speaking, this will allow me to gain 3 hours of academic credit that counts toward the German portion of my International Economics major. This is key for me; because I have two majors with heavy requirements, every credit hour I can get over the summer helps me to graduate in four years rather than have to pay for an extra semester of study. But beyond this assistance, the SLA Grant is important to me because such great exposure to the German language, especially so early on in my German studies, will help solidify the language for me. I’ll attain to higher levels of proficiency than I would have otherwise, and I’ll do so sooner than I would have otherwise. This SLA Grant will help set the foundation for the rest of my German studies at Notre Dame, and will make my International Economics degree even more effective in the real world.

What I hope to achieve as a result of this summer study abroad experience:

Over the summer, I’ll be spending six weeks in Munich studying at the Carl Duisberg Centrum. I’ll be studying for 30 hours a week in a classroom setting, but time spent outside of class will be just as beneficial as I strive to gain proficiency in German. I’ll be living in one of the largest cities in Germany, speaking German with native Germans as I navigate through daily life. Using German in real contexts every day, combined with the specific, targeted language instruction I’ll receive at the Centrum, will enable me to reach high levels of proficiency in German over a very short course of time. Furthermore, I’ll be staying with a host family throughout the six weeks, so I’ll learn firsthand how the language is used in the home. Through all of these experiences, the SLA Grant will enable me to advance several levels of fluency.

My specific learning goals for language and intercultural learning this summer:

1) At the end of the summer, I will be able to communicate in German with proficiency equal to at least two semesters of German instruction at Notre Dame.

2) At the end of the summer, I will be able to communicate with my German peers with more natural language, and with deeper understanding of their linguistic background, than would have been possible at Notre Dame.

3) At the end of the summer, I will be able to articulate complex ideas using words and constructions that would sound natural to a native German speaker.