Cineplex

Cineplex: Intermediate German Language and Culture Through Film is a communicative textbook for second-year German-language courses that uses engaging, authentic cultural materials: feature films from Germany. Each of the ten chapters in Cineplex focuses on a contemporary, critically-acclaimed film—on highly motivational topics ranging from the West-German student movement to the German Democratic Republic to Turkish-German migrants to the Holocaust—that appeals to the needs of intermediate learners and their understanding of German-speaking culture. Designed for today's student, Cineplex is more than just a textbook—it is a space in which students can 'meet' the people of Germany through the big screen and experience German language and culture as it is performed in context. Course Instructors: click here for information on available instructor materials for Cineplex.

Features:

• Vorbereitung und Hintergrund sections provide pre-viewing exercises that prepare students for a positive and effective viewing experience
• Scene studies allow students to deal closely with the film through didacticized clips with pre and post viewing activities
• Film-derived grammar exercises provides students with a thorough and traditional intermediate grammar trajectory while learning key grammar in context
• Readings relate thematically to the film, ranging from poems and excerpts from literary prose to speeches and magazine articles
• Ten appealing films are easily available (links to purchase the films)

 Additional Resources:

• Workbook: Cineplex Workbook

• Film Clips: Please contact Reinhard Zachau via his website for information about accessing film clips. 

• Click here to go to the Cineplex title support page for information on where to purchase the films covered in the textbook.

Course Instructor Resources:

• Textbook Instructor's Manual: An electronic instructor's manual (PDF only) is available for qualified course instructors. If you are a course instructor and have adopted the text you may request the instructor's manual here.

• Workbook Answer Key: An electronic answer key (PDF only) is available for qualified course instructors. If you are a course instructor and have adopted the workbook for your course you may request the answer key here.

• Cineplex Presentation PowerPoint: This PowerPoint presentation was created by the authors of Cineplex to present at the 2014 American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. In addition to an overview of the book, the PowerPoint also includes teaching strategies, sample pages, an in-depth chapter review, and much more. (download the Cineplex PowerPoint presentation)

Reviews:

"Cineplex is an extraordinary, wonderful, innovative, creative, engaging, and well thought-out project. [It offers] manageable, yet substantial, interesting and sophisticated information on culturally and historically rich films; good activities that target different skills (writing, speaking, listening/watching, reading, cultural information, interpretation); and creative outlets with helpful prompts . . ."
      —Ingrid Zeller, Northwestern University

"Cineplex represents an excellent, ambitious and generally very successful attempt to integrate film into an intermediate / advanced level course. It contextualizes and amplifies the film content with cultural and literary readings, creative communicative exercises and a systematic review of grammar. It provides a wealth of varied activities: there’s something for every interest and learning style."
      —William Fletcher, United States Naval Academy

"Studying German film will be an eye-opener to many students. . . . The visual presentation of material is superb and I was very favorably impressed with the way in which the authors are able to use pictures and other visuals in so many activities. Each and every page is attractive and engaging and sure to stimulate student interest. The accompanying workbook contains an abundance of easy-to-grade short exercises that drill language, grammar, and culture. Bound to attract many enthusiastic followers in the near future."
      —Tom Conner, St. Norbert College, in The NECTFL Review

Films:

(The films are not included with the purchase of the book, for more information on where to purchase the films click here).

• Chapter 1: Die drei Räuber (The Three Robbers)
• Chapter 2: Jenseits der Stille (Beyond Silence)
• Chapter 3: Das Wunder von Bern (The Miracle of Bern)
• Chapter 4: Die Welle (The Wave)
• Chapter 5: Lola rennt (Run, Lola, Run)
• Chapter 6: Almanya - Willkommen in Deutschland (Almanya - Welcome to Germany)
• Chapter 7: Im Juli (In July)
• Chapter 8: Sophie Scholl – Die letzten Tage (Sophie Scholl - The Final Days)
• Chapter 9: Good Bye, Lenin!
• Chapter 10: Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei (The Edukators)

About the Authors:

Reinhard Zachau is Professor of German at the University of the South, Sewanee. He is also the co-author of German Culture through Film and Berliner Spaziergange: Architektur, Literatur und Film, both available from Focus.

Jeanne Schueller is a Faculty Associate at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She is also the author of Cinema for German Conversation, available from Focus.

Carrie Collenberg-Gonzalez is Assistant Professor of German at Longwood University.