Zur Vermittlung landeskundlicher Inhalte in unterschiedlichen Facetten des Deutschstudiums am Beispiel Finnlands

The paper addresses the teaching of ‘Landeskunde’ within German philology and in German courses at language centers at the university level, taking Finland as an example. The focus lies on (i) topics in Landeskunde courses, (ii) abilities, skills and knowledge acquired in Landeskunde courses, and (iii) Landeskunde topics in courses not specifically focused on Landeskunde matters. For this study, a questionnaire was distributed and interviews were conducted with teachers of German in philology departments and German at language centers. The paper discusses to what extent it is possible to speak of canonical Landeskunde topics. Regarding abilities, skills and knowledge acquired in Landeskunde courses, the results show that – beyond a common core – the abilities, skills and knowledge considered important in German philology differ noticeably from those valued in German teaching at language centers. The majority of the respondents in German philology and at language centers are of the opinion that Landeskunde topics are also covered in courses with no specific focus on Landeskunde matters. For these courses, however, partially different Landeskunde topics are considered relevant than for dedicated Landeskunde courses. Furthermore, many more Landeskunde topics are regarded as essential for courses at language centers, rather than for courses in German philology. The results suggest that different Landeskunde approaches are used in Landeskunde courses, and they highlight challenges such as scarce time resources and the students’ language skills.