Irene Motyl

I think that the course is important in the sequence, and Prof. Motyl is good at building writing and grammatical skills, but the actual content of the course was disappointing. It entirely focuses on Vienna and Austria, which wasn't something I'm interested in, and felt disorganized. I felt like I was doing busy work and that the group projects were unnecessary. I think there needs to be focus of the course picked and a better structure. We commonly ran out of time to go over all of the material we had been assigned to prepare for the day, which was disappointing as a student because it felt like I wasted my time on homework I didn't need to do. I found her to be a bit patronizing, and I felt uncomfortable speaking in class in case I messed up a sentence structure or didn't understand a question. I would suggest more patience and understanding that some students don't understand things perfectly every time, rather than getting frustrated when we don't do readings when she doesn't even remember the homework we were assigned.

Motyl is very honestly the best. She's an incredible language instructor, and really helps each student hone in on their skills and weaknesses in a language. She's always trying to make the class interesting for us and comes in every day totally ready to teach. Professional, caring, and smart. Communicate with her if you have any issues: she's very understanding and wants to work with you. She's also super liberal, so leaning about politics with her is fun.

Professor Motyl is an absolutely wonderful professor! Manages to create a balanced learning experience- well divided between traditional rote exercises, german film screenings, class discussions and group and individual presentations. Incredibly approachable when you have a problem and also full of interesting information about German and Austrian culture that she will gladly offer when you have questions. I left the class feeling not just that I had a greater grasp of german grammar and a larger vocabulary, but also a greater confidence and ability to express myself in german on a variety of topics like history, philosophy and art. Definitely take her Intermediate 1 Class if you can!

This was my first German class taken at Columbia. Irene is a very sweet lady - very understanding, but, in a very stereotypically German way (even though she's Austrian), won't accept things late, and MEANS it when she says she'll lower your grade if you have more than 3 absences. Other than the responsibility of going to class, the class was very light. The homeworks were helpful (just enough to make you learn - not so much that it was excessive). Essay subjects were always presented with enough options to please everyone. Since Irene's teacher training I believe is for a younger audience, she does tend to speak a little slowly, but, the way I see it, you don't want a very fast speaker at this level anyway. Overall, quite enjoyable. Nice way to get through German 1201.

i enjoyed the class very much, she likes feedback and will tailor the class to what the interest is. she reminds you that she is ther for your learning purposes, and will be there. i would seek her out. the class tends to be small and a lot of responsibility is in the hands of the students in terms of the direction of the course,

Simona is one of the nicest teachers and super understanding that we are students juggling the work of 5 other classes. She pushed us in our German but not to the point where we felt helpless. 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Fall 2023 Course: GERMUN2101_002_2023_3-INTERMEDIATEGERMANI : GERMUN2101_002_2023_3 - INTERMEDIATE GERMAN I Instructor: Simona Vaidean

Professor Motyl is a fantastic professor. She's very nice and is always willing to answer questions. She is able to explain difficult concepts clearly and is willing to repeat them several times so that everyone understands. The course is based on Austrian culture, which is a nice change of pace from the primarily Germany-centric courses the rest of the department offers. We discussed Austrian music, economics, history, culture, art, sports, major cities, etc. At the end of the semester we read one book, Arthur Schnitzler's ,,Fräulein Else." The course itself was not too difficult, though there was a lot of work assigned, more than I feel was necessary. We usually had so much homework assigned that we couldn't go over all of it in class. There was one assignment we didn't get to until two months after it was assigned. That's definitely not to say that homework for this class takes up a lot of time; it's just that if you were to go over each individual question in lecture (which we did) then you wouldn't be able to get through it all. Sometimes I felt the assignments were superfluous or just busy work, but most of the time they were valuable. That's really the only bad thing I can say about the course. I'm sure if we had asked Professor Motyl to assign less work she would have; it's just nobody felt it was that big of a problem.

Accelerated Int. German: no tests! 4 essays, vocabulary lists, hw that you can kinda fudge but is good for your German, big group project at the end. Current Issues: still no tests! same with essays and group project

Professor Motyl is by far the star of the Columbia/Barnard German departments! I have had her for Intermediate I, Advanced, and Grammar Review, and she has never failed to make class enjoyable and educational, simultaneously. If you are considering taking German, I would highly recommend her. If you're not sure whether you even want to take German, I would recommend her again because she won't let you down. As some of the other students said, she is patient, she will stop and answer questions, and she creates a comfortable atmosphere in each of her classes so everyone can feel included. Obviously, you need to do your homework and the readings, but it's relatively light considering you don't have to write a 20-page paper at the end of the course. Viel Spaß!

Irene is a very personable professor and, if anything, not a harsh grader. She is also very enthusiastic. That said, however, you will feel at times that you are learning somewhat less than you want to. Also, some topics, especially at the very beginning and at the very end of the course (kids' tales and early 20th cent. musicians) tend to be on the boring side. And, at times you wonder if you are back in high (or grade?) school, since you write-in your name on attendance sheet every class.