On the course Dutch 1 students will work through chapters 1 through 6 of the Dutch language course book “Contact : Nederlands voor anderstaligen”. Topics during the fall semester include: introducing yourself and others, counting and numbers, telling the time, the days of the week and the months and seasons of the year, making telephone calls, making an appointment, food and drink, studying and working.

Great emphasis is put on building up practical communication skills, by means of listening and speaking activities. Each chapter in the book is divided into three thematic sections, each of which introduce the learner to new linguistic skills, which recur for further exploration as the learner progresses.

Each unit also introduces various cultural aspects of Dutch society and typical Dutch festivals. All students are expected to give an oral presentation on a cultural topic of their choice.