General provisions

The syllabus was adopted by the Board of the Faculty of Languages on 2006-12-07.

Entry requirements

Completed basic course English A and intermediate course English B.

Learning outcomes

Upon completing the course students will have the competence to carry out an independent examination and account of a delimited topic in American or, alternatively, British social studies and history, literature in English, or English linguistics. Students will also have acquired an even deeper knowledge in one of the areas of American or, alternatively, British social studies and history, literature in English, or English linguistics.

The goals for each course component are given below.

Component 1. Degree Project (15 credits)

Upon completing the component students will

- be able to apply an analytical work method

- have a basic familiarity with formal aspects of academic writing

- independently be able to formulate and delimit a research question and select suitable primary sources

- be able to search for academic literature

- be able to critically evaluate both primary material and secondary sources

- have insights into a selected subject area and critical issues in this area

- have a knowledge of certain literary or, alternatively, linguistic theories or social scientific methods of analysis

- be able to treat a delimited question in a paper, in good English, observing academic methods and conventional principles of form

- be able to actively and independently participate in seminar discussions and present their own work

- be able to independently perform a critical analysis of a degree project

- be able to independently defend their own degree project

- be able to present their research findings in a clear and structured manner.

Component 2. Advanced component in American and/or British social studies and history (7.5 credits)

Upon completing the component students will

- have a good knowledge of the selected area in modern American and/or British society

- have a good knowledge of the historical background to the selected area

- have an enhanced ability to analyse various social conditions in the selected area

- have the ability to give oral and written accounts of important aspects of the selected area in a more advanced manner.

Component 3. Advanced component in American literature and culture (7.5 credits)

Upon completing the component students will

- have good insights into the genre of autobiography and its variants

- have an awareness of the importance of the gender perspective and ethnicity in texts belonging to the genre

- have some familiarity with the critical conversation about the genre of autobiography

- be able to apply an academic approach to primary and secondary literature

- be able to present a literary analysis orally and in writing with greater independence and with greater linguistic correctness

- be able to actively and independently participate in seminar discussions.

Component 4. Advanced component in English literature and culture (7.5 credits)

Upon completing the component students will

- have deeper insights into the 19th-century novel and selected modernist literary works

- have a deeper knowledge of literary genres

- have greater insights into various perspectives in literary theory

- have a knowledge of critical perspectives such as gender theory and post-colonialism

- be able to apply an academic approach to primary and secondary literature

- be able to present a literary analysis orally and in writing with greater independence and with greater linguistic correctness

- be able to actively and independently participate in seminar discussions.

Component 5. Advanced component in linguistic structure: theory and practice (7.5 credits)

Upon completing the course students will

- have a good conception of the language structure of Modern English

- be able to give an account of a syntax topic orally and in writing with greater independence and greater linguistic correctness

- have a deeper knowledge of how various linguistic phenomena have developed and changed in Modern English

- be able to distinguish and discuss differences in English language structure between speech and writing

- be able to distinguish differences between British and American language structure

- be able to distinguish and discuss stylistic differences (formal and informal English)

- have a knowledge of new theories in syntactical analysis

- be able to apply an academic approach to primary and secondary literature

- be able to actively and independently participate in seminar discussions.

Component 6. Advanced component in English linguistics (7.5 credits)

Upon completing the component students will

- have a good conception of the development of the English language

- have a deeper knowledge of the different periods in the English language

- be able to give an account of a topic in language history in writing with greater linguistic correctness

- be able to understand and interpret the relationship between historical and modern linguistic phenomena

- be able to apply an academic approach to primary and secondary literature

- be able to give an oral account of a topic in language variation in modern linguistics

- be able to actively and independently participate in seminar discussions by presenting a limited research topic in both language history and modern English linguistics.

Content

The course comprises a set component, a degree project worth 15 higher education credits. Along with this, students select two of several elective advanced components, each worth 7.5 credits. In Component 1, Degree project, there are four main specialisations: American literature, English literature, English linguistics, and American and/or British social studies. In the elective advanced components the specific orientation may vary from one semester to another, but the broad subject areas are the same as in Component 1.

Component 1. Degree Project, 15 credits

The component provides a general background to a given subject area in one of the main specialisations and treats relevant issues involved in academic writing and methods, individually or in groups.

Choice within the subject area that can vary from semester to semester takes place in The choice of topic within the subject area, which may vary from one semester to another, is decided in consultation between the student and the teacher/supervisor.

Examples of subject areas with specialisation in American or English literature: issues in literary criticism, literary history, sociology of literature, and teaching of literature;

with specialisation in linguistics: selected issues in phonology, grammar, variation analysis, language history, sociology of language, text linguistics, vocabulary, name research, translation, language teaching, language methodology;

with specialisation in social studies: selected issues in American and/or British society.

In exceptional cases, following consultation with the teacher/supervisor, topics outside the given areas may be accepted. Once the topic has been determined, individual supervision of the degree project starts. The degree project will normally be presented at a seminar where one or more students are assigned to present their views on the project.

Elective components: Component 2. Advanced component in American and/or British social studies and history, 7.5 credits

The component discusses and analyses selected areas in modern American and/or British society with attention paid to the historical background and the cultural context. The specific orientation varies from one semester to another.

Elective components: Component 3. Advanced component in American literature and culture, 7.5 credits

The component analyses selected American literary works from the middle of the 17th century to the present. The texts are chosen from a broad spectrum of fiction and poetry, more traditional autobiographies, and hybrid forms. The emphasis lies on issues of "truth," gender, race, ethnicity, and morality. Basic concepts and methods of literary criticism are applied.

Elective components: Component 4. Advanced component in English literature and culture, 7.5 credits

The component analyses selected English literary works with the emphasis on the 19th-century novel and various modernist genres. The influence and reflection of social developments in literature are addressed, as are the perspectives of cultural and literary history. Basic concepts and methods of literary criticism are applied.

Elective components: Component 5. Advanced component in language structure: theory and practice, 7.5 credits

The component deals with syntactic and stylistic analysis. Particularly the ability to explain and discuss grammatical phenomena is trained Certain syntactic structures that were treated previously (at the B level) are covered, but the component primarily introduces new ways to appropriate syntactic constructions. Discussion of new methods in syntax analysis is an important part of the component, as are aspects of learning various problematic aspects of language structure.

Written production is included in the form of translation exercises and other types of language structure exercises. The component also includes brief and more extensive talks about various problems of language structure.

Elective components: Component 6. Advanced component in English linguistics, 7.5 credits

The component deals with variation in a historical and present-day perspective and adds depth to the introductory component at the B level. The C-level component contains the same elements, language history and linguistics, as the B-level component. The historical part is based on texts in Old English, Middle English, and Early Modern English. These stages of English are studied against a background of the culture and society of the period. The Modern English part treats regional variation, variation between written and spoken language, and sociolinguistic and syntactic variation. Attempts are made to elucidate the connection between early and modern developmental stages in English.

Instruction

Component 1. Degree Project

Group instruction and individual supervision. Supervision in Component 1 is given during the semester the student is registered for the first time and to some extent during the immediately following semester. No further supervision may be expected thereafter.

Elective components, components 2–6

Group instruction.

Active participation in course seminars is obligatory. In cases of absence students will be given the opportunity to complete an extra assignment within the framework of the course period.

Assessment

Component 1. Degree Project

The examination consists of the production and defence of a degree project representing an examination of a delimited topic in American or British literature, English linguistics, or American and/or British social studies and history, which is presented in English in a paper that applies conventional formal principles. The scope is about 20 A4 pages. Beyond this each student must perform a critical review of another student's degree project.

In assessing degree projects, attention will be paid primarily to the student's ability to independently address a problem area and systematically report the preconditions, outline, execution, and findings of the work and, secondarily, to the form of the work in terms of its fulfilment of formal criteria and linguistic correctness. Projects receiving the grade of Pass with distinction must satisfy both academic and linguistic criteria of excellence.

Grades used are either Fail, Pass, or Pass with Distinction.

Components 2-6

Examination in the various components is done in the form of oral presentations, written assignments, and written final examinations. Grades used are either Fail, Pass, or Pass with Distinction. Grades used are either Fail, Pass, or Pass with Distinction.

Students who do not achieve a passing grade on the regular examination will have another opportunity to take the examination within a reasonable period of time after the regular examination.

Students who fail a certain examination twice have the right upon request, following consultation with the head of department, to have another examiner appointed.

To receive a grade of Pass with Distinction for the whole course, students must have achieved the grade of Pass with Distinction in components worth a total of at least 20 higher education credits.

Course level in relation to degree requirements

The course represents the third semester of study in the subject of English and provides the subject depth required for a Bachelor degree.

Other directives

The course cannot be counted toward a degree together with the courses English C2, C2L, C3, C4, C4L, HS3, HS4, HS5, or Degree project English C/D.

Students who have failed to pass examinations based on continuous assessment may take the component again if a place is available. In exceptional cases a special examination may be arranged.

Results that are more than five years old are normally not recognised if the syllabus for the course component has been changed.

If the syllabus or course reading for a component has been changed, students have a right to be examined under the original syllabus and course reading on two occasions during the following semester. Normally this right then expires. Otherwise there are no limitations on the number of examination opportunities.

Supervision in Component 1 is given during the semester the student is registered for the first time and to some extent during the immediately following semester. No further supervision may be expected thereafter.

Transitional provisions

For transitional regulations in the case of changes in the syllabus, please contact the student adviser.