General provisions

The course is offered as contract education for international researchers, lecturers and doctoral students at Uppsala University.

Entry requirements

General entry requirements (except the Swedish language requirement). The course Swedish for Academics 3 (or the equivalent skill in Swedish) is also required.

Learning outcomes

Upon completing the course, students with foreign education backgrounds and native languages other than the Scandinavian languages and Finnish, will have to have acquired basic skills in the Swedish language and some knowledge about Swedish culture and society.

Part 1: Reading Comprehension and Written Proficiency (4.5 credits)

On completion of the course, students will

• demonstrate knowledge of and fairly safely and correctly be able to apply basic grammatical structures in Swedish
• be able to acquire understanding of Swedish fiction and be able to follow the fundamental features of complex texts that treat current phenomena and that express attitudes and opinions
• be able to write clear and detailed text within their fields of interest, and write a thesis or report that communicates information or gives causes for or against a certain position

Part 2: Listening Comprehension and Oral Proficiency (3.0 credits)

On completion of the course, students will

• be able to comment clearly and in detail pertaining a large number of different subjects, and discuss advantages and disadvantages of different solutions
• be able to take active part in discussions about well-known subjects and explain and defend their opinions
• be able to show understanding of the greater part of news and current programmes on radio and TV, and be able to acquire understanding of longer productions, e g lectures, where the subject is fairly known

Content

Systematic reading and practising of basic grammatical structures and principles of pronunciation. Intensive and extensive reading of textbooks as well as fairly easy authentic texts. Exercises in pronunciation. Exercises in listening comprehension. Oral and written communication and production. Swedish society and culture.

Part 1: Reading Comprehension and Writing Proficiency, 4.5 credits

Part 2: Listening Comprehension and Oral Proficiency, 3 credits

Instruction

The instruction consists of seminars and group exercises.

Assessment

Assessment will be carried out continuously throughout the course. In addition, Part 1 will be examined through a written exam, and Part 2 will be examined through a listening comprehension exam, both at the end of the course. A two-grade scale (Pass, Fail) will be used. Students must have completed required course assignments and final exams to pass the course. There will be a re-test arranged (within a reasonable time after the original exam) for students who fail the final exams.