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 1 (or the equivalent skill in Swedish) is also required. Students registered in any of the courses Swedish for Academics 1, 2, or 3 are given the opportunity to take a diagnostic test at most every third term.

Learning outcomes

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

Part 1. Reading Comprehension and Writing Proficiency (4.5 credits)

After completing the course, students will:

• be able to demonstrate knowledge of and apply to some extent the rules of Swedish language structure
• have a vocabulary of everyday words and phrases
• be able to read and comprehend textbooks, short news items and articles of various types as well as easy fiction
• be able to explain in a simple manner their own opinions and experiences in writing

Part 2. Listening Comprehension and Oral Proficiency (3 credits)

After completing the course, students will:

• be able to recount their own experiences and events
• be able to hold short presentations about known factual topics
• be able to followand participate in simple conversations and discussions about familiar topics and events
• be able to gain a general understanding of what is said in some TV programs, that do not make excessive demands of the student regarding context and previous knowledge

Content

This course provides a systematic orientation in and practice of fundamental structures in the Swedish language on a basic level through reading simple texts and fiction, writing exercises, and exercises in pronunciation, listening comprehension, and oral communication. This course contains a variety of tasks and exercises, individually and in groups.

Instruction

The instruction consists of seminars and group exercises.

Assessment

The course objectives are assessed both orally and in writing through four final exams

A two-grade scale (Pass, Fail) is used for this course.

For students who fail to pass the regular exam, a re-exam is organized within a reasonable time after the first one. After contacting the head of the department, a student who has failed a particular exam twice has the opportunity to change the examiner or the form of examination.

If there are special reasons, the examiner may make exceptions to the specified examination method and allow a student to take a different test. Special reasons can, e.g., be notified of special educational support from the university's coordinator.