Subject description for 2024/25
British Studies
SP171L
Subject description for 2024/25

British Studies

SP171L
British Studies is designed to make the student conversant with the canonical literary tradition of Great Britain, as well as provide the student with the variegated social, cultural, and historical contexts for each work. In addition, the student will be introduced to a wide selection of British young-adult fiction placed in a critical and didactic context. A week-long study trip to the Norwegian Study Centre (NSC) at the University of York is an assessment task in this course. Students who do not wish to participate on the study trip will satisfy the assessment task through an alternative home assignment.
Higher Education Entrance Qualification, acceptance into the English for Bachelor of English or other bachelor programmes at Nord University, and/or international / exchange student status at Nord University.
Higher Education Entrance Qualification and/or international / exchange student status at Nord University.

Upon completion of the course, the student will have achieved the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge:

  • have knowledge of the social life, history, and a wide variety of cultural expressions in English-speaking countries, especially central works in the English-language literary tradition
  • have knowledge of textual structure and linguistic devices and of critical and analytical approaches to both literary and non-literary texts
  • have knowledge of textual genres and their characteristics, as well as norms for the production of academic texts and the responsible use of sources;
  • have knowledge of how oral and written language can be integrated into inspiring and meaningful activities 

Skills:

  • use English confidently and functionally, orally and in writing, in various situations and genres with precision, fluency, and coherence
  • adapt and facilitate students' work with English-language texts and their exploration of life and cultural expression in English-speaking countries seen in relation to their own culture
  • adapt and facilitate work on English-language texts for children and young adults in a varied, challenging, and inspiring manner
  • adapt, select, and facilitate the work on English-language texts for children and young adults, as well as employing relevant and precise terminology while working with texts
  • adapt for students' learning about and for further research on society, history, and cultural expressions in English speaking countries

General competence:

  • maintain and develop their own linguistic competence
  • work independently and together with others to solve identified problems in relation to the student's learning and development in the subject of English
  • work independently with various topical problems
Course literature and semester fee. Costs related to the study trip to York, England will be approximately NOK 2500, not including personal expenses such as meals and transportation. 
Compulsory for students in Bachelor of English and English One Year Programme. The course is also offered as an elective outside of these programmes. 
The teaching will be part lectures, part seminars and there will also be time for tutoring outside of class.
There will be an internal evaluation of the course in the middle of the semester and at the end of term. In addition we ask that the students take part in the centrally administered evaluation at the end of term.

 Attendance (OD)  (minimum 85%): Approved / Not Approved

York Trip / Alternative Assignment (OD) : Approved / Not Approved

Assessment task (AK): 3 Online Seminars: Complete three online discussions by writing at least one academic contribution in response to a given theme, and to comment on other student's contributions. Comprises 0/100 of the grade, grading scale: Approved / Not Approved

Compulsory participation and assessment tasks must be approved to receive the final grade. 

Take-Home examination (HJ) Duration 1 week. Essay: Grading scale A - F, duration one week (counts 33% of total grade)

Written school examination (SK) Grading scale  A - F, duration 6 hours (counts 67% of total grade)

All aids allowed.

Generating an answer using ChatGPT or similar artificial intelligence and submitting it wholly or partially as one's own answer is considered cheating