Welcome to English 61-90, 30 Credits (Campus)

Information från kursansvarig

The first ten weeks of the semester you will study “Sociolinguistics and Second Language Acquisition” and “Literature and Literary Theory”. You will write the BA thesis in the second half of the semester. You should register for the course well before the start of the course. Once you register, you will be automatically enrolled in Canvas.

The linguistics module presents central concepts in two central areas of applied linguistics: second language acquisition and sociolinguistics. You will learn about and discuss the implications of the central concepts in these fields, exploring how they apply to your own observations. Furthermore, you will explore research involving these concepts and see how linguists study language phenomena in these two fields. In the second language acquisition part, you will learn about different theories of second language acquisition and about factors that can affect learning a foreign language. In the sociolinguistics part of the module, you will learn about how social factors like gender and class can affect language and about how language can be used to define and express identity. For information about the required literature please see the course syllabus.
The module will be taught through 10 seminars which students are expected to attend and participate actively in. At seminars we discuss the reading and lecture material you have prepared beforehand, and you will be orally examined on the previous week's assignment from the second semester on. There are also a number of assessed written assignments which come to a total of 15-18 pages (4700-5700 words).

The Literature module serves as an introduction to some of the most influential developments in literary studies. We will read four novels and a play from a cultural and theoretical perspective based on selected chapters from the literature listed in the syllabus.

There will be five written assignments for the Literature course (1000-1200 words each). The purpose of these written tasks is to cultivate skills in critical reflection and academic writing in literary studies for you to prepare in the best possible way for writing the BA thesis. The module features oral assessments, too.

Students attending courses in English at the University of Gävle are required to attend class in order to receive a passing grade. Studying English at our college does not only involve obtaining subject knowledge but also improving one’s ability to speak and write in English. Furthermore, the modules feature face-to-face student-teacher and student-student interaction, and these live sessions are examination seminars according to the course syllabus. To pass the course, students must attend and actively participate in at least eight meetings in each of the two modules.

In the linguistics module, classes will be held every Tuesday, from 13 to 15. The literature classes will be held every Thursday, from 14 to 16. There are no written examinations that require you to book a seat at an exam venue.

In Canvas, you will find specific information, such as detailed module descriptions, class schedules, teaching materials, course requirements and assignments. You will find all this information gathered in one document we may refer to as the “module syllabus.” A great part of your work will be carried out via Canvas, too. Once the module has started, you should check the course site on Canvas on a daily basis. Important information will be posted by your instructors on the course site. If you have questions about the course in general, contact the course coordinator. If you have questions about a module, you should contact the instructor of that module. To communicate with us, please use a proper e-mail account rather than the Canvas messenger.

Since there are fewer than seven applicants on the campus course, you will study together with the distance students, and the meetings for this course will be online. Access to the digital classrooms will be provided through links posted on the course site on Canvas. Please note that you need to have a headset, a microphone and a webcam to be able to fully participate in our Zoom sessions. At any rate, use a computer instead of an iPad, tablet, or cellphone, which does not work well for this activity.

While studying the first two modules, you should think about the kind of research paper you want to write in the last 15-credit module. A 30-minute information meeting about the BA thesis (C-essay) will be scheduled a few weeks before the end of the linguistics and literature modules. Soon afterwards and no later than the last week of study in the first two modules, your course coordinator (Iulian Cananau) should know if you are going to write your paper in literature or in language studies. You will then be assigned an essay advisor who will work with you for the remainder of the fall semester.

Cheating and plagiarizing, including presenting or submitting AI-generated text as one’s own, are serious academic offences, which result in failing the course and being reported to the college’s disciplinary commission. In Canvas, you are required to take a knowledge test about cheating before you can access certain course materials.