Välkommen till kursen Engelska (61-90) 30 hp (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. Due to the small number of applicants, this course will be studied online, together with student teachers. You should register for the course well before the start of the course. Once you register, you will be automatically enrolled in Canvas, our learning platform.

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.

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.

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 in order for you to prepare in the best possible way for writing your C-essay. 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, and this can only take place if students meet their teachers and actively participate in the instruction. 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 Thursday, from 13 to 15. In the literature module, classes will be held every Monday, from 14 to 16.


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.

All the meetings for this course are online; most of our classes will take place in "online classrooms" via the web conferencing system Zoom. 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. See also these rules and guidelines for student participation in online classes: https://www.hig.se/download/18.21fe87d518ee72dec5d2d9ab/1713701568605/HIG_Digital_undervisning_SVE.pdf Länk till annan webbplats..


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. By the end of the literature module, 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 during the spring term. Please contact the course coordinator with questions about the course itself. For questions about a certain module, please contact your instructor(s).

Cheating and plagiarizing are serious academic offences, which result in failing the module in question and being reported to the college’s disciplinary commission. To learn about plagiarism and get basic information on how to avoid it, please read this page: https://www.hig.se/student/stod-och-resurser/plagiering More information will be provided in Canvas and you will have to pass a quiz on plagiarism before you can access certain course materials.