Course Plan: BS-ENG2100 Great Britain and the Commonwealth Culture, Literature and History

Course plan: BS-ENG2100 Great Britain and the Commonwealth – Culture, Literature and History

Course summary

The course will give the student the opportunity to improve their English language skills and develop their knowledge of literature, culture and history from Great Britain and the Commonwealth. Learning outcome

The course will allow the student to achieve the following learning outcomes:

KNOWLEDGE

The student

 Has knowledge of historic and cultural features of the English-speaking world

 Has knowledge of central works of English-language literary tradition

 Has knowledge of textual structures and linguistic devices and of critical and analytical approaches to literature and other texts

 Has knowledge of different genres and their key features, as well as norms for academic writing and proper use of sources

SKILLS

The student

 Has a correct, varied and functional command of both spoken and written English

 Can account for central works of English-language literary tradition

 Can apply relevant terms and terminology when discussing literary works

 Can account for key historic and cultural features of the English-speaking world

 Can reflect on their own skills and academic development

 Can critically collect and apply relevant material

 Can update their own knowledge of literature and other cultural expressions from the English- speaking world COMPETENCE

The student

 Is able to maintain and develop their own linguistic and academic competence

 Is able to convey and problematize central components of the curriculum

 Has insight into relevant issues pertaining to the study of literature and other cultural expressions

Learning Activities

 Teaching will consist of both lectures and seminar groups where the students are expected to actively participate in discussions and in the development of their own and others’ linguistic and academic skills and insights

 Obligatory assignments, oral and written

 Self-study is an important part of the students’ work, and the course plan will therefore require the students to study a large part of the curriculum independently. The students are expected to form study groups

 Language of instruction is English

Participation/Compulsory work

In order to be eligible for the exam the student must

 Be present and actively participate in class

 Have completed the written assignments on the given subjects by the given deadlines, and have compiled a portfolio of texts of different genres. Scope and deadlines will be specified in the semester plan

 Have had their portfolio approved by the teacher by the given deadline

Examination

Formative Assessment

The students’ work is to be documented continuously in a (digital) portfolio. The portfolios will contain a number of written and/or oral assignments and tests, some of which will be carried out in the classroom. Sharing of knowledge, communication and reflection will be central to the assessment. Further guidelines for the portfolio will be specified at the start of the semester. The students will receive feedback on all written and oral assignments, provided they are completed by the given deadlines. The students should also guide and evaluate one another.

Approved portfolio with assignments completed by given deadlines is a prerequisite for taking the exam. In order to be eligible for the exam the student must also meet the requirements for class participation.

If the work portfolio is not approved, the student has only one extra attempt for approval the same semester.

The terms “approved/in progress/not approved” will be used for feedback on the portfolio. “In progress” means that the student has one week to improve their portfolio and receive new feedback.

Examination

Oral examination.

Grading scale

The exam will be assessed on a scale from A (highest) to F (fail).

Examination support material

No aids are permitted.

Literature

Britain & the Commonwealth • Culture, Literature and History (BS-ENG2100)

The Remains of the Day Kazuo Ishiguro (Faber & Faber)

About a Boy Nick Hornby (Penguin)

The Lord of the Flies William Golding (Faber & Faber)

Animal Farm George Orwell (Penguin)

Skellig David Almond (Yearling Books)

Educating Rita Willy Russell (Methuen Drama)

The Merchant of Venice William Shakespeare (Heinemann Shakespeare)

Great Expectations Charles Dickens (Penguin)

Britain For Learners Of English James O•Driscoll (Oxford)

Additional texts will be published on Fronter or given as handouts.

The fictional works are listed in the order in which they will be studied. There are different publications of the novels/plays, but please make sure that you get hold of the ones that are given above. This is especially important for the Dickens and Shakespeare works • there are cheaper editions, but these are much less suitable for study purposes.

Brage Studentbokhandel is the students’ bookshop at HSN. You can buy/order books at Brage - brage- [email protected] Part of study

 General Teacher Education, ALL - 2016 AUTUMN

 Bachelor i physical activity, nutrition and health, BIEH - 2016 AUTUMN

 Bachelor in language, BSPK - 2016 AUTUMN

 Individual courses at the Faculty of Education and Humanities, EMNER-HUT - 2016 AUTUMN

 English one year unit, ENG60 - 2016 AUTUMN