SFB13009 Meetings among Cultures I (Autumn 2019)

The course is connected to the following study programs

Elective course in:

• Bachelor programme in international communication
• Bachelor programme in society, language and culture

The course is open for students from other programmes depending on capacity. In addition, it may after prior approval, or after application for substituting another course, be part as an elective course in other study programmes, or be taken in addition to other programmes.

Students who have completed Meetings among cultures I (10 ECTS) may also take Meetings among cultures II (15 ECTS), and vice versa, providing the research question is different in the two project papers.

Absolute requirements

For students who choose another target language than English the prerequisite is knowledge of French/Spanish/German equivalent to Level 1 Foreign Languages in the Norwegian upper secondary school.Active knowledge of French, Spanish or German is not required but sufficient passive language knowledge is necessary. The students must be able to understand and make use of regular French, Spanish or German factual prose and have sufficient understanding of the target language to be able to grasp the main content of everyday speech.

Lecture Semester

The course is offered as supervised project work.

• Students on the bachelor programme in International Communication: 5th semester (autumn).
• Stuents on the bachelor programme in Society, Language and Culture: 4th or 6th semester (spring).
• Other study programmes: Students may complete the course with the progression and at a time that suits the individual student. Thus, the course is unattached to either the autumn or spring semester.

The student's learning outcomes after completing the course

Knowledge

The candidate

• has sound knowledge in the field of culture and society
• has knowledge of academic writing.

Skills

The candidate

• has skills in working independently with an academic assignment.

General competence

The candidate

• has specialised knowledge through in-depth work with a self-chosen topic related to culture and society (in the English-/French-/Spanish- or German-speaking countries).
• has become aware of intercultural and/or comparative aspects.

Content

The course is based on supervised individual work. The students choose their topic based on their own interest and in agreement with a tutor. The topic can be related to taught courses (e.g. in the 60 and 90 ECTS modules in one-year programmes and extension programmes, or courses that are being taught in the same semester or have been taught in earlier semesters in the bachelor programme in International Communication), or it can be related to other areas or issues in the target countries.

Forms of teaching and learning

Supervised project work (up to five hours of supervision), given in Norwegian or in the target language. Students are welcome to take the course on campus, or on-line - depending on student preferences.

Workload

Approx. 280 hours.

Practical training/internship

None

Examination

Individual written project work

The report is to be approx. 15 pages long (illustrations not included).

• Students on the bachelor programme in International Communication have to write in English.
• Other students may write either in the target language (English, French, Spanish or German) or in Norwegian.

The paper should include correct references. Advice is offered through the entire work process.

The assessment is based on the ability to work in-depth with a topic as well as on independence and sound presentation of the work. The grading scale A-F is used.

Examiners

One external and one internal examiner or two internal examiners.

Course evaluation

The course is evaluated according to the rules for quality work at Østfold University College.

Literature

The students compile a reference list in connection with the chosen topic. The reference list is to be submitted along with the project.

Lecturer 2019-2020: Monica Stensrud (monica.stensrud@hiof.no).