SFE11318 English: Culture Studies 2 (Spring 2020)

Facts about the course

ECTS Credits:
10
Responsible faculty:
Avdeling for økonomi, språk og samfunnsfag
Campus:
Halden  
Course Leader:
Øystein Berdines Samson Tjentland
Teaching language:
English
Duration:
½ year

Table of contents

The course is affiliated to the following study programme

Mandatory course in the one-year English programme.

May be taken in the optional 60 ECTS part of the Bachelor's Programme in Society, Language and Culture (this applies for students who started 2018 or earlier).

Recommended previous knowledge

The course builds on SFE11018 Culture Studies I (10 ECTS credits).

Teaching semester

One-year programme in English: 2nd semester (spring).

Bachelor's Programme in Society, Language and Culture: 4th or 6th semester (spring).

Content

The course is a wide-ranging review of the development of American literature from the founding of the USA until the present, with a main focus on the 1900s. The compulsory part of the syllabus includes novels, plays, works of fiction and poetry. The texts are studied from the perspective of the age and society they emerged from.

The student's learning outcomes on passing the course

Knowledge

The student has:

  • knowledge and understanding of American literature, culture and society
  • knowledge of literary periods, genres and themes in American literature

Skills

The student:

  • has analytical and critical skills in his or her encounters with fiction and factual prose
  • is capable of studying literary works in the context of their history
  • has improved his or her skills in written argumentation and oral presentation in English
  • is capable of using the MLA style of referencing

General competence

The student:

  • is capable of independent and critical thinking in the analysis of American literature and social phenomena
  • masters research techniques in searching, evaluating and using secondary literature on the internet and in the university college's library

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching varies between lectures, seminars, talks and activities in small groups. The students are expected to read the course material every week and take active part in discussions and group assignments. Students are encouraged to study in groups where they can go through the literature and work together on assignments outside the scheduled teaching sessions.

Workload

Approx. 280 hours.

Coursework requirements - conditions for taking the exam

  • One compulsory written assignment.

Required coursework must be approved before the student can take the exam.

Exam

An individual written exam (5 hours)

Permitted aids: English dictionary.

Grade scale A-F.

Examiners

One external and one internal examiner or two internal examiners.

Course evaluation

Feedback from our students is vital in order for us to be able to offer the best possible courses and study programmes. The course is evaluated every semester.

The results are considered by/in teacher groups, the head of studies and the local programme committee.

Reading list

The reading list is last updated 9th of May 2018. The reading list may be subject to change until the start of the semester.

Modern America: Developments in Contemporary American Society. Jan Erik Mustad, andSean Taylor, editors. Gyldendal, 2017. ISBN: 978-82-05-49600-2 (paperback)

MLA Handbook, 8th Edition. The Modern Language Association of America (MLA), 2016.ISBN: 9781603292627 (paperback)

The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Shorter Ninth Edition, volumes 1 and 2.Robert S. Levine, editor, W.W. Norton & Company, 2017. Volume 1, Beginnnings to1865, ISBN 978-0-393-26452-7 (paperback, separate); Volume 2, 1865 to the Present,ISBN 978-0-393-26452-7 (paperback, separate).

*All material handed out in lectures or uploaded to Canvas is part of the curriculum. All students must have access to an English-English dictionary, for instance, Collins Cobuild Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, or another dictionary for non-native speakers of English (Learner¿s dictionaries).

Last updated from FS (Felles studentsystem) Oct. 15, 2026 2:57:36 AM