Single subject courses - English
Our courses concern the scientific study of literature, linguistics and culture in English. We therefore take it for granted that our students have a very good command of English, both in speech and in writing. Please not that we do not provide language proficiency courses for exchange students.
Contact person
Magnus Levin
E-mail: magnus.levin@vxu.se
Telephone: +46 470 70 80 00
School of Humanities, www.vxu.se/hum/
These courses are only open for exchange students. If you as an exchange student have any questions about admission, prerequisites etc, please contact the International Office at internationaloffice@adm.vxu.se.
If you are a free mover, please contact the Admissions Office regarding possibilities to study at Växjö University: admission@vxu.se.
ENA132 - Literature from the English-speaking World
Late November, 2006–early January, 2007
May–early June, 2007
Undergraduate level
Full-time study, 5–6 weeks.
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)
Literature from the English-speaking World gives an introduction to the study of literature.
Contents
Students will read a variety of texts from different parts of the English-speaking world, such as Australia, Canada, the Caribbean, South Africa and India.
Prerequisites
Completed upper secondary education and a very good command of English, both in speech and in writing. It is highly advisable, but not a prerequisite, that students have studied English at university level before taking this course.
Teaching methods
Instruction consists of lectures, seminars and exercises, both individually and in groups.
Assessment methods
Assessment is based on continuous assessment, oral and written tests and individually written papers.
Recommended reading
A list of the literature can be obtained from the web at www.vxu.se/hum/.
ENA134 - British and American Culture
Early September–early October, 2006
Mid-January–February, 2007
Undergraduate level
Full-time study, 5–6 weeks.
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)
The aim of the course is to further students’ knowledge and understanding of British and American culture and history by focusing on key developments, phenomena and landmark expressions of culture and society characteristic of various time periods.
After the course students should be able to give summary accounts of the various cultural features covered in the lectures and seminars. They should also be able to apply their knowledge in analyses and discussions of British and American culture.
Prerequisites
Completed upper secondary education and a very good command of English, both in speech and in writing. It is highly advisable, but not a prerequisite, that students have studied English at university level before taking this course.
Contents
The course provides an introduction to culture and society in Great Britain and the USA.
Teaching methods
Instruction consists of lectures, seminars and exercises, both individually and in groups.
Assessment methods
Assessment is based on continuous assessment, oral and written tests and individually written papers.
Recommended reading
A list of the literature can be obtained from the web at www.vxu.se/hum/.
ENA135 - Linguistics I
Early October–early November, 2006
Late February–March, 2007
Undergraduate level
Full-time study, 5–6 weeks.
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)
The aim of the course is to give an introduction to the scientific study of the English language.
Prerequisites
Completed upper secondary education and a very good command of English, both in speech and in writing. It is highly advisable, but not a prerequisite, that students have studied English at university level before taking this course.
Contents
The course provides an overview of form and function of the English language. The course deals with such areas as English sentence analysis, phonetics, language history, semantics and pragmatics.
Teaching methods
Instruction consists of lectures, seminars and exercises, both individually and in groups.
Assessment methods
Assessment is based on continuous assessment, oral and written tests and individually written papers.
Recommended reading
A list of the literature can be obtained from the web at www.vxu.se/hum/.
Creative Writing in English
General Description of Creative Writing Courses in English (ENB121–124):
Each of the following courses in creative writing in English demands more written production than is typical of most 5-credit courses at the B level; they also place a larger than usual reading load on students in the form of texts produced by their classmates, which must be read closely and critiqued by all members of the class in the scheduled workshop meetings. Regular attendance at and full participation in these critiques is a strict requirement, and will serve as one of the bases of assessment.
Language Requirements, Limited Enrolment and Entry Exams:
To qualify for courses in creative writing in English students must have documented/demonstrated language skills and abilities in English that meet the requirements for B-level study in English (30 ECTS credits or the equivalent). This entry requirement must be established either through documentation or through the entry exam. Due to the limited number of available places in the course, an entry exam in the form of a focused writing sample must be submitted and approved before students can be admitted to the course. Complete information and guidelines concerning the entry exam will be posted on the website: www.vxu.se/hum/.
Methods of Instruction:
• Seminars/Lectures
In seminars students will read and discuss model texts in a wide range of creative forms. Theoretical discussions in the seminars will focus on creative writing forms and genres from the perspective of the literary practitioner. Special focus will be placed on practical and craft-centered issues that literary practitioners routinely negotiate when they work within the demanding forms of fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, dramatic writing or literary translation. For seminars and lectures the entire class will meet as one large group.
• Workshops
As each of the course modules progresses, seminar- and lecture-based instruction will give
way to workshops as the primary mode of instruction; these workshops will focus exclusively on the students’ own literary efforts in English. The emphasis will be on finding solutions to the difficulties and challenges literary practitioners encounter as they attempt to work within various established forms of creative writing. For workshops the larger class will be split into two smaller groups of equal size. The constitution of the smaller workshop groups will remain fixed throughout the course module.
ENB121 - Creative Writing I
Introduction to Creative Writing Theory and Practice
Early-September to Mid-November 2006
Undergraduate level
Half-time study 8 weeks
Evening
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)
This course introduces a range of creative writing forms and relevant theoretical frames by which writers may better understand and refine their craft. Students will produce a portfolio of creative writings in English (poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction) and revise these works in line with theoretical understandings and techniques developed in the writing seminars and further refined in the workshops through text-centred group and teacher feedback.
Prerequisites
Please see above under "Language Requirements, Limited Enrolment and Entry Exams."
Teaching Methods
The course involves a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops (for more information please see above under "Methods of Instruction").
Assessment Methods
The course will be offered on a pass/fail basis only. No high passes are awarded for this course.
Recommended reading
A list of required readings will be made available on the website: www.vxu.se/hum/.
ENB122 - Creative Writing II
Narrative Writing (Fiction and Creative Non-fiction)
Mid-November 2006 to mid-January 2007
(class meetings end in December; final assignments are due in January)
Undergraduate level
Half-time study 10 weeks
Evening
5 credits points (7.5 ECTS)
This course enables students to explore narrative craft and the processes of imaginative composition that play a key role in the creation of narrative literature, particularly fiction. Students will produce a portfolio of fictional and other narrative writings during the course and revise these works in line with theoretical understandings and techniques developed in the writing seminars and further refined in the workshops through text-centred group and teacher feedback.
Prerequisites
Please see above under "Language Requirements, Limited Enrolment and Entry Exams."
Teaching Methods
The course involves a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops (for more information please see above under "Methods of Instruction").
Assessment Methods
The course will be offered on a pass/fail basis only. No high passes are awarded for this course.
Recommended reading
A list of required readings will be made available on the website: www.vxu.se/hum/
ENB123 - Creative Writing III
Dramatic Writing (for Stage or Screen)
Mid-January to late March 2007
Undergraduate level
Half-time study 10 weeks
Evening
5 credits points (7.5 ECTS)
This course enables students to explore the art of dramatic writing, with a variable emphasis either on screenwriting or on writing for the stage, depending on the term in which the course is offered; related writing forms and exercises may also be integrated into the course at the instructor’s discretion in line with the variable focus on stage or screen. Students will produce short dramatic works during the course. These texts will then be revised in line with theoretical understandings and techniques developed in the writing seminars and further refined in the workshops through text-centred group and teacher feedback.
Prerequisites
Please see above under "Language Requirements, Limited Enrolment and Entry Exams."
Teaching methods
The course involves a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops (for more information please see above under "Methods of Instruction").
Assessment Methods
The course will be offered on a pass/fail basis only. No high passes are awarded for this course.
Recommended reading
A list of required readings will be made available on the website: www.vxu.se/hum/.
ENB124 Creative Writing IV
Interpretation and Creativity (Literary Translation, Literary Journalism and/or Cross-Genre Adaptation)
Early April to mid-June 2007
Undergraduate level
Half-time study 10 weeks
Evening
5 credits points (7.5 ECTS)
This course enables students to explore forms of literary production that involve significant elements of interpretation and/or adaptation. The course explores various literary modes by which cultural interpreters mediate original literary works critically, linguistically or creatively and through which they seek to re-present these texts in derivative form (for instance, as literary translations or cross-genre adaptations). Emphases on specific literary modes and forms may vary from one term to the text at the instructor’s discretion; what will remain constant is the focus on the creative link between literary interpretation and (re)production. Students will produce works of literary translation, literary adaptation and/or literary journalism during the course. These texts will then be revised in line with theoretical understandings and techniques developed in the writing seminars and further refined in the workshops through text-centred group and teacher feedback.
Prerequisites
Please see above under "Language Requirements, Limited Enrolment and Entry Exams."
Teaching Methods
The course involves a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops (for more information please see above under "Methods of Instruction").
Assessment Methods
The course will be offered on a pass/fail basis only. No high passes are awarded for this course.
Recommended Reading
A list of required readings will be made available on the website: www.vxu.se/hum/.
ENB131 - British Literature
September–early October, 2006
Mid-January–February, 2007
Undergraduate level
Full-time study, 5–6 weeks
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)
The aim of the course is to give the students a broad understanding of how English literature has developed over time.
Prerequisites
Students need to have successfully completed one semester (30 ECTS or equivalent) of English including studies of English literature.
Contents
The students will read and analyse selected British literary texts from one or more historical periods. The students will engage in literary analysis and develop their oral as well as written proficiency in advancing arguments in English. As part of the course the students will also deepen their understanding of genres and basic aspects of narratology.
Teaching methods
Instruction is given in the form of seminars, lectures, group study sessions, and individual tutoring related to the written papers submitted in the course.
Assessment methods
Continuous assessment, oral and written assignments. Seminar attendance is obligatory, as well as the completion of assignments within the prescribed time.
Recommended reading
A list of the literature can be obtained from the web at www.vxu.se/hum/.
ENB133 - American Literature
Late November, 2006–early January, 2007
May–early June, 2007
Undergraduate level
Full-time study, 5–6 weeks
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)
This course gives students an opportunity to broaden their knowledge of American literature in a variety of forms and genres and in response to numerous political, intellectual and sociocultural developments from the Age of Romanticism through the Information Age.
Prerequisites
Students need to have successfully completed one semester (30 ECTS or equivalent) of English including studies of English literature.
Teaching methods
Instruction consists of lectures, seminars and exercises, both individually and in groups.
Assessment methods
Assessment is based on continuous assessment, oral and written tests and individually written papers.
Recommended reading
A list of the literature can be obtained from the web at www.vxu.se/hum/.
ENB134 - Linguistics II
October–early November, 2006
Late February–March, 2007
Undergraduate level
Full-time study, 5–6 weeks
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)
The aim of the course is to give the students deepened and broadened insights into the scientific study of the English language.
Contents
The course consists of a continued study of the aspects discussed in Linguistics I. The course discusses such areas as English sentence analysis, phonetics, language history, semantics, pragmatics, regional variation and gender aspects.
Prerequisites
Students need to have successfully completed one semester (30 ECTS or equivalent) of English including studies of English linguistics.
Teaching methods
Instruction consists of lectures, seminars and exercises, both individually and in groups.
Assessment methods
Assessment is based on continuous assessment, oral and written tests and individually written papers.
Recommended reading
A list of the literature can be obtained from the web at www.vxu.se/hum/.
ENC130 - Literature and Literary Theory
October–early November, 2006
Late February–March, 2007
Advanced undergraduate level
Full-time study, 5 weeks
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)
In this course literary theory and methodology with a special focus on questions of gender and creativity are studied. The texts under discussion range from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men to J.M. Coetzee’s Disgrace and Yvonne Vera’s Butterfly Burning.
Prerequisites
Students need to have successfully completed two semesters (60 ECTS or equivalent) of English studies with at least 10 credit points (15 ECTS) of English literature.
Teaching methods
Instruction is given in the form of seminars, lectures, group study sessions, and individual tutoring related to the written papers submitted in the course.
Assessment methods
Continuous assessment, oral and written assignments. Seminar attendance is obligatory, as well as the completion/submission of assignments within the prescribed time.
Recommended reading
A list of the literature can be obtained from the web at www.vxu.se/hum/.
ENC132 - Texts and Story-telling
-
September–beginning of October, 2006
Mid-January–February, 2007
Advanced undergraduate level
Full-time study, 5 weeks.
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)
The aim of the course is to introduce the students to literary theory and method as well as to elementary training in thematic textual analysis.
Contents
The students will read and analyse selected British literary texts from a narratological viewpoint. They will also develop their proficiency in English, oral as well as written.
Prerequisite
Students need to have successfully completed two semesters (60 ECTS or equivalent) of English studies with at least 10 credit points (15 ECTS) of English literature.
Teaching methods
Instruction is given in the form of seminars, lectures, group study sessions, and individual tutoring related to the written papers submitted in the course.
Assessment methods
Continuous assessment, oral and written assignments. Seminar attendance is obligatory, as well as the completion/submission of assignments within the prescribed time.
Recommended reading
A list of the literature can be obtained from the web at www.vxu.se/hum/.
ENC141 - Introduction to Semantics and Pragmatics
October–early November, 2006
Late February–March, 2007
Advanced undergraduate level
Full-time study, 5 weeks
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)
The course provides an orientation of various ways of considering linguistic meaning within different theoretical frameworks. Basic analytical methods are presented and discussed, on lexical level, sentence level and discourse level.
Prerequisites
Students need to have successfully completed two semesters (60 ECTS or equivalent) of English studies with at least 10 credit points (15 ECTS) of English linguistics.
Teaching methods
Instruction consists of lectures, seminars and exercises, both individually and in groups.
Assessment methods
Assessment is based on continuous assessment, oral and written tests and individually written papers.
Recommended reading
A list of the literature can be obtained from the web at www.vxu.se/hum/.
ENC142 - Change and Variation in Present-day English
September–early October, 2006
Mid-January–February, 2007
Advanced undergraduate level
Full-time study, 5 weeks
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)
This course discusses different changes in language, e.g. phonological, semantic and syntactic ones, and compares various ways of describing and explaining them. The main focus is on the study of on-going changes and the social and communicative context they occur in.
Prerequisites
Students need to have successfully completed two semesters (60 ECTS or equivalent) of English studies with at least 10 credit points (15 ECTS) of English linguistics.
Teaching methods
Instruction consists of lectures, seminars and exercises, both individually and in groups.
Assessment methods
Assessment is based on continuous assessment, oral and written tests and individually written papers.
Recommended reading
A list of the literature can be obtained from the web at www.vxu.se/hum/.