Single subject courses - Swedish Culture and Language

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.

Contact
International Office
E-mail: internationaloffice@vxu.se
Telephone: +46 470 70 80 00
School of Humanities, www.vxu.se/hum/

• Introductory Swedish for Exchange Students (non-credit course)
• SCA116 - Beginners’ Swedish for Exchange Students, Level 1
• SCA117 - Beginners’ Swedish for Exchange Students, Level 2
• SCA121 - Contemporary Sweden
• SCA122 - Swedish Literature
• SCA123 - Swedish History and Heritage
• SCA124 - Swedish Film
• SCA125 - Children’s Literature
• SCA126 - Religion and Secularisation in Sweden – Comparative Perspectives

Mid September–end of November, 2006
End of January–beginning of April, 2007
Part-time study, 30 hours, one evening/week

The aim of the course is to give a short introduction to Swedish used in everyday life.

Contents
Basic vocabulary and structures in Swed­ish are studied. Simple oral and written exercises are carried out. The emphasis is on practical, spoken Swedish.

Prerequisites
Admission is offered to students within the exchange study programme at Växjö University. Admission on a first come, first served basis. The course cannot be combined with SCA116 or SCA117.

Teaching Methods
Instruction consists of lectures and ex­ercises, both individually and in groups. Language of instruction: Swedish/ English.

Certificate
A certificate will be awarded after com­pletion of the course.

Mid-September–mid-November, 2006
End of January–beginning of April, 2007
Undergraduate level
Part-time study, 10 weeks
Late afternoon/evening
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)

The aim of the course is to equip students with basic knowledge of the Swedish language.

Prerequisites
Admission is granted to students within the exchange study programme at Växjö University. Please note that only a limited number of students will be ac­cepted. Priority is given to students who will study Swedish as an integrated part of their full-time studies.

Contents
Basic vocabulary and structures in Swed­ish are studied. Simple oral and written exercises are carried out. The emphasis is on practical, spoken Swedish.

Teaching methods
Instruction consists of lectures and ex­ercises, both individually and in groups. Language of instruction: Swedish/ English.

Assessment methods
Oral and written tests.

Recommended reading
A list of the literature can be obtained from the web at www.vxu.se/hum/.

End of January–beginning of April, 2007
Undergraduate level
Part-time study, 10 weeks
Late afternoon/evening
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)

The aim of the course is to extend the basic knowledge of the Swedish language.

Prerequisites
Admission is granted to students within the exchange study programme at Växjö University who have completed the course SCA116 Beginners’ Swedish for Exchange Students level 1. Alterna­tively, prior knowledge of Swedish may qualify for admission to the course.

Contents
Vocabulary and structures in Swedish are studied. The emphasis is on practi­cal, spoken Swedish.

Teaching methods
Instruction consists of lectures and ex­ercises, both individually and in groups. Language of instruction: Swedish/ English.

Assessment methods
Oral and written tests.

Recommended reading
A list of the literature can be obtained from the web at www.vxu.se/hum/.

Mid-January–mid-February, 2007
Undergraduate level
Full-time study
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)

The aim of the course is to intro­duce the students to contemporary Sweden in order to achieve a basic understanding of the political, eco­nomic and social structure of Swed­ish society.

Prerequisites
One year of university studies and a good command of English.

Contents
Political, economic, social, and religious aspects of Sweden during the past twen­ty years, including a gender perspective, are focused on in this course. Even mul­ticultural influences on Swedish society are discussed with migration and ethnic relations as main topics.

Teaching Methods
Instruction consists of lectures, seminars and exercises, both individually and in groups.

Assessment methods
Assessment is based on active participa­tion in the seminars as well as on indi­vidually written papers.

Recommended reading
A list of the literature can be obtained from the web at www.vxu.se/hum/.

April, 2007
Undergraduate level
Full-time study
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)

The aim of the course is to give students a broad view of Swedish literature and a basic understanding of its development and characteris­tics. The emphasis is placed on the last two centuries.

Prerequisites
One year of university studies and a good command of English.

Contents
The course focuses on some central authors in Swedish literature most of whom are well-known internationally such as Carl Michael Bellman, August Strindberg and Selma Lagerlöf. The course also includes children’s literature, represented by world famous Astrid Lindgren, as well as representatives of Swedish popular fiction.

Teaching Methods
Instruction consists of lectures and semi­nars, some of which are compulsory. The texts will be studied in an English translation and the language of instruc­tion is English.

Assessment methods
Assessment is based on active participa­tion in the seminars as well as on indi­vidually written papers.

Recommended reading
A list of the literature can be obtained from the web at www.vxu.se/hum/.

Mid-February–end of March, 2007
Undergraduate level
Full-time study
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)

The aim of the course is to introduce the students to the political, econom­ic and social development of Sweden from the Middle Ages to our time. The focus is laid on the development during the twentieth century and the making of the Swedish heritage.

Prerequisites
One year of university studies and a good command of English.

Contents
Swedish history from the Middle Ages until the present is outlined focusing on the construction of the Swedish welfare state and the development of “the Swed­ish Model”. The making of the image of Sweden abroad is also studied.

Teaching Methods
Instruction consists of lectures, seminars and exercises, both individually and in groups. Excursions to places of local and national interest.

Assessment methods
Assessment is based on active participa­tion in the seminars as well as on indi­vidually written papers.

Recommended reading
A list of the literature can be obtained from the web at www.vxu.se/hum/.

May–beginning of June, 2007
Undergraduate level
Full-time study
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)

The aim of the course is to give the students a broad view of the development and characteristics of Swedish film.

Prerequisites
One year of university studies and a good command of English.

Contents
The course deals with Swedish film from 1896 to the present day. The focus is set on some well-known directors and their films, among them Victor Sjöström, Ing­mar Bergman and Bo Widerberg. The development of the Swedish cinema is studied in relation to the development of society and culture at large during the twentieth century.

Teaching Methods
Instruction consists of lectures and seminars and film screenings, some of which are compulsory. The language of instruction is English, and most films will be subtitled.

Assessment methods
Assessment is based on active participa­tion in the seminars as well as on indi­vidually written papers.

Recommended reading
A list of the literature can be obtained from the web at www.vxu.se/hum/.

October–beginning of November, 2006
Undergraduate level
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)

This course focuses on some central authors of Swedish children’s books, either of importance to the develop­ment of children’s literature in Swe­den or popular today. Most of them are well known internationally such as Astrid Lindgren, Selma Lagerlöf, Sven Nordqvist and the Finno-Swed­ish author and artist Tove Jansson.

Prerequisites
One year of university studies and a good command of English.

Teaching methods
Instruction consists of lectures and seminars.

Assessment methods
Assessment is based on active participa­tion in the seminars as well as on indi­vidually written papers.

Recommended reading
The course includes books for young adults, children’s books as well as picture books. A list of the literature can be obtained from the web at www.vxu.se/hum/.

November–beginning of December 2006
Undergraduate level
5 credit points (7.5 ECTS)

The aim of the course is to gain understanding of the role of religion in Swedish society.

Prerequisites
One year of university studies and a good command of English.

Contents
Major events in the history of religious institutions and beliefs in Sweden are explored. Students discuss and reflect on the Swedish experience in light of the role of religion in their home countries.

Teaching methods
Instruction consists of lectures and exer­cises, in groups of 2, as well as individu­ally. 80% attendance is required.

Assessment methods
Assessment is based on mainly written tests, individually written papers and active participation in class. Some characteristics of contemporary Swedish society (with emphasis on religion) are studied and compared to conditions in the student’s home country. This is presented both orally and in an essay.

Recommended reading
A list of the literature can be obtained from the web at www.vxu.se/hum/.