Specialization in French Grammar and Text Linguistics with a Bachelor's Thesis

Undergraduate course

Course description

Objectives and Content

This course comprises a curriculum in grammar and text linguistics spanning roughly 200 - 250 pages taken from a modern text book written in French, in contrast to the 100-level text book which is comparative and written in a Scandinavian language. Students will also be given a selection of academic articles of around 50 pages.

The work on both grammar and text linguistics has as its main aim to give the students more extensive theoretical knowledge and practical proficiency in modern French.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completing the course, the student is expected to:

Knowledge

  • have a more profound insight into linguistic terms and apparatuses for grammatical analysis
  • have specialized knowledge about French language structure and linguistic texts

Skills

  • be able to reflect critically on linguistic analyses of the language
  • be able to utilize linguistic concepts in analyzing French as it is used in different genres

General competence

  • be able to work independently on a linguistic research question and find relevant background materials
  • know the norms of academic language
  • be able to further develop knowledge and skills in the discipline in an independent manner

ECTS Credits

15

Level of Study

Bachelor

Semester of Instruction

Spring

Place of Instruction

Bergen
Required Previous Knowledge
No official requirements, but all the teaching is conducted in French and presupposes high level of French.
Recommended Previous Knowledge
The teaching builds on FRAN120 and FRAN121. Students' language proficiency should be equivalent to that of those having completed course work on the 100 level.
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
Due to academic overlap, credits awarded for completing FRAN205 are reduced by 15 ECTS if combined with FRAN201 or FRAN205.
Access to the Course
The course is open to all students admitted to the University of Bergen.
Teaching and learning methods

Teaching is normally conducted in the form of three-hour lectures, seminars and supervision over a twelve-week period.

If less than five students sign up for the course, the teaching may be adjusted to fit the number of students, e.g. by making lectures into seminars or other forms of individually suited teaching. If this should be the case, students will be notified on the nature of the alternative teaching arrangements before the registration deadline 1 Feb/1 Sep.

Compulsory Assignments and Attendance

Students must attend at least 27 of 36 teaching hours (including digital teaching) (i.e. 75 %) in order to be eligible for assessment in the course.

In the course of the semester, students are required to get approval on a text linguistic and grammar exercise given in the course of the teaching.

Mandatory assignments are valid for one additional semester following the semester of instruction.

Forms of Assessment

The exam is a term paper of approx. 4000 words written in the course of the semester, in French, and fulfills the requirement for independent research as part of a BA degree.

At the end of the course, there is an oral examination in the grammar and linguistics curriculum lasting approximately 20-30 minutes. The test is also meant to show the candidates proficiency in oral French.

Oral and written exams each count 50 % of the final grade in the course. Both tests must be taken in the same semester.

Students are not eligible for receiving supervision the following semester.

Grading Scale
The grading scale is A-F, where F is a fail.
Assessment Semester

The exam is a term paper of approx. 4000 words written in the course of the semester, in French, and fulfills the requirement for independent research as part of a BA degree.

At the end of the course, there is an oral examination in the grammar and linguistics curriculum. The test is also meant to show the candidates' proficiency in oral French.

Oral and written exams each count 50 % of the final grade in the course. Both tests must be taken in the same semester.

Students are not eligible for receiving supervision the following semester.

Reading List

The reading list is taken from a modern French grammar as well as from linguistic journals.

The reading list will be ready by 1 Jul for the fall semester, and 1 Dec for the spring semester.

Course Evaluation
Evaluation of the course is carried out in accordance with the University of Bergen quality assurance system.
Examination Support Material
None
Programme Committee
The program committee is responsible for the academic content and structure of the study program, and for the quality of all the subjects therein.
Course Administrator
The Department of Foreign Languages at the Faculty of Humanities has the administrative responsibility for the course and the study program.