Topics in Digital Narrative 

Undergraduate course

ECTS credits: 15
Teaching semesters
Course code: DIKULT211
Number of semesters: 1
Teaching language: English
Resources: Schedule

Select course description for semester

Objectives and Content

This course will give students an in-depth understanding of current research on digital narratives. Digital narratives include, for instance, digital games, electronic literature, computationally generated narratives, social media narratives, and narratives created in or for generative AI, VR, or other digital media. The course is organized as a series of lectures held by international scholars and creators. 

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge 

The student has knowledge of

a range of digital narrative forms and genres.
different theoretical approaches to the study of digital narratives.
central concepts, arguments, and theories relevant to both scholarly and public debates about digital narratives.

Skills 

The student can

reconstruct and evaluate key concepts, arguments, and theories from the course literature and lectures and identify their strengths and weaknesses.
recognize and evaluate differences between various theoretical approaches to digital narratives
identify and analyze various forms and genres of digital narratives.

General competence 

The student can

understand both research-based approaches to and public debates about digital narratives and contextualize them in relation to each other.
reflect upon their own writing and learning processes.
contribute research-based insights to public debates about digital narratives.

ECTS Credits

Level of Study

Bachelor

Semester of Instruction

Spring or Autumn. This class is offered irregularly.

Place of Instruction

Bergen

Required Previous Knowledge

DIKULT104, DIKULT106

Recommended Previous Knowledge

Generally, Bachelor students should have taken all courses at the 100-level in Digital Culture before starting the 200-level. 

Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap

None

Access to the Course

The course is open to students in the Bachelor’s program in Digital Culture, as well as exchange students. Other Bachelor’s and Master’s students from the Faculty of Humanities may take the course, if there is capacity.

Teaching and learning methods

There are twenty weeks in a semester, where ten weeks usually have classes. The class schedule will be available by the beginning of the semester. 

It is important for students to attend the orientation session early in the semester, before the teaching begins. 

Students are expected to work 18 hours per week on the course from the beginning until the end of the teaching period, including weeks with no scheduled classes. These hours should be used for lectures and working on course-related tasks, such as readings, written assignments, and self-organized discussion groups. During the teaching-week weeks, students are expected to use this time for reading course materials, completing assignments, and preparing for the exam. 

If fewer than five students register for the course, the department may offer reduced tuition. Please refer to the department's guidelines on Mitt UiB for more information. In this case, students will be notified before the semester registration deadline. 

Compulsory Assignments and Attendance

Attendance is compulsory for everything the course covers. Course participation is approved by the course coordinator. If a student exceeds 25% in absences, they will not be eligible to take the exam. Students are responsible for tracking their own attendance and should keep a record of any missed classes. 

To be eligible to take the exam, the student must complete between three and six assignments. Deadlines for these will be provided at the start of the semester. Each assignment is assessed as either "approved" or "not approved". If an assignment is marked as "not approved" the student will be allowed one additional attempt. 

All assignments must be completed and approved within the semester of teaching before the student becomes eligible to take the exam. 

Forms of Assessment

A 4 hour written school exam.

Students can take the exam either in English or Norwegian. 

Grading Scale

A-F. An explanation of this scale can be found at Mitt UiB. 

Assessment Semester

Spring or autumn. The exam is only offered in the assessment semester.

Reading List

The course material typically includes books and articles that are available in bookstores or digital compendiums or will be freely accessible online. Video recordings of online lectures or documentary films may also be included in the syllabus; these will either be freely available online or shown during the course. 

The required course materials are typically in English. However, students may use and reference sources in other languages for assignments and exams. 

The list of compulsory and recommended readings, as far as available in advance, will be posted on Mitt UiB before the start of the semester and updated as necessary. The readings will be available at Akademika or as downloadable e-books or articles. 

Students are also expected to familiarize themselves with additional relevant academic materials through the library, online academic sources, and independent research on the topic. 

Course Evaluation

Evaluation will be conducted in accordance with the University of Bergen’s quality assurance system. 

Examination Support Material

None

Programme Committee

Programme Committee for Digital Culture.

Course Coordinator

Program Committee for Digital Culture.

Course Administrator

Department of Linguistic, Literary and Aesthetic Studies.