At the 200-level in language studies the students take the same course as either ENG211 (school exam) or ENG251 (term paper).
The aim of ENG251 is to give the students an insight into central topics within history of the English language and modern English linguistic.
The history of the English language part of the course gives an introduction to important aspects of the historical development of English. It may cover several of the stages of this development or concentrate on one period. The course may consist of external as well as internal linguistic conditions, and may cover characteristics concerning word and sentence structure, pronunciation, vocabulary, and spelling. Normally, it will also cover the study of primary texts from earlier stages of the language as well as theoretical texts.
Theories and/or methods which can be used to describe present-day English from a scientific, linguistic perspective are covered in the modern English linguistics part of the course.
The students who choose ENG251 write a supervised term paper within either the history of the English language or modern English linguistics.
ENG251, or a corresponding course, is an elective part of the specialization in English. Students taking two courses in English at the 200 level can take either ENG211 and ENG252 or ENG212 and ENG251.
It is recommended that students have completed their first semester studies, and also ENG101, ENG107, ENG108, ENG109, ENG122, ENG125, or equivalent courses. In particular it is strongly recommended that the students have completed EXFA00SK Språk og kommunikasjon, ENG101, ENG107, ENG108 and ENG109 with good result.
For students with a background other than the Norwegian school system a level of competence in English corresponding to B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages is recommended.
The course is open to all students with admission to the University of Bergen.
For exchange students:
In order to sign up for the course, you must provide the following documentation at the time of application for exchange at UiB:
In addition, qualified applicants have to pass a diagnostic test when arriving in Bergen (more information about the test will be sent to applicants by email).
Students have the right to supervision of their exam papers (cf. Forms of assessment), and students are required to attend a minimum of two supervision sessions. Students are required to meet the deadlines for submission and supervision set by the course teacher. Students who fail to meet these requirements forfeit the right to attend examination in the course.
Obligatory coursework is valid only in the semester of instruction.
Course assessment in ENG251 is offered in the spring and autumn semesters.
Course assessment consists of a supervised exam paper comprising 4,000 - 5,000 words (i.e. c. 12 - 15 pages), not counting an obligatory bibliography and any optional attachments. The topic of the paper is to be chosen by the student after consultation with the course teacher.
There is also an oral examination which will test students¿ knowledge of the entire reading list as well as the topic of their exam paper. The exam paper must be approved before students can attend the oral examination. The oral examination is graded separately from the exam paper.
The exam paper counts towards 2/3 of the final grade, while the oral examination counts towards 1/3 of the final grade. Students must achieve a passing grade in both components in order to pass the course.
The exam paper satisfies the requirements for independent scholarly work stipulated for the Bachelor degree.