Language(s), Societal Challenges, Cultural Understanding

The course focuses on societal challenges from a plurilingual, multilingual and interdisciplinary perspective and requires active student participation. Taking their target languages (English, French, Spanish and German) and Norwegian as a point of departure, the students will explore how global events and crises are handled, understood and negotiated in and through different forms of communication, texts and discourses. The course offers students the opportunity to familiarize themselves with essential linguistic, literary and cultural-studies concepts such as translation, genre, discourse, plurilingualism and multilingualism. Through a combination of linguistic, historical, literary and cultural perspectives the course offers insight into the relevance of studying languages in a changing world characterized by social unrest, migration, war, terror, climate change, pandemics and financial crises

Knowledge

The candidate

• has obtained an overview of essential concepts that contribute to our understanding of the importance and uses of languages during global events and crises
• has gathered insight into various ways in which crises are portrayed, negotiated and potentially alleviated through verbal interaction
• has obtained knowledge of the ways in which language and language use may shape our understanding of given events
• has obtained knowledge of the ways in which verbal interaction may contribute to our understanding of global events (and crises)

Skills

The candidate

• is able to identify and gather textual material concerning a given event
• is able to analyse the textual material by means of relevant theories and concepts
• is able to compare crisis discourses in different languages
• is able to use different forms of depiction and different technologies to communicate results from their own explorations of the material
• is able to understand academic content in their target language and communicate it to others

General competence

The candidate

• is able to explore academic issues independently and as part of a team
• is able to analyse, discuss and critically reflect on a given issue, both orally and in writing
• is able to understand complex problems and develop strategies for finding solutions in collaboration with others

Lectures, seminars and discussions. The language of instruction may be either Norwegian or English.

75% attendance is required in lectures. The absence limit is intended to cover normal sick leave and similar situations. Therefore, you will not be granted valid absence from teaching based on a medical certificate, even if the absence is due to circumstances beyond your control. In special cases, agreements for exemption can be made with the course coordinator, preferably at the start of the semester.

Obligatory activity:

1 written assignment (approx. 1000-1500 words) or 1 oral presentation of an assignment to be included in the portfolio (see below). More information will be provided at the beginning of the semester.

75% attendance in lectures.

Approved obligatory assignments are valid for 2 semesters (the semester in which the approval is given, plus the following semester).