Course Objectives

The aim of this course consists in applying the subject’s perspective, and theory from the introductory course, to a particular area. In each specialisation course students will study a general interdisciplinary theme, from a historical, an aesthetic (e.g. literary) or interpretative sociological perspective. Teachers from various disciplines present interdisciplinary topics from their respective standpoints, and in this way emphasise the interdisciplinary approach.

Course Description

This course will focus on cultural contact and its effects, both in a general and more specific sense. For instance, the contact between the Nordic countries and North America may serve as a specific example.

The course will focus on the following elements:

• Cultural contact and intercultural communication
• Emigration from the Nordic countries (especially from Norway) to the USA up until the 1920s
• The immigrant’s cultural re-establishment in the USA as a Norwegian-American
• Cultural influences from the USA in the Nordic countries from the nineteenth century up until the present day
• Immigration to Norway, multicultural Norway

Learning Methods

The course includes seminars with 3-6 hours per week in the spring semester.

Assessment Methods

Students must submit a term paper based on the syllabus material which counts for 20% of the final grade. For specialisation courses, students will hold a trial lecture of 40-45 minutes duration for one of the courses, and they will be orally examined in the other course. This assessment counts for 80% of the final grade of the specialisation course.

Candidates may select the specialisation course they intend to lecture on, but the topic of the assignment is chosen by the department. The candidates must give notice when registering for the particular course what type of assessment they wish.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean