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Åbo Akademi University 2014/2015
ARTS
Chapters 2-3, 9-11 and the associated onlinematerials; books
and articles on Englishword formation, history of English and
semantics; and standard reference works
Literature Specialisation I
104214.0
5 credits
BA (intermediate) level, please see prerequisites
Lectured and self-study course
Offered: Spring 2015
Lecturer: Anthony Johnson
Contact:
Aim: to deepen students' understanding of English literature,
to familiarise themwith a particular field of English literature,
its main authors, contexts and the critical approaches used
in relation to it, to extend their knowledge of ways of talk-
ing about and thinking about literature, and to develop the
academic skills necessary for the satisfactory completion of
the course work.
Mode of study: Seminars as well as self-study; full attendance
required in all seminar meetings
Prerequisites: 25 credits (ECTS) of English at university level
Target audience: BA-level students of English language and
literature
Form of assessment: One 10-minute presentation, one 12-
15-page essay (5,000-6,000 words), adequate preparation
(readings and tasks) for and active participation in seminars,
and completion of the course evaluation form
Course literature: A reading list will be published every year.
MA (advanced) level
Reading the Culture Wars
5 credits
MA (advanced) level, please see prerequisites
Lectured course
Offered: Autumn 2014
Lecturer: Stuart McWilliams
Contact:
Aim: To encourage students to engage critically and non-
confessionally with recent controversies regarding 'belief' as
figured in literary and journalistic discourses; to enable them
to interrogate the rhetoric of such controversies by situat-
ing them within wider philosophical, political and aesthetic
debates; to facilitate reflection on the role of the arts and
humanities (past, present and future) in these conflicts and
in society as a whole.
Contents: An interdisciplinary course examining the context,
character and literary imagining of several interrelated 'wars'
over issues such as secularisation, relativism, the status of
theology as an academic discipline, and the political function
of the humanities.
Mode of study: Seminars; full attendance required in all
seminar meetings
Prerequisites: 60 credits (ECTS) of English at university level
Target audience: MA-level students of English language and
literature.
Form of assessment: One 2-page written assignment to be
delivered in class as an oral presentation and handed in and
one fifteen-page essay (6000 words), adequate preparation
(readings and tasks) for and active participation in seminars.
Course literature: Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion; Ronan
Bennett, The Catastrophist; journalistic media, short fiction
and other materials as provided in an electronic course pack.
Assessing English Language Skills
104553.0
5 credits
MA (advanced) level, please see prerequisites
Lectured course + study circle
Offered: Autumn 2014
Lecturer: Signe-Anita Lindgrén
Contact:
Aim: To acquaint students with the key issues and concepts in
the testing and evaluation of language skills; to help students
relate concepts derived from their study of linguistics and
language learning to the practical demands of language as-
sessment; to equip students with the competence to evaluate
approaches to language assessment and design appropriate
forms of assessment for themselves; and to develop academic
skills necessary for the satisfactory completion of the course
work.
Contents: A survey of approaches to language assessment
and evaluation; an introduction to the main technical issues
involved in language test design; analysis of examples and
practical tasks in the assessment of each of the four main skills
areas: speaking, writing, listening and reading.
Mode of study: Seminars and study circle meetings; full at-
tendance required in all seminars and study circle meetings
Prerequisites: 60 credits (ECTS) of English at university level
Target audience: MA-level students of English language and
literature; compulsory for students on the teachers' line; other
students may be admitted if there are available spaces.
Form of assessment: Full attendance in all seminar meetings
and active participation, one essay or practical assignment
(approximately 3,000 words); one 20-minute small-group
presentation and peer assessment, weekly readings and tasks
for preparation and post-processing; adequate preparation
for and active participation in classes
Course literature: Course materials may include books and
scholarly articles on language testing and assessment; extracts
and articles from journals; recordings, video and web-based
material; standard referenceworks; published language tests.
A reading list will be issued.
Text and Discourse I
104669.1
5 credits
MA (advanced) level, please see prerequisites
Self-study course
Offered: Autumn 2014
Lecturer: Brita Wårvik
Contact:
Aim: To deepen students' understanding of linguistics and
the study of language, to extend their knowledge of English
linguistics by focusing on the study of text and discourse, to
familiarize themwith the conceptual and analytical tools and
skills necessary for the description and explanation of the
given linguistic phenomena and to develop academic skills
necessary for the satisfactory completion of the course work.
Contents: A survey of the field, an introduction to the main
topics, concepts and methods relevant to the given field, a
discussion of the given field in relation to the current linguis-
tic research in general, and to adjacent fields of study, and
potential applications.
Prerequisites: 60 credits (ECTS) of English at university level.
Target audience: MA-level students of English language and
literature.
Form of assessment: 3-5 study journals based on assigned
readings.
Course literature: Thesemay include books and articles on text
