Course Syllabus
Danish Language and Culture III |
 |
| Semester & Location: |
Spring 2019 - DIS Copenhagen |
| Type & Credits: |
Elective Course - 6 credits |
| Faculty Members: |
https://disabroad.org/copenhagen/semester/courses/danish-language-and-culture-courses/ |
|
Program Director: |
Andreas Brøgger |
|
Assistant Program Director: |
Anna Sommer - anna.sommer@dis.dk |
| Time & Place: |
Tuesday-Friday, 11.40-13.00 N7-C22 |
Course Instructor
Tina Bacher holds an MA (cand.mag) in French and Culture Journalism from Copenhagen University, modules in Danish as a second language. Tina has worked as a Danish instructor for more than 9 years mainly with Studieskolen, a prominent language school in Copenhagen, as well as at other language schools and in her own company in parallel. Tina has worked with DIS as an Associate Professor of “Danish Language and Culture” since spring 2018. Speaks English and French, elementary proficiency of German, Swedish and Norwegian. Translator for the State Department and interpreter for the Danish Police. Tina has a background as a business consultant in local businesses and tourism.
Description of Course
This course is designed for students who have no or little knowledge about Denmark and Danish langugage and culture. The main goal of Danish Language and Culture III is to learn/advance in a high pace in both language and culture.
We will focus on:
Listening and reading comprehension, speaking, writing, and cultural literacy.
Learning Objectives
Acquire a higher level of cultural and linguistic awareness.
Language Objectives
The course aim is for the student to be able to describe, explain and discuss in a rich and functional Danish with grammatical accuracy and with confidence while applying the proper cultural sensitivities relevant to Danish society. This includes:
- Understanding and contributing to conversations on familiar and new topics
- being able to understand more abstract topics related to social or cultural themes covered in the course material
- Be able to express your opinion and make arguments orally and in writing
- Understand and use the fundamentals in Danish pronunciation
A task based communicative approach to language learning is used. This recognizes that we gain the ability to communicate through various tasks in a language both through exposure to the language and active practice in or review of the language. Throughout the semester, you will be exposed to new vocabulary and grammar while also reviewing potential previous covered structures and words. Your instructor will help you along as you practice both new and old material in all four skill areas (reading, writing, speaking, listening).
The course focuses on providing as much input in Danish as possible through various means —from the teacher, classroom activities, audio, the internet, and video.
To achieve the goals of the course requires a regular practice of the language, both in class and individually, and a willingness to experiment with different tasks as well as new patterns of sounds and words.
You are responsible for much of your own learning: your continuous participation and regular attendance are a vital part of your commitment to learning and progress. The quality of language learning will depend largely on the amount and quality of your effort.
Your course
This course will take you through the Danish language at your level as well as Danish culture in a broad sense from elements of history and litterature to insights into the Danish concept of equality, the particular Danish humor, and food culture.
REQUIRED READINGS
Metz, George artikel: Knud Rasmussen – kongen af Thule (uddrag), Alt om historie 2010
Trojaborg, Kristian og Benner, Torben, artikel: Bør Danmark undskylde for slaveriet på De Vestindiske Øer? (uddrag), Politiken 2016
Andersen, Hans Christian, Den grimme ælling, Klingbjerg, 2011
Kierkegaard, Søren, Enten-eller (uddrag), Gyldendal, 2013
Hassan, Yahya; Yahya Hassan: digt: Barndom, Gyldendal 2013
Sareen, Manu, artikel: Moderne ligestilling er også for mænd (uddrag), Information 2011
Nordisk samarbejde, Det nye nordiske køkkenmanifest, www.norden.org 2004
Lundquist, Lita, artikel: Humor – helt seriøst (uddrag), Weekendavisen 2012
Participation
Active participation in class and preparation ahead of time are crucial for practicing your skills and for being successful in this course. It is not sufficient to simply be present in class. Your participation will be graded according to your active participation during classes.
All homework assignments are due on the day assigned by your instructor. Late homework will not be accepted.
During the course of the semester, you will also have several projects that serve as assessments of your progress.
Ordbogen.com
DIS has a subscription to Ordbogen, a Danish-English/English-Danish online dictionary. Go to http://www.ordbogen.com/ (Links to an external site.) follow the instructions you will receive by email from Ordbogen.com.
Grading
|
Assignment |
Percent |
|
Engaged Participation |
40% of your course grade |
|
Cultural Assignments |
20% of your course grade |
|
Oral Final Exam |
20% of your course grade |
|
Written Final Exam |
20% of your course grade |
Approach to Teaching and Expectations of the Students
The teaching style of this class is interactive. You are expected to actively participate in class discussions, to have done the readings and other homework, and come to class with notes, questions and relevant observations.
Learning a language is hard work and requires a lot of commitment. The ambition is to create a classroom culture in which everyone feels at ease trying to pronounce the unfamiliar Danish sounds and words.
Engaged participation is an integrated part of class and will be a large part of the course evaluation. Participating in class discussion requires a high level of preparation and a voluntary contribution of knowledge and ideas. In addition, when speaking Danish or discussing the connection between language and culture it is important to meet the level of preparation required to be an active participant.
Evaluation
Throughout the semester there will be different quizzes, worksheets, presentations and assignments which will be part of the overall evaluation of your work and participation in class. Some of these will be graded and some will be included in your participation grade.
Disability and Resource Statement
Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Academic Support (acadsupp@dis.dk) to coordinate this. In order to receive accommodations, students should inform the instructor of approved DIS accommodations within the first
two weeks of classes.
Academic Regulations
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:
DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
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