AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to deepen students’ theoretical knowledge of the Swedish language and Swedish linguistics, with particular reference to the synchronic and diachronic development of the language within the Scandinavian context. It also seeks to develop pedagogical and language-teaching skills in the field of Swedish through the classroom review and discussion of individual assignments.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The theoretical module of the course aims to present the diachronic development of the Scandinavian languages from their common Germanic origin, through the Old and Middle periods, up to the present day. By the end of this module, students will be able to understand short texts in Mainland Scandinavian languages other than Swedish and to explain, in its main features, the historical reasons behind the contemporary Scandinavian linguistic landscape.

Through the collaborative preparation of a teaching unit, students will also be able to organize and apply their knowledge of the Swedish language from a pedagogical perspective.

PREREQUISITES

C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in Swedish

TEACHING METHODS

The course will be held in person, with the support of the AulaWeb platform. Students who are unable to attend classes are kindly requested to contact the instructors.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The theoretical module consists of a presentation of the diachronic development of the Scandinavian languages: issues of periodization in the Scandinavian languages; Proto-Scandinavian; Common Scandinavian; Old Scandinavian; Icelandic (Middle and Modern); Faroese; Swedish (Middle and Modern); Norwegian (Middle and Modern, Bokmål and Nynorsk); Danish (Middle and Modern); and the similarities and differences among the Mainland Scandinavian languages.

In addition, there will be group work in which students will prepare a teaching unit on a specific aspect of the Swedish language.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The course will be based on the textbook: Chiara Benati, Storia delle lingue scandinave, ECIG, 2011. This will be supplemented with multimedia materials made available on the AulaWeb platform.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The course begins during the first week of the semester.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Preparation on the topics covered in the theoretical module will be assessed through an oral examination—in Italian or, at the candidate’s choice, in Swedish—on the subjects addressed during the course.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The assessment for the course consists of an oral examination designed to evaluate students' knowledge and understanding of the topics covered during the course. Students will also be assessed on their ability to apply the knowledge acquired to the analysis of linguistic variation and language change in the Scandinavian languages, with particular emphasis on reconstructing the historical development of the individual languages and identifying their main similarities and differences.

Candidates will be asked at least one question on each of the main topics covered in the course, with particular reference to the different stages in the history of the Scandinavian languages, issues of periodization, the development of the North Germanic languages from their common Germanic origin to their modern varieties, and the main characteristics of the contemporary Scandinavian languages. Candidates may also be asked to read and comment on short texts in Mainland Scandinavian languages other than Swedish, in order to assess their ability to understand their essential features and identify their main linguistic characteristics.

In assessing students' performance, consideration will be given not only to their knowledge and understanding of the course content (including lectures and the prescribed bibliography), but also to their ability to establish critical connections between different processes of language change, to use the specialist terminology of historical linguistics and Germanic philology appropriately, and to present their arguments clearly and effectively.

Assessment is expressed on a scale of 30 points according to the following criteria for the minimum and maximum grades:

18/30: Basic but partial knowledge of the course content, with a limited understanding of the main processes in the historical development of the Scandinavian languages and occasional inaccuracies in the use of specialist terminology. Presentation is adequate but not always coherent or well organised.

30/30: Thorough knowledge of the course content, accurate understanding of the diachronic development of the Scandinavian languages and their historical relationships, ability to analyse and contextualise the main linguistic phenomena, and appropriate use of specialist terminology. Presentation is clear, precise, and well structured.

30 with honours (30 e lode): Comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of the course content, outstanding ability to relate and critically discuss different processes of language change, full command of specialist terminology, and the ability to understand and comment on short texts in Mainland Scandinavian languages. Presentation is exceptionally rigorous, effective, and insightful.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students with a DSA certification, a disability, or other special educational needs are advised to contact both the coordinator, Prof. Sara Dickinson (sara.dickinson@unige.it), and the course instructor at the beginning of the course in order to agree on teaching and examination arrangements which, while respecting the course’s learning objectives, take into account individual learning needs and provide appropriate compensatory tools.