Approval

The programme was established 2007-03-02. This programme syllabus was approved 2008-04-17 by the Board of Studies at Faculty of Culture and Society. The syllabus is valid from 2008-04-17. Replacement for programme syllabus ratified 2007-03-02.

Entry requirements

General eligibility and the equivalence of English course B.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

A graduate of the Bachelor’s Programme in Language and Cultural Studies:

• recognizes the ways in which identities such as gender, ethnicity, and class are constructed and contested through different kinds of engagement with culture;

• understands the role of cultural systems, institutions, modes of representation and signifying practices both historically and in contemporary society;

• understands the relationship between various cultural and linguistic media and the construction of social and cultural realities on local, regional, national, and global levels;
• has an understanding of the pervasiveness of discourse in the construction of social, political, and cultural space, including environment;
• has an understanding of the uncertainty, ambiguity, and limits of knowledge produced within the field and how this influences analyses and interpretations based on that knowledge, and
• has an understanding of Malmö University’s perspective: the environment, gender, migration, and ethnicity.

Applying knowledge and understanding
A graduate of the Bachelor’s Programme in Language and Cultural Studies:

• can acquire knowledge through the use of an academic library;
• can formulate appropriate research questions and employ suitable research strategies for exploring knowledge within the field;
• can self-reflexively select and apply appropriate theories, concepts and research methods to new material and case studies concerning language and culture;
• can use their understanding of the role of culture and language in society as a basis for a career or training in education, arts and media management, and in government and non-government organizations where a high competence in the relationship between language and culture is essential;
• has a high degree of technological literacy, and uses word processing, and various internet-based information retrieval and display software to communicate knowledge and
• has the ability to apply knowledge of Malmö University’s perspective -- the environment, gender, migration and ethnicity -- to language and culture issues.

Making judgments and developing communication skills
A graduate of the Bachelor’s Programme in Language and Cultural Studies:

• can study independently and collectively, and tackles intellectual problems creatively and systematically;
• can evaluate the merits of different research methods used in the field of language and cultural studies and assess the validity of their applications in various contexts such as research, journalism, and education;
• communicates orally and in writing at an academic level, demonstrating clarity, rigor, precision and concision in the exposition and criticism of texts, arguments, and positions;
• can communicate their competences effectively and coherently in writing and in speech to non-specialists and
• works to agreed timetables, manages workloads, and meets deadlines.

Content

Organisation

Language and Cultural Studies is a discursively oriented Cultural Studies program that connects to contemporary global politics and culture through electives courses in Peace and Conflict Studies, International Migration and Ethnic Relations, International Relations, and Political Anthropology. By focusing on the role of language and representation, the programme makes manifest the pervasiveness of discourse in the process of cultural globalization.

The strong international element in the program will make it possible for the student to reflect on their learning in an environment recognizing diversity, valuing involvement, and distinguishing the possibilities of social and cultural change. It will also make the student attractive to employers who require such experience. The student will gain knowledge that is applicable in areas such as education, media, government and non-government organizations, administration and business. The student will have learnt to read, discuss, analyze, and write about a wide range of discourses. These skills and competences are recognized by employers in all fields The program will be a strong foundation for future MA studies in Language and Cultural Studies world-wide, and will make possible future training in both the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Term 1
Introduction to Language and Cultural Studies (7,5 credits)

Academic Writing and Rhetoric (7,5 credits)

Introduction to Social and Cultural Theory and Analysis (15 credits)

Term 1 is a general common term offered to students at IMER. It offers an introduction to the chosen program, to forms of academic work, and to a range of theories and methodologies the student is likely to encounter during interdisciplinary studies in the program as a whole.

Term 2
Cultural Text Analysis (15 credits)

Dimensions of Culture (15 credits)

Term 2 focuses on cultural meaning production: the first course familiarizes the student with the particularities of various discursive objects (literature, film, television, the internet, etc.), and the second course acquaints the student with structures of shared meanings.

Term 3
One of the following:
Text, Discourse, and Style (15 credits) www.edu.mah.se/EN215E/syllabus
OR
Literary and Cultural Theory (15 credits) www.edu.mah.se/EN214E/syllabus
OR
Elective (15 credits)

Globalization of Culture(15 credits)

For the first part of term 3, the student chooses an elective course either within or outside the program, which the program coordinator deems to be relevant to the study programme. The second course puts the cultural analysis of term 2 in a framework of globalization, with an emphasis on the role of culture in a post-colonial world. This term also promotes an understanding of how cultural analysis always involves a specific theoretical context.

Term 4
Elective/study abroad (30 credits)

The student can do the whole of term 4 outside LCS. This makes it possible for the student to enroll in various exchange programs, do extended field work, or combine studies with an internship, as long as the programme coordinator deems it to be relevant to the study programme.

Term 5
Cultural Institutions (15 credits)

Elective / Internship / Fieldwork (15 credits)

The first course in term 5 builds in particular on term 2 by putting the media analyzed in term 2 in institutional contexts. It highlights how literatures, soap operas, internet blogs, for example, exist only as embedded in cultural institutions with particular material support, with various local and/or global roles. For the second course the student is expected to either do fieldwork or an internship, or choose an elective course (in consultation with the course coordinator) that caters to the student’s study interests and contributes towards a BA project topic.

Term 6
BA dissertation (30 credits)*

Degree

Bachelor of (Arts / Education / Science / Social Science).

Other

In order to continue studies within the programme, a minimum of 45 higher education credits from the previous year of studies is required. Special requirements can be applied to the respective elective course.