Vår 2019

HIF-3011 Syntax II - 10 stp

The course is administrated by

Institutt for språk og kultur

Type of course

This course is mandatory in the master's degree programme in theoretical linguistics. The course may be taken as a single course by students who meet the admission requirements for the MA programme in Theoretical Linguistics.

Course contents

The course is given in the form of a seminar, where topics from leading research in syntax are discussed. The course addresses recent studies of syntactic differences between languages, with a view to determining universal parameters. We will provide a close look at recent syntactic theory, especially when it comes to the use of these in the comparative study of the syntax of the Germanic languages. Through the analysis of variation within a group of closely related languages, important syntactic parameters will be illustrated.

Application deadline

Applicants from Nordic countries: 1 December for the spring semester and 1 June for the autumn semester.

Exchange students and Fulbright students: 1 October for the spring semester and 15 April for the autumn semester.

Admission requirements

Bachelor's Degree (180 ECTS), or equivalent qualification, in a language or linguistics, or a degree combining linguistics and literature, with a minimum of 80 ECTS of concentrated work in linguistics and/or language.

Minimum average grade (in the Norwegian grading system) is C for applicants who hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent issued in Europe, Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand and B for others.

It is recommended that you have taken HIF-3010 Syntax I in the fall term before you take this course.

Application code 9317 (Nordic applicants).

Objective of the course

The students have the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge

The student has:

a solid understanding of modern syntactic theory, with a basic grasp of standard analyses of a broad range of phenomena in English and other languages. For a number of phenomena of crucial theoretical interest, the student should be familiar with multiple analytic approaches, along with the main strengths and weaknesses of each.

Skills

The student is able to/can:

evaluate and compare competing theories for a given phenomenon
analyze new and unfamiliar data, describing its potential significance for broader theoretical questions

Language of instruction

Language of instruction and examination: English.

Teaching methods

Lectures, exercises, seminars, project work.

Quality assurance: All courses undergo a halfway evaluation once in a 2-year period at the master´s level. The Programme Board determines which programme options will be evaluated per year, and which courses will be evaluated by the students and the teacher per year.

Assessment

The following coursework requirements must be completed and approved in order to take the final exam:

Coursework requirements: Students are required to hand in 6 homework assignments. The obligatory coursework requirements must be approved in order to take the final exam.

Assessment method: Term paper (7000 words), to be submitted in WISEflow.

Performance in the course will be assessed on an A-F grades scale. Grades are A-E for passed and F for failed. A re-sit examination is offered in the event of an F grade. The deadline to register for a re-sit examination is January 15th for the autumn semester and August 15th for the spring semester. In the event of a re-sit examination, the student is allowed to submit a revised version of his/her term paper within a given deadline.

Date for examination

Term paper hand in date 03.05.2019

The date for the exam can be changed. The final date will be announced at your faculty early in May and early in November.