Course Description

Velkommen til norsk 231! Norwegian 231 is the first part of the intermediate Norwegian sequence and emphasizes three main areas: 1) expanding your base of Norwegian vocabulary, structures and functions; 2) continuing to develop the four skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening; and 3) exploring Norwegian culture. Together, we will try to make the classroom as rich a learning environment as possible by using a variety of authentic spoken, written, and visual materials. Vi snakker bare norsk i timen!

Our approach to language teaching is characterized by proficiency, thematic learning, and integration of culture and language learning. In addition, we will be using the Web to give us immediate access to Norway today, including daily newspapers and news broadcasts, in addition to other websites.

We expect students to be active participants in the learning process and to take responsibility for their own learning. In practical terms, this means preparing for and participating actively in class.

General Education Requirement

Norwegian 231 fulfills FOL General Education requirement and addresses the following intended learning outcomes:

Students will demonstrate:

1. Language proficiency: Proficiency in reading and writing as well as listening and speaking commensurate with three semesters of study, approximately intermediate mid on the ACTFL scale.
2. Cultural understanding. The ability to understand Norway's culture and your own culture.
3. Metalinguistic awareness: Awareness of language as a system, and of the ways in which language organizes thought processes and information and reflects culture.

Textbook and Materials

The required materials for this course are Stein på stein (textbook, workbook and website ) and Kurt Quo Vadis (children's book), the CD-ROM KlikkNorsk. These are available for purchase in the St. Olaf Bookstore. Recordings of the main texts in the textbook are available on the audio CD in the back of the workbook. In addition, there are recordings of Kurt Quo Vadis available through Moodle. See the "meta-course" Norwegian 231 (not your individual section).

Class Participation

Learning a foreign language has much in common with learning other skills such as playing a sport or a musical instrument. To do well in this course, you need to practice using Norwegian regularly and thoroughly. Thus, it is important that you prepare your homework before class, attend every class period, and participate actively in class discussions and small group work. Together, class participation and homework assignments count for 20% of your final grade.

To receive full credit for class participation, you need to do the following without prompting by the teacher: 1) come to class on time, 2) have homework finished and ready for use in class, 3) volunteer answers in class discussions, 4) do small group work thoroughly and use any extra time to do the exercise again or practice something else in Norwegian, and 5) speak Norwegian all the time.

At the end of the semester, your lowest participation score will be dropped in case you have to miss one class period during the semester due to illness or co-curricular activities.

Homework Assignments and Language Lab (Lekser og språklab)

You will need to set aside approximately 3 hours between each class period to do your homework, 2-2 1/2 hours for the written work and co-curricular activities and 1/2-1 hour for listening in the World Language Center, located in Rolvaag Memorial library, 1st floor, or on your own computer. The written homework consists of doing the workbook pages and hand-outs related to the textbook, completing the grammar review exercises in KlikkNorsk, writing dialogs and essays, doing assignments on the web, and doing exercises for the Kurt Quo Vadis text. Much of the written work can be done in pen or pencil, but all essay assignments should be typed on computer.

To develop your comprehension, you will be listening to the texts from the textbook from the CD in the back of the workbook, and to the Kurt Quo Vadis book on Moodle. You will also do the the listening exercises in the workbook on streaming video on Moodle. You should spend a minimum of three half hour periods per week (1 1/2 hours total) in the listening to the recordings

In order to receive credit, the homework assignments must be complete, stapled together, labeled with your full name and section letter, and handed in on the day it is due. If you know you are going to miss class, you should send your homework to class with another student. Late assignments will not be accepted, but your lowest homework score will be dropped at the end of the semester.

Co-curricular Activities (Ekstra aktiviteter)

In addition to class, you will also have many opportunities to use your Norwegian outside class in more informal, real-world settings. These activities will help you to improve your speaking and listening skills, acquire a better understanding of modern Norwegian culture, and give you the chance to get to know the professors, the students and guests from Norway, and the American students studying Norwegian. Since there will be many co-curricular activities offered each semester, you may choose the events that are most interesting and helpful for you. The co-curricular activities range from informal get-togethers, coffee hours, and conversation tables to more formal lectures, concerts, and art exhibits. Please see the department calendar for the current schedule of events and read the complete description of co-curricular activities on the web.

During the semester, you are required to attend eight activities, four that are focus on communication (conversation table, social events, interviews) and four that emphasize comprehension (film evenings, lectures, panel discussions). For each activity you attend, you need to sign your name on the attendance sheet, take notes at the event, and write a summary / response paper afterward. The summary / response papers should be typed, list the title of the event and the date, and include 1/2 page of summary describing what occurred at the event and 1/2 page of your response to the event. For the more informal events such as conversation table and barbecues, your summary should include the names of the people you met and what you learned about them through your conversation in Norwegian. You should turn in your summary / response papers and your notes to your teacher within a week of attending the event.

Four of your co-curricular responses must be turned in before mid-term (Tuesday, Oct. 21) and four before your final exam in December. We recommend that you make a plan for completing this requirement at the beginning of the semester.

Tests and Projects (Prøver og prosjekter)

This semester, there will be three written chapter tests, an oral assessment, a Kurt Quo Vadis project, and a comprehensive final exam. Students must take all tests on the scheduled day. Exceptions to this policy will only be granted in cases of serious illness or emergency, and must be requested beforehand. Travel plans should be made with the course calendar in mind.

Grading (Karakterer)

The final grade for this course is based on the following:

• 10%: Homework (Workbook exercises, Moodle exercises and forum, Wimba exercises, and essays)
• 10%: Participation (Preparation for class, in-class participation, and attendance at 8 co-curricular events plus typed summary/response papers in English)
• 50%: Chapter tests after chapters 1-2, 3, and 5 / Oral assessment after chapter 4
• 10%: Project (Kurt Quo Vadis)
• 20%: Final exam

The Honor System has been in effect at St. Olaf since 1911. When examinations are given, teachers leave the room and the students complete the test on their honor. At the end of the exam, the students sign the following pledge: " I pledge my honor that during this examination I have neither given nor received assistance, and that I have seen no dishonest work." If a student has observed a violation of the honor policy, then the student should leave the pledge unsigned and check the box indicating that he/she has intentionally not signed the pledge. More information about the honor system can be found in the print or the web version of "The Book."

In addition, there are very clear guidelines given in "The Book" about refraining from plagiarism. While we encourage you to find a study partner for this course, your homework and essays should always be your own work and not a copy of another person's work. If you are working with a tutor, you may ask your tutor questions about an essay you are writing, for example, but the tutor may not correct your homework or essays before you hand them in. Using translators of any type from the internet is also considered to be a type of plagiarism. Any evidence of plagiarism on homework or essays will result in a student receiving a score of 0 on the particular assignment and in a report being sent to the Dean's Office.

Disabilities

If you have a documented disability that will affect your work in this class, please contact your instructor to discuss your needs. You will also need to contact Ruth Bolstad (bolstad@stolaf.edu / ext. 3288), Student Disability Services Specialist in the Academic Support Center (Rm. 1, Old Main Annex). All such discussions will be confidential.

Study in Norway (Å studere i Norge)

The Norwegian Department encourages as many students as possible to experience Norwegian culture first-hand. We cooperate with International and Off-Campus Studies in maintaining a variety of study opportunities in Norway, and we assist students, both majors and non-majors, in planning appropriate study programs in Norway. Contact Anne Sabo for more information on the study abroad progams in Norway or Margaret Hayford O'Leary about studying in Denmark.

• Overview of Study Abroad in Scandinavia
• Scandinavian Urban Studies Term (SUST) (sponsored by HECUA)
• Oslo International Summer School
• Scandinavian Studies in Telemark