Module description

This course is designed for students with no prior knowledge of Norwegian. In the course of 10 weeks, it brings students from beginner to upper beginner / lower intermediate level. By the end of the course, you should be able to understand many everyday Norwegian topics and be familiar with the basics of Norwegian grammar. We will use the textbook Norsk på 1-2-3 in combination with other materials provided by the tutor and made available through Moodle. The written standard taught in this course is Bokmål.

By the end of the course students should be able to:

• introduce themselves and other people;

• describe things, people and places;

• sustain a conversation about everyday topics;

• talk about actions and events (in the present, past and future);

• discuss abstract topics (expressing opinions);

• read and understand short texts in Norwegian without any aids;

• read and understand more complex texts with the help of a dictionary.

Module delivery

Two two-hour seminars per week in term 1, consisting of tutor- and student-led discussions, pair and group work, and individual student presentations. In-class and homework activities may include the following:

• reading Norwegian dialogues and texts (individually and in group);

• practicing everyday conversation formats (through role play in group and individual work at home);

• systematically explaining grammatical topics and providing students with suitable exercises;

• practicing in describing pictures, photographs and comics;

• watching and discussing short video clips;

• preparing individual and group presentations about specific topics (during class-time and at home).

Preparatory Reading

In preparation for the module, we advise that you acquire the following core texts.

Grammar: It is recommended that students have a Norwegian grammar such as:

Åse-Berit and Rolf Strandskogen, Practical Norwegian Grammar, Oris forlag, 1986.

Åse-Berit and Rolf Strandskogen, Norwegian: An Essential Grammar, Routledge, 1994.

Kirsti Mac Donald and Marianne MacDonald, Exploring Norwegian Grammar, Cappelen Damm, 2013.

Dictionaries: Engelsk blå ordbok: norsk-engelsk / engelsk-norsk (Kunskapsforlaget) or similar. Make sure that the dictionary gives you the gender of nouns.