ENG2155 – Aspects of Chaucerian Language and Literature
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
This course offers an introduction to Geoffrey Chaucer, the greatest writer of the Middle English period. There is an emphasis on the synchronic study of his language, and comparison will be made with the structure of present-day English. A selection of texts will be studied in depth, and we shall place Chaucer’s works in a greater historical and cultural context and, more specifically, in the European literary tradition.
Learning outcome
After completing this course you will have:
- acquired a basic knowledge of the main characteristics of Chaucer’s English;
- learned how to analyse selected Chaucer texts and place them within the literary tradition and against the background of the cultural history of the period.
Admission
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
The course requires students to be able to analyse modern English language as taught in e.g. ENG1100 – English Grammar, ENG1103 – English Phonetics and Intonation or similar courses.
Recommended previous knowledge
The course requires a good proficiency in written and oral English.
Overlapping courses
This course overlaps with ENG4155 – Aspects of Chaucerian Language and Literature (discontinued).
Teaching
Seminar, two hours per week for 14 weeks, 28 hours in all.
Students are expected to participate by contributing to discussions in class, handing in written work and presenting topics orally.
Attendance is obligatory at least 11 out of 14 seminars. Additional absences must be justified by documentation given to the exam coordinator.
Students are required to hand in set assignments by a set date and get these approved by the course teacher before being allowed to sit for the final exam.
Examination
The final exam is of a 4-hour written exam.
Exam questions from previous semesters may be found here
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
The results will be available on the StudentWeb within three weeks after the exam.
Explanations and appeals
Resit an examination
Withdrawal from an examination
It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.
Once the course requirements have been fulfilled, they remain valid for the current and the next two semesters that the course is taught.
Special examination arrangements
Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.
Evaluation
Feedback from our students is essential if we are to provide the best possible education. As a student at the University of Oslo you will be asked to participate in various types of evaluation of our courses. Every time a course is given, we ask students to participate in mid-term evaluations, and periodically we ask them to participate in periodic evaluation of the course.