ØASPR2500 Professional English: Courses A and B for exchange students Course description

The master's thesis is a specialized individual research project.

In addition to the research and thesis work, there will be a series of workshops on the academic writing and effective communication of the thesis project. Students will develop an awareness of the conventions of academic writing and the writing process and use a range of analytical tools and methods to develop their writing and writing practices as part of writing their thesis.

Exam in English from upper secondary school or equivalent knowledge of English. A large part of the syllabus is related to subjects within business and economics.

No prerequisites.

Knowledge

The student

• has an extensive vocabulary in economic/administrative English
• knows several oral and written genres of business communication
• knows the main points of grammar necessary for correct and idiomatic usage of the English language
• has knowledge of a wide range of cross-curricular business topics
• has knowledge of several issues in both American and British societies
• is familiar with some works of fiction in English

Skills

The student

• can write professional English
• can speak fluently about a wide range of business topics and various aspects of society and culture in English
• can deal with professional situations in the business world
• can understand spoken and written English used in a business context
• can use a wide range of professional vocabulary in oral and written contexts
• is able to discuss, analyse and reflect on various issues in English
• has developed his/her practical problem-solving skills

Competence

The student

• has developed his/her communicative competence in English, which includes linguistic, intercultural and strategic competencies
• can function well in many professional situations internationally
• can apply his/her skills and knowledge of business English
• can understand English language curricula and lectures in other subjects better

The thesis project consists of the following:

• A written Master thesis (Length: 15,000-30000 words, using one of the available document templates)
• Individual oral presentation (30 minutes
• Any physical or digital artefact that has been developed by the student as part of the research project. If the student wishes to submit an artefact, the mode of submission must be approved by the supervisor beforehand and the artefact must be made available in such a way to be inspected by the examiners. In the case of a physical artefact, video and images may be used to document the properties of it, eliminating the need for a physical inspection.

The master's thesis is assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

• The originality and / or relevance of the issues or research questions to the field of study.
• Clarity in the development of issues or research questions being addressed.
• Documentation and use of relevant theory and research, as well as systematic;use of sources.
• Clarity in the relationship between issues / research questions being addressed, the method choices / methodologies employed and the resulting discussions / conclusions.
• Ability to collect, systematize, interpret / deconstruct and present knowledge in a clear way.
• Reflection on ethical issues in the research process.
• Written presentation (clear table of contents, accurate literature references, bibliography and appendices).

Theses are written in Norwegian or English. The oral exam can be taken in Norwegian or English, regardless of which language the thesis was written in.

All exams must be passed in order to pass the course.;

Students can appeal against the grade set for the written part of the exam. If the grade is changed after an appeal against the grade, and the oral exam has already been held, the oral exam must be retaken.

New/postponed exam

In case of failed exam or legal absence, the student may apply for a new or postponed exam. New or postponed exams are offered within a reasonable time span following the regular exam. The student is responsible for applying for a new/postponed exam within the time limits set by OsloMet. The Regulations for new or postponed examinations are available in Regulations relating to studies and examinations at OsloMet.

The following assignments are obligatory:

Autumn semester:

- One short (300-500 words) written assignment based on one of the cases (attendance is mandatory for the case the student writes about)

- An essay, approximately 500 words, on an assigned topic

- An individual 7-minute oral presentation

Spring semester

- One short (300-500 words) written assignment based on one of the cases (attendance is mandatory for the case the student writes about)

- An essay, approximately 500 words, on an assigned topic

- A major oral group project

Feedback will be given on all assignments. The essays must adhere to the rules established in -Mal for oppgaveskriving ved SAM- (available on the SAM home pages). In order to take the final exam, all obligatory assignments must be approved by the instructor. Students will be given the opportunity to re-submit obligatory assignments that have not been approved. If assignments are not approved after re-submission(s), students will not be allowed to take the exam.

ndividual written and oral exams will be held at the end of the spring semester. The student gets two separate grades, one for the written and one for the oral exam, and the exams can be taken again separately. The written exam counts 53% of the final grade and the oral exam counts 47%.

Written exam (6 hours) consisting of three parts:

• a letter/ report based on one of the cases
• a text for comprehension and analysis, and questions from the syllabus in English for Business Studies
• an essay on a topic from American and/or British society

Oral exam (20 minutes) consisting of:

• presentation of and examination in a topic from American and/or British society
• discussion/reflection on one of the cases, a work of fiction or selected texts called 'American Perspectives' or 'British Perspectives'.

Both exams must be passed in order to pass the course.

Alle hjelpemidler tillatt

Gradert karakter på mappen A-F.

In addition to the course instructor, an external or internal examiner will be used for all the exams. The exam questions will be approved by an external examiner.