The course is an introductory course in the Faculty of Languages and Cultures. Its aims and purpose include an introduction of basic concepts and terminology in the field, exploration of critical thinking to increase reading comprehension of academic texts, implementation of practical learning practices and academic procedures to facilitate successful academic studies, discussion on plagiarism and academic integrity, evaluation of academic standards, etc. Students receive practical training in critical evaluation of academic texts, basic argumentation analysis, identification of rhetorical patterns and text structure in various text types, review of acceptable references, and an introduction to analytical reading. Furthermore, students will gain insight into the importance of academic literacy to enhance understanding and writing of academic papers, presentation of research findings, etc.

The course is taught in English and is intended for students in:

1. The English BA program.
2.  Students of foreign languages (other than English)

 *Those students that need ECT credits as a result of changes in the MOM courses, as MOM102G used to be a 5-credit course, need to add an individual assignment (MOM001G, 1 ECT) within the MOM102G course.

• This individual assignment is only intended for students who finished MOM202G (before the school year 2024-2025) and are now enrolled in MOM102G, and have thus only gained 9 credits in the two mandatory MOM courses.
• Students who intend to increase their credits with a 6 ECT course, within their departments, are free to do so – and do thus not take this additional individual assignment (in MOM102G).

To sign up for the individual project you must talk to the teacher of MOM102G.

This course is the first of two introductory courses in linguistics.  It addresses such questions as: what kinds of sounds do humans make when using spoken language? How are those sounds organised within the sound system of a language? What is a word? If a sign is a combination of a form with a meaning, are words linguistic signs? Where do words come from? How are words put together?

The focus of the course is on English, though other languages will be discussed as relevant.

This course offers a survey of important domains of linguistics, especially those which emphasise the relation of human language to man in a broader context: sociolinguistics, dialect variation, first language acquisition, second language acquisition, language and the brain, historical comparative linguistics, and animal communication.  The focus of the course is on English and the course introduces students of English to areas of linguistics that they can explore in more detail later in their studies.

The aim of this course is to give students a good overview of the social and political backgrounds to Great Britain. In the process of doing that we will examine patterns of British culture, political and social institutions and ethnic minority groups. Assessment: a 2 hour final exam.

This is a survey course of British Literature from the beginnings of Romanticism to the early twentieth century. The required reading includes some poetry, a play, short stories, novellas, and a novel. Students will read and analyze works by major Romantics (including Wordsworth, Byron, Shelley, and Keats), Victorians (Tennyson, Browning, Arnold, Gaskell, and Wilde) and modern authors (Yeats and Joyce). They will also be introduced to various literary terms and themes.

In a world increasingly awash in conspiracy theories, fake news, AI-generated deep fakes and denialism of scientific and historical facts, our ability to interpret politics, culture and society with critical discernment is more important than ever.  

Focusing on culture, this course aims to give you the analytical tools you need as a student and citizen to critically interpret texts, visual culture and language.  

You will train your hermeneutical skills on short narratives and images, with help from selected readings in literary theory, cultural studies and visual culture(s), and engage in historical contextualization  

The emphasis in the class will be on critical thinking and group discussion, allowing you to share your analytical discoveries with your fellow students and build an interpretative community. 

An overview of the history and development of the English language.

This course is the second of two introductory courses in linguistics. It addresses such questions as: how are words put together to form sentences? how is the form of words affected by their place in a sentence? what other kinds of grammatical information influence the shape and use of words in a sentence? how are sentences related to each other? how can sentences be combined to form larger sentences? how do separate sentences relate to each other when strung together? what do words mean? what do sentences mean? what is discourse meaning?

The focus of the course is on English, though other languages will be discussed as relevant.

The ability to write well in English is a prerequisite for all other courses in the English department. The main aim of this course is to equip students to write in English for academic purposes. Course work will involve writing practice and composing essays based on primary and secondary research. There will be a strong emphasis on the organization of ideas as well as on style. The main goal is for students to gain an understanding of the writing process and develop their own voice in writing.

• This course aims at revisiting decisive moments of the history of the United States of America, from the early settlement to the present.
• Particular attention will be dedicated to the events surrounding the Independence of the country, the American Civil War and ensuing Reconstruction, as well as offering a broad overview of the 20^th and early 21^st centuries.
• There will also be an emphasis on the experiences of minorities and disenfranchised collectives (Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans, the LGBTQ community, as well as the rights of women) in the history of the United States, from the settlement to present.

Authors representative of nineteenth-century American Literature are read in historical context.

“Literature and Essay Writing” will expose students to exemplary texts in English across a range of historical periods and genres. It will prompt students to engage in imaginative and critical dialogues with works of literature  foregrounding close reading skills, poetic and critical thinking, scholarly and creative journaling, and analytical and research essay writing skills. The course is designed to increase proficiency in the generation and organization of ideas, in editing and research skills, and in the use of the MLA style of citation.

This course will expand student's capacity to enjoy, understand and write about language and linguistics. The aim of the module is to develop students' proficiency in process writing in English for academic purposes, with special attention given to increasing proficiency in organization, writing and revising, and on students developing their own voice in expository writing. Course work will include writing assignments and essays, as well as reading a variety of texts for critical reflection and analysis. Individual and peer feedback will be a major feature of this module. The course is also designed to strengthen skills in research and the use of APA style.

This course provides an introduction to the major principles of contemporary literary theory and criticism and to established methods and materials of literary research. Major theories include, structuralism, feminism, Queer Theory, postmodernism, marxism, post-colonial criticism, posthumanism, and eco-criticism. The objective of the course is to help you to develop your skills as a reader and critic.

Midterm Exam information:  
Midterm essay  of 1000-1,500 words. 35 percent (home assignment, file upload)

Final exams:
Exam (theory-focused) 25 percent (short answer questions onsite with inspera) 
Final Essay 40 percent (home assignment, file upload)

This course provides a survey of some of the best known and most influential literary texts in English from the early Middle Ages (Old English period) to the end of the Elizabethan era.

IMPORTANT: This course is the first half of ENS303G British Literature II (which has now been split into two separate courses, one for each term of the academic year). Students who have completed ENS303G are not eligible to take this course.

This course offers a general introduction to semantics, which deals with the nature of meaning in language.

In this course we will read five plays by William Shakespeare written across his career as a dramatist. Through detailed analysis of the plays, we will investigate Shakespeare’s innovative approach to genre, the intricacies of his language, the depth of his poetic imagination, the richness of allusion to the historical, cultural, and social issues of Renaissance England, and the insistent probing of the conventions and material realities of the early modern theatre.

Please note that this is course is NOT open to DE students.

This course explores some of the myths about human language. These myths include claims such as "the standards of children's speech and writing have declined"; "women talk too much"; "the 'purity' of language X is under threat"; "some languages are harder to learn than others"; "the media has a detrimental effect on language". These widely held views are examined critically and shown to be based on inadequate or false information, or simply, not to be true. Other topics to be addressed are spelling problems, attitudes towards accents, controversies over changes in language, and the belief that some languages have no grammar.

A historical overview of principles, methods, and best practices of English language teaching. Introduction to the national curriculum of English, teaching materials, and resources. Focus on student-centered teaching, learner autonomy, teacher reflection, and developing a philosophy of teaching.

The National Curriculum Guide will be read and analyzed. Students will have an opportunity to observe and evaluate recorded teaching and they will practice reflecting on their own ideas about teaching and experience of language learning. 

Course work demands active participation and consists of reading, written assignments, discussion, group and individual work, and microteaching.

This course  draws on seminal and current research about effective teaching and learning of English as a foreign language.  Students will come to understand important theories that underpin EFL learning and second language acquisition, especially as it concerns teaching the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). This is accomplished by considering relevant concepts related to language acquisition, learner autonomy, and language assessment in a self- reflective and analytical way. Essentially, this course examines the why behind language teaching through student‐led and teacher-supported seminars. It culminates in a research project considering how to practically apply this knowledge to EFL teaching in a way that benefits both teachers and learners.

Course work demands active participation and consists of reading, lectures, face-to-face and online discussions, student-driven presentations and a research project.

This course provides a survey of some of the best known and most influential poetry and prose in English from the early 17^th to the late 18^th century.

BA essay in English, 10 ECTS.

A formal departmental approval is required for a 20 credit essay (submission of a detailed proposal, a preliminary bibliography and the support of a supervisor, to the Chair of the English Department for voting at the next Department meeting).

The BA essay is no longer a requirement to complete the BA, though it is a requirement for entering the masters programme.

The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).

Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing [https://ritver.hi.is/is], which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.

Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/

See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544 

This course provides an overview of the study of the interaction of language and society, language contact and language variation. We will examine how the way we speak is influenced by who is speaking to whom about what under what circumstances. We look how identities and cultures are conveyed through language and what the choice of language and registers reveals about language attitudes and how society is structured. We will examine the nature of national languages and language planning, regional and social dialects, familylects and idiolects, bilingualism, multilingualism and code switching and rules of discourse in different settings.

Children's Literature-- Strange, marvellous, and often absurd, children’s literature allows readers to escape the mundane world and to slip into a fantastical realm which follows its own laws. In these stories, children play a central role; instead of being undermined or overlooked, young people become powerful agents who control their destinies and who enjoy limitless liberty, free from responsibility and routine. Paradoxically, while this type of fiction envisions a world which is spontaneous and carefree, it also mirrors very real adult concerns, namely, a preoccupation with aging and death, with the growing and shrinking female body, with the role and place of women in society, and with the rights and welfare of animals.

This course explores binaries such as young and old, male and female, human and animal, rationality and irrationality, reason and imagination, etc., ones that figure prominently in seminal works of this genre.

This course offers a detalied introduction to the study of English sentence structure from the perspective of modern linguistic theory. The course has two main aims: to introduce students to the Principles and Parameters framework of generative linguistics as it applies to English; and to offer students practical help in the structural analysis of sentences.

The course explores how the Tudors and the Tudor period are presented in contemporary (mainly 21st century) literature and film, especially through portrayals of Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I, but other people connected to them will also be studied as appropriate. Students read selected literary works on the life and reign of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I and watch films and TV series where Tudor monarchs are central and/or minor characters. Emphasis is placed on debates concerning the current infatuation with the Tudors as expressed through popular culture and the social media. Furthermore, those aspects of historical, literary and cultural interpretations of the Tudors’ role in history that are most pertinent to contemporary concerns are discussed.

This course aims to introduce students to the varied and rich world of science fiction, a genre that both incorporates and shapes cultural and cosmological inscriptions of space, the future, extraterrestrial worlds, and the possibilities of intergalactic travel. Our readings will include classic as well as obscure works of science fiction, with the goal of tracking developments in the genre over the past 100 years. So too, we will explore landmark science fiction films, paying attention to aesthetic and formal differences between visual media and prose. The course will consider works that cross cultural and national boundaries, but it will also interrogate how such works engage with contemporary sociopolitical concerns. Finally, we will situate works of science fiction in the context of ongoing developments in contemporary cosmology, a field that has undergone exponential growth over the past several decades.

This course studies poetry written in English during the past century, analyzed in relation to modernism, postmodernism, literary theory, and relevant social and technological developments. Our primary method of analysis will be (very) close reading.  

We will study works by twentieth century poets such as W. H. Auden, W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, H.D., Marianne Moore, William Carlos Williams, Wallace Stevens, Philip Larkin, Elizabeth Bishop, Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes, Dylan Thomas, Denise Levertov, Adrienne Rich, Sylvia Plath, Alan Ginsberg, Frank O’Hara, Seamus Heaney, and Derek Walcott, as well as twenty-first century poets including Louise Glück, Claudia Rankine, Tracy K. Smith, Ocean Vuong, W. S. Merwin, Rupi Kaur, Amanda Gorman, Mary Oliver, Naomi Shihab Nye, Sherman Alexie, Sarah Kay, Gregory Pardlo, and Nikita Gill, among others.  

Throughout the course, students will collaborate on a capstone project: a student-curated, annotated mini-anthology, centered on a theme/motif chosen by the class.   

This course treats different aspects of English vocabulary: baby names, place names, the function of jargon, the value of slang words, and dialect humour. We will also learn how to estimate the size of our vocabulary and how languages interact. Finally, we will consider the history of words and how language changes. The central question is: Where do our words come from?

World renowned Canadian director David Cronenberg is commonly recognized as a cinematic pioneer of the body horror genre. However, much of Cronenberg’s work branches off from the horror genre, applying his auteurist imagery of body horror to other genres and stories. Cronenberg’s career, which began in the 1970s and continues to grow today, presents a large number of filmic adaptations of novels, short stories, and the lives of real life and historical figures.

In this course, we will examine four different films by Cronenberg, adapted from four different sources, to study the varying capacities of adaptation and adaptation theory, as well as auteur theory, in the attempt to understand how Cronenberg retells established narratives, which include his signature themes of body horror.

This course explores the subject of heritage and exile in late 19th and early 20th century Icelandic-North American literature. The course will explore the subject through a selection of poems by Helga Steinvör Baldvinsdóttir (1858 – 1942), who wrote her poetry under the pseudonym Undína; a selection of poems by Stephan G. Stephansson (1853 – 1927), and a selection of poems and plays by Guttormur J. Guttormsson (1878 – 1966). Ideas on exile in modern Western literature will also be explored, in the context of poetics of exile in the works of Undína, Stephan G., and Guttormur.

Optional course for students of the Faculty of Languages and Cultures, in their 2nd or 3rd year of the BA-programme. The students read and study a well-known play that has been translated into several languages. The students will read the text in the target language. The students choose scenes from the play for the production.

Teachers from the target languages will assist the students with pronunciation.

Maximum number of students in this course is 15.

This course offers a general introduction to semantics, which deals with the nature of meaning in language.

In this course we will read five plays by William Shakespeare written across his career as a dramatist. Through detailed analysis of the plays, we will investigate Shakespeare’s innovative approach to genre, the intricacies of his language, the depth of his poetic imagination, the richness of allusion to the historical, cultural, and social issues of Renaissance England, and the insistent probing of the conventions and material realities of the early modern theatre.

Please note that this is course is NOT open to DE students.

This course explores some of the myths about human language. These myths include claims such as "the standards of children's speech and writing have declined"; "women talk too much"; "the 'purity' of language X is under threat"; "some languages are harder to learn than others"; "the media has a detrimental effect on language". These widely held views are examined critically and shown to be based on inadequate or false information, or simply, not to be true. Other topics to be addressed are spelling problems, attitudes towards accents, controversies over changes in language, and the belief that some languages have no grammar.

A historical overview of principles, methods, and best practices of English language teaching. Introduction to the national curriculum of English, teaching materials, and resources. Focus on student-centered teaching, learner autonomy, teacher reflection, and developing a philosophy of teaching.

The National Curriculum Guide will be read and analyzed. Students will have an opportunity to observe and evaluate recorded teaching and they will practice reflecting on their own ideas about teaching and experience of language learning. 

Course work demands active participation and consists of reading, written assignments, discussion, group and individual work, and microteaching.

This course  draws on seminal and current research about effective teaching and learning of English as a foreign language.  Students will come to understand important theories that underpin EFL learning and second language acquisition, especially as it concerns teaching the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). This is accomplished by considering relevant concepts related to language acquisition, learner autonomy, and language assessment in a self- reflective and analytical way. Essentially, this course examines the why behind language teaching through student‐led and teacher-supported seminars. It culminates in a research project considering how to practically apply this knowledge to EFL teaching in a way that benefits both teachers and learners.

Course work demands active participation and consists of reading, lectures, face-to-face and online discussions, student-driven presentations and a research project.

BA essay in English, 10 ECTS.

A formal departmental approval is required for a 20 credit essay (submission of a detailed proposal, a preliminary bibliography and the support of a supervisor, to the Chair of the English Department for voting at the next Department meeting).

The BA essay is no longer a requirement to complete the BA, though it is a requirement for entering the masters programme.

The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).

Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing [https://ritver.hi.is/is], which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.

Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/

See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544 

This course covers the nature of vocabulary acquisition: how vocabulary develops, is learned and taught. Various factors will be analyzed in detail, including, the role of pronunciation, word frequency, various learning strategies for vocabulary growth and considerable attention will be drawn to current research methodology in Vocabulary Acquisition. Students will review research as well as conduct a mini study.

Taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 am (2. and 3. year students only)

You are the perfect candidate if you have a burning desire to write fiction or poetry, and enjoy reading good books.

Aims include:

1. To sharpen awareness and improve skills through exercises in writing, and especially through revision

2. To provide practical criticism of work-in-progress in a workshop setting, along with advice about revisions and improvisation.

In addition to invoking the muse, students will learn practical writing skills such as organization, structure, characterization and dialogue. The course will also involve the examination of the work of key novel and short story writers, and poets. Throughout the course, students will develop their own work as well as improving their critical skills. Students will complete a short story or a small collection of poems by the end of the course.

Attendance requirement is 100% - you must attend one 1-hour presentation and one 2-hour workshop session per week. Not suitable for distance students.

Students who fulfil the prerequisites will be signed up. Sign up is on first come first served bases and there are 6 seats reserved for MA students and 6 seats reserved for BA students. Any unfilled seats for the course after the first week of classes will be offered to students on the waiting list. 

BA essay in English, 10 ECTS.

A formal departmental approval is required for a 20 credit essay (submission of a detailed proposal, a preliminary bibliography and the support of a supervisor, to the Chair of the English Department for voting at the next Department meeting).

The BA essay is no longer a requirement to complete the BA, though it is a requirement for entering the masters programme.

The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).

Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing [https://ritver.hi.is/is], which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.

Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/

See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544 

This course provides an overview of the study of the interaction of language and society, language contact and language variation. We will examine how the way we speak is influenced by who is speaking to whom about what under what circumstances. We look how identities and cultures are conveyed through language and what the choice of language and registers reveals about language attitudes and how society is structured. We will examine the nature of national languages and language planning, regional and social dialects, familylects and idiolects, bilingualism, multilingualism and code switching and rules of discourse in different settings.

Children's Literature-- Strange, marvellous, and often absurd, children’s literature allows readers to escape the mundane world and to slip into a fantastical realm which follows its own laws. In these stories, children play a central role; instead of being undermined or overlooked, young people become powerful agents who control their destinies and who enjoy limitless liberty, free from responsibility and routine. Paradoxically, while this type of fiction envisions a world which is spontaneous and carefree, it also mirrors very real adult concerns, namely, a preoccupation with aging and death, with the growing and shrinking female body, with the role and place of women in society, and with the rights and welfare of animals.

This course explores binaries such as young and old, male and female, human and animal, rationality and irrationality, reason and imagination, etc., ones that figure prominently in seminal works of this genre.

This course offers a detalied introduction to the study of English sentence structure from the perspective of modern linguistic theory. The course has two main aims: to introduce students to the Principles and Parameters framework of generative linguistics as it applies to English; and to offer students practical help in the structural analysis of sentences.

The course explores how the Tudors and the Tudor period are presented in contemporary (mainly 21st century) literature and film, especially through portrayals of Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I, but other people connected to them will also be studied as appropriate. Students read selected literary works on the life and reign of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I and watch films and TV series where Tudor monarchs are central and/or minor characters. Emphasis is placed on debates concerning the current infatuation with the Tudors as expressed through popular culture and the social media. Furthermore, those aspects of historical, literary and cultural interpretations of the Tudors’ role in history that are most pertinent to contemporary concerns are discussed.

This course aims to introduce students to the varied and rich world of science fiction, a genre that both incorporates and shapes cultural and cosmological inscriptions of space, the future, extraterrestrial worlds, and the possibilities of intergalactic travel. Our readings will include classic as well as obscure works of science fiction, with the goal of tracking developments in the genre over the past 100 years. So too, we will explore landmark science fiction films, paying attention to aesthetic and formal differences between visual media and prose. The course will consider works that cross cultural and national boundaries, but it will also interrogate how such works engage with contemporary sociopolitical concerns. Finally, we will situate works of science fiction in the context of ongoing developments in contemporary cosmology, a field that has undergone exponential growth over the past several decades.

This course studies poetry written in English during the past century, analyzed in relation to modernism, postmodernism, literary theory, and relevant social and technological developments. Our primary method of analysis will be (very) close reading.  

We will study works by twentieth century poets such as W. H. Auden, W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, H.D., Marianne Moore, William Carlos Williams, Wallace Stevens, Philip Larkin, Elizabeth Bishop, Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes, Dylan Thomas, Denise Levertov, Adrienne Rich, Sylvia Plath, Alan Ginsberg, Frank O’Hara, Seamus Heaney, and Derek Walcott, as well as twenty-first century poets including Louise Glück, Claudia Rankine, Tracy K. Smith, Ocean Vuong, W. S. Merwin, Rupi Kaur, Amanda Gorman, Mary Oliver, Naomi Shihab Nye, Sherman Alexie, Sarah Kay, Gregory Pardlo, and Nikita Gill, among others.  

Throughout the course, students will collaborate on a capstone project: a student-curated, annotated mini-anthology, centered on a theme/motif chosen by the class.   

This course treats different aspects of English vocabulary: baby names, place names, the function of jargon, the value of slang words, and dialect humour. We will also learn how to estimate the size of our vocabulary and how languages interact. Finally, we will consider the history of words and how language changes. The central question is: Where do our words come from?

World renowned Canadian director David Cronenberg is commonly recognized as a cinematic pioneer of the body horror genre. However, much of Cronenberg’s work branches off from the horror genre, applying his auteurist imagery of body horror to other genres and stories. Cronenberg’s career, which began in the 1970s and continues to grow today, presents a large number of filmic adaptations of novels, short stories, and the lives of real life and historical figures.

In this course, we will examine four different films by Cronenberg, adapted from four different sources, to study the varying capacities of adaptation and adaptation theory, as well as auteur theory, in the attempt to understand how Cronenberg retells established narratives, which include his signature themes of body horror.

This course explores the subject of heritage and exile in late 19th and early 20th century Icelandic-North American literature. The course will explore the subject through a selection of poems by Helga Steinvör Baldvinsdóttir (1858 – 1942), who wrote her poetry under the pseudonym Undína; a selection of poems by Stephan G. Stephansson (1853 – 1927), and a selection of poems and plays by Guttormur J. Guttormsson (1878 – 1966). Ideas on exile in modern Western literature will also be explored, in the context of poetics of exile in the works of Undína, Stephan G., and Guttormur.

Optional course for students of the Faculty of Languages and Cultures, in their 2nd or 3rd year of the BA-programme. The students read and study a well-known play that has been translated into several languages. The students will read the text in the target language. The students choose scenes from the play for the production.

Teachers from the target languages will assist the students with pronunciation.

Maximum number of students in this course is 15.

This course is a beginner’s course in Latin. No prior knowledge of Latin is assumed at the outset. It introduces the basics of Latin grammar and syntax. Chosen passages will be read in Latin, translated and thoroughly analysed. Teaching consists of 24 lectures on particular aspects of the Latin language and assigned readings.

This course is taught in Icelandic but students can get permission of the instructor to complete assignments and exams in English.

This course is a beginner’s course in Ancient Greek. It introduces the basics of grammar and syntax of the Attic dialect. No prior knowledge of Greek is assumed at the outset. Reading knowledge of Ancient Greek will be prioritized and chosen passages will be read in Greek, translated and thoroughly analysed. Teaching consists of both lectures on particular aspects of the Greek language and assigned readings. It is essential that students read the assigned materials before each lecture.

This course is taught in Icelandic but students can get permission of the instructor to complete assignments and exams in English.

The course is an introductory course in the Faculty of Languages and Cultures. Its aims and purpose include an introduction of basic concepts and terminology in the field, exploration of critical thinking to increase reading comprehension of academic texts, implementation of practical learning practices and academic procedures to facilitate successful academic studies, discussion on plagiarism and academic integrity, evaluation of academic standards, etc. Students receive practical training in critical evaluation of academic texts, basic argumentation analysis, identification of rhetorical patterns and text structure in various text types, review of acceptable references, and an introduction to analytical reading. Furthermore, students will gain insight into the importance of academic literacy to enhance understanding and writing of academic papers, presentation of research findings, etc.

The course is taught in English and is intended for students in:

1. The English BA program.
2.  Students of foreign languages (other than English)

 *Those students that need ECT credits as a result of changes in the MOM courses, as MOM102G used to be a 5-credit course, need to add an individual assignment (MOM001G, 1 ECT) within the MOM102G course.

• This individual assignment is only intended for students who finished MOM202G (before the school year 2024-2025) and are now enrolled in MOM102G, and have thus only gained 9 credits in the two mandatory MOM courses.
• Students who intend to increase their credits with a 6 ECT course, within their departments, are free to do so – and do thus not take this additional individual assignment (in MOM102G).

To sign up for the individual project you must talk to the teacher of MOM102G.

This course is the first of two introductory courses in linguistics.  It addresses such questions as: what kinds of sounds do humans make when using spoken language? How are those sounds organised within the sound system of a language? What is a word? If a sign is a combination of a form with a meaning, are words linguistic signs? Where do words come from? How are words put together?

The focus of the course is on English, though other languages will be discussed as relevant.

This course offers a survey of important domains of linguistics, especially those which emphasise the relation of human language to man in a broader context: sociolinguistics, dialect variation, first language acquisition, second language acquisition, language and the brain, historical comparative linguistics, and animal communication.  The focus of the course is on English and the course introduces students of English to areas of linguistics that they can explore in more detail later in their studies.

The aim of this course is to give students a good overview of the social and political backgrounds to Great Britain. In the process of doing that we will examine patterns of British culture, political and social institutions and ethnic minority groups. Assessment: a 2 hour final exam.

This is a survey course of British Literature from the beginnings of Romanticism to the early twentieth century. The required reading includes some poetry, a play, short stories, novellas, and a novel. Students will read and analyze works by major Romantics (including Wordsworth, Byron, Shelley, and Keats), Victorians (Tennyson, Browning, Arnold, Gaskell, and Wilde) and modern authors (Yeats and Joyce). They will also be introduced to various literary terms and themes.

In a world increasingly awash in conspiracy theories, fake news, AI-generated deep fakes and denialism of scientific and historical facts, our ability to interpret politics, culture and society with critical discernment is more important than ever.  

Focusing on culture, this course aims to give you the analytical tools you need as a student and citizen to critically interpret texts, visual culture and language.  

You will train your hermeneutical skills on short narratives and images, with help from selected readings in literary theory, cultural studies and visual culture(s), and engage in historical contextualization  

The emphasis in the class will be on critical thinking and group discussion, allowing you to share your analytical discoveries with your fellow students and build an interpretative community. 

An overview of the history and development of the English language.

This course is the second of two introductory courses in linguistics. It addresses such questions as: how are words put together to form sentences? how is the form of words affected by their place in a sentence? what other kinds of grammatical information influence the shape and use of words in a sentence? how are sentences related to each other? how can sentences be combined to form larger sentences? how do separate sentences relate to each other when strung together? what do words mean? what do sentences mean? what is discourse meaning?

The focus of the course is on English, though other languages will be discussed as relevant.

The ability to write well in English is a prerequisite for all other courses in the English department. The main aim of this course is to equip students to write in English for academic purposes. Course work will involve writing practice and composing essays based on primary and secondary research. There will be a strong emphasis on the organization of ideas as well as on style. The main goal is for students to gain an understanding of the writing process and develop their own voice in writing.

• This course aims at revisiting decisive moments of the history of the United States of America, from the early settlement to the present.
• Particular attention will be dedicated to the events surrounding the Independence of the country, the American Civil War and ensuing Reconstruction, as well as offering a broad overview of the 20^th and early 21^st centuries.
• There will also be an emphasis on the experiences of minorities and disenfranchised collectives (Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans, the LGBTQ community, as well as the rights of women) in the history of the United States, from the settlement to present.

Authors representative of nineteenth-century American Literature are read in historical context.

“Literature and Essay Writing” will expose students to exemplary texts in English across a range of historical periods and genres. It will prompt students to engage in imaginative and critical dialogues with works of literature  foregrounding close reading skills, poetic and critical thinking, scholarly and creative journaling, and analytical and research essay writing skills. The course is designed to increase proficiency in the generation and organization of ideas, in editing and research skills, and in the use of the MLA style of citation.

This course will expand student's capacity to enjoy, understand and write about language and linguistics. The aim of the module is to develop students' proficiency in process writing in English for academic purposes, with special attention given to increasing proficiency in organization, writing and revising, and on students developing their own voice in expository writing. Course work will include writing assignments and essays, as well as reading a variety of texts for critical reflection and analysis. Individual and peer feedback will be a major feature of this module. The course is also designed to strengthen skills in research and the use of APA style.

This course provides an introduction to the major principles of contemporary literary theory and criticism and to established methods and materials of literary research. Major theories include, structuralism, feminism, Queer Theory, postmodernism, marxism, post-colonial criticism, posthumanism, and eco-criticism. The objective of the course is to help you to develop your skills as a reader and critic.

Midterm Exam information:  
Midterm essay  of 1000-1,500 words. 35 percent (home assignment, file upload)

Final exams:
Exam (theory-focused) 25 percent (short answer questions onsite with inspera) 
Final Essay 40 percent (home assignment, file upload)

This course provides a survey of some of the best known and most influential literary texts in English from the early Middle Ages (Old English period) to the end of the Elizabethan era.

IMPORTANT: This course is the first half of ENS303G British Literature II (which has now been split into two separate courses, one for each term of the academic year). Students who have completed ENS303G are not eligible to take this course.

This course offers a general introduction to semantics, which deals with the nature of meaning in language.

In this course we will read five plays by William Shakespeare written across his career as a dramatist. Through detailed analysis of the plays, we will investigate Shakespeare’s innovative approach to genre, the intricacies of his language, the depth of his poetic imagination, the richness of allusion to the historical, cultural, and social issues of Renaissance England, and the insistent probing of the conventions and material realities of the early modern theatre.

Please note that this is course is NOT open to DE students.

This course explores some of the myths about human language. These myths include claims such as "the standards of children's speech and writing have declined"; "women talk too much"; "the 'purity' of language X is under threat"; "some languages are harder to learn than others"; "the media has a detrimental effect on language". These widely held views are examined critically and shown to be based on inadequate or false information, or simply, not to be true. Other topics to be addressed are spelling problems, attitudes towards accents, controversies over changes in language, and the belief that some languages have no grammar.

A historical overview of principles, methods, and best practices of English language teaching. Introduction to the national curriculum of English, teaching materials, and resources. Focus on student-centered teaching, learner autonomy, teacher reflection, and developing a philosophy of teaching.

The National Curriculum Guide will be read and analyzed. Students will have an opportunity to observe and evaluate recorded teaching and they will practice reflecting on their own ideas about teaching and experience of language learning. 

Course work demands active participation and consists of reading, written assignments, discussion, group and individual work, and microteaching.

This course  draws on seminal and current research about effective teaching and learning of English as a foreign language.  Students will come to understand important theories that underpin EFL learning and second language acquisition, especially as it concerns teaching the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). This is accomplished by considering relevant concepts related to language acquisition, learner autonomy, and language assessment in a self- reflective and analytical way. Essentially, this course examines the why behind language teaching through student‐led and teacher-supported seminars. It culminates in a research project considering how to practically apply this knowledge to EFL teaching in a way that benefits both teachers and learners.

Course work demands active participation and consists of reading, lectures, face-to-face and online discussions, student-driven presentations and a research project.

This course provides a survey of some of the best known and most influential poetry and prose in English from the early 17^th to the late 18^th century.

BA essay in English, 10 ECTS.

A formal departmental approval is required for a 20 credit essay (submission of a detailed proposal, a preliminary bibliography and the support of a supervisor, to the Chair of the English Department for voting at the next Department meeting).

The BA essay is no longer a requirement to complete the BA, though it is a requirement for entering the masters programme.

The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).

Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing [https://ritver.hi.is/is], which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.

Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/

See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544 

This course provides an overview of the study of the interaction of language and society, language contact and language variation. We will examine how the way we speak is influenced by who is speaking to whom about what under what circumstances. We look how identities and cultures are conveyed through language and what the choice of language and registers reveals about language attitudes and how society is structured. We will examine the nature of national languages and language planning, regional and social dialects, familylects and idiolects, bilingualism, multilingualism and code switching and rules of discourse in different settings.

Children's Literature-- Strange, marvellous, and often absurd, children’s literature allows readers to escape the mundane world and to slip into a fantastical realm which follows its own laws. In these stories, children play a central role; instead of being undermined or overlooked, young people become powerful agents who control their destinies and who enjoy limitless liberty, free from responsibility and routine. Paradoxically, while this type of fiction envisions a world which is spontaneous and carefree, it also mirrors very real adult concerns, namely, a preoccupation with aging and death, with the growing and shrinking female body, with the role and place of women in society, and with the rights and welfare of animals.

This course explores binaries such as young and old, male and female, human and animal, rationality and irrationality, reason and imagination, etc., ones that figure prominently in seminal works of this genre.

This course offers a detalied introduction to the study of English sentence structure from the perspective of modern linguistic theory. The course has two main aims: to introduce students to the Principles and Parameters framework of generative linguistics as it applies to English; and to offer students practical help in the structural analysis of sentences.

The course explores how the Tudors and the Tudor period are presented in contemporary (mainly 21st century) literature and film, especially through portrayals of Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I, but other people connected to them will also be studied as appropriate. Students read selected literary works on the life and reign of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I and watch films and TV series where Tudor monarchs are central and/or minor characters. Emphasis is placed on debates concerning the current infatuation with the Tudors as expressed through popular culture and the social media. Furthermore, those aspects of historical, literary and cultural interpretations of the Tudors’ role in history that are most pertinent to contemporary concerns are discussed.

This course aims to introduce students to the varied and rich world of science fiction, a genre that both incorporates and shapes cultural and cosmological inscriptions of space, the future, extraterrestrial worlds, and the possibilities of intergalactic travel. Our readings will include classic as well as obscure works of science fiction, with the goal of tracking developments in the genre over the past 100 years. So too, we will explore landmark science fiction films, paying attention to aesthetic and formal differences between visual media and prose. The course will consider works that cross cultural and national boundaries, but it will also interrogate how such works engage with contemporary sociopolitical concerns. Finally, we will situate works of science fiction in the context of ongoing developments in contemporary cosmology, a field that has undergone exponential growth over the past several decades.

This course studies poetry written in English during the past century, analyzed in relation to modernism, postmodernism, literary theory, and relevant social and technological developments. Our primary method of analysis will be (very) close reading.  

We will study works by twentieth century poets such as W. H. Auden, W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, H.D., Marianne Moore, William Carlos Williams, Wallace Stevens, Philip Larkin, Elizabeth Bishop, Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes, Dylan Thomas, Denise Levertov, Adrienne Rich, Sylvia Plath, Alan Ginsberg, Frank O’Hara, Seamus Heaney, and Derek Walcott, as well as twenty-first century poets including Louise Glück, Claudia Rankine, Tracy K. Smith, Ocean Vuong, W. S. Merwin, Rupi Kaur, Amanda Gorman, Mary Oliver, Naomi Shihab Nye, Sherman Alexie, Sarah Kay, Gregory Pardlo, and Nikita Gill, among others.  

Throughout the course, students will collaborate on a capstone project: a student-curated, annotated mini-anthology, centered on a theme/motif chosen by the class.   

This course treats different aspects of English vocabulary: baby names, place names, the function of jargon, the value of slang words, and dialect humour. We will also learn how to estimate the size of our vocabulary and how languages interact. Finally, we will consider the history of words and how language changes. The central question is: Where do our words come from?

World renowned Canadian director David Cronenberg is commonly recognized as a cinematic pioneer of the body horror genre. However, much of Cronenberg’s work branches off from the horror genre, applying his auteurist imagery of body horror to other genres and stories. Cronenberg’s career, which began in the 1970s and continues to grow today, presents a large number of filmic adaptations of novels, short stories, and the lives of real life and historical figures.

In this course, we will examine four different films by Cronenberg, adapted from four different sources, to study the varying capacities of adaptation and adaptation theory, as well as auteur theory, in the attempt to understand how Cronenberg retells established narratives, which include his signature themes of body horror.

This course explores the subject of heritage and exile in late 19th and early 20th century Icelandic-North American literature. The course will explore the subject through a selection of poems by Helga Steinvör Baldvinsdóttir (1858 – 1942), who wrote her poetry under the pseudonym Undína; a selection of poems by Stephan G. Stephansson (1853 – 1927), and a selection of poems and plays by Guttormur J. Guttormsson (1878 – 1966). Ideas on exile in modern Western literature will also be explored, in the context of poetics of exile in the works of Undína, Stephan G., and Guttormur.

Optional course for students of the Faculty of Languages and Cultures, in their 2nd or 3rd year of the BA-programme. The students read and study a well-known play that has been translated into several languages. The students will read the text in the target language. The students choose scenes from the play for the production.

Teachers from the target languages will assist the students with pronunciation.

Maximum number of students in this course is 15.

This course offers a general introduction to semantics, which deals with the nature of meaning in language.

In this course we will read five plays by William Shakespeare written across his career as a dramatist. Through detailed analysis of the plays, we will investigate Shakespeare’s innovative approach to genre, the intricacies of his language, the depth of his poetic imagination, the richness of allusion to the historical, cultural, and social issues of Renaissance England, and the insistent probing of the conventions and material realities of the early modern theatre.

Please note that this is course is NOT open to DE students.

This course explores some of the myths about human language. These myths include claims such as "the standards of children's speech and writing have declined"; "women talk too much"; "the 'purity' of language X is under threat"; "some languages are harder to learn than others"; "the media has a detrimental effect on language". These widely held views are examined critically and shown to be based on inadequate or false information, or simply, not to be true. Other topics to be addressed are spelling problems, attitudes towards accents, controversies over changes in language, and the belief that some languages have no grammar.

A historical overview of principles, methods, and best practices of English language teaching. Introduction to the national curriculum of English, teaching materials, and resources. Focus on student-centered teaching, learner autonomy, teacher reflection, and developing a philosophy of teaching.

The National Curriculum Guide will be read and analyzed. Students will have an opportunity to observe and evaluate recorded teaching and they will practice reflecting on their own ideas about teaching and experience of language learning. 

Course work demands active participation and consists of reading, written assignments, discussion, group and individual work, and microteaching.

This course  draws on seminal and current research about effective teaching and learning of English as a foreign language.  Students will come to understand important theories that underpin EFL learning and second language acquisition, especially as it concerns teaching the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). This is accomplished by considering relevant concepts related to language acquisition, learner autonomy, and language assessment in a self- reflective and analytical way. Essentially, this course examines the why behind language teaching through student‐led and teacher-supported seminars. It culminates in a research project considering how to practically apply this knowledge to EFL teaching in a way that benefits both teachers and learners.

Course work demands active participation and consists of reading, lectures, face-to-face and online discussions, student-driven presentations and a research project.

BA essay in English, 10 ECTS.

A formal departmental approval is required for a 20 credit essay (submission of a detailed proposal, a preliminary bibliography and the support of a supervisor, to the Chair of the English Department for voting at the next Department meeting).

The BA essay is no longer a requirement to complete the BA, though it is a requirement for entering the masters programme.

The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).

Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing [https://ritver.hi.is/is], which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.

Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/

See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544 

This course covers the nature of vocabulary acquisition: how vocabulary develops, is learned and taught. Various factors will be analyzed in detail, including, the role of pronunciation, word frequency, various learning strategies for vocabulary growth and considerable attention will be drawn to current research methodology in Vocabulary Acquisition. Students will review research as well as conduct a mini study.

Taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 am (2. and 3. year students only)

You are the perfect candidate if you have a burning desire to write fiction or poetry, and enjoy reading good books.

Aims include:

1. To sharpen awareness and improve skills through exercises in writing, and especially through revision

2. To provide practical criticism of work-in-progress in a workshop setting, along with advice about revisions and improvisation.

In addition to invoking the muse, students will learn practical writing skills such as organization, structure, characterization and dialogue. The course will also involve the examination of the work of key novel and short story writers, and poets. Throughout the course, students will develop their own work as well as improving their critical skills. Students will complete a short story or a small collection of poems by the end of the course.

Attendance requirement is 100% - you must attend one 1-hour presentation and one 2-hour workshop session per week. Not suitable for distance students.

Students who fulfil the prerequisites will be signed up. Sign up is on first come first served bases and there are 6 seats reserved for MA students and 6 seats reserved for BA students. Any unfilled seats for the course after the first week of classes will be offered to students on the waiting list. 

BA essay in English, 10 ECTS.

A formal departmental approval is required for a 20 credit essay (submission of a detailed proposal, a preliminary bibliography and the support of a supervisor, to the Chair of the English Department for voting at the next Department meeting).

The BA essay is no longer a requirement to complete the BA, though it is a requirement for entering the masters programme.

The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).

Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing [https://ritver.hi.is/is], which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.

Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/

See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544 

This course provides an overview of the study of the interaction of language and society, language contact and language variation. We will examine how the way we speak is influenced by who is speaking to whom about what under what circumstances. We look how identities and cultures are conveyed through language and what the choice of language and registers reveals about language attitudes and how society is structured. We will examine the nature of national languages and language planning, regional and social dialects, familylects and idiolects, bilingualism, multilingualism and code switching and rules of discourse in different settings.

Children's Literature-- Strange, marvellous, and often absurd, children’s literature allows readers to escape the mundane world and to slip into a fantastical realm which follows its own laws. In these stories, children play a central role; instead of being undermined or overlooked, young people become powerful agents who control their destinies and who enjoy limitless liberty, free from responsibility and routine. Paradoxically, while this type of fiction envisions a world which is spontaneous and carefree, it also mirrors very real adult concerns, namely, a preoccupation with aging and death, with the growing and shrinking female body, with the role and place of women in society, and with the rights and welfare of animals.

This course explores binaries such as young and old, male and female, human and animal, rationality and irrationality, reason and imagination, etc., ones that figure prominently in seminal works of this genre.

This course offers a detalied introduction to the study of English sentence structure from the perspective of modern linguistic theory. The course has two main aims: to introduce students to the Principles and Parameters framework of generative linguistics as it applies to English; and to offer students practical help in the structural analysis of sentences.

The course explores how the Tudors and the Tudor period are presented in contemporary (mainly 21st century) literature and film, especially through portrayals of Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I, but other people connected to them will also be studied as appropriate. Students read selected literary works on the life and reign of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I and watch films and TV series where Tudor monarchs are central and/or minor characters. Emphasis is placed on debates concerning the current infatuation with the Tudors as expressed through popular culture and the social media. Furthermore, those aspects of historical, literary and cultural interpretations of the Tudors’ role in history that are most pertinent to contemporary concerns are discussed.

This course aims to introduce students to the varied and rich world of science fiction, a genre that both incorporates and shapes cultural and cosmological inscriptions of space, the future, extraterrestrial worlds, and the possibilities of intergalactic travel. Our readings will include classic as well as obscure works of science fiction, with the goal of tracking developments in the genre over the past 100 years. So too, we will explore landmark science fiction films, paying attention to aesthetic and formal differences between visual media and prose. The course will consider works that cross cultural and national boundaries, but it will also interrogate how such works engage with contemporary sociopolitical concerns. Finally, we will situate works of science fiction in the context of ongoing developments in contemporary cosmology, a field that has undergone exponential growth over the past several decades.

This course studies poetry written in English during the past century, analyzed in relation to modernism, postmodernism, literary theory, and relevant social and technological developments. Our primary method of analysis will be (very) close reading.  

We will study works by twentieth century poets such as W. H. Auden, W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, H.D., Marianne Moore, William Carlos Williams, Wallace Stevens, Philip Larkin, Elizabeth Bishop, Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes, Dylan Thomas, Denise Levertov, Adrienne Rich, Sylvia Plath, Alan Ginsberg, Frank O’Hara, Seamus Heaney, and Derek Walcott, as well as twenty-first century poets including Louise Glück, Claudia Rankine, Tracy K. Smith, Ocean Vuong, W. S. Merwin, Rupi Kaur, Amanda Gorman, Mary Oliver, Naomi Shihab Nye, Sherman Alexie, Sarah Kay, Gregory Pardlo, and Nikita Gill, among others.  

Throughout the course, students will collaborate on a capstone project: a student-curated, annotated mini-anthology, centered on a theme/motif chosen by the class.   

This course treats different aspects of English vocabulary: baby names, place names, the function of jargon, the value of slang words, and dialect humour. We will also learn how to estimate the size of our vocabulary and how languages interact. Finally, we will consider the history of words and how language changes. The central question is: Where do our words come from?

World renowned Canadian director David Cronenberg is commonly recognized as a cinematic pioneer of the body horror genre. However, much of Cronenberg’s work branches off from the horror genre, applying his auteurist imagery of body horror to other genres and stories. Cronenberg’s career, which began in the 1970s and continues to grow today, presents a large number of filmic adaptations of novels, short stories, and the lives of real life and historical figures.

In this course, we will examine four different films by Cronenberg, adapted from four different sources, to study the varying capacities of adaptation and adaptation theory, as well as auteur theory, in the attempt to understand how Cronenberg retells established narratives, which include his signature themes of body horror.

This course explores the subject of heritage and exile in late 19th and early 20th century Icelandic-North American literature. The course will explore the subject through a selection of poems by Helga Steinvör Baldvinsdóttir (1858 – 1942), who wrote her poetry under the pseudonym Undína; a selection of poems by Stephan G. Stephansson (1853 – 1927), and a selection of poems and plays by Guttormur J. Guttormsson (1878 – 1966). Ideas on exile in modern Western literature will also be explored, in the context of poetics of exile in the works of Undína, Stephan G., and Guttormur.

Optional course for students of the Faculty of Languages and Cultures, in their 2nd or 3rd year of the BA-programme. The students read and study a well-known play that has been translated into several languages. The students will read the text in the target language. The students choose scenes from the play for the production.

Teachers from the target languages will assist the students with pronunciation.

Maximum number of students in this course is 15.

This course is a beginner’s course in Latin. No prior knowledge of Latin is assumed at the outset. It introduces the basics of Latin grammar and syntax. Chosen passages will be read in Latin, translated and thoroughly analysed. Teaching consists of 24 lectures on particular aspects of the Latin language and assigned readings.

This course is taught in Icelandic but students can get permission of the instructor to complete assignments and exams in English.

This course is a beginner’s course in Ancient Greek. It introduces the basics of grammar and syntax of the Attic dialect. No prior knowledge of Greek is assumed at the outset. Reading knowledge of Ancient Greek will be prioritized and chosen passages will be read in Greek, translated and thoroughly analysed. Teaching consists of both lectures on particular aspects of the Greek language and assigned readings. It is essential that students read the assigned materials before each lecture.

This course is taught in Icelandic but students can get permission of the instructor to complete assignments and exams in English.

The course is an introductory course in the Faculty of Languages and Cultures. Its aims and purpose include an introduction of basic concepts and terminology in the field, exploration of critical thinking to increase reading comprehension of academic texts, implementation of practical learning practices and academic procedures to facilitate successful academic studies, discussion on plagiarism and academic integrity, evaluation of academic standards, etc. Students receive practical training in critical evaluation of academic texts, basic argumentation analysis, identification of rhetorical patterns and text structure in various text types, review of acceptable references, and an introduction to analytical reading. Furthermore, students will gain insight into the importance of academic literacy to enhance understanding and writing of academic papers, presentation of research findings, etc.

The course is taught in English and is intended for students in:

1. The English BA program.
2.  Students of foreign languages (other than English)

 *Those students that need ECT credits as a result of changes in the MOM courses, as MOM102G used to be a 5-credit course, need to add an individual assignment (MOM001G, 1 ECT) within the MOM102G course.

• This individual assignment is only intended for students who finished MOM202G (before the school year 2024-2025) and are now enrolled in MOM102G, and have thus only gained 9 credits in the two mandatory MOM courses.
• Students who intend to increase their credits with a 6 ECT course, within their departments, are free to do so – and do thus not take this additional individual assignment (in MOM102G).

To sign up for the individual project you must talk to the teacher of MOM102G.

This course is the first of two introductory courses in linguistics.  It addresses such questions as: what kinds of sounds do humans make when using spoken language? How are those sounds organised within the sound system of a language? What is a word? If a sign is a combination of a form with a meaning, are words linguistic signs? Where do words come from? How are words put together?

The focus of the course is on English, though other languages will be discussed as relevant.

This course offers a survey of important domains of linguistics, especially those which emphasise the relation of human language to man in a broader context: sociolinguistics, dialect variation, first language acquisition, second language acquisition, language and the brain, historical comparative linguistics, and animal communication.  The focus of the course is on English and the course introduces students of English to areas of linguistics that they can explore in more detail later in their studies.

The aim of this course is to give students a good overview of the social and political backgrounds to Great Britain. In the process of doing that we will examine patterns of British culture, political and social institutions and ethnic minority groups. Assessment: a 2 hour final exam.

This is a survey course of British Literature from the beginnings of Romanticism to the early twentieth century. The required reading includes some poetry, a play, short stories, novellas, and a novel. Students will read and analyze works by major Romantics (including Wordsworth, Byron, Shelley, and Keats), Victorians (Tennyson, Browning, Arnold, Gaskell, and Wilde) and modern authors (Yeats and Joyce). They will also be introduced to various literary terms and themes.

In a world increasingly awash in conspiracy theories, fake news, AI-generated deep fakes and denialism of scientific and historical facts, our ability to interpret politics, culture and society with critical discernment is more important than ever.  

Focusing on culture, this course aims to give you the analytical tools you need as a student and citizen to critically interpret texts, visual culture and language.  

You will train your hermeneutical skills on short narratives and images, with help from selected readings in literary theory, cultural studies and visual culture(s), and engage in historical contextualization  

The emphasis in the class will be on critical thinking and group discussion, allowing you to share your analytical discoveries with your fellow students and build an interpretative community. 

An overview of the history and development of the English language.

This course is the second of two introductory courses in linguistics. It addresses such questions as: how are words put together to form sentences? how is the form of words affected by their place in a sentence? what other kinds of grammatical information influence the shape and use of words in a sentence? how are sentences related to each other? how can sentences be combined to form larger sentences? how do separate sentences relate to each other when strung together? what do words mean? what do sentences mean? what is discourse meaning?

The focus of the course is on English, though other languages will be discussed as relevant.

The ability to write well in English is a prerequisite for all other courses in the English department. The main aim of this course is to equip students to write in English for academic purposes. Course work will involve writing practice and composing essays based on primary and secondary research. There will be a strong emphasis on the organization of ideas as well as on style. The main goal is for students to gain an understanding of the writing process and develop their own voice in writing.

• This course aims at revisiting decisive moments of the history of the United States of America, from the early settlement to the present.
• Particular attention will be dedicated to the events surrounding the Independence of the country, the American Civil War and ensuing Reconstruction, as well as offering a broad overview of the 20^th and early 21^st centuries.
• There will also be an emphasis on the experiences of minorities and disenfranchised collectives (Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans, the LGBTQ community, as well as the rights of women) in the history of the United States, from the settlement to present.

Authors representative of nineteenth-century American Literature are read in historical context.

“Literature and Essay Writing” will expose students to exemplary texts in English across a range of historical periods and genres. It will prompt students to engage in imaginative and critical dialogues with works of literature  foregrounding close reading skills, poetic and critical thinking, scholarly and creative journaling, and analytical and research essay writing skills. The course is designed to increase proficiency in the generation and organization of ideas, in editing and research skills, and in the use of the MLA style of citation.

This course will expand student's capacity to enjoy, understand and write about language and linguistics. The aim of the module is to develop students' proficiency in process writing in English for academic purposes, with special attention given to increasing proficiency in organization, writing and revising, and on students developing their own voice in expository writing. Course work will include writing assignments and essays, as well as reading a variety of texts for critical reflection and analysis. Individual and peer feedback will be a major feature of this module. The course is also designed to strengthen skills in research and the use of APA style.

This course provides an introduction to the major principles of contemporary literary theory and criticism and to established methods and materials of literary research. Major theories include, structuralism, feminism, Queer Theory, postmodernism, marxism, post-colonial criticism, posthumanism, and eco-criticism. The objective of the course is to help you to develop your skills as a reader and critic.

Midterm Exam information:  
Midterm essay  of 1000-1,500 words. 35 percent (home assignment, file upload)

Final exams:
Exam (theory-focused) 25 percent (short answer questions onsite with inspera) 
Final Essay 40 percent (home assignment, file upload)

This course provides a survey of some of the best known and most influential literary texts in English from the early Middle Ages (Old English period) to the end of the Elizabethan era.

IMPORTANT: This course is the first half of ENS303G British Literature II (which has now been split into two separate courses, one for each term of the academic year). Students who have completed ENS303G are not eligible to take this course.

This course offers a general introduction to semantics, which deals with the nature of meaning in language.

In this course we will read five plays by William Shakespeare written across his career as a dramatist. Through detailed analysis of the plays, we will investigate Shakespeare’s innovative approach to genre, the intricacies of his language, the depth of his poetic imagination, the richness of allusion to the historical, cultural, and social issues of Renaissance England, and the insistent probing of the conventions and material realities of the early modern theatre.

Please note that this is course is NOT open to DE students.

This course explores some of the myths about human language. These myths include claims such as "the standards of children's speech and writing have declined"; "women talk too much"; "the 'purity' of language X is under threat"; "some languages are harder to learn than others"; "the media has a detrimental effect on language". These widely held views are examined critically and shown to be based on inadequate or false information, or simply, not to be true. Other topics to be addressed are spelling problems, attitudes towards accents, controversies over changes in language, and the belief that some languages have no grammar.

A historical overview of principles, methods, and best practices of English language teaching. Introduction to the national curriculum of English, teaching materials, and resources. Focus on student-centered teaching, learner autonomy, teacher reflection, and developing a philosophy of teaching.

The National Curriculum Guide will be read and analyzed. Students will have an opportunity to observe and evaluate recorded teaching and they will practice reflecting on their own ideas about teaching and experience of language learning. 

Course work demands active participation and consists of reading, written assignments, discussion, group and individual work, and microteaching.

This course  draws on seminal and current research about effective teaching and learning of English as a foreign language.  Students will come to understand important theories that underpin EFL learning and second language acquisition, especially as it concerns teaching the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). This is accomplished by considering relevant concepts related to language acquisition, learner autonomy, and language assessment in a self- reflective and analytical way. Essentially, this course examines the why behind language teaching through student‐led and teacher-supported seminars. It culminates in a research project considering how to practically apply this knowledge to EFL teaching in a way that benefits both teachers and learners.

Course work demands active participation and consists of reading, lectures, face-to-face and online discussions, student-driven presentations and a research project.

This course provides a survey of some of the best known and most influential poetry and prose in English from the early 17^th to the late 18^th century.

BA essay in English, 10 ECTS.

A formal departmental approval is required for a 20 credit essay (submission of a detailed proposal, a preliminary bibliography and the support of a supervisor, to the Chair of the English Department for voting at the next Department meeting).

The BA essay is no longer a requirement to complete the BA, though it is a requirement for entering the masters programme.

The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).

Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing [https://ritver.hi.is/is], which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.

Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/

See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544 

This course provides an overview of the study of the interaction of language and society, language contact and language variation. We will examine how the way we speak is influenced by who is speaking to whom about what under what circumstances. We look how identities and cultures are conveyed through language and what the choice of language and registers reveals about language attitudes and how society is structured. We will examine the nature of national languages and language planning, regional and social dialects, familylects and idiolects, bilingualism, multilingualism and code switching and rules of discourse in different settings.

Children's Literature-- Strange, marvellous, and often absurd, children’s literature allows readers to escape the mundane world and to slip into a fantastical realm which follows its own laws. In these stories, children play a central role; instead of being undermined or overlooked, young people become powerful agents who control their destinies and who enjoy limitless liberty, free from responsibility and routine. Paradoxically, while this type of fiction envisions a world which is spontaneous and carefree, it also mirrors very real adult concerns, namely, a preoccupation with aging and death, with the growing and shrinking female body, with the role and place of women in society, and with the rights and welfare of animals.

This course explores binaries such as young and old, male and female, human and animal, rationality and irrationality, reason and imagination, etc., ones that figure prominently in seminal works of this genre.

This course offers a detalied introduction to the study of English sentence structure from the perspective of modern linguistic theory. The course has two main aims: to introduce students to the Principles and Parameters framework of generative linguistics as it applies to English; and to offer students practical help in the structural analysis of sentences.

The course explores how the Tudors and the Tudor period are presented in contemporary (mainly 21st century) literature and film, especially through portrayals of Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I, but other people connected to them will also be studied as appropriate. Students read selected literary works on the life and reign of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I and watch films and TV series where Tudor monarchs are central and/or minor characters. Emphasis is placed on debates concerning the current infatuation with the Tudors as expressed through popular culture and the social media. Furthermore, those aspects of historical, literary and cultural interpretations of the Tudors’ role in history that are most pertinent to contemporary concerns are discussed.

This course aims to introduce students to the varied and rich world of science fiction, a genre that both incorporates and shapes cultural and cosmological inscriptions of space, the future, extraterrestrial worlds, and the possibilities of intergalactic travel. Our readings will include classic as well as obscure works of science fiction, with the goal of tracking developments in the genre over the past 100 years. So too, we will explore landmark science fiction films, paying attention to aesthetic and formal differences between visual media and prose. The course will consider works that cross cultural and national boundaries, but it will also interrogate how such works engage with contemporary sociopolitical concerns. Finally, we will situate works of science fiction in the context of ongoing developments in contemporary cosmology, a field that has undergone exponential growth over the past several decades.

This course studies poetry written in English during the past century, analyzed in relation to modernism, postmodernism, literary theory, and relevant social and technological developments. Our primary method of analysis will be (very) close reading.  

We will study works by twentieth century poets such as W. H. Auden, W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, H.D., Marianne Moore, William Carlos Williams, Wallace Stevens, Philip Larkin, Elizabeth Bishop, Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes, Dylan Thomas, Denise Levertov, Adrienne Rich, Sylvia Plath, Alan Ginsberg, Frank O’Hara, Seamus Heaney, and Derek Walcott, as well as twenty-first century poets including Louise Glück, Claudia Rankine, Tracy K. Smith, Ocean Vuong, W. S. Merwin, Rupi Kaur, Amanda Gorman, Mary Oliver, Naomi Shihab Nye, Sherman Alexie, Sarah Kay, Gregory Pardlo, and Nikita Gill, among others.  

Throughout the course, students will collaborate on a capstone project: a student-curated, annotated mini-anthology, centered on a theme/motif chosen by the class.   

This course treats different aspects of English vocabulary: baby names, place names, the function of jargon, the value of slang words, and dialect humour. We will also learn how to estimate the size of our vocabulary and how languages interact. Finally, we will consider the history of words and how language changes. The central question is: Where do our words come from?

World renowned Canadian director David Cronenberg is commonly recognized as a cinematic pioneer of the body horror genre. However, much of Cronenberg’s work branches off from the horror genre, applying his auteurist imagery of body horror to other genres and stories. Cronenberg’s career, which began in the 1970s and continues to grow today, presents a large number of filmic adaptations of novels, short stories, and the lives of real life and historical figures.

In this course, we will examine four different films by Cronenberg, adapted from four different sources, to study the varying capacities of adaptation and adaptation theory, as well as auteur theory, in the attempt to understand how Cronenberg retells established narratives, which include his signature themes of body horror.

This course explores the subject of heritage and exile in late 19th and early 20th century Icelandic-North American literature. The course will explore the subject through a selection of poems by Helga Steinvör Baldvinsdóttir (1858 – 1942), who wrote her poetry under the pseudonym Undína; a selection of poems by Stephan G. Stephansson (1853 – 1927), and a selection of poems and plays by Guttormur J. Guttormsson (1878 – 1966). Ideas on exile in modern Western literature will also be explored, in the context of poetics of exile in the works of Undína, Stephan G., and Guttormur.

Optional course for students of the Faculty of Languages and Cultures, in their 2nd or 3rd year of the BA-programme. The students read and study a well-known play that has been translated into several languages. The students will read the text in the target language. The students choose scenes from the play for the production.

Teachers from the target languages will assist the students with pronunciation.

Maximum number of students in this course is 15.

This course offers a general introduction to semantics, which deals with the nature of meaning in language.

In this course we will read five plays by William Shakespeare written across his career as a dramatist. Through detailed analysis of the plays, we will investigate Shakespeare’s innovative approach to genre, the intricacies of his language, the depth of his poetic imagination, the richness of allusion to the historical, cultural, and social issues of Renaissance England, and the insistent probing of the conventions and material realities of the early modern theatre.

Please note that this is course is NOT open to DE students.

This course explores some of the myths about human language. These myths include claims such as "the standards of children's speech and writing have declined"; "women talk too much"; "the 'purity' of language X is under threat"; "some languages are harder to learn than others"; "the media has a detrimental effect on language". These widely held views are examined critically and shown to be based on inadequate or false information, or simply, not to be true. Other topics to be addressed are spelling problems, attitudes towards accents, controversies over changes in language, and the belief that some languages have no grammar.

A historical overview of principles, methods, and best practices of English language teaching. Introduction to the national curriculum of English, teaching materials, and resources. Focus on student-centered teaching, learner autonomy, teacher reflection, and developing a philosophy of teaching.

The National Curriculum Guide will be read and analyzed. Students will have an opportunity to observe and evaluate recorded teaching and they will practice reflecting on their own ideas about teaching and experience of language learning. 

Course work demands active participation and consists of reading, written assignments, discussion, group and individual work, and microteaching.

This course  draws on seminal and current research about effective teaching and learning of English as a foreign language.  Students will come to understand important theories that underpin EFL learning and second language acquisition, especially as it concerns teaching the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). This is accomplished by considering relevant concepts related to language acquisition, learner autonomy, and language assessment in a self- reflective and analytical way. Essentially, this course examines the why behind language teaching through student‐led and teacher-supported seminars. It culminates in a research project considering how to practically apply this knowledge to EFL teaching in a way that benefits both teachers and learners.

Course work demands active participation and consists of reading, lectures, face-to-face and online discussions, student-driven presentations and a research project.

BA essay in English, 10 ECTS.

A formal departmental approval is required for a 20 credit essay (submission of a detailed proposal, a preliminary bibliography and the support of a supervisor, to the Chair of the English Department for voting at the next Department meeting).

The BA essay is no longer a requirement to complete the BA, though it is a requirement for entering the masters programme.

The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).

Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing [https://ritver.hi.is/is], which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.

Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/

See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544 

This course covers the nature of vocabulary acquisition: how vocabulary develops, is learned and taught. Various factors will be analyzed in detail, including, the role of pronunciation, word frequency, various learning strategies for vocabulary growth and considerable attention will be drawn to current research methodology in Vocabulary Acquisition. Students will review research as well as conduct a mini study.

Taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 am (2. and 3. year students only)

You are the perfect candidate if you have a burning desire to write fiction or poetry, and enjoy reading good books.

Aims include:

1. To sharpen awareness and improve skills through exercises in writing, and especially through revision

2. To provide practical criticism of work-in-progress in a workshop setting, along with advice about revisions and improvisation.

In addition to invoking the muse, students will learn practical writing skills such as organization, structure, characterization and dialogue. The course will also involve the examination of the work of key novel and short story writers, and poets. Throughout the course, students will develop their own work as well as improving their critical skills. Students will complete a short story or a small collection of poems by the end of the course.

Attendance requirement is 100% - you must attend one 1-hour presentation and one 2-hour workshop session per week. Not suitable for distance students.

Students who fulfil the prerequisites will be signed up. Sign up is on first come first served bases and there are 6 seats reserved for MA students and 6 seats reserved for BA students. Any unfilled seats for the course after the first week of classes will be offered to students on the waiting list. 

BA essay in English, 10 ECTS.

A formal departmental approval is required for a 20 credit essay (submission of a detailed proposal, a preliminary bibliography and the support of a supervisor, to the Chair of the English Department for voting at the next Department meeting).

The BA essay is no longer a requirement to complete the BA, though it is a requirement for entering the masters programme.

The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).

Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing [https://ritver.hi.is/is], which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.

Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/

See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544 

This course provides an overview of the study of the interaction of language and society, language contact and language variation. We will examine how the way we speak is influenced by who is speaking to whom about what under what circumstances. We look how identities and cultures are conveyed through language and what the choice of language and registers reveals about language attitudes and how society is structured. We will examine the nature of national languages and language planning, regional and social dialects, familylects and idiolects, bilingualism, multilingualism and code switching and rules of discourse in different settings.

Children's Literature-- Strange, marvellous, and often absurd, children’s literature allows readers to escape the mundane world and to slip into a fantastical realm which follows its own laws. In these stories, children play a central role; instead of being undermined or overlooked, young people become powerful agents who control their destinies and who enjoy limitless liberty, free from responsibility and routine. Paradoxically, while this type of fiction envisions a world which is spontaneous and carefree, it also mirrors very real adult concerns, namely, a preoccupation with aging and death, with the growing and shrinking female body, with the role and place of women in society, and with the rights and welfare of animals.

This course explores binaries such as young and old, male and female, human and animal, rationality and irrationality, reason and imagination, etc., ones that figure prominently in seminal works of this genre.

This course offers a detalied introduction to the study of English sentence structure from the perspective of modern linguistic theory. The course has two main aims: to introduce students to the Principles and Parameters framework of generative linguistics as it applies to English; and to offer students practical help in the structural analysis of sentences.

The course explores how the Tudors and the Tudor period are presented in contemporary (mainly 21st century) literature and film, especially through portrayals of Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I, but other people connected to them will also be studied as appropriate. Students read selected literary works on the life and reign of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I and watch films and TV series where Tudor monarchs are central and/or minor characters. Emphasis is placed on debates concerning the current infatuation with the Tudors as expressed through popular culture and the social media. Furthermore, those aspects of historical, literary and cultural interpretations of the Tudors’ role in history that are most pertinent to contemporary concerns are discussed.

This course aims to introduce students to the varied and rich world of science fiction, a genre that both incorporates and shapes cultural and cosmological inscriptions of space, the future, extraterrestrial worlds, and the possibilities of intergalactic travel. Our readings will include classic as well as obscure works of science fiction, with the goal of tracking developments in the genre over the past 100 years. So too, we will explore landmark science fiction films, paying attention to aesthetic and formal differences between visual media and prose. The course will consider works that cross cultural and national boundaries, but it will also interrogate how such works engage with contemporary sociopolitical concerns. Finally, we will situate works of science fiction in the context of ongoing developments in contemporary cosmology, a field that has undergone exponential growth over the past several decades.

This course studies poetry written in English during the past century, analyzed in relation to modernism, postmodernism, literary theory, and relevant social and technological developments. Our primary method of analysis will be (very) close reading.  

We will study works by twentieth century poets such as W. H. Auden, W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, H.D., Marianne Moore, William Carlos Williams, Wallace Stevens, Philip Larkin, Elizabeth Bishop, Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes, Dylan Thomas, Denise Levertov, Adrienne Rich, Sylvia Plath, Alan Ginsberg, Frank O’Hara, Seamus Heaney, and Derek Walcott, as well as twenty-first century poets including Louise Glück, Claudia Rankine, Tracy K. Smith, Ocean Vuong, W. S. Merwin, Rupi Kaur, Amanda Gorman, Mary Oliver, Naomi Shihab Nye, Sherman Alexie, Sarah Kay, Gregory Pardlo, and Nikita Gill, among others.  

Throughout the course, students will collaborate on a capstone project: a student-curated, annotated mini-anthology, centered on a theme/motif chosen by the class.   

This course treats different aspects of English vocabulary: baby names, place names, the function of jargon, the value of slang words, and dialect humour. We will also learn how to estimate the size of our vocabulary and how languages interact. Finally, we will consider the history of words and how language changes. The central question is: Where do our words come from?

World renowned Canadian director David Cronenberg is commonly recognized as a cinematic pioneer of the body horror genre. However, much of Cronenberg’s work branches off from the horror genre, applying his auteurist imagery of body horror to other genres and stories. Cronenberg’s career, which began in the 1970s and continues to grow today, presents a large number of filmic adaptations of novels, short stories, and the lives of real life and historical figures.

In this course, we will examine four different films by Cronenberg, adapted from four different sources, to study the varying capacities of adaptation and adaptation theory, as well as auteur theory, in the attempt to understand how Cronenberg retells established narratives, which include his signature themes of body horror.

This course explores the subject of heritage and exile in late 19th and early 20th century Icelandic-North American literature. The course will explore the subject through a selection of poems by Helga Steinvör Baldvinsdóttir (1858 – 1942), who wrote her poetry under the pseudonym Undína; a selection of poems by Stephan G. Stephansson (1853 – 1927), and a selection of poems and plays by Guttormur J. Guttormsson (1878 – 1966). Ideas on exile in modern Western literature will also be explored, in the context of poetics of exile in the works of Undína, Stephan G., and Guttormur.

Optional course for students of the Faculty of Languages and Cultures, in their 2nd or 3rd year of the BA-programme. The students read and study a well-known play that has been translated into several languages. The students will read the text in the target language. The students choose scenes from the play for the production.

Teachers from the target languages will assist the students with pronunciation.

Maximum number of students in this course is 15.

This course is a beginner’s course in Latin. No prior knowledge of Latin is assumed at the outset. It introduces the basics of Latin grammar and syntax. Chosen passages will be read in Latin, translated and thoroughly analysed. Teaching consists of 24 lectures on particular aspects of the Latin language and assigned readings.

This course is taught in Icelandic but students can get permission of the instructor to complete assignments and exams in English.

This course is a beginner’s course in Ancient Greek. It introduces the basics of grammar and syntax of the Attic dialect. No prior knowledge of Greek is assumed at the outset. Reading knowledge of Ancient Greek will be prioritized and chosen passages will be read in Greek, translated and thoroughly analysed. Teaching consists of both lectures on particular aspects of the Greek language and assigned readings. It is essential that students read the assigned materials before each lecture.

This course is taught in Icelandic but students can get permission of the instructor to complete assignments and exams in English.

The course is an introductory course in the Faculty of Languages and Cultures. Its aims and purpose include an introduction of basic concepts and terminology in the field, exploration of critical thinking to increase reading comprehension of academic texts, implementation of practical learning practices and academic procedures to facilitate successful academic studies, discussion on plagiarism and academic integrity, evaluation of academic standards, etc. Students receive practical training in critical evaluation of academic texts, basic argumentation analysis, identification of rhetorical patterns and text structure in various text types, review of acceptable references, and an introduction to analytical reading. Furthermore, students will gain insight into the importance of academic literacy to enhance understanding and writing of academic papers, presentation of research findings, etc.

The course is taught in English and is intended for students in:

1. The English BA program.
2.  Students of foreign languages (other than English)

 *Those students that need ECT credits as a result of changes in the MOM courses, as MOM102G used to be a 5-credit course, need to add an individual assignment (MOM001G, 1 ECT) within the MOM102G course.

• This individual assignment is only intended for students who finished MOM202G (before the school year 2024-2025) and are now enrolled in MOM102G, and have thus only gained 9 credits in the two mandatory MOM courses.
• Students who intend to increase their credits with a 6 ECT course, within their departments, are free to do so – and do thus not take this additional individual assignment (in MOM102G).

To sign up for the individual project you must talk to the teacher of MOM102G.

This course is the first of two introductory courses in linguistics.  It addresses such questions as: what kinds of sounds do humans make when using spoken language? How are those sounds organised within the sound system of a language? What is a word? If a sign is a combination of a form with a meaning, are words linguistic signs? Where do words come from? How are words put together?

The focus of the course is on English, though other languages will be discussed as relevant.

This course offers a survey of important domains of linguistics, especially those which emphasise the relation of human language to man in a broader context: sociolinguistics, dialect variation, first language acquisition, second language acquisition, language and the brain, historical comparative linguistics, and animal communication.  The focus of the course is on English and the course introduces students of English to areas of linguistics that they can explore in more detail later in their studies.

The aim of this course is to give students a good overview of the social and political backgrounds to Great Britain. In the process of doing that we will examine patterns of British culture, political and social institutions and ethnic minority groups. Assessment: a 2 hour final exam.

This is a survey course of British Literature from the beginnings of Romanticism to the early twentieth century. The required reading includes some poetry, a play, short stories, novellas, and a novel. Students will read and analyze works by major Romantics (including Wordsworth, Byron, Shelley, and Keats), Victorians (Tennyson, Browning, Arnold, Gaskell, and Wilde) and modern authors (Yeats and Joyce). They will also be introduced to various literary terms and themes.

In a world increasingly awash in conspiracy theories, fake news, AI-generated deep fakes and denialism of scientific and historical facts, our ability to interpret politics, culture and society with critical discernment is more important than ever.  

Focusing on culture, this course aims to give you the analytical tools you need as a student and citizen to critically interpret texts, visual culture and language.  

You will train your hermeneutical skills on short narratives and images, with help from selected readings in literary theory, cultural studies and visual culture(s), and engage in historical contextualization  

The emphasis in the class will be on critical thinking and group discussion, allowing you to share your analytical discoveries with your fellow students and build an interpretative community. 

An overview of the history and development of the English language.

This course is the second of two introductory courses in linguistics. It addresses such questions as: how are words put together to form sentences? how is the form of words affected by their place in a sentence? what other kinds of grammatical information influence the shape and use of words in a sentence? how are sentences related to each other? how can sentences be combined to form larger sentences? how do separate sentences relate to each other when strung together? what do words mean? what do sentences mean? what is discourse meaning?

The focus of the course is on English, though other languages will be discussed as relevant.

The ability to write well in English is a prerequisite for all other courses in the English department. The main aim of this course is to equip students to write in English for academic purposes. Course work will involve writing practice and composing essays based on primary and secondary research. There will be a strong emphasis on the organization of ideas as well as on style. The main goal is for students to gain an understanding of the writing process and develop their own voice in writing.

• This course aims at revisiting decisive moments of the history of the United States of America, from the early settlement to the present.
• Particular attention will be dedicated to the events surrounding the Independence of the country, the American Civil War and ensuing Reconstruction, as well as offering a broad overview of the 20^th and early 21^st centuries.
• There will also be an emphasis on the experiences of minorities and disenfranchised collectives (Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans, the LGBTQ community, as well as the rights of women) in the history of the United States, from the settlement to present.

Authors representative of nineteenth-century American Literature are read in historical context.

“Literature and Essay Writing” will expose students to exemplary texts in English across a range of historical periods and genres. It will prompt students to engage in imaginative and critical dialogues with works of literature  foregrounding close reading skills, poetic and critical thinking, scholarly and creative journaling, and analytical and research essay writing skills. The course is designed to increase proficiency in the generation and organization of ideas, in editing and research skills, and in the use of the MLA style of citation.

This course will expand student's capacity to enjoy, understand and write about language and linguistics. The aim of the module is to develop students' proficiency in process writing in English for academic purposes, with special attention given to increasing proficiency in organization, writing and revising, and on students developing their own voice in expository writing. Course work will include writing assignments and essays, as well as reading a variety of texts for critical reflection and analysis. Individual and peer feedback will be a major feature of this module. The course is also designed to strengthen skills in research and the use of APA style.

This course provides an introduction to the major principles of contemporary literary theory and criticism and to established methods and materials of literary research. Major theories include, structuralism, feminism, Queer Theory, postmodernism, marxism, post-colonial criticism, posthumanism, and eco-criticism. The objective of the course is to help you to develop your skills as a reader and critic.

Midterm Exam information:  
Midterm essay  of 1000-1,500 words. 35 percent (home assignment, file upload)

Final exams:
Exam (theory-focused) 25 percent (short answer questions onsite with inspera) 
Final Essay 40 percent (home assignment, file upload)

This course provides a survey of some of the best known and most influential literary texts in English from the early Middle Ages (Old English period) to the end of the Elizabethan era.

IMPORTANT: This course is the first half of ENS303G British Literature II (which has now been split into two separate courses, one for each term of the academic year). Students who have completed ENS303G are not eligible to take this course.

This course offers a general introduction to semantics, which deals with the nature of meaning in language.

In this course we will read five plays by William Shakespeare written across his career as a dramatist. Through detailed analysis of the plays, we will investigate Shakespeare’s innovative approach to genre, the intricacies of his language, the depth of his poetic imagination, the richness of allusion to the historical, cultural, and social issues of Renaissance England, and the insistent probing of the conventions and material realities of the early modern theatre.

Please note that this is course is NOT open to DE students.

This course explores some of the myths about human language. These myths include claims such as "the standards of children's speech and writing have declined"; "women talk too much"; "the 'purity' of language X is under threat"; "some languages are harder to learn than others"; "the media has a detrimental effect on language". These widely held views are examined critically and shown to be based on inadequate or false information, or simply, not to be true. Other topics to be addressed are spelling problems, attitudes towards accents, controversies over changes in language, and the belief that some languages have no grammar.

A historical overview of principles, methods, and best practices of English language teaching. Introduction to the national curriculum of English, teaching materials, and resources. Focus on student-centered teaching, learner autonomy, teacher reflection, and developing a philosophy of teaching.

The National Curriculum Guide will be read and analyzed. Students will have an opportunity to observe and evaluate recorded teaching and they will practice reflecting on their own ideas about teaching and experience of language learning. 

Course work demands active participation and consists of reading, written assignments, discussion, group and individual work, and microteaching.

This course  draws on seminal and current research about effective teaching and learning of English as a foreign language.  Students will come to understand important theories that underpin EFL learning and second language acquisition, especially as it concerns teaching the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). This is accomplished by considering relevant concepts related to language acquisition, learner autonomy, and language assessment in a self- reflective and analytical way. Essentially, this course examines the why behind language teaching through student‐led and teacher-supported seminars. It culminates in a research project considering how to practically apply this knowledge to EFL teaching in a way that benefits both teachers and learners.

Course work demands active participation and consists of reading, lectures, face-to-face and online discussions, student-driven presentations and a research project.

This course provides a survey of some of the best known and most influential poetry and prose in English from the early 17^th to the late 18^th century.

BA essay in English, 10 ECTS.

A formal departmental approval is required for a 20 credit essay (submission of a detailed proposal, a preliminary bibliography and the support of a supervisor, to the Chair of the English Department for voting at the next Department meeting).

The BA essay is no longer a requirement to complete the BA, though it is a requirement for entering the masters programme.

The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).

Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing [https://ritver.hi.is/is], which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.

Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/

See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544 

This course provides an overview of the study of the interaction of language and society, language contact and language variation. We will examine how the way we speak is influenced by who is speaking to whom about what under what circumstances. We look how identities and cultures are conveyed through language and what the choice of language and registers reveals about language attitudes and how society is structured. We will examine the nature of national languages and language planning, regional and social dialects, familylects and idiolects, bilingualism, multilingualism and code switching and rules of discourse in different settings.

Children's Literature-- Strange, marvellous, and often absurd, children’s literature allows readers to escape the mundane world and to slip into a fantastical realm which follows its own laws. In these stories, children play a central role; instead of being undermined or overlooked, young people become powerful agents who control their destinies and who enjoy limitless liberty, free from responsibility and routine. Paradoxically, while this type of fiction envisions a world which is spontaneous and carefree, it also mirrors very real adult concerns, namely, a preoccupation with aging and death, with the growing and shrinking female body, with the role and place of women in society, and with the rights and welfare of animals.

This course explores binaries such as young and old, male and female, human and animal, rationality and irrationality, reason and imagination, etc., ones that figure prominently in seminal works of this genre.

This course offers a detalied introduction to the study of English sentence structure from the perspective of modern linguistic theory. The course has two main aims: to introduce students to the Principles and Parameters framework of generative linguistics as it applies to English; and to offer students practical help in the structural analysis of sentences.

The course explores how the Tudors and the Tudor period are presented in contemporary (mainly 21st century) literature and film, especially through portrayals of Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I, but other people connected to them will also be studied as appropriate. Students read selected literary works on the life and reign of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I and watch films and TV series where Tudor monarchs are central and/or minor characters. Emphasis is placed on debates concerning the current infatuation with the Tudors as expressed through popular culture and the social media. Furthermore, those aspects of historical, literary and cultural interpretations of the Tudors’ role in history that are most pertinent to contemporary concerns are discussed.

This course aims to introduce students to the varied and rich world of science fiction, a genre that both incorporates and shapes cultural and cosmological inscriptions of space, the future, extraterrestrial worlds, and the possibilities of intergalactic travel. Our readings will include classic as well as obscure works of science fiction, with the goal of tracking developments in the genre over the past 100 years. So too, we will explore landmark science fiction films, paying attention to aesthetic and formal differences between visual media and prose. The course will consider works that cross cultural and national boundaries, but it will also interrogate how such works engage with contemporary sociopolitical concerns. Finally, we will situate works of science fiction in the context of ongoing developments in contemporary cosmology, a field that has undergone exponential growth over the past several decades.

This course studies poetry written in English during the past century, analyzed in relation to modernism, postmodernism, literary theory, and relevant social and technological developments. Our primary method of analysis will be (very) close reading.  

We will study works by twentieth century poets such as W. H. Auden, W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, H.D., Marianne Moore, William Carlos Williams, Wallace Stevens, Philip Larkin, Elizabeth Bishop, Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes, Dylan Thomas, Denise Levertov, Adrienne Rich, Sylvia Plath, Alan Ginsberg, Frank O’Hara, Seamus Heaney, and Derek Walcott, as well as twenty-first century poets including Louise Glück, Claudia Rankine, Tracy K. Smith, Ocean Vuong, W. S. Merwin, Rupi Kaur, Amanda Gorman, Mary Oliver, Naomi Shihab Nye, Sherman Alexie, Sarah Kay, Gregory Pardlo, and Nikita Gill, among others.  

Throughout the course, students will collaborate on a capstone project: a student-curated, annotated mini-anthology, centered on a theme/motif chosen by the class.   

This course treats different aspects of English vocabulary: baby names, place names, the function of jargon, the value of slang words, and dialect humour. We will also learn how to estimate the size of our vocabulary and how languages interact. Finally, we will consider the history of words and how language changes. The central question is: Where do our words come from?

World renowned Canadian director David Cronenberg is commonly recognized as a cinematic pioneer of the body horror genre. However, much of Cronenberg’s work branches off from the horror genre, applying his auteurist imagery of body horror to other genres and stories. Cronenberg’s career, which began in the 1970s and continues to grow today, presents a large number of filmic adaptations of novels, short stories, and the lives of real life and historical figures.

In this course, we will examine four different films by Cronenberg, adapted from four different sources, to study the varying capacities of adaptation and adaptation theory, as well as auteur theory, in the attempt to understand how Cronenberg retells established narratives, which include his signature themes of body horror.

This course explores the subject of heritage and exile in late 19th and early 20th century Icelandic-North American literature. The course will explore the subject through a selection of poems by Helga Steinvör Baldvinsdóttir (1858 – 1942), who wrote her poetry under the pseudonym Undína; a selection of poems by Stephan G. Stephansson (1853 – 1927), and a selection of poems and plays by Guttormur J. Guttormsson (1878 – 1966). Ideas on exile in modern Western literature will also be explored, in the context of poetics of exile in the works of Undína, Stephan G., and Guttormur.

Optional course for students of the Faculty of Languages and Cultures, in their 2nd or 3rd year of the BA-programme. The students read and study a well-known play that has been translated into several languages. The students will read the text in the target language. The students choose scenes from the play for the production.

Teachers from the target languages will assist the students with pronunciation.

Maximum number of students in this course is 15.

This course offers a general introduction to semantics, which deals with the nature of meaning in language.

In this course we will read five plays by William Shakespeare written across his career as a dramatist. Through detailed analysis of the plays, we will investigate Shakespeare’s innovative approach to genre, the intricacies of his language, the depth of his poetic imagination, the richness of allusion to the historical, cultural, and social issues of Renaissance England, and the insistent probing of the conventions and material realities of the early modern theatre.

Please note that this is course is NOT open to DE students.

This course explores some of the myths about human language. These myths include claims such as "the standards of children's speech and writing have declined"; "women talk too much"; "the 'purity' of language X is under threat"; "some languages are harder to learn than others"; "the media has a detrimental effect on language". These widely held views are examined critically and shown to be based on inadequate or false information, or simply, not to be true. Other topics to be addressed are spelling problems, attitudes towards accents, controversies over changes in language, and the belief that some languages have no grammar.

A historical overview of principles, methods, and best practices of English language teaching. Introduction to the national curriculum of English, teaching materials, and resources. Focus on student-centered teaching, learner autonomy, teacher reflection, and developing a philosophy of teaching.

The National Curriculum Guide will be read and analyzed. Students will have an opportunity to observe and evaluate recorded teaching and they will practice reflecting on their own ideas about teaching and experience of language learning. 

Course work demands active participation and consists of reading, written assignments, discussion, group and individual work, and microteaching.

This course  draws on seminal and current research about effective teaching and learning of English as a foreign language.  Students will come to understand important theories that underpin EFL learning and second language acquisition, especially as it concerns teaching the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). This is accomplished by considering relevant concepts related to language acquisition, learner autonomy, and language assessment in a self- reflective and analytical way. Essentially, this course examines the why behind language teaching through student‐led and teacher-supported seminars. It culminates in a research project considering how to practically apply this knowledge to EFL teaching in a way that benefits both teachers and learners.

Course work demands active participation and consists of reading, lectures, face-to-face and online discussions, student-driven presentations and a research project.

BA essay in English, 10 ECTS.

A formal departmental approval is required for a 20 credit essay (submission of a detailed proposal, a preliminary bibliography and the support of a supervisor, to the Chair of the English Department for voting at the next Department meeting).

The BA essay is no longer a requirement to complete the BA, though it is a requirement for entering the masters programme.

The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).

Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing [https://ritver.hi.is/is], which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.

Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/

See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544 

This course covers the nature of vocabulary acquisition: how vocabulary develops, is learned and taught. Various factors will be analyzed in detail, including, the role of pronunciation, word frequency, various learning strategies for vocabulary growth and considerable attention will be drawn to current research methodology in Vocabulary Acquisition. Students will review research as well as conduct a mini study.

Taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 am (2. and 3. year students only)

You are the perfect candidate if you have a burning desire to write fiction or poetry, and enjoy reading good books.

Aims include:

1. To sharpen awareness and improve skills through exercises in writing, and especially through revision

2. To provide practical criticism of work-in-progress in a workshop setting, along with advice about revisions and improvisation.

In addition to invoking the muse, students will learn practical writing skills such as organization, structure, characterization and dialogue. The course will also involve the examination of the work of key novel and short story writers, and poets. Throughout the course, students will develop their own work as well as improving their critical skills. Students will complete a short story or a small collection of poems by the end of the course.

Attendance requirement is 100% - you must attend one 1-hour presentation and one 2-hour workshop session per week. Not suitable for distance students.

Students who fulfil the prerequisites will be signed up. Sign up is on first come first served bases and there are 6 seats reserved for MA students and 6 seats reserved for BA students. Any unfilled seats for the course after the first week of classes will be offered to students on the waiting list. 

BA essay in English, 10 ECTS.

A formal departmental approval is required for a 20 credit essay (submission of a detailed proposal, a preliminary bibliography and the support of a supervisor, to the Chair of the English Department for voting at the next Department meeting).

The BA essay is no longer a requirement to complete the BA, though it is a requirement for entering the masters programme.

The BA thesis is primarily intended to train students in researching a chosen topic within their field of study and presenting their findings in a well-structured academic text. Students write a BA thesis on a research topic of their own choice in consultation with their supervisor. The course coordinator assists students in selecting a supervisor if needed. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor and prepare an initial outline of the research project before the thesis semester begins.
The final thesis should demonstrate the student’s ability to work independently and academically, present material logically and systematically, analyse sources, and make use of scholarly resources (e.g., handbooks, dictionaries, or comparable online resources).

Students are encouraged to use the services of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing [https://ritver.hi.is/is], which offers support for academic writing. At the Centre for Writing, students can book consultations and receive advice on any issues related to academic essays, reports, and other written assignments.

Students are also advised to familiarise themselves with the University of Iceland guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence: https://gervigreind.hi.is/

See detailed rules regarding BA theses at the School of Humanities (in Icelandic only): https://ugla.hi.is/kerfi/view/page.php?sid=3544 

This course provides an overview of the study of the interaction of language and society, language contact and language variation. We will examine how the way we speak is influenced by who is speaking to whom about what under what circumstances. We look how identities and cultures are conveyed through language and what the choice of language and registers reveals about language attitudes and how society is structured. We will examine the nature of national languages and language planning, regional and social dialects, familylects and idiolects, bilingualism, multilingualism and code switching and rules of discourse in different settings.

Children's Literature-- Strange, marvellous, and often absurd, children’s literature allows readers to escape the mundane world and to slip into a fantastical realm which follows its own laws. In these stories, children play a central role; instead of being undermined or overlooked, young people become powerful agents who control their destinies and who enjoy limitless liberty, free from responsibility and routine. Paradoxically, while this type of fiction envisions a world which is spontaneous and carefree, it also mirrors very real adult concerns, namely, a preoccupation with aging and death, with the growing and shrinking female body, with the role and place of women in society, and with the rights and welfare of animals.

This course explores binaries such as young and old, male and female, human and animal, rationality and irrationality, reason and imagination, etc., ones that figure prominently in seminal works of this genre.

This course offers a detalied introduction to the study of English sentence structure from the perspective of modern linguistic theory. The course has two main aims: to introduce students to the Principles and Parameters framework of generative linguistics as it applies to English; and to offer students practical help in the structural analysis of sentences.

The course explores how the Tudors and the Tudor period are presented in contemporary (mainly 21st century) literature and film, especially through portrayals of Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I, but other people connected to them will also be studied as appropriate. Students read selected literary works on the life and reign of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I and watch films and TV series where Tudor monarchs are central and/or minor characters. Emphasis is placed on debates concerning the current infatuation with the Tudors as expressed through popular culture and the social media. Furthermore, those aspects of historical, literary and cultural interpretations of the Tudors’ role in history that are most pertinent to contemporary concerns are discussed.

This course aims to introduce students to the varied and rich world of science fiction, a genre that both incorporates and shapes cultural and cosmological inscriptions of space, the future, extraterrestrial worlds, and the possibilities of intergalactic travel. Our readings will include classic as well as obscure works of science fiction, with the goal of tracking developments in the genre over the past 100 years. So too, we will explore landmark science fiction films, paying attention to aesthetic and formal differences between visual media and prose. The course will consider works that cross cultural and national boundaries, but it will also interrogate how such works engage with contemporary sociopolitical concerns. Finally, we will situate works of science fiction in the context of ongoing developments in contemporary cosmology, a field that has undergone exponential growth over the past several decades.

This course studies poetry written in English during the past century, analyzed in relation to modernism, postmodernism, literary theory, and relevant social and technological developments. Our primary method of analysis will be (very) close reading.  

We will study works by twentieth century poets such as W. H. Auden, W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, H.D., Marianne Moore, William Carlos Williams, Wallace Stevens, Philip Larkin, Elizabeth Bishop, Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes, Dylan Thomas, Denise Levertov, Adrienne Rich, Sylvia Plath, Alan Ginsberg, Frank O’Hara, Seamus Heaney, and Derek Walcott, as well as twenty-first century poets including Louise Glück, Claudia Rankine, Tracy K. Smith, Ocean Vuong, W. S. Merwin, Rupi Kaur, Amanda Gorman, Mary Oliver, Naomi Shihab Nye, Sherman Alexie, Sarah Kay, Gregory Pardlo, and Nikita Gill, among others.  

Throughout the course, students will collaborate on a capstone project: a student-curated, annotated mini-anthology, centered on a theme/motif chosen by the class.   

This course treats different aspects of English vocabulary: baby names, place names, the function of jargon, the value of slang words, and dialect humour. We will also learn how to estimate the size of our vocabulary and how languages interact. Finally, we will consider the history of words and how language changes. The central question is: Where do our words come from?

World renowned Canadian director David Cronenberg is commonly recognized as a cinematic pioneer of the body horror genre. However, much of Cronenberg’s work branches off from the horror genre, applying his auteurist imagery of body horror to other genres and stories. Cronenberg’s career, which began in the 1970s and continues to grow today, presents a large number of filmic adaptations of novels, short stories, and the lives of real life and historical figures.

In this course, we will examine four different films by Cronenberg, adapted from four different sources, to study the varying capacities of adaptation and adaptation theory, as well as auteur theory, in the attempt to understand how Cronenberg retells established narratives, which include his signature themes of body horror.

This course explores the subject of heritage and exile in late 19th and early 20th century Icelandic-North American literature. The course will explore the subject through a selection of poems by Helga Steinvör Baldvinsdóttir (1858 – 1942), who wrote her poetry under the pseudonym Undína; a selection of poems by Stephan G. Stephansson (1853 – 1927), and a selection of poems and plays by Guttormur J. Guttormsson (1878 – 1966). Ideas on exile in modern Western literature will also be explored, in the context of poetics of exile in the works of Undína, Stephan G., and Guttormur.

Optional course for students of the Faculty of Languages and Cultures, in their 2nd or 3rd year of the BA-programme. The students read and study a well-known play that has been translated into several languages. The students will read the text in the target language. The students choose scenes from the play for the production.

Teachers from the target languages will assist the students with pronunciation.

Maximum number of students in this course is 15.

This course is a beginner’s course in Latin. No prior knowledge of Latin is assumed at the outset. It introduces the basics of Latin grammar and syntax. Chosen passages will be read in Latin, translated and thoroughly analysed. Teaching consists of 24 lectures on particular aspects of the Latin language and assigned readings.

This course is taught in Icelandic but students can get permission of the instructor to complete assignments and exams in English.

This course is a beginner’s course in Ancient Greek. It introduces the basics of grammar and syntax of the Attic dialect. No prior knowledge of Greek is assumed at the outset. Reading knowledge of Ancient Greek will be prioritized and chosen passages will be read in Greek, translated and thoroughly analysed. Teaching consists of both lectures on particular aspects of the Greek language and assigned readings. It is essential that students read the assigned materials before each lecture.

This course is taught in Icelandic but students can get permission of the instructor to complete assignments and exams in English.