Work process

  1. REGISTER FIRST! Please send an e-mail as soon as possible (before the course starts) to Lilita Zalkalns (lilita.zalkalns@balt.su.se) who will then register you for the course. The course begins on Monday, February 15, 2021. Late registrations will not be accepted.

  2. ACTIVATE your university account. Otherwise you will not have access to the education platform ATHENA, nor will you receive updated course information. See https://aktivera.su.se/dashboard/selectIdProvider for information on how to activate your university account. After activating your university account, log into ATHENA, you should see your course.

  3. If you do not have a Swedish identity code (personnummer), then contact Lilita Zalkalns (lilita.zalkalns@balt.su.se) who will send you a one-time code.  Activate your university account and log into ATHENA, you should see your course.

  4. CREATE accounts at Wordalist (https://wordalist.com) and Quizlet (https://quizlet.com). Both are free of charge. These are obligatory steps. Please use your real first/last name, or some other easily identifiable name as your "identity".

 

Course content

The course covers the basics in Latvian grammar, pronunciation, morphology, syntax, oral and written skills. The course is directed to beginners in Latvian and there are no requirements for previous Latvian language knowledge.

Prerequisites

The course uses English as the “contrastive” language, meaning that you will learn Latvian via English. That is why you should have excellent command of the English language

Since the course is internet-based, most of our communication will take place digitally. You are therefore expected to have basic knowledge in word processing and in internet usage. You should also have access to a computer with network access. Barring other instructions, most assignments can be submitted as Word documents.

 

Course Duration

The course takes place from week 7 to week 16. The first module will be published on the university’s education platform ATHENA on Monday, February 15, 2021. It is highly recommended that you check Module 0 before the start of the course - this will familiarize you with the ATHENA interface andd help you with the course literature.

On February 15, 2021 at 6-7 pm, you will have the opportunity to sign in on an informative question & answer session on ZOOM. The link will be found in ATHENA under Module 1.

Course Schedule

MODULE

Opening

 Closing
Module 0 Introduction

January 18

 --
Module 1

February 15

 March 1
Module 2

February 22

 March 8
Module 3

March 1

 March 15
Module 4

March 8

 March 22
SKYPE WEEK

March 15

 March 28
Module 5

March 22

 April 5
Module 6

March 29

 April 12
Module 7

April 5

 April 19
Module 8

April 12

 April 26
SKYPE WEEK

April 19

 May 2
 

In ATHENA, you will have the possibility to ask your teacher questions and meet your fellow students in a discussion forum.

Once a week you will work with a module. The level of difficulty in each module increases over the run of the course. You may use all the helping aids you need to read the texts, listen to the audio files and solve the assignments. You will receive a total of 8 modules during the course, where each module will cover several aspects of Latvian: grammar, pronunciation, morphology, syntax, oral and written proficiency. You will submit your assignments in your file on ATHENA. The teacher will read your answers and give you feedback.

Twice during the course you will be required to participate in an individual conversation with the course instructor via Zoom, Skype, or other web platform.

Examination

Examination takes place continually via your submitted assignments on ATHENA. The time limit to submit assignments for Module 1 is March 1, 2021, i.e. two weeks after the module is released. Thereafter, participants who have not handed in their assignments for Module 1 will have their course registrations cancelled, i.e. you will be removed from the course.

The time limit for the other seven modules is 2 weeks each. If you discover that you do not have time to follow the course (when you have already registered), we ask you to do an early break (tidigt avbrott) by the third week after the start of the course. In this way you will have the opportunity to apply for the course again at another time. If your do not take an “early break”, and if you want to join the course again later, there is a risk that you will not be able to retake the course, due to the participant number restrictions.

 

Course Literature

  1. Dace Praulins and Christopher Moseley: Colloquial Latvian. A Complete Course for Beginners. (Note: 2010 or later) Found as electronic resource at Stockholm University Library.
  2. Dace Prauliņš: Latvian: an essential grammar. Routledge, London, 2012. Found as electronic resource at Stockholm University Library.
  3. Dzintra Kalniņa et al: English-Latvian Dictionary/Latvian-English Dictionary. Avots, Riga, 2003. Or any other appropriate dictionary, or online, e.g. dictionary.site.lv, www.linguee.com, etc.
  4. Exercises at https://elaipa.lv/Home/A1
  5. Additional material in the modules (on ATHENA)

Grades and Examination

Grades are given according to a criterion referenced seven-point scale: A=Excellent, B=Very Good, C=Good, D=Satisfactory, E=Adequate, Fx=Insufficient, F=Fail. The grading criteria can be found on www.su.se/slabafinety.  A student who has received a grade of E or higher may not be examined again in order to get a higher grade.

Expected Outcomes

At the end of the course the student will have shown an ability to

  • acquire elementary knowledge about Latvian morphology and syntax
  • account for Latvian pronunciation and spelling principles
  • express oneself in elementary Latvian using common greeting and farewell phrases

The course is regulated by a course plan

The aim and content of the course, as well as the course literature is regulated by a course plan that is confirmed by the board of the Department of Slavic and Baltic Studies, Finnish, Dutch and German. Forms of examination and obligatory attendance are also confirmed by the department board. These cannot be changed during the current term. After each term, the course is reviewed, and we take note of student views on course content and course plan. All students are requested to make their views known to us either during the course, or in the special course evaluation which is distributed at the end of the course.

The latest course plan is found here: BA1161_Course_Plan.

Plagiarism and cheating

The Department of Slavic and Baltic Studies, Finnish, Dutch and German does not accept any form of plagiarism or cheating. You as student are responsible for carrying out your studies and examinations in a correct manner. This means, among other things, that in all papers and presentations you must provide sources and references, and make sure that all direct quotations are correctly cited.  By using the words and thoughts of others, without naming the sources, you are guilty of plagiarism. Neither are you allowed to use your own previously written assignments and essays (self-plagiarism) without citation. Plagiarism may be a form of cheating, which may lead to getting a failing grade and/or a suspension from studies. More information (in Swedish): http://www.su.se/slabafinety/utbildning/studieinformation/plagiat-1.93541