Religious Bergen: A Field Course
Undergraduate course
- ECTS credits
- 5
- Teaching semesters
- Spring
- Course code
- RELV215
- Number of semesters
- 1
- Teaching language
- English
- Resources
- Schedule
Course description
Objectives and Content
This course has two main objectives, namely
1. To study various aspects of the religious landscape of Norway's second largest city, Bergen. This includes Bergen's religious history, the present landscape of different religious communities, and their social and political position vis-à-vis, for example, or communities or local institutions such as the city government.
and
2. To gain experience and develop skills in preparing, conducting and reporting on field work in the study of religion.
Learning Outcomes
The student shall by the end of the course have gained the following learning outcome defined in knowledge, skills, and general competence:
Knowledge
The student will be knowledgeable of
- methodological and ethical issues regarding fieldwork
- the religious history of Bergen and of its present religious landscape and place of religion(s) in the city.
Skills:
The student
- can in cooperation with peers professionally prepare, conduct, and report on fieldwork in the study of religion
- can critically analyze academically written texts as well as data derived from fieldwork
General competence:
The student
- can analyze the various research and ethical problems surrounding field work in the study of religious studies
- can communicate critically about the position of religious communities in a multicultural city, using the academic terminology of the research field
- can make balanced and informed judgments about particular circumstances of conflict related to minorities in a multicultural state
ECTS Credits
Level of Study
Semester of Instruction
Place of Instruction
Required Previous Knowledge
Recommended Previous Knowledge
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
Access to the Course
Teaching and learning methods
The teaching and student activities in this course will take place physically in the city of Bergen as well as online before and after that.
- Online meetings.
- Readings
- Short quizzes on the readings that tests the students basic understanding of the readings
- Lectures and guided tours
- Field work activities prepared for and conducted in small groups
- Individual feedback on discussion postings and essays from the instructor
- participation in online discussions
Compulsory Assignments and Attendance
In this course the following compulsory requirements must be approved in order to sit for the examination:
- Online quizzes about the preparatory readings. The quizzes will test the students' command of the prescribed course material, and successful completion of at least 70% online course questions in course quizzes.
- Attend at least 80% of all lectures and/or guided tours of the course
- Participation in at least one field work assignment in Bergen
- Contribute to a group presentation about the conducted fieldwork
Compulsory requirements are evaluated with "approved/not approved."
Forms of Assessment
Portfolio assessment. The portfolio consists of two parts:
- Photo report consisting of at least 10 photos
- Individual field work report (750 words)
The exam assignment will be given in English.
The exam can be submitted in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading Scale
Assessment Semester
Spring.
There will also be assessment early autumn semester for students with valid mandatory course requirements, given that the course is instructed the term before.
Reading List
The reading list consists of approximately 200 pages.
The reading list is published by December 1 for the spring semester.