HON1000 – Cross-Disciplinary Thematic Focus for Honours Students

Course content

The course will give perspectives from multiple disciplines on the current interdisciplinary topic. The intention is to give you an introduction to a topic known to you via the honours programme and to inspire you to further work on this topic. The topic will be highlighted by inviting researchers and lecturers to present different perspectives from their disciplines. The course will give you a practical introduction to academic traditions on learning and discussions, and a new perspective on both your own and other fields, and how they interact with each other. You will get experience working in interdisciplinary groups. The teaching is based on active participation in discussions with leading professionals. You will learn to analyze and develop scientific reasoning and how to recognize and apply scientific principles in your analysis and discussion.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

We expect you to:

• know the basic issues surrounding an interdisciplinary topic and the topic´s relation to your own professional background and at least one additional professional background.
• know the basic principles of scientific work and discussion, both in your own professional background and when facing other professional backgrounds.
• comprehend the complexity of an interdisciplinary issue based on your own professional competence, lectures and discussions.

Skills

We expect you to:

• be able to familiarize yourself with relevant literature within an interdisciplinary topic, develop and ask critical questions to a presentation, actively participate in discussions, cooperate with professionals and students, and reflect on these activities.
• be able to acquaint yourself with new topics and how you can explain an issue from different fields of study.
• develop skills, interest and understanding to see your knowledge in the context with others' knowledge.

Competence:

We expect you to:

• be able to work effectively and communicate on a professional issue with people from a different professional background.

Admission to the course

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

The course is only open to students with admission to Honours-programmet (bachelor)

Teaching

The course is taught over two semesters:

• 6 two-hours seminars each semester
• 6 two-hours preparations each semester 

There are twelve seminars and twelve preparations all together .

The seminars are organized as a one-hour lecture or discussion between professionals followed by a one-hour discussion between students and the lecturers. The lecturers are active researchers who work within the topic and who will explain the topic with regard to their own professional background.

The students will get the relevant literature for each lecture in advance. In preparation for the seminars, the students will work on compiled questions in small supervised interdisciplinary groups. The questions should have a brief motivation. The questions will be addressed during the seminar. After the seminar, the students will write a brief reflection for the question, the reply and the discussion. The reflections will be handed in along with the question. These reflections will make the base for the portfolio assessment in the course.

The seminars and the preparations have compulsory participation. You must attend at least 10 out of 12.

Compulsory activities must be approved in order to take the final exam, and they are only valid for the semester they were approved.

Examination

• Portfolio assessment consisting of the reflection notes from the seminars.

The seminars are mandatory, you must attend at least 10 out of 12. For each seminar you have participated in you are required to hand in a reflection note. At least eight of the reflection notes must be approved, it is not possible to hand in a revised version of the note for a second evaluation.

Software to check for plagiarism will be used.

Examination support material

No examination support material is allowed.

Language of examination

You may submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.

Resit an examination

In this course, postponed exams are not offered for exam candidates who are ill before the exam or who become ill during the exam. A deferred submission deadline can be offered.

The illness must be documented with a doctor's certificate dated no later than the ordinary submission date. You must submit the doctor's certificate to the course's contact point before the submission deadline for the home exam.

New exams are not offered to candidates who withdraw or do not pass the regular exam.

More about examinations at UiO

• Use of sources and citations
• Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
• Withdrawal from an exam
• Illness at exams / postponed exams
• Explanation of grades and appeals
• Resitting an exam
• Cheating/attempted cheating

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.