BSc in Business, Language and Culture

Microeconomics

Microeconomics constitutes much of the theoretical foundation for many management fields, including strategy, marketing, finance, and international business. This course provides an introduction to the methodology, perspective, analytical style, and main theoretical insights of economics as it applies to individual organizations, industries, and markets. Micoreconomic theory can inform optimale behavour in a variety of context. Markets drive individual choices which in turn impact global outcomes such as climate change. The course aims at creating an understanding on how market structures and incentives can create and solve relevant challenges of the global economy.

Topics covered in the course include:
 

• Market supply, demand, and equilibrium
• Elasticity of demand and supply
• Rational choice and consumer theory
• Firms, Production, and Costs
• Optimal producer and consumer choices
• Competitive markets and Monopolies
• Oligopoly and Game theory

Learning Objectives

At the end of the course students should be able to:

ECTS

7.5

Macroeconomics

The course in Macroeconomics develops the knowledge of main macroeconomic indicators (such as GDP, monetary policy and foreign direct investments) in the wide context of sustainability and green transitions. The ability to put the macroeconomic theory in relation to the broader phenomenon of climate change is highlighted in the learning objective: “Describe the links between economic activity, monetary policy, trade and climate change.” By connecting the concept of economic activity to the ecological ceiling, the students recognize the humanity’s challenge of achieving the desired goal of a sustainable economic growth given the scarse resources of our planet. The course also offers insights on ways policy makers, entrepreneurs and economic actors in general can overcome this challenge. A good example of this type of actions is a green monetary policy that makes it more expensive for polluting entrepreneurs to borrow money and to finance their investments compared to greener entrepreneurs and businesses.

Another important objective of this course is to endow the students with the skills of connecting the theory to actual macroeconomic indicators and of processing the macroeconomic data in a statistical package widely used in International Organizations (such as the World Bank, the OECD and the International Monetary Funds) and Central Banks (such as the FED). The hands on approach to the most important macroeconomic concepts allows the students to be critical of the theory studied in class and be mindful of the intrinsic ambiguity revolving around the most important macroeconomic indicators. As an example, when the students calculate GDP with official data and rigourous methods, they can reflect on whether this macroeconomic indicator is the only good proxy for measuring a country’s welfare and welbeing. This section of the course also allows the students apply some of the statistical and quantitative concepts learned in the course Quantitative Business Research to macroeconomic data. The learning objective that best describes this skill is: i) Explain basic macroeconomic terminology (e.g. “GDP”, "growth", "inflation” etc.) in a comprehensive way; ii) Calculate macroeconomic indicators (such as GDP, growth and consumption) in Stata.

This course also promotes theoretical ideals and objectives of economic efficiency (such as the concept of economic growth that is stimulated through an expansionary monetary policy and competition in the private markets through profit maximization) that go hand in hand with goals of solidarity (such as income equality that is achieved through the fiscal policy, such as income transfers from the public sector). The IS-LM model is an ideal framework to study how a policy maker can trade off economic efficiency and solidarity. These two learning objectives refer to a framework that can help overcome this important ethical dilemma: i) Describe and explain the effects of fiscal and monetary policy within the main macroeconomic models (e.g. the IS/LM model, etc.). ii) Describe and explain the assumptions and mechanisms of the main macroeconomic models (e.g. the IS-LM model, etc.). Illustrate these models graphically and solve them algebraically.

Macroeconomics is also the right venue for boosting critical thinking but in a collaborative setting. On the one hand, the course offers the possibility of developing critical thinking skills by validating the theory studied in class through the discussion of real life examples drawn by newspapers articles and timely cases and debates. What does it mean for example that the Danish Central Bank set a negative interest rate when in fact the standard canonical model described in class only contemplates non negative interest rates? On the other hand, the course also encourages group work assignments (called one-drive competitions, see more details in the course description) throughout the semester that allow the students to be good team player when collaborating with their fellow students.

The main goal of Macroeconomics is to prepare the students to think like a real economist when confronted with macroeconomic data and context. This means that the students will be able to relearn new macroeconomic concepts if new data and events are available. For example, how does the spread of new and dangerous virus affect economic growth, inflation and trade? Or how does a new artificial intelligence technology affect unemployment? These specific and unexpected changes to the economy are not explicitly dealt with in the syllabus. However the general skills developed in the course allow the students to interpret these new phenomenon under the lens of the economic concepts studied in class and re-invent and re-learn their knowledge accordingly.

The part of the course that deals with the case of an open economy emphasizes the fact that local businesses and entrepreneurs (such as successful Danish exporting companies and multinational firms) can create value for the domestic labor and product markets by establishing connections to the global markets through the activities of exporting and importing goods and services and investing abroad/receiving investments from abroad.

Læringsmål

ECTS

7.5

Accounting and Financial Analysis

Course aim:

This course offers a comprehensive introduction to financial accounting and reporting.

Throughout the different sessions, students acquire general business knowledge by analyzing the accounting practices and financial statements of diverse companies. The course focuses on companies with different institutional backgrounds, ensuring broader economic context coverage.

Analyzing financial data and assessing its quality aim to stimulate students' curiosity about ambiguities in accounting and develop a high degree of analytical and critical thinking. An essential part of the course covers ethical dilemmas and the role of business in solving such humanity challenges as environmental threats, social problems, and sustainable development.

We apply an inclusive view on the role of business going beyond a mere focus on profit maximization and considering the ESG impact going from the local communities to the global.

Topics covered in this course include but are not limited to: 

• Accounting as a form of communication
• Accounting ethics
• Presentation of financial statements
• Double-entry bookkeeping
• Cash-basis and accrual-basis accounting
• Inventories and cost of goods sold (COGS)
• Cash, receivables, and short-term investments
• Fixed assets (Tangible & Intangible)
• Liabilities
• Shareholders’ equity
• Cash flow statements
• Financial statement analysis
• ESG reporting and assurance 

Læringsmål

ECTS

7.5

Corporate Finance

This is an introductory course in finance focusing on corporate applications in the international environment. It covers the basic theories of interest rates, valuation of streams of cash flows, pricing of risk, and it addresses the practical implications for capital structure, project valuation, financing, and risk management.

More specifically, the course contains a basic introduction to topics such as:

• the main characteristics of corporations,
• the relationship between accounting information and the information analysed in corporate finance,
• interest rates and the time value of money,
• the valuation of bonds and stocks,
• the investment decision,
• the financing decision including capital structure theory and the cost of capital,
• payout policy,
• international financial management and capital budgeting
• financial and real options
• risk management.

Læringsmål

ECTS

7.5

Business Study Report

The course aims at giving students practical training in qualitative methods for the purpose of investigating business contexts in their second language (French, German or Spanish).

The course will focus on collecting and analysing qualitative, archival data/ documents. The course combines lecturing and a hands-on implementation in the form of a project with supervision. Emphasis will be put on the different methodological steps from the choice of the research question and analytical framework, to the choice of one or several suitable methods of collection of data, the collection of data itself and the analysis of the data collected with the aim to answer the chosen research question.

Students can use theories from other courses (such as marketing, sustainability, cultural studies, etc.) 

Learning Objectives

At the end of the course students should be able to:

ECTS

15

Bachelor Project

The BLC bachelor project is the defining feature of the educational experience offered by the Business, Language and Culture (BLC) Programme. Students have an opportunity to develop and investigate a research question within the Programme’s interdisciplinary, participatory educational framework. The project group research effort is supported by an initial orientation, a series of project-focused presentations with discussion, a collaborative workshop, and then extended project specific guidance from a research supervisor the project group recruits, subject to Programme administration approval.

The BLC bachelor interdisciplinary project focus is at the company or organizational level, drawing on methods and other course content given in the Programme. The overall theme is “Organizations and sustainability in an international context.” Project groups work together to craft an original firm or organization-level research question, design and enact methods for data to resolve the questions, assess the data, and then propose conclusions to the research questions.

Students can find further information about writing a bachelor project here:  my.cbs.dk => Bachelor Project.

Learning Objectives

The BLC Bachelor Project student will demonstrate an ability to:

ECTS

15

Globalisation and Sustainability

This course aims to provide students with knowledge of the interlinkages between economic globalization and sustainability. To understand globalization, we take our theoretical starting point in the global value chain theory that explores the global connections and dynamics between different actors such as businesses, suppliers, governments and civil society organisations. The global value chain approach also allows us to understand impact and sustainability challenges in different places of the world. Students will examine various links between economic globalisation (of production and consumption) and sustainability.  

The themes taught are illustrated by selected industries, sectors, lead firms and countries. 

We take on a holistic approach to sustainability and engage with various social and environmental aspects and challenges as related to economic globalisation, including but not limited to value capture, climate change, environmental harms, gender inequality, global inequality and labour relations. 

Against this background, students will explore and understand the unequal economic, social and environmental impact of globalisation in different places, not least in the Global South. It is also the ideal that students are encouraged to use their acquired knowledge to explore and suggest how businesses and organisations can contribute to mitigate the identified challenges. 

The themes taught in the course will also provide students with knowledge that is useful for later courses, not least International Sustainability (3rd semester), The Corperation in Society: Managing Beyond Markets (6th semester), and  the Year 1 Research Project on Business and Organizations for a Sustainable, Global Society for which topical knowledge as well as methodological approaches to write projects are useful.

Learning Objectives

At the end of the course students should be able to:

ECTS

7.5

Year 1 Research Project on Business and Organizations for a Sustainable, Global Society

The Year 1 Research Project is a research-oriented group project in which the student group takes up an original research topic inspired by this theme: Business and organizations for a sustainable, Global Society

For project work, the self-constituted project groups craft an original research question from BLC course material. Consider course material from globalization and sustainability, cultural analysis, micro or macroeconomics, area studies, or quantitative business. This topical development arises from an analysis of data in coursework and curiosity about ambiguities in society. Working together, the initial research topic is refined from literature review, studied in light of approprate method, and resolved with guidance from an assigned supervisor.

The Year 1 Research Project does not oblige primary data collection or analysis, secondary data is sufficient. That said, primary data sources are welcome if appropriate to the already challenging nature of the First Year Project, with supervisor assent.

Learning Objectives

At the end of project writing students should be able to:

ECTS

7.5

Organisation, Communication and Culture

The aim of this course is to provide students with:

• relevant theories, concepts and models within the field of organisational theory and organisational behavior,
• perspectives and models related to the design of organisational structures,
• theoretical and practical knowledge about how organisations communicate internally and with the external environment, and how they organise themselves in order to communicate more effectively (as well as for other organisational purposes), and
• the ability to critically reflect on the theories, concepts and models and their relevance in describing, analysing and evaluating issues of organisation and corporate communication in relation to companies and organisations.

The course focuses on two main fields:

• Organisational theory
• Corporate communication

Furthermore, the course will complement the knowledge from the course -

International Business and Sustainability through a joint case.

Læringsmål

ECTS

7.5

Politics of Sustainability

This course focusses on the politics of sustainability and sustainable economics,in the framework of institutional structures of global and regional governance, including the UN and UNFCCC, the WTO, World Bank, and regional arenas such as the EU. This course gives an overview of such forms of international and regional governance, enabling in-depth examination of key topics, such as trade, investment and sustainability;development issues and the UN Sustainable Development Goals; climate change policy; and labour rights.

The course discusses forms of global and regional governance, as well as relevant policy regimes and instruments. For example in the EU, where supranational institutions are vested with the powers to coordinate a range of economic, social and environmental policy areas. Yet the record of the EU on sustainability issues is uneven, and some policy areas strongly contested, for example the implementation of the European Green Deal.

In this course, emphasis is placed on the importance of critical reflection on theories and concepts taught in the course. It involves questioning assumptions and reflections on the relationship between power, interests, knowledge and different policy solutions. The course also has a strong emphasis on the accumulation of subject-specific concepts and vocabulary, as well as speaking the English language accurately, fluently, and in a manner appropriate to discussing complex issues at an advanced level.

Finally, Politics of Sustainability builds upon knowledge attained in the first semester course Globalization and Sustainability and the third semester course International Business and Sustainability, and complements the fourth semester course The Corporation in Society.  

Læringsmål

ECTS

7.5

Electives (15 ECTS)

Interdisciplinary Research Methods

The Interdisciplinary Research Methods (IRM) course builds on what BLC students have learned and implemented in, both, methods and methodology, during courses and projects of the previous semesters. The course invites students to reflect on the nature of their participation in social science research and provides them with the foundational methodological knowledge they need to write their third-year project. The course is organized around lectures, group discussions and individual study (blended learning). The course focuses on interdisciplinary problem-oriented knowledge production in project work.

The practical, reflective, and reflexive tasks of contemporary Business School researchers as individuals aware of their own cognitional processes will be developed. Building upon this self-appropriation, the methods and methodology lectures will introduce and/or refine interview methods and skills, present methods for analyzing qualitative data and provide a brush up in quantitative data. Students will be introduced to approaches and techniques that can be used to enhance research validity and reliability. Key aspects of the philosophy of science will be covered insofar as these result in more proficient, reflective, and reflexively aware organizational researchers.

Læringsmål

ECTS

7.5

Cultural Analysis for Business

The purpose of the course is to introduce students to the discipline of cultural analysis to the key theoretical frameworks that are commonly used in the practice and to illustrate their applicability to a variety of business contexts. These frames will include, semiotics, identity and collective history, Foucauldian discourse analysis, and cultural studies. These theories and perspectives have been introduced in the lectures they will then be applied to business cases in three workshop groups.

This course explores business as a cultural practice that influences and is influenced by many others. The course focues on how meaning is produced as both an intended and unintended consequence of the signifying practices engaged in business. From the legacies of colonialism, continuing sexism, financial inequality and the ongoing climate crisis, this course offers innovative ways to think about and address these problems. Every lecture and workshop class poses ethical dilemmas to students and requires them to work out how to make decisions to address them. In workshops, students are required to critically consider data, theory, cases and problems, and work together to come to a fuller understanding of them. The course shows the cultural concerns of business within a relatively long historical context. This helps students to understand their role and responsibilites in shaping how this context will develop for themselves and generations to come. A major theme of the course is the unstable, subjective and processual nature of culture. This often presents many students with the need to challenge their basic assumptions and help each other in learning to do the same.

Themes explored

• The methods and interests for the sociological study of culture (Explaining the difference between Quantitative and Qualitative data)
• The methods and interests of the cultural studies approach to culture (Describing methods of examining and interpreting cultural artefacts, and practices, institutions)
• National Cultures and Stereotypes (Intercultural and cross-cultural competencies)
• Semiotics (Explaining mechanisms and theory of signification for communication)
• Identity and History (Introduction to questions of identity, collective history, difference and diversity)
• Representation (Explaining the cultural context as an inherent part of communication)
• Discourse analysis (Describing methodology for studying cultural paradigms and institutions)
• The applications of these theories and tools to business contexts  (Workshop cases)

The course is structured so as to maximise the contact time between students and teachers and to produce forums conducive to continuous feedback through the small tasks (presentation, was analysis, group discussions) in the workshops. It also designed to inculcate the students with the skills required for self-directed learning at university level through the modelling of workshop, seminar and reading groups study forms.

This goal is also balanced with the need to provide clear instruction to students as they engage with this introduction to theoretical material. To that end, this often dense theory is introduced to the students in manageable pairs of one-hour lectures. They then work with these theories and frameworks on business cases (such as the semiotics of Mærsk’s diversity marketing, the discourse of tech startups e.g. We Work, Brexit and national cultures) in their language groups during 10, two-hour workshops with guidance from one of the course teachers.

This process should give students the basis to formulate their assessment. That being an individual essay—no longer than ten pages—in which they will explain how a theory describes or explains cultural phenomena and apply this understanding to a business case to identify problems and suggest a practical course of action to address them.

Learning Objectives

At the end of the course students should be able to:

ECTS

7.5

Quantitative Business Research

The course introduces you to basic quantitative business analysis and statistics. By emphasizing homework exercises with concrete examples of statistical analysis, general concepts and methodological issues, the pedagogy of the course is designed to make you an educated user of quantitative methods rather than a statistician.  Topics include: data representation and summary measures; exploratory data analysis, data collection and basic experimental design; probability theory and distributions, sampling distributions, confidence intervals, significance tests, contingency tables and Bayesian inference, analysis of proportions, single and multivariate regression analysis, analysis of variance, and problems with false positives in academic research.  Examples will be drawn from sustainability, business economics, and cultural and political analysis.

Læringsmål

ECTS

7,5

Spanish, German or French Studies 3 (7.5 ECTS)

The course is built up around two dimensions: content and language.

Content

Spanish Studies:
Spanish/Spanish American Studies focuses on contemporary economic development in Spain and Spanish America, and explores how these two regions are performing in terms of international and regional competitiveness, as well as the changing role of the private sector. Module One addresses Spain’s contemporary economic development and international competitiveness. Key topics include: SMEs, e-business, I+D and technological development, and key sectors such as tourism. Module Two addresses Latin America’s contemporary economic development and international competitiveness, with specific topics including: the role of multinationals, industrial clusters, SMEs and family businesses, and the role of business as an increasingly important political force in the region. We will also look at the implications of human development for economic development in both regions.Emphasis in the language classes will be on improving students’ grammar, communicative competence and fluency in Spanish in preparation for their semester abroad.

German Studies:
The overall aim of these courses is to deepen the students’ knowledge of the economic, political and socio-cultural context in German-speaking parts of the world, and to strengthen their communicative skills in their chosen language. The specific aim of the course is to develop students’ understanding of globalisation, internationalisation and europeanisation processes and their manifestations in and impact upon national and regional contexts. The course focuses on the role of German-speaking countries in Europe.

The overall aim is to deepen students’ knowledge and understanding of economic institutions, organisations, actors in selected German parts of the world and to strengthen their communicative skills. The specific aim of the course is to develop students’ understanding of the relationship between economic institutions and actors, and their implications for competitiveness.

French Studies:
The overall aim of these courses is to deepen the students’ knowledge of the economic, political and socio-cultural context in French-speaking parts of the world, and to strengthen their communicative skills in their chosen language. The specific aim of the course is to develop students’ understanding of globalisation and internationalisation processes and their manifestations in and impact upon national and regional contexts.

The overall aim is to deepen students’ knowledge and understanding of economic institutions, organisations, actors in selected Francophone parts of the world and to strengthen their communicative skills. The specific aim of the course is to develop students’ understanding of the relationship between economic institutions and actors, and their implications for competitiveness.

Topics include key sectors, public-private division, business cultures, management educations and fashions and CSR in selected French speaking countries. What links these cases is that they illustrate different conceptions of how to do business and of the role of business in society.

Language

The language dimension is aimed at improving students’ grammar skills, pronunciation and fluency; and their reading and oral comprehension. Emphasis will also be placed on how to write short papers of the type that the two oral exams will be based on. 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of the course the students should be able:

Content:
* To identify a relevant topic based on the themes and concepts in the curriculum, and to construct links between their chosen topic and the other concepts and themes learned.
* To show a clear understanding of economic institutions and actors in the regions studied, and their implications for competitiveness based on the concepts and themes in the curriculum.

Language:
* To present the exam topic in Spanish, German or French using an appropriate vocabulary;
* To explain and discuss viewpoints on the chosen topic giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options;
* To comprehend the questions posed during the examination and communicate in coherent Spanish, German or French so that their responses flow and are intelligible;
* To interact with a degree and fluency and spontaneity;
* To speak grammatically correct and well-pronounced Spanish, German or French that is, avoiding major grammatical, lexical, idiomatic or pronunciation errors that inhibit communication. At this stage, students should be able to show their linguistic awareness by correcting errors in the exam situation.

ECTS
7,5

The Corporation in Society: Managing Beyond Markets

Today’s business environment has powerfully reinforced the centrality of responsible business practices. Especially when looking at the many governance gaps that persist in the global economy and the inability of transnational political actors to address them, reflections about the responsibility of corporations for social and environmental problems seem inevitable.

This course explores the changing role of business in global society by looking at how firms increasingly interact with actors in the non-market environment, including, but not limited to: governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), social movements, and international organizations. We will make extensive use of the concept of corporate sustainability which is critically reflected upon and compared with other concepts such as corporate accountability, corporate citizenship, and stakeholder management. The main aim of the course is to enable students to understand and critically appraise how businesses are affected by and affect many of today’s societal challenges, such as: corruption, climate change, poverty, and human rights.

The course starts with a theoretically grounded introduction of the debate around corporate sustainability and related concepts. This introduction frames the overall debate and familiarizes students with key terminology. Next, students will apply these theoretical insights to discuss corporations’ responsibilities with regard to selected issue areas (e.g. labor rights in global supply chains). Finally, students learn about how and why business firms increasingly interact with governmental and non-governmental actors (e.g. via public-private partnerships).

The basic pedagogical approach rests on an interactive lecturing style and case-based reflections on topics. Students are asked to adequately prepare cases and to actively participate in class discussions. This course complements other sustainability courses in the BLC program, incluidng Globalization & Sustainability as well as International Business & Sustainability. 

Learning Objectives

At the end of the course the student should be able to:

ECTS

7.5

Cultural Identity and Analysis

Today’s BLC graduates are likely to be employed in multicultural organisations in Denmark and/or abroad. The ability to work effectively with people from a wide range of backgrounds is therefore increasingly crucial, both when in a foreign environment, and when ‘at home’, e.g. in one's own organisational/work environment. Awareness of one’s own cultural positionality and assumptions, both in unfamiliar and familiar cultural contexts, are important elements in enabling this. 
  
“Cultural Identity and Analysis” is designed to foster and train these abilities. The aim of the course is to encourage critical reflexivity concerning students’ own cultural identity and positionality, and about the ways in which they apprehend and negotiate difference, both in a foreign context and at ‘home’. Students will be introduced to theories and concepts that will enable them to conduct such critical reflection both in a familar context (where they feel 'at home') and in an unfamiliar/foreign context (where they do not feel 'at home).  Different theoretical approaches to culture, identity and difference will be presented (e.g. inclusion/exclusion and belonging, acculturation alterity, positionality, recognition, embodiment), as well as approaches to analysing and writing about one's own experiences in a scientific manner (autoethnographic approaches, sense-making and culture as 'tool-box').

These theories will be applied to students' experiences both in an unfamiliar and an familiar context:

Unfamiliar cultural context: we will follow up on students’ experiences from unfamiliar cultures (for instance, the exchange semester abroad or another unfamiliar culture students have experienced earlier in their lives (e.g. a holiday abroad, a new sports club, or a move from Jutland to Sjælland). Cases will be drawn from students' own experiences, including from the ‘Exchange Log Book’ (an electronic media platform accessible only to the class and teacher, which students are required to post on during their exchange). Students' experiences will be discussed in the light of the cultural assumptions, positionality and identity issues that they raise.

Familiar cultural context: with a point of departure in their own experiences, students will be introduced to the challenges, including cultural blind spots, involved in critically reflecting on their own cultural assumptions, identity and positionality in a familiar context, e.g. a Danish organisation or institution (such as CBS, a workplace, sports club or family context).

Students will thus be expected to draw on the perspectives and concepts taught during the course in explaining and reflecting on their experiences both in familiar and unfamiliar contexts. The cultural analysis techniques students learn during the course are also intended to equip students with conceptual and methodological tools that they can deploy when writing their bachelor project if they choose to write about a cultural topic - notably the concept of 'positionality' which runs through the entire Cultural Analysis course and which will also be addressed in their IRM course.

Guidelines for the exchange log book will be distributed at the end of the 4th semester before the students leave for their semester abroad.

Læringsmål

ECTS

7.5

Spanish, German or French Studies 1 (7.5 ECTS)

The course is built up around two dimensions – content and language.

Content

The content dimension provides a general introduction to the modern Spanish-, German-, or French-speaking areas from a historical perspective. It also presents basic knowledge of politics, economics and culture in the students’ chosen region. The course broadly follows the thematic organisation of the parallel Globalisation Studies lecture series and draws on the addressed theories and concepts. These conceptual approaches are presented in conjunction with perspectives and concepts rooted in the specific language area, so that students develop an understanding of different theoretical traditions, and enhance their nationally specific knowledge as well as their cultural sensitivity.

Spanish Studies:
Topics dealt with include: geographical and regional diversity, the historical links between Spain and Spanish America from colonisation to independence, the formation of the modern state as well as reflections on the changing role of key social institutions that are adapting to modern society, e.g. the family, political and civil society organisations. The course will also introduce basic concepts important to understanding sociopolitical and cultural development in the two regions, including: authoritarianism, political transition, democratisation and cultural identity.

German Studies:
Topics dealt with include: regional diversity, the formation of the modern German state, the political and economic development after 1945 and after 1990 as well as reflections on the changing role of key social institutions that are adapting to modern society such as political parties, civil society organisations, the media, education and the family. The course will also introduce basic concepts important to understanding sociopolitical and cultural development in Germany, including: federalism, economic organisation, political and cultural identity with reflections on demography, migration and integration.

French Studies:
The course presents a basic historical and geographical introduction to French-speaking areas with a view to illustrating the diversity and commonalities of societies sharing a common use of French in the global world of today. The 1st part of the course presents factual information on French-speaking countries as well as their cooperation within Europe and the Francophonie; while the 2nd part of the course explores cases illustrating interactions between the global and local contexts as they are expressed in selected Francophone countries. What links these cases is that they either exemplify how societal contexts contribute in shaping local understandings of global developments or how global developments and debate influence local understandings and developments.

Language

The language dimension is aimed at improving the students’ basic grammar skills, pronunciation and fluency as well as and their reading and oral comprehension. Emphasis will also be placed on learning and exercising phrases needed in order to make presentations and participate in class discussions.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

* Identify factual information about their chosen language area taught during the course,
* Identify rules governing grammar in their chosen language

ECTS
7,5

Spanish, German or French Studies 2 (7.5 ECTS)

The 2nd semester of Spanish, German or French studies is built up around two dimensions – content and language.

Content

The course builds on the themes presented in the first semester course Globalisation Studies. The themes are presented in conjunction with perspectives and concepts rooted in the specific language area, so that students develop an understanding of different theoretical traditions, and enhance their nationally specific knowledge as well as their cultural sensitivity

Spanish Studies:
The 2nd semester of Spanish Studies builds on the knowledge acquired during the first semester, with a particular focus on culture and communication in Spain and Spanish America. Course topics include: culture in its national, regional and local expressions, the culture ‘industry’, and the role played by ICTs and the information society in cultural and political modernisation processes and governance.

German Studies:
The content dimension builds upon knowledge and understanding acquired in the 1st semester with a view to further exploring the interaction between the global and local contexts in German-speaking parts of the world. In the second semester, focus is on exploring, in a comparative perspective, some of the key institutions, moments and figures that can illuminate our understanding of how a particular context encounters globalization. Successive backward views in history will be introduced with a view to better comprehend present taken-for-granted values and practices. Topics include state and nation formation; political and economic institutions; the social system, culture in its national, regional and local expressions and the relationship between economic institutions and actors, and their implications for competitiveness.

French Studies:
The content dimension builds upon knowledge and understanding acquired in the 1st semester with a view to further exploring the interaction between the global and local contexts in French-speaking parts of the world. In the second semester, focus is on exploring, in a comparative perspective, some of the key institutions, moments and figures that can illuminate our understanding of how a particular context encounters globalisation. Successive backward views in history will be introduced with a view to better comprehend present taken-for-granted values and practices as well as cooperation and conflicts betweenselected Francophone parts of the world.Topics include state and nation formation; colonialism, political, economic and educational institutions; social security and religion.

Language

The language dimension is aimed at improving the students’ grammar skills, pronunciation and fluency as well as their listening and comprehension skills. Emphasis will also be placed on learning and exercising phrases needed in order to make presentations and participate in class discussions.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Content:
* present a well-structured summary of text excerpts and establish links between the topics and concepts raised in the text and the region-specific political, economic and social features introduced in the course literature of the 1st and 2nd semester, and
* identify and describe key institutions, moments and figures in the regions studied.

Language:
* communicate in sufficiently coherent Spanish, German or French so that the responses are intelligible, using appropriate Spanish, German or French vocabulary, and
* speak in grammatically accurate and well-pronounced Spanish, German or French, that is, avoiding major grammatical, lexical, idiomatic or pronunciation errors that inhibit communication. At this stage, students should be able to show some degree of linguistic awareness by beginning to correct their errors in the exam situation.

ECTS
7,5

International Business and Sustainability (7.5)

This is a new course that will be offered for the first time in the Autumn 2022. The course description will be available here in August 2021.

Spanish, German or French Studies 4 (7.5 ECTS)

The overall aim of these courses is to deepen the students’ knowledge of the economic, political and socio-cultural context in French-, German- and Spanish-speaking parts of the world, and to strengthen their communicative skills in their chosen language.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of the course the students should be able:

• To present the exam topic in French/German/Spanish using an appropriate vocabulary and structure.
• To identify and discuss the main ideas of the chosen topic e.g. giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
• To comprehend the questions posed during the examination and communicate in coherent French/German/Spanish so that their responses flow and are intelligible.
• To interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity.
• To speak grammatically correct and well-pronounced French/German/Spanish without major grammatical, lexical, idiomatic or pronunciation errors that inhibit communication. At this stage, students must be able to show their linguistic awareness by correcting errors in the exam situation.

ECTS
7,5