SAS4004 – Critical Literature Review in South Asia Studies
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
This reading course is designed for Master’s students within the programme option South Asian Culture and Society.
In consultation with a course teacher, you will compile your own reading list and write a term paper on a subject area related to the topic of your master dissertation. The aim is to learn to read and write academic literature. There will be individual and group sittings/supervision sessions. The choice of literature should provide a good general basis of information on the topic and its wider significance (including theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches). Basic introductions and textbooks cannot be included. The reading list should amount to around 1,000 pages.
If your master dissertation topic is closely related to lower level courses, the reading list must be more advanced (representing in-depth theoretical or thematic study). The reading list cannot include literature that has been used at earlier levels.
The reading list must be approved by the course teacher.
Learning outcome
Participants learn to:
- Navigate a specialised academic field and identify key readings and debates
- Critically read and analyse research literature and formulate an interpretation of the issues and arguments presented in the literature
- Summarise and present a research debate in an independent and reflective manner
- Formulate a research question tied to theoretical literature and method
- Work independently under supervision
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.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Teaching
The teaching will be given in the form of seminars, groupwork and individual supervision.
Teaching will be mostly individual supervision and joint classes with the students taking the course REL4112. A detailed plan for the semester will be made at the first meeting. There will be at least two individual meetings and five joint classes.
Compulsory activities:
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A draft of your term paper and reading list
Approval of the compulsory activity is only valid for the current semester. If you retake the course, you must submit new drafts in the semester in which you are taking the exam.?
You will find more information about the requirements for the compulsory assignment(s) and the submission deadline in Canvas.?
All compulsory activities must be approved to qualify for the exam. It is your responsibility to verify that you have obtained approval for all compulsory activities.?
Absence from compulsory activities:?
It is important that you familiarize yourself with the rules regarding absence from compulsory activities, to prevent being excluded from teaching and losing your eligibility to take the exam.?
More information on compulsory activities at the University of Oslo:?
Access to teaching?
A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.?
Examination
Term paper
The term paper should consist of 10-12 pages. One standard page is approximately 2300 characters without spaces, including references. The front page and bibliography are not included in the page count.?
Detailed information regarding the term paper will be announced on Canvas.?
You must submit the exam in Inspera - see guides for digital exams.?
You are personally responsible for familiarizing yourself with the requirements and deadlines for the exam.?
All compulsory activities must be completed and approved in order to take the exam.?
You can find more information about the exam on the semester page of the course
Previous exams and censor guidelines.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English.You may submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
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.