Finnish for beginners (5 cr)

Objective

You are able to express yourself in Finnish in the most common everyday situations both orally and in writing.
You have a command of simple phrases, basic clauses and vocabulary (CEFR level A1.1-A1.2) needed in situations such as introducing yourself and in service encounters.
You are familiar with the most essential grammatical features, like vowel harmony, present tense of the verb types and partitive singular case, and can manage with the pronunciation and spelling.
You are also able to expand your vocabulary and knowledge of language usage independently using different sources.
You become more familiar with the Finnish culture.

Content

What kind of language is Finnish compared with other languages you know? What are the special features of Finnish?
Which phrases and what kind of knowledge of Finnish language and culture are needed in everyday communication?
Which sources and tools can you use in order to learn elementary Finnish during the course and independently?
How to pronounce and spell in Finnish

Course material

A Taste of Finnish. 2015. University of Helsinki. Available at: http://tasteoffinnish.fi/. In addition, other material provided on a Learn platform.

Study forms and methods

This course is available for students who have no prior Finnish skills.
The course will be carried out by means of independent online studies.

The student is responsible for determining his/her weekly amount of studying based on the time during which he/she wishes to complete the course.

Timing of exams and assignments

There will be an exam at the end of the course. The exam dates will be given at the beginning of the course.

All the assignments must be submitted following the given schedule by the end of the course.

Student workload

5 ECTS credits = 135 h.

Further information

Requires good independent study skills since real-time teacher participation is very minimal. Attending the course requires English skills enabling academic studies and some IT-skills.

Evaluation scale

1-5

Assessment methods and criteria

Examination and assignments. Assessment on a scale of 1 - 5.

Qualifications

Prior skills in the Finnish language are not a requirement, but attending the course requires English skills enabling academic studies, some IT-skills and good independent study skills.