State Exam

The final Bachelor Exam will consist of two parts:

The final Bachelor Exam will consist of two parts:

1. Written Exam:
   • Literature (75 min.)
   • Linguistics (60 min.)
   • Didactics (45 min.)

   The passmark for all parts is 65%.

   Test Evaluation Scale:

   • 100-93 A
   • 92-86 B
   • 85-79 C
   • 78-72 D
   • 71-65 E
   • 64-0 F 
2. Thesis Defense: Presentation (should not exceed 10 minutes) in Powerpoint or OHP formats followed by a discussion.

Students who commenced their studies before 2017, please contact the heads of relevant sections (Alena Dobrovolná for Didactics, Olga Dontcheva Navrátilová for Linguistics and Lucie Podroužková for Literature) for details on their final exam options.

Thesis Defense

Before the Defense:

• The thesis must be uploaded into IS on time.
• In addition to the electronic copy, the thesis must be delivered in two hard copies (at least spiral binding).
• At least one week before the defense, reports written by the supervisor and second reader will be placed in the IS archive for the work. It is expected that at the defense, the student will be acquainted with the reports and will be able to react to comments made therein.

At the Defense:

• The student will first be asked to give a brief summary of their thesis (the main arguments and outcome) under the form of a 10- minute Powerpoint presentation.
• The student will then be invited by the chair to react to comments in the reports. The student should speak to each point concisely.
• Additional questions may be asked by members of the committee.
• The committee will hold a brief office after which the resulting mark is announced to the student.

What is Evaluated:

• The ability of the student to present their thesis and argue their case, their conduct in a discussion.
• The ability to use appropriate and relevant arguments and reactions to questions and comments.
• Their acquaintance with the reports and preparation.
• The student’s ability to use English appropriately and express their views confidently. level of English and their communicative skills.

Tips:

• Bring both reports with you.
• Prepare notes to which you may refer to in the course of the defense.
• Be brief, organized and to-the-point.
• Be open to comments and questions. Argue your case where you see fit but acknowledge your mistakes if justified.

Linguistics

Topics for the state exam written test are based on areas covered and discussed in lectures and linguistics seminars taught during the bachelor studies. The written exam in linguistics checks both the theoretical knowledge of the students and their ability to apply it in practical language use. The test contains tasks of a similar nature as administered in individual courses in years 1-3.

You can look at a mock test with answer key.

Students are expected to have studied from the following sources:

Compulsory Reading

Students are expected to have read the following reference books, to be aware of the definitions, views and approaches presented, and to be able to discuss them critically.

1. Dontcheva-Navrátilova, O. (2005) Grammatical Structures in English: Meaning in Context. Brno: Masarykova univerzita.
2. Greenbaum, S., Quirk, R. (1991) A Student’s Grammar of the English Language. London: Longman.
3. Hladký, J., Chovanec, J. (2002) Úvod do studia anglického jazyka pro učitelské studium. Brno: Masarykova univerzita
4. Roach, P. (2000) English Phonetics and Phonology. A Practical Course. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
5. Svartvik, J., Leech, G. N. (1994) A Communicative Grammar of English. 2nd Edition. London: Longman.
6. Gethin, H. (1992) Grammar in Context, Proficiency Level English. Nelson Collins Ltd.
7. Yule, G. (1996) The Study of Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Further Reading

Students are expected to have scanned the following reference books and to be aware of the scope of issues discussed there.

1. Biber, D., Johansson, S., Leech, G., Conrad, S., Finegan, E. (1999) Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English. London: Longman.
2. Brown, G., Yule, G. (1983) Discourse Analysis. Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
3. Cruttenden, A. (1994) Gimson’s Pronunciation of English. Arnold.
4. Crystal, D. (1995) The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
5. Dušková, L. (1994) Mluvnice současné angličtiny na pozadí češtiny. 2nd ed. Praha: Academia.
6. Halliday, M. A. K., Hasan, R. (1992) Cohesion in English. London: Longman.
7. Hladký, J., Chovanec, J. (2002) Úvod do studia anglického jazyka pro učitelské studium. Brno: Masarykova univerzita
8. Leech, G. N., Deuchar, M., Hoogenraad, R. (1982) English Grammar for Today. A New Introduction. Macmillan Press Ltd.
9. McCarthy, M. (1991). Discourse Analysis for Language Teachers_. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
10. Štekauer, P. (ed.) (2000) _Rudiments of English Linguistics. Prešov: Slovacontact.
11. Urbanová, L. (1998) A Handbook of English Phonetics and Phonology. Brno: Masarykova univerzita.

Literature

The state exam written test in British and American literature spans the periods from the beginnings till approx. 1945. The topics, authors and works are based on areas covered and discussed in lectures and literary seminars taught throughout the bachelor studies. It is also assumed that students apply their knowledge from their history and culture classes in the test.

The test consists of three parts: 1) historical overview (basic periods, genres, authors, works and famous characters); 2) textual analysis (students read and analyse an extract from a literary work); 3) essay discussing an issue in a literary work selected from the extensive reading (see the recommended reading list) the student has done throughout their studies. The student is able to choose from a list of topics and a list of authors.

Students of the English language and literature are expected to maintain a high degree of interest in Anglosaxon cultures and are active readers. It is assumed that they are acquainted with the Anglosaxon literary canon, which overlaps with secondary school reading syllabus.

In terms of secondary sources, students are strongly encouraged to consult publications dealing with English and American histories and literature histories (outlines, overviews), such as:

Alexander, M. (2000). A History of English Literature. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Burgess, A. (1991). English Literature. Survey for Students. 3rd edition. London: Longman.
Eagle, D. (1992). The Oxford Illustrated Literary Guide to Great Britain and Ireland. Oxford: Oxford Unversity Press.
High, P. (1996). An Outline of American Literature. New York: Longman.
O’Callaghan, D.B. (2004). An Illustrated History of the USA. Harrow: Longman.
Sanders A. (2004). The Short Oxford History of English Literature. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Van Spanckeren, K. (1996). Outline of American Literature. 2nd edition, December 2006. Online.

Students are expected to have read at least 4 works from the British and American literary canon as specified by their literature teachers, who are also available for consultations. Below is a recommended reading list:

British Literature:

• Geoffrey Chaucer: The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales + one tale
• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
• William Shakespeare
• Daniel Defoe
• Jonathan Swift
• Jane Austen
• Mary Shelley
• Emily Brontë
• Charlotte Brontë
• Charles Dickens
• Oscar Wilde
• Thomas Hardy
• Virginia Woolf
• James Joyce
• D.H. Lawrence
• G.B. Shaw
• George Orwell

American Literature:

• Nathaniel Hawthorne
• James Fenimore Cooper
• Mark Twain
• Harriet Beecher-Stowe
• Willa Cather
• Ernest Hemingway
• Francis Scott Fitzgerald
• John Steinbeck

Didactics

All the information will be provided in October 2019.