Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Unless explicitly stated in the class description, classes at the ISW are generally not recorded and take place in person only.

The introductory courses to AL and HL require mandatory attendance for both the lectures and the tutorium. For all other classes, the attendance policy is determined by the respective instructors and communicated during the class or in the syllabus; if there is no other information, attendance is generally required.
Regardless of attendance policy, it is appreciated if students notify the instructors of their absences in advance.

It is strongly recommended that students take both parts of the introductory classes in General Linguistics and Historical Linguistics (ELV AL and ELV HL) during their first three semesters, as otherwise they will not be eligible to enroll in most advanced classes. The following order is recommended:

• 1st semester: ELV AL I
• 2nd semester: ELV AL II & ELV HL I
• 3rd semester: ELV HL II

A different order (e.g., due to starting in the spring semester) is possible, though this may require additional self-study, as the classes build up on one another.

If the classes cannot be taken (e.g., due to scheduling conflicts with your major or minor), they should be taken at the next available opportunity (usually one year later). In the meantime, the ISW usually offers classes that require little or no prior knowledge from the introductory classes. These are marked accordingly in the list of classes (Lehrveranstaltungsverzeichnis).

Should a student be interested in taking an advanced class prior to finishing the introductory classes, an exception may be made on a case-by-case basis. However, this must be discussed with the respective lecturer before signing up to the class.

Students must choose either General Linguistics (AL) or Historical Linguistics (HL) as their specialization before beginning their thesis. This does not need to be formally reported. It is enough to fill in the respective specialization module in KSL and leave the other one blank. Classes marked “AL/HL” in KSL can be counted toward either specialization.

No, this is not a problem for graduation. Due to technical reasons, a module is displayed as “not fulfilled” if it contains too many ECTS. This can be corrected during the final review by the Student Advisor before graduation.  

Per article 45.4 of the study regulation ("Studienreglement", RSL), up to 10% more ECTS than the total scope of the study program may be credited as part of the curriculum. Additional credits can be credited extracurricularly in the “freie Leistungen” module. These will be listed in the Diploma Supplement of the degree.  

Classes at the ISW can usually be retaken once. An exception are mandatory classes such as the intros (ELV AL, ELV HL), which can be retaken twice since they cannot be compensated. 
This rule is only relevant for the final grade of a class, not interim grades, such as grades of seminar papes or presentations. Interim grades usually cannot be retaken. This is at the lecturer's discretion.

Different study programmes allow for different numbers of compensated grades. The number of possible failing grades allowed are as follows (per article 8 of the linguistics study plan):

• Bachelor Major: 2
• Bachelor Minor (60 and 30 ECTS): 1
• Master Major: 1
• Master Minor: 0

The intros ("Einführungslehrveranstaltungen"), grades from the "Wahlbereich" and the final thesis are not allowed to have a failing grade and cannot be compensated. As such, courses from other institutes can not be compensated either, since they may only be credited in the Walbereich.

The regulations regarding retaking exams and compensating grades are given in the linguistics study plan Art. 7/8 and in the RSL Art. 39/39 for the whole faculty.

According to Article 12 of the Linguistics curriculum, it is possible to have lectures from other departments credited under the “Wahlleistungen Linguistik” module. For this, the lecture in question must primarily focus on linguistics and cover a topic not addressed by classes offered by the ISW. Before attending, you must consult with the Student Advisor (Studienberatung) regarding credit recognition. This also applies to courses from the Minor in Chinese Language and Society.

Courses not offered by the ISW must also be moved to the correct module in KSL by the Student Advisor. For technical reasons, students cannot do this themselves and must contact the student advisor of their own accord. It does not matter at which point in their studies the students contact the student advisor for this purpose, although it is generally recommended that students do so within a semester of taking the class in question.
Ideally, the course syllabus, KSL root number, and the module to which the course is to be moved should be provided. You will be automatically notified by KSL upon success.

Provided the respective instructors allow it, any type of course can be credited in the modules "Wahlbereich Bachelor" and "Freiwillige Zusatzleistungen" without prior confirmation from the Student Advisor.

A total of six classes are offered, which can be counted towards the "Allgemeine Einführungslehrveranstaltung" (AELV) module: Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, Semantics/Pragmatics, the Ringvorlesung Linguistik, and Research Methods in Linguistics (Forschungsmethoden). 
The Ringvorlesung and Research Methods courses are offered at 2 ECTS, while the other classes typically have 4 ECTS and 6 ECTS options. Usually, the 6 ECTS option comprises the same assessment components as the 4 ECTS option plus an additional seminar paper. Students often use this as an opportunity to write a seminar paper in linguistics before their Bachelor’s thesis.

One of the 4/6 ECTS courses is held each semester, usually in the order of Phonology > Morphology > Syntax > Semantics/Pragmatics (there may be exceptions). You do not have to attend them in this order.
The Research Methods (Forschungsmethoden) course is available online every semester in an asynchronous format. The Ringvorlesung takes place every other fall semester (alternating with the course ‘Languages of the World’, which cannot be credited towards the AELV). 

Since the AELV module in the Linguistics BA Major requires a total of 18-20 ECTS, there are three ways to complete the module: 

• Four classes worth 4/6 ECTS, at least two of which must be worth 6 ECTS credits, i.e. phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics/pragmatics 

• Three classes worth 6 ECTS, optinally plus Research Methods or the Ringvorlesung

• Three classes worth 4/6 ECTS, of which at least two must be worth 6 ECTS, plus Research Methods and/or the Ringvorlesung

In the Linguistics BA Minor (60 ECTS), the AELV module requires 4-6 ECTS, for which the students must attend one of the four 4/6 ECTS modules (i.e. Phonology, Morphology, Syntax or Semantics/Pragmatics). The 30 ECTS BA Minor does not have an AELV module. However, the AELV classes can still be taken and counted towards the Wahlleistungen Linguistik.

No, not necessarily. As the minor in Chinese Language and Society is affiliated with the Institute of Linguistics, it is possible to have these courses recognised within KSL for technical reasons. However, many of the courses are not primarily linguistic in nature and cannot be counted towards the Linguistics degree. Similarly, Chinese language courses can only be counted towards the ELV Sprache module.

If in doubt, you should check with the Linguistics Student Advisor.

Pure language courses can only be credited within the "Einführungslehrveranstaltung Sprache" (ELV Sprache) module in the BA major and minor (60 ECTS) programmes (see Art. 16.1.c and Art. 24.1.d of the Studienplan). Information on creditable language courses can be found at: ISW > Studies > Creditable language courses. There you will also find examples of language courses offered regularly or frequently by other institutes, which can be credited within ELV Sprache.

Please note that language courses not listed there but which meet the requirements may also potentially be credited. However, their creditability must be discussed with the study advisor before attending the course.

For technical reasons, courses not offered by the Institute must be moved to the correct module in KSL by the student advisor and cannot be moved by students themselves. The study advisor should be contacted by email for this purpose.

Language structure courses offered by the ISW are exempt from this rule and may also be credited to other modules. They are marked in KSL with a specialisation (AL, HL or AL/HL) accordingly.

The Master’s programme does not include any modules for language courses. Consequently, only the ISW’s language structure courses can be credited. Such courses are marked with their respective specialisation (AL, HL or AL/HL) in KSL.

As with the Bachelor’s programme, all types of courses can be credited under the "freiwillige Zusatzleistungen", including pure language-learning courses.

In general, it is not possible to have language courses credited under programmes other than "ELV Sprache". However, other modules allow for language structure courses. These are generally offered by the ISW and are marked in the KSL with an indication of their specialisation (AL, HL or AL/HL).

An exception is made for the modules "Freiwillige Zusatzleistungen" and "Wahlbereich Bachelor", in which all courses may be credited. Whether a course can be credited under the "Freiwillige Zusatzleistungen" or "Wahlbereich Bachelor" is at the discretion of the lecturer.

Information on written assignments at the ISW can be found here: ISW > Studies > Academic Work

Lecturers reserve the right to set their own guidelines for seminar papers in their courses. These should be discussed with the lecturer in each case.

Details regarding final theses at the ISW can be found here: ISW > Studies > BA/MA Thesis

It is also recommended that you check with the student advisor by the start of your final or penultimate semester at the latest to ensure that you have completed all other requirements necessary for graduation.

Potential supervisors for final theses in the phil.-hist. Faculty are specifically listed in Article 24 of the RSL. For Master’s theses, this includes advanced postdocs, senior teaching assistants and professors of the institute. Bachelor’s theses may also be supervised by other lecturers (in accordance with Article 49 of the RSL).

If a student wishes to have their thesis supervised by someone else (e.g. an early postdoc or a faculty member not affiliated with the institute), this must be approved by the head of the institute. A request may then be submitted to the faculty through this form: Application for the granting of an examination authorisation

Students are expected to initiate contact with their preferred supervisor independently and early on.

The ISW does not provide a set list of topics for Bachelor’s or Master’s theses. Provided a supervisor can be found, a wide range of linguistic topics is possible.

Occasionally, there is the opportunity to write a thesis as part of research projects led by members of the Institute.

For information regarding current topic suggestions, please also refer to the ISW’s  Bachelor’s & Master’s Thesis Topics section on ILIAS. Students may join the section at any time, even if they are not yet starting their thesis. The information section contains topic suggestions from Institute staff that can be adopted, as well as a list of past Bachelor’s and Master’s theses that may serve as inspiration. Some of these past theses can also be viewed on request in office B 173 to get an idea of the types of theses that have previously been submitted to the ISW.

Details of the procedure following the successful submission and defence of your Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis can be found on the faculty website under Bachelor's degree or Master's degree respectively.

In particular, you should contact the relevant student advisor for both your major and minor subjects so that the subject requirements can be marked as ‘fulfilled’ in KSL (green bar, not a green box with an ‘E’). Only then can you submit your application to complete the study programme. To do this, all grades, with the exception of the thesis, must already be entered in KSL.

Further details on the procedure are provided on the faculty pages linked above.

If the Master’s thesis is to be physically added to the library, a filled-out declaration of authorship (Selbstständigkeitserklärung) must be attached to the last page. Only Master’s theses of excellent quality will be added to the library – this is at the discretion of the supervisor.

Per RSL Article 15, vorgezogene Masterleistungen may be taken up to one semester early, provided that one has already earned 150 ECTS credits for the Bachelor’s programme. A maximum of 10% of the ECTS credits required for the Master’s programme may be taken early.

Vorgezogene Masterleistungen must be entered in the Clipboard/Zwischenablage section of KSL so that they are not counted towards the Bachelor’s degree. Once you have completed your Bachelors and enrolled for the Masters, the credits can be transferred to the appropriate section.

Although the course schedule is designed for students starting in the autumn semester, it is generally possible to join the linguistics programme in any semester. Joining in spring usually entails a little more effort at the start, as you will not have covered the basic concepts from the intro to General Linguistics (AL I).

If you have any questions regarding specific courses offered by the ISW, we recommend contacting the relevant lecturers directly. For advice on studying at the Institute of Linguistics, please contact the Academic Student Advice. Further administrative responsibilities within the Institute can be found under Contact.

The University of Bern also has further advisory services, some of which can be consulted for matters outside of your studies. The following services are particularly worth highlighting:

• Points of contact and advice centers: Overview page of all advisory services at the University of Bern
• Universities of Bern Counselling Centre: Can be consulted for matters relating to study and work at Bernese higher education institutions, as well as for personal concerns such as mental health 
• Office for Equal Opportunities (AfC): Provides advice to students and staff on issues related to equal opportunities, including career counseling and work-life balance, disability and chronic illness, changes to first names or gender entries, discrimination, and sexual harassment.
• Admissions Office (ZIB): Support regarding registration for studies, initial enrolment, renewal of enrolment, leave of absence and withdrawal
• Student Union (SUB): Offers various advisory services for students, e.g. on funding your studies and legal advice
• University Library of Bern (UB): Offers various resources and advisory services on literature research, writing advice, databases, etc.

Accommodations are managed at the Faculty of Arts at the departmental level. At the ISW, accommodations are always negotiated directly with the lecturers. This means that students requiring accommodations must contact the lecturers of the ISW courses they are attending themselves.

Ideally, lecturers should be contacted and informed before the start of the semester or during the first two weeks of the course, so that they have sufficient time to organise the requested accommodations. Please note that, due to staffing, time and space constraints, it is not always possible to guarantee all requested accommodations.
There are two ways to proceed in this regard:

• The lecturer will be contacted directly with a doctor's note
• The student advisor will be contacted with a doctor's note and will then issue a document certifying the need for reasonable accommodation (Nachweis zum Nachteilsausgleich). Students must then present this document to their lecturers

To obtain a document certifying compensation for disadvantage, please follow these steps:

1. Please contact the student advisor with the necessary documents. The following are required: a doctor's note, Template Application Access Arrangements (available via the link on the AfC's information page above)
2. The student advisor will review the application
3. A document attesting to the access arrangements (Nachweis zum Nachteilsausgleich) will be issued, setting out the possible measures

Lecturers can then be contacted with the document noting accommodation, and the specific arrangements for implementing these accommodations in their respective lectures can be discussed.
The advantage of the proof document is that individual lecturers do not need to be provided with a medical certificate stating a specific diagnosis. Furthermore, some minor subjects require proof from the main subject.

A good point of contact for questions about career prospects is the Alumni Linguistik Bern association. One of its purposes is to connect prospective and current students with alumni. If a member works in the desired profession or has expertise in that field, contact can be facilitated between the two parties if required.

The association endeavours to organise an information event at the ISW once a year (usually in the autumn semester), at which former students explain their current profession and how it relates to their linguistics studies, and answer questions from students.

In addition, there are books on career choices for linguists available in the Semesterapparat in the foyer of the Institute.