Useful information for
New BA Students of English

It is my very first day at the Department of English – Where do I have to go?

An information meeting for all freshers will be held online using the video conferencing software Zoom on the first day of the autumn term (14-9-2020) at 18:15 h. The download link for the Zoom meeting will be sent to students' unibas e-mail address. We strongly advise you to attend and take the opportunity to get to know members of staff and student groups as well as ask all sorts of questions you may have.

As preparation for the meeting, please download and familiarize yourself with the following documents:

-        Sample Study Plan: This document explains what courses to attend each semester and how to plan your studies;

-        Study Plan BA English: This is the legal document that regulates your studies;

-        Handbook BA English: This document explains the study plan.

Please do not forget to enrol for your compulsory courses (cf. below). Please note that some of your compulsory courses may already start in the morning and afternoon of that first day.

What do I have to know before starting my studies?

For useful information concerning the start of your studies consult the university's website.

How do I enrol for courses?

Freshers have to enrol for the four compulsory first-semester courses (see below) in MOnA and on additional sign-up lists where required (see course descriptions in Course Directory).

When can I start my studies?

BA Students begin their studies in the autumn. While it is possible to start in spring, it might prolong your studies.

Compulsory courses

Students in their first semester should sign up for the following four courses. Please search for the courses in the autumn term's Course Directory:

• Proseminar 35015, Introduction to English Linguistics I: Structure and use  (several sections from which to choose, cf. course description. In order to ensure a good learning environment, we aim at no more than 25 students per class (4 sections). We ask you to register via the following doodle link and recommend that you create a doodle account: https://doodle.com/poll/4u7be55hphm9mf86. You may only register TWICE: once for a class section and once for a waiting list. Multiple voting (more than twice) will be removed and you will be assigned a place in a class with free seats after registration has closed. Should you have not made it into one of the courses and you are only able to register for the waiting lists, we guarantee that we will take you in the course with the least student numbers. The doodle will close on 7 September in order to finalize student distribution in the week before term starts). Please also register in the corresponding section on MOnA.
• Lecture 28850, Research Methodology in Linguistics  (Tuesday 10–12, give this course priority). Please register in the corresponding section on MOnA. This course will be taught during the assigned time slot in a lecture room as well as in zoom. We are privileged to have received a room for this obligatory introductory lecture. Since the room can only hold 40 students, we need to split the class into groups of 40. Please add your name only once to the doodle: doodle.
• Proseminar 35016, Introduction I: Literary Studies  (several sections from which to choose, please sign up on the online sign-up doodle https://doodle.com/poll/ctuvdayef5caf28i and then register in the corresponding section on MOnA.
• Course 35011, Academic Writing in English I  (several sections from which to choose, cf. course description. Please sign up in MOnA. The number of participants in each section is strictly limited to 20. If a section is full, you must sign up for one of the alternative sections. You may not register for more than one of the parallel courses).

Please refer to the autumn term's Course Directory for detailed course descriptions.

Note that your course of studies is regulated by a number of regulations and guidelines, as well as the official Handbook for the BA English.

Who is who?

If you want to know who works at the Department of English or if you want to contact a member of staff click here.