Bachelor's study programme Slovene Studies (last enrolled in 2024/2025)

Programme description

The Bachelor's study program Slovene Studies is intended everybody who is interested in questions of Slovenian language and literature in relation to other fields of the humanities. We will explore phenomena at the intersection of various digital, and especially cultural, linguistic and national spaces, which is precisely the environment in which the School of Humanities is placed. We introduce our students to foundational insights offered by classical Slovene studies and build upon this knowledge using current approaches, from formal theoretical and experimental linguistics to digital humanities and gender studies. Students learn about the characteristics of standard Slovenian language but also dialects, speeches and multilingualism, study canonized literary works but also research overlooked older and contemporary authors, while also looking at the fields of visual art, media and history.

We encourage our students to connect with experts from various scientific disciplines, who in their work often go beyond the boundaries of classical Slovene studies. This contact enables the students to familiarize themselves with solving practical and research problems in the fields of linguistics, literature and related fields. At the same time, they also achieve a wide range of competences and interdisciplinary knowledge through elective subjects, as students can also enroll in subjects from other study programs offered at the University of Nova Gorica (or other institutions).

The Slovene Studies program focuses on knowledge and competences that are necessary for work in many areas of Slovene studies, and we also prepare students for professional activities in the wider field of humanities, e.g., in modern digital environments. Students are qualified for proofreading, language consultancy, library work, publishing, journalism, editing, but also museum, cultural, media and art activities and research. The program Slovene Studies enables the continuation of studying and researching. Our students can continue in different directions, such as Slovene studies (pedagogical and non-pedagogical studies), general and comparative linguistics, literary theory, comparative literature, translation, library science, journalism and media studies, cultural studies, folkloristics, theater and other performance arts, contemporary artistic and related interdisciplinary practices and other fields of humanities.

Admission requirements

Admission to this program is open to students who:

• have completed the matura (high-school exit exam)
• had completed any secondary school program before June 1, 1995
• have completed the final examination following a suitable vocational secondary school (poklicna matura) in the field of: Early childhood education, Economic technician and an exam in one of the subjects of the general matura: History, Sociology, Philosophy or Psychology; the chosen subject must not be the subject that the candidate has taken as part of the vocational matura.

If admission is subject to a quota, candidates with matura will be selected based on the following criteria:

• overall achievement at the matura (60% of points)
• overall achievement in the third and the fourth year of a secondary school (30% of points)
• grades achieved in Slovene in the third and the fourth year of a secondary school (10% of points)

Candidates with poklicna matura will be selected based on the following criteria:

• overall achievement at the poklicna matura (60% of points)
• overall achievement in the third and the fourth year of a secondary school (30% of points)
• grade achieved in a selected matura subject (10% of points)

Educational and professional goals

The general goal of this program is to to form the graduate as a professionally well-rounded person, capable of understanding and resolving complex issues related to the Slovene language and literature, taken to be autonomous and unique phenomena. We therefore expect the graduate to successfully explore Slovenian language and literature in relation to general and specific phenomena that are particularly apparent at the intersection of various cultural and national spaces. The graduate will be able to establish comprehensive and formative relationships between experts from various scientific disciplines, who need to cooperate in solving practical and research problems within the field of Slovene studies and related fields. They will also be trained for independent applied services.

Access to further studies

Graduates in Slovene studies may continue with graduate study programs on condition that they meet the recommendations of the university offering the chosen graduate study program.

Assessment

Students are familiarized with the methods of assessment for each subject at the beginning of the academic year. These are also published as part of the course description on the UNG website. For each subject, three exam dates are announced at the beginning of the academic year. Knowledge is assessed through exams, which can proceed in written and/or oral form. In most subjects assessments also include intermediate tests during lectures (in the form of seminar assignments, homework, etc.). The latter are intended to encourage students to study regularly and to enable the students to monitor their own progress. Grades for all courses are available to students via the UNG electronic system.