| Semester 1 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
|
AMS-20063 |
History of the United States in the Twentieth Century |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The module seeks to engage students in a critical and analytical look at the central themes of America's domestic development in the twentieth century as a backdrop for understanding society and politics in the United States today. It offers a diversity of social, economic, political and cultural perspectives and will equip students with the basic historical tools for more detailed investigation. On the one hand the module examines the general political, social, and cultural undercurrents since 1900. On the other hand it takes a closer look at some of the key events and developments during the past century that left a long-term imprint on American society. |
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CHE-20019 |
Crime, Science and Investigation |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module provides both an overview and highlights of techniques in forensic investigation together with more in-depth study of crime scene investigation. It aims to inform and educate a general audience in the application of scientific principles and methods to the investigation of crime. It is designed for students who are not studying forensic science as a degree subject yet are interested in acquiring an understanding of the principles and practice of the scientific investigation of crime and the strategies employed by the professionals in its implementation. It will therefore appeal to both science and non-science degree students |
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CHE-20026 |
Entrepreneurship Level 2 |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Entrepreneurship is a widely-used but little understood concept, often equated with new and innovative business ventures. It is often touted as the panacea for economic growth and development and a source of new jobs and new ideas. However, entrepreneurs also require a sound knowledge of how to set up a company and promote their business.
This module aims to introduce you to the concept of entrepreneurship and new venture start-up and its role in economic and business development in particular. This will enable you to appreciate the skills required to create or begin a new business venture and equip you with relevant employability skills. Students will be arranged into teams at the start of the module and will carry out an assessed skills-based project to develop an entrepreneurial business activity, including preparing a detailed business plan and presenting the venture to staff experienced in business development as a viable investment proposition. |
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|
CHI-20001 |
Translation for Native Speakers of Chinese |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module is designed for native Mandarin speakers with good levels of English. It develops translation skills into both English and Mandarin Chinese. It will enhance native Chinese students' general comprehension and understanding of English language structures, with a particular focus on vocabulary related to business and marketing. The module will focus on reading/writing skills and introduce students to translation theory. |
|
|
CHI-90001 |
Chinese (Mandarin) 1 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This course is designed for students with no prior knowledge of Chinese. It will develop basic communication skills in Chinese in everyday situations such as meeting someone for the first time, talking about daily routine, family, shopping and telephone conversations. The module aims to provide students with the very basics of spoken Mandarin and with recognition skills of written Chinese characters. Students will also be introduced to some aspects of Chinese culture.
Please note that if you are a Chinese National or have any experience of Chinese (Mandarin or otherwise) you cannot enrol for this module.
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|
|
CHI-90003 |
Chinese 3 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will develop students' Chinese language communication skills, enabling them to speak, listen, read, and write in carrying out simple and routine tasks they are likely to encounter in socialising, living, studying or travelling in Chinese. Functions and topics such as giving descriptions of events and places, talking about impressions, presenting and receiving gifts, making social arrangements will be covered. Students will also become familiar with some aspects of cultural specific behaviour. |
|
|
CHI-90005 |
Chinese 5 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will further develop students communication skills in Mandarin Chinese, enabling them to speak, listen, read, and write in carrying out tasks they are likely to encounter in socialising, living, studying, travelling or working in China. Topics and functions covered in the module will include: making comparisons, discussing Chinese cities, regions, countryside and types of accommodation, holiday options, talking about choices and decisions, quoting reported speech. The students will have the awareness of the appropriate use of familiar register and will be able to switch familiar and normal polite as and when it is necessary. The module will build up students' competence of writing in Chinese characters and will also equip them with an understanding of contemporary Chinese culture and society. |
|
|
CRI-20016 |
Crime and Justice in a Global Context |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This modules provides a comprehensive introduction to, and looks in detail at how criminology has tried to understand the effects on crime and criminal justice of globalisation and other processes of social change associated with the coming of late modernity. The focus will be on issues and problems related to terrorism, state crimes, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. This module is also a free standing elective and is particularly suitable for students in the social sciences and in particular sociology students. |
|
|
CRI-20017 |
Building Safer Communities |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
It is almost impossible to avoid hearing the word 'community' when the subject of what is to be done about crime and disorder is discussed. In political and policy debates, as well as in media and everyday consideration of these issues, 'the community' is a term used and abused as both a source of problems and a resource to be drawn upon in designing solutions to them. This module considers the ways in which 'communities' are constructed, managed, mobilised and responsibilised both as sites of crime problems and as potential sources of crime prevention solutions. The module will engage critically with the term 'community' asking if the term retains any meaning in late modern societies and, if so, what it means for those who find themselves governing and being governed under such headings.
The module considers efforts to 'build safer communities' on three levels. Firstly it explores top-down efforts to manage crime and disorder that have been structured around the notion of 'the community' as a site of governance. Secondly, the module explores attempts to responsibilise and mobilise more local agencies and organisations under the 'community' banner, relocating some responsibility in locally-based 'Partnerships' who become tasked with knowing the specific problems of 'their' communities and acting to minimise them. Thirdly, the module engages with debates around the responsibilisation of individuals as part of variously defined communities, whether they be construed on geographic, racial, interest or any other lines.
The enduring appeal of the notion of community will be explored alongside these three approaches, as well as the problems caused by conceptualising society and individuals in community terms. The module asks broad questions that underpin the use of the term, including; Who or what constitutes a community? Who defines which communities exist? How does central and local government intervention (directly or indirectly) promote the interests of some communities over others? Are communities always inclusive?
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|
|
CRI-20018 |
Crime, Culture and Conflict 1700-1914 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Crime, Culture and Conflict is designed to allow students to critically analyse the history of criminal justice in England and Wales during the period 1750-1914. In doing so, the module provides the academic context for understanding the major debates, theories and issues relating to the contemporary criminal justice system. The module is structured around three key themes: the social construction of crime and criminalisation, the public versus the private sphere and competing perspectives on the history of crime and the development of the criminal justice system. These three themes share an important strand of continuity within this module - that of popular culture and resistance. This framework is employed to demonstrate that history is always a matter of contestation and interpretation, and that there can never be one definitive 'truth' about historical events or developments. The process of excavating new historical sources is a continuous one, and as new research takes place alongside existing acccounts, critical reflection, perhaps even re-evaluation and re-interpretation, is often called for. |
|
|
CRI-20022 |
Mental Health and Offending |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Are mentally disordered offenders "mad" or "bad"? Should they be "treated" or "punished"? What is the relationship between "mental health" and offending? These are just some of the questions that this exciting new second year module will introduce you to as we explore the key debates, theoretical perspectives and differing responses that surround forensic mental health.
The module begins by introducing students to the variety of different ways in which mental health has been classified, understood and responded to. We start by tracing the history of the asylums and psychiatry through to the deinstitutionalisation of the mentally ill and move towards 'care in the community'. Subsequent political and public responses to a small number of high profile offences by the mentally ill in the 1990s are considered before the current framework of services for mentally disordered offenders is outlined. This will enable students to engage with the development of criminal justice and health responses to mentally disordered offenders and consider the theoretical and practical challenges that are raised by our attempts to identify and target so called 'dangerous' people. The problems surrounding treatment and making accurate predictions of risk will also be explored. |
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|
CSC-20021 |
Web Technologies |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module provides an understanding of Internet communication architectures (such as client-server) with reference to standard protocols, and enables the students to develop multi-tier web applications and configure the servers on which these rely. |
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CSC-20023 |
Computational Intelligence I |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will provide students with an introduction to the core computational intelligence topics of evolutionary algorithms and neural networks, their use in vision systems and robotics, and some of the similarities and differences between natural and synthetic intelligent systems. |
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~
|
ECO-20042 |
Introduction to Econometrics |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module is designed especially to cater for the needs of students taking the Principal Economics, Business Economics Single Honours, Principal Finance or Accounting and Finance Single Honours programme, and is structured to assist them in understanding the technical and quantitative aspects of the subject.
The module will introduce and develop students understanding of econometrics and the use of statistical methods to investigate selected economic and financial issues (e.g. consumption functions, household labour supply, CAPM) |
|
|
EDU-20023 |
Play, Power and Pedagogy |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Can children learn whilst playing? Is play embedded in early years pedagogy? This module encourages students to examine play as a core method of learning. It will introduce students to the contemporary theories and practices surrounding the introduction of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and how these are reflected in historical and contemporary policy debates. |
|
|
EDU-20024 |
Education Matters: Contemporary Issues and Debates in Education |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module provides a detailed and critical overview of significant processes of educational change, and the thinking (political, ideological, and economic) behind them. All the issues covered in this module are of contemporary relevance and highlight the fundamental re-positioning of educational systems, structures and processes in society and economy.
This module will explore broad, ideological shifts in education over the past four decades, as well as examining how these translate into specific policy initiatives. It will examine how the meaning, purposes and goals of education have changed over time, and continue to do so. it also engages with the way in which educational values, ideologies and policies impact upon educational institutions and processes, and their effects on the experiences of those most closely involved, namely pupils, students, educators and managers.
|
|
|
EDU-20028 |
Reflective Teaching: Critical and reflective approaches to teaching in secondary education |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
In this module students will be introduced to key concepts such as reflective teaching and critical pedagogy and to some of the ways in which these have been theorised. Students will explore pedagogical issues in teaching in secondary schools and the critical role of teachers in delivering and shaping school knowledge. The module aims to explore critical and reflective learning and its applications to various school subjects drawing primarily on constructivist learning theory. Students will also explore the policy context for secondary school teaching and how the work of the teachers is shaped by it. |
|
|
ENG-20034 |
Victorian Performances |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The Victorian age was an age of empire, industry, social reform and technological and scientific progress. These startling changes forced writers of the period to rethink the complex relationship between themselves, their writing and the world, relationships that were often figured afresh in terms of different kinds of performance and adaptation. From Browning's development of the dramatic monologue to adaptations of Dickens's novels for the stage, to the day-to-day social performances of class and gender identity that are explored and exploded in sensation fiction, this module will engage with the variety of new genres that were developed during this period and discuss ways in which the Victorian period has been performed through its literature.
Module suitable for: English students, EALs students, students who have passed an English elective at level 1, students with A-Level English or equivalent. |
|
~
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ENG-20040 |
The Age of Shakespeare and Donne |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
1603 to 1633, the period of Shakespeare's mature works, Jonson's comedies, and some of the greatest writers of lyric poetry in the language - Donne, Herbert, and the recently uncovered work of Mary Wroth and Ann Southwell. We will study Shakespeare's sonnets, Measure for Measure and King Lear; Jonson's The Alchemist and Bartholomew Fair; the selected poetry and prose of John Donne, and the poetry of Herbert Wroth and Southwell. There are a number of themes that link these works, including justice, desire, constancy, truthfulness and devotion. We will also pay attention to the historical and ideological contexts, but most importantly share the exhilaration of unpacking these supreme examples of literature. |
|
|
ENL-90009 |
Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language 1 |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Teach me and I will forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I will understand. A Chinese proverb.
What will you do when you graduate? Would you like the opportunity to see the world and get paid for doing it? Does the idea of earning enough money to begin paying off your student loans during the summer holidays appeal to you? Would you like to earn a professional teaching qualification? Would you like to develop skills that you can use in any career? Skills which will enhance your c.v. plus give you an edge in the job market?
If you answer yes to any of these questions, then you will benefit from our Teaching English as a Foreign Language modular electives. These four electives, taken over a two-year period, lead to the Trinity College (London) Certificate in TESOL. This is one of the most widely recognised and highly regarded initial English language teaching qualifications in the world. Graduates have gone on to teach in such exciting locales as Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Singapore, Brazil, Yemen, Germany, Spain, Italy, Iceland and France, as well as working in summer schools within the UK.
Outside Keele University a course leading to this certificate would cost you between £1,000 and £1,200 plus moderation fees. If you take all four modules as your elective choices at Keele, you need pay only £180 for registration and external moderation fees.
The first module provides the foundations of English language teaching. It introduces you to the methodologies and techniques and helps you to develop skills such as classroom management and lesson planning. This module will improve your knowledge of English and give you a chance to learn a new foreign language, such as Thai. Chinese, Arabic or Greek. |
|
|
ENL-90011 |
Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language 3 |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
As you move into your second year of the course, the focus shifts from the theory of language teaching and learning to practical experience. Working closely with a small group of English language learners, you will plan and deliver lessons to suit their needs. At the same time, you will have the opportunity to profile one learner in order to gain a clearer understanding of the types of problems they may have when learning English, and how you can help them overcome those problems. In the classroom we look at how teaching children is different from teaching adult learners, teaching English for specific purposes such as English for the tourism industry, and we critically assess the UK's immigrant 'English as a Second or Other Language' programme. |
|
|
FIL-20001 |
Gender and the Cinematic Gaze |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will explore and evaluate the significance of gendered representation in film focusing specifically on theories of gendered spectatorship, voyeurism and the dis/pleasure of looking. Students will be introduced to a number of significant theorists such as Laura Mulvey, Judith Butler, Claire Johnston and Sue Thornham in order to gain an understanding of gender as a cultural and social construction (differentiated from $ùsex&©) and influenced by political movements such as feminism. Students will consider if, how and to what extent notions of gender are culturally determined. In addition, they will consider the complexities associated with representations of gender on-screen and study how filmic audiences have traditionally identified with specific gender positions leading to a consideration of notions of subjectivity and objectivity in film spectatorship. Via analysis of a range of filmic texts that may include 'Rear Window' (Hitchcock, 1954), 'Beauty and the Beast' (Trousdale and Wise, 1991), 'Fight Club' (Fincher, 1999) and 'Caramel' (Labaki, 2007), this module will explore the ways in which gender representations are negotiated in-line with other areas of identity politics such as sexuality, ethnicity, race and class.
Through theoretical and illustrative lectures and contextualised screenings, this module will allow students to explore the ways in which notions of self are linked to social and cultural representations of gender on-screen. Students will question gender identities on-screen as representations that may shape and organise the ways in which we see and find pleasure in seeing. |
|
|
FIL-20003 |
French Cinema |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Known as 'the seventh art', cinema in France occupies an important place in terms of practise, criticism and spectatorship in that country. This module looks at key moments within the history of French cinema, namely the Golden Age of the 1930s, the New Wave of the 1950s and 1960s, postmodern and postcolonial films of the 1980s and 1990s. and trends such as the de-eroticised erotic, blockbusters, and social realism of the 2000s. In so doing, it considers questions around genre, auteurship, stars, social contexts, cinematography, and narrative, as well as issues around class, gender, sexuality and national identity. |
|
|
FIL-20004 |
Politics and Cinema |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module seeks to introduce students to some of the great works of world cinema and to investigate the major ideological tendencies of the twentieth-century and key moments in modern and contemporary politics as these have been reflected in film. Topics central to this module include revolution, totalitarianism, nationalism and terrorism. The scope is international and settings include North and South America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Films studied on the course are likely to include: Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now; Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11; Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin; Askoldov's Commissar; Mikhalkov's Burnt by the Sun; The Lives of Others; Ken Loach's The Wind that Shakes the Barley; Neil Jordan's Michael Collins; Pontecorvo's The Battle of Algiers; Kevin Macdonald's One Day in September; Spielberg's Munich.
The module will not presume any knowledge of film, but will nevertheless regard the films as cinematic works. The main focus will be on events, ideas and political developments, and how they are reflected cinematically. A general background knowledge of the twentieth century will be important although this module will not require deep specialist knowledge of any given country. |
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|
FRE-90001 |
French 1 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This course is designed for students with no prior knowledge of French and will develop basic communication skills in French in everyday situations such as introducing oneself and giving and understanding personal information about oneself, family and friends.
Alongside the French language, you will get an insight into French culture e.g. about a variety of French traditions and customs, and culture specific behaviour. By following Units 1 to 4 of "French Experience 1- BBC Publications", you will be able to put the language learnt into the context of socialising, leisure, visits and work.
As the focus of this module is on communication skills, a large proportion of the course will be based on oral work speaking in groups and pairs in a variety of question-and-answer and role-play exercises. But you will also develop your reading and writing skills in French. The course book gives basic outline and structure to your learning, and will be supplemented by other materials. There will also be the opportunity to practise and reinforce vocabulary and language structures by using computer exercises in the KLE, linked to the weekly classes.
The language level of this module corresponds to work leading to Level A1 of the European Common Framework for Languages (CEFR -A1).
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|
|
FRE-90003 |
French 3 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module is designed for students who have successfully completed French 1 and 2 (or equivalent) at Keele, or who have completed other courses consisting of up to 4 years of taught French.
Set in France, The Units 10 to 14 of the course book "French Experience 1- BBC Publications" follow the experiences of a group of native speakers as they work, travel, socialise and visit other parts of the French-speaking world. Thoughtfully designed to introduce the complexities of more advanced forms of the language, the course also engages with francophone culture.
You will be involved in a variety of experiences through audio-material integrated with the course, enabling you to participate in conversations and situations.
The course exploits every aspect of language-learning methods, providing reinforcement of new ideas by carefully designed exercises and supporting material both from the coursebook and from the KLE.
The language level of this module corresponds to work leading to Level A2 of the European Common Framework for Languages (CEFR -A2).
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|
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FRE-90005 |
French 5 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The course is designed for students with prior knowledge of French and will develop advanced communication skills in French in everyday situations such as talking about daily routine, socialising and food, family, the home as well as in more complex situations, such as discussing a range of topical issues in French or understanding the French media. To help you achieve this, the course-book, ''French Experience 2'' (BBC Publications) will provide you with an advanced vocabulary and plenty of practice. It also allows you to get a better understanding of the grammatical structure of the language.
By the end of this course you be able to understand extended vocabulary and complex phrases concerning a French speaking environment. You will understand complex sentences, for example those used in French speaking media. You will be able to interact in a more elaborate way with French people. You will be able to ask and answer a range of questions on familiar topics and discuss issues of contemporary France. You will be able to use complex phrases and sentences to describe your everyday life and life in your country. You will be able to write simple letters describing for instance a past holiday as well as longer texts in French.
In French 5, we continue from French 4 and you will both consolidate the skills you have acquired at that level and build on them by moving beyond the situations of everyday life to more challenging (and stimulating) topics like the media or politics. You will extend your vocabulary base and be introduced to the more complex grammatical structures characteristic of formal, written French.
Alongside the textbook, we will use audio,video and online material to consolidate vocabulary, grammatical structures and themes dealt with in class.
The language level of this module corresponds to work leading to Level B1 of the European Common Framework for Languages (CEFR -B1).
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|
FRE-90007 |
French 7 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The course is designed for students with an advanced knowledge of French and will develop their advanced communication skills in French in everyday situations as well as in more complex contexts, in particular in discussing a range of topical issues in French or understanding contemporary France.
By the end of this course you be able to understand extended vocabulary and complex phrases concerning a French speaking environment. You will understand complex sentences, for example those used in French speaking media. You will be able to interact in a more elaborate way with French people. You will be able to ask and answer a range of questions on familiar topics and discuss issues of contemporary France. You will be able to use complex phrases and sentences to describe your everyday life and life in your country. You will be able to write texts in French on issues such as the environment, health, the use of new technologies.
In French 7, we continue from French 6 and you will both consolidate the skills you have acquired at that level and build on them by moving beyond the situations of everyday life to more challenging (and stimulating) topics like the media or politics. You will extend your vocabulary base and be introduced to the more complex grammatical structures characteristic of formal, written French.
We will make an extensive use of French resources available on the Internet to consolidate vocabulary, grammatical structures and themes dealt with in class.
The language level of this module corresponds to work leading to Level B2 of the European Common Framework for Languages (CEFR -B2).
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FRE-90009 |
French 9 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This is a French post-advanced course designed for students who have a very good familiarity with the language and will develop their communication skills in French in everyday situations as well as in more complex contexts, in particular in developing arguments and discussions around a range of topical issues in French or understanding contemporary France.
By the end of this course you be able to understand extended vocabulary and complex phrases concerning a French speaking environment. You will understand complex sentences, for example those used in French speaking media. You will be able to interact in a very elaborate way with French people. You will be able to ask and answer a range of questions on familiar topics and discuss issues of contemporary France. You will be able to use complex phrases and sentences to describe your everyday life and life in your country. You will be able to write texts in French on a range of issues in the French speaking world. You will be able to summarize French texts in French and to develop your skills at essay writing in French. You will become more fluent in making an oral presentation in French and in the use of French online resources.
In French 9, we continue from French 8 and you will both consolidate the skills you have acquired at that level and build on them by moving beyond the situations of everyday life to more challenging (and stimulating) topics like the media, politics or technology. You will extend your vocabulary base and be introduced to the more complex grammatical structures characteristic of formal, written French.
We will make an extensive use of French resources available on the Internet to consolidate vocabulary, grammatical structures and themes dealt with in class.
The language level of this module corresponds to work leading to Level C1 of the European Common Framework for Languages (CEFR -C1).
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GER-90001 |
German 1 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
German is the most widely spoken language in the EU, and Germany is the second largest export nation in the world. Learning German, therefore, makes very good sense if you want to enhance your future employment prospective, whatever your chosen career path.
This course is designed for students with no prior knowledge of German and will develop basic communication skills in German in everyday situations such as introducing oneself and giving and understanding personal information about oneself, family and friends. Alongside the German language, you will get an insight into German culture e.g. we will learn about a variety of German traditions and customs, and culture specific behaviour. By following the video series of 'Deutsch Plus' which charts the problems and successes of an immigrant to Germany in his first job, you will be able to put the language learnt into a work-based context. As the focus of this module is on communication skills, a large proportion of the course will be based on oral work - speaking in groups and in pairs in a variety of question-and-answer and role play exercises. But you will also develop your reading and writing skills in German. We will use a course book which will give a basic outline and structure to the course, but the book will be supplemented by regular video work and other materials. There will also be the opportunity to practise and reinforce vocabulary and language structures by using computer exercises in KLE, linked to the weekly classes.
The language level of this module corresponds to work leading to Level A1 in the European Common Framework for Languages (CEFR -A1).
Please note:
Language module levels 1 and 2 (90001 and 90002) are not available as electives counting towards final year credits.
Year 1 and 2 students can only take one absolute beginners language module (90001) in one academic year. |
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GER-90003 |
German 3 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The module will build on skills acquired in German 2 or the equivalent (e.g. CEFR Level A1, GCSE Grade C or lower)) and expand your vocabulary base and ability to interact in everyday situations in German. Topics include talking about family and friends, living conditions and travel plans. You will consolidate and broaden your knowledge of vocabulary and grammar in class, as well as practise your communicative skills.
Teaching will be based around the textbook and a DVD series for language learners which focuses on young people's lives and work in today's Berlin. Various aspects of contemporary German life will be discussed, based on the textbook and audiovisual material and thereby give you an insight into German culture and customs. There will be a variety of tasks and exercises in class time, such as partner exercises, listening comprehensions, role-play and reading and writing tasks. You will consolidate the skills acquired in class through further web-based self-study exercises.
The language level of this module corresponds to work leading to Level A2 in the European Common Framework for Languages (CEFR -A2) |
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|
GER-90005 |
German 5 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The module will build upon the competence acquired at German 4 or equivalent (e.g. CEFR level A2, GCSE grade A). In this module, students will become acquainted with aspects of German culture through the medium of German. Each week will be devoted to a different topic, which will include themes such as club life, the generation gap, travel, friendship, and German proverbs and nursery rhymes. The core skills - listening, speaking, reading and writing - will be expanded and communicative competence and awareness of grammar will be developed further. Teaching will be based around a course book which will be supplemented by a range of video material. There will be a variety of tasks and exercises during each class, such as discussion and role play; listening comprehension and reading and writing tasks and further, partly web-based, self-study tasks.
The language level of this module corresponds to work leading to Level B1 in the European Common Framework for Languages (CEFR -B1) |
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GER-90007 |
German 7 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module is aimed at students with a good knowledge of German and will be taught predominantly in the target language. All basic skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing) will be practised in the contact hours, and your communicative skills, vocabulary base and knowledge of grammar will be consolidated and expanded. The course is based around a series of texts focussing on life in contemporary Germany which will afford you an insight into the cultural background of German society, dealing with issues such as education in Germany, and social and political problems.
You will move from being able to communicate in everyday situations to discussing more complex issues with a degree of confidence. This will be practised in the classroom situation in a variety of ways: pair work and debates, as well as listening comprehensions and audiovisual material that familiarises you with authentic linguistic features. In self-study time, these skills will be consolidated with the help of exercises on KLE, and German Internet sites that will expand your vocabulary base and further your understanding of German life and culture. The language learning process will be charted in the reflective diary and provide valuable tools to improve language acquisition. Feedback on formative and summative assessments will be provided at regular intervals.
The language level of this module corresponds to work leading to Level B2 in the European Common Framework for Languages (CEFR -B2) |
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GER-90009 |
German 9 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
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This course is designed for students with very advanced German language skills (German 8, A-level grade B or above) and will focus on systematically enhancing all four skills, whilst studying topics of relevance to modern-day Germany and Austria.
The course will be mainly based on authentic German texts and audio-visual materials such as films, TV recordings and web material, which will be exploited in class and self-study time.
By the end of the course you will be able to handle a variety of complex German sources, including newspaper articles and fictional texts, conduct your own searches of German websites and read and discuss factual and fictional texts with some confidence. Feedback on formative and summative assessments will be provided at regular intervals and emphasis will be placed on enabling you to become an efficient language learner after completion of the course.
The language level of this module corresponds to work leading to Level C1 in the European Common Framework for Languages (CEFR -C1) |
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HIS-20066 |
Imperialism and Empire |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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This module examines the dynamics of the `imperial age' of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. What were the motives for the expansion of the imperial power? What tools and methods did the imperial powers use to govern huge empires? How did imperial ideas contribute to the creation of new racial, ethnic, sexual and religious identities amongst the subject peoples of Empire? How did Empire reshape the identities of European societies? These questions are considered from the perspective of both the colonizer and the colonized within British and German Empires, drawing on case studies from Africa and India. Topics include: Sex and Empire; Hunting and Empire; Disease, Medicine and Empire; Colonialism and the Camera; Christianity and Empire; the German Occupation of Namibia, and Post-colonialism. |
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HIS-20069 |
State and Empire in Britain c. 1530-c. 1720 |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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The module explores British history from the Reformation, through the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (or British civil wars) of the mid seventeenth century, to the Act of Union of 1707 and the beginnings of an overseas empire. Since much of what is called 'British' history is in fact the history of England, or even of London and the south-east, the module approaches 'Britain' and 'British history' as complex and contested concepts through a focus on two troubled centuries when a British state emerged through English dominance over Wales, Ireland and Scotland, Celtic nations struggled to maintain a sense of history and identity, and a 'British' empire began to develop overseas. Developments in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries are still relevant to current political debates, especially in Ulster and the Irish republic, while devolution in Wales and Scotland has also made the meaning of 'Britain' controversial in our own times.
Key textbooks for the module are:
Patrick Collinson (ed.), The Sixteenth Century (Short Oxford History of the British Isles, 2002)
Derek Hirst, Dominion: England and its Island Neighbours 1500-1707 (2012)
David Lawrence Smith, A History of the Modern British Isles. The Double Crown 1603-1707 (1998).
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HIS-20075 |
Right-wing movements in Interwar-Europe 1918-1938 |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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In this module we will explore the history of Europe between the two World Wars as a period in its own right, and not just as the prehistory of World War II. We will analyse a wide range of topics: the end of World War I and its legacies in Western and Eastern Europe 1918-1921, the peace treaties 1919, the reconstruction of Europe until 1929, the hinge years 1929-1933, the variety of European reactions to the coming to power of Hitler in Germany 1933-1938. We will analyse the development of conservative and extreme right-wing movements on a Europe-wide scale, the foundation and rise of extreme right-wing movements in all European states, the different reactions of left-wing and right-wing conservative movements and parties to the $ùrevolution from the right&©. Methodologically we will evaluate approaches of transnational and comparative history and assess the interdependencies of political, social and cultural processes in the specific context of Interwar-Europe
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HIS-20083 |
Nature, Society and the Past: An Environmental History of the Western World, 1800-2000 |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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The scale and pace of human-generated environmental change, which has occurred in the wake of global industrialization, is historically unprecedented. This module will explore the roots of modern environmentalism through an examination of environmental change and cultural responses to it. We will explore the contentious meaning of such terms as 'the environment', 'nature' and 'wilderness', the tension between social and natural histories, and the role/s of science, technology, colonialism, imperialism and ideology in reshaping the concepts of the environment. The module will focus on an analysis of the political, religious and scientific beliefs that have shaped society's relationship with nature, and how such relationships have been challanged by competing visions of progress, modernity and a sustainable future in the light of on-going environmental change. Principally, this module will provide an intellectual and political history of modern environmentalism from the eighteenth century to the present. |
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HIS-20084 |
The Kingdom of England 954-1154 |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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This module, while providing a socio-political and religious history of the Kingdom of England c.954-c.1154, looks to explore aspects of the 'Englishing of England' in a period which historians have begun to define as formative in the history of the country. In 954 Eric Bloodaxe, the last Viking king of Northumbria, was killed on Stainmore and England was ever after the land of one king. In 1154 Henry II, count of Anjou, succeeded to the English throne as ruler of a cross-channel empire which stretched from the north of Britain to the south-west of France.
This then is when England itself, from a myriad of smaller kingdoms, came into geographical existence, even though (it has been argued) the idea of 'England' may have preceded the fact. It is when the 'English' elite effectively invented their past in order to understand themselves in the present, and when they began to imagine themselves as a community and fashion for themselves an identity. Through an examination of topics such as the consolidation of the country by Alfred's successors, the 'Englishing of the North', the impact of the Danish and Norman invasions, the innovations (and continuities) that resulted in the development of monasticism, the church, and society at large, as well as the chronicling of such changes, the course looks to explore the paradox as to why the English became more English during this period in spite of repeated foreign invasion. It will look to argue that the process of unification may be a far more important feature of English history than conquest. |
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HRM-20013 |
Industrial Relations |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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This module addresses the collective aspects of the employment relationship. It is taught through conventional lectures, which will give students a thorough grounding in industrial relations, and in insight into the way this is practiced in the majority of Britain's major companies and in the public sector.
Tutorial work around a case study will allow students to develop their knowledge of one particular employment issue, and to practice negotiation of this item as part of a team, either as employers or employees. |
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HRM-20016 |
Workforce Planning |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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|
The module introduces workforce planning and examines internal and external factors which influence planning, such as labour market structures. Students will gain an understanding of the theory and practice of employee resourcing and retention and of associated managerial practices. The module examines job descriptions and person specifications, analyses the reliability and validity of a range of recruitment and selection methods, and considers the role of the law and equal opportunities in this important area. The module also provides an overview of the role of HR management in training and educating employees, career management and staff retention. |
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JAP-90001 |
Japanese 1 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
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|
This course is designed for students with no prior knowledge of Japanese. It will develop basic communication skills in Japanese in everyday situations such as meeting someone for the first time, talking about daily routine, family, shopping and telephoning. The module aims to provide students with the very basics of spoken Japanese (standard polite register) and with recognition skills of one of the Japanese scripts, Hiragana. Students will also be introduced to some aspects of Japanese culture.
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JAP-90003 |
Japanese 3 |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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|
This module will develop students&© Japanese language communication skills, enabling them to speak, listen, read, and write in carrying out simple and routine tasks they are likely to encounter in socialising, living, studying or travelling in Japan. Functions and topics such as giving descriptions of events and places, talking about impressions, presenting and receiving gifts, making social arrangements will be covered. Students will also become familiar with some aspects of cultural specific behaviour. |
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JAP-90005 |
Japanese 5 |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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|
This module will further develop students&© Japanese language communication skills already acquired, enabling them to speak, listen, read, and write in carrying out tasks they are likely to encounter in socialising, living, studying, travelling or working in Japan. Topics and functions covered in the module will include: making comparisons, discussing Japanese cities, regions, countryside and types of accommodation, holiday options, talking about choices and decisions, quoting reported speech. The students will have the awareness of the appropriate use of familiar register and will be able to switch familiar and normal polite as and when it is necessary. The module will build up students' competence of using basic kanji characters as well as the phonetic scripts. This module will also equip students with understanding of contemporary Japanese culture and society. |
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MAN-20049 |
Cost and Management Accounting |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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|
This module draws on the knowledge, understanding and capabilities acquired by students in the Accounting Principles and Financial &Management Accounting modules. It is intended to develop their knowledge and understanding of cost and management accounting techniques with regard to forecasting, budgeting, costing and investment appraisal.
By the end of the module, students should be able to apply the principles of costing in relevant practical situations, apply management accounting principles in planning and control scenarios and be aware of limitations in cost and management accounting techniques. |
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MAN-20050 |
Social Theory at Work |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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|
This module approaches organisation from a sociological, rather than a psychological or economic perspective. As a subject, sociology is concerned primarily with the conduct of society, how things work and what relations are created both at the institutional level and at the level of everyday interaction. Sociologists love to question how society is organised and structured through its institutions. And they go on to ask how we, as organisational participants as well as employees at work, are organised by, and disciplined through, the institutions that we create collectively in our everyday practices.
In trying to understand how institutions work, Social Theory at Work pays close attention to how people express themselves in terms of their social relations. Rather than study the behaviour of individuals per se, what is examined is how we affect each other interactively, either through action or accounts. Interest extends to the more familiar forms of organisation, such as family, class, community and group, as well as to more formal networks, such as partnerships, cohorts, professions, business associations and other forms of strategic alliance.
The module focuses on how institutions help create, reproduce and regulate order and following that, how power is exercised, distributed and resisted. The module seeks to examine these issues through covering debates over social theory at work.
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MAN-20055 |
Organisational Behaviour |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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This module introduces the fundamental concepts, theories and approaches to the study of human behaviour in organizations. The course analyses classical theory including the Taylorist and Human Relations approaches to Organisational Behaviour, and then describes more recent trends such as labour process and post structuralist analysis. Key topics such as motivation, politics, leadership and gender and organisations are addressed. As a theory driven course organisational behaviour also considers how the relationship between the organization and its environment affects organizational culture and its members. Throughout the emphasis is firmly upon the human dimension of the organization and the organizing process, drawing on a wide range of social science research.
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MAN-20056 |
Critical Perspectives on Management Research |
EF |
C
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7.5 |
15 |
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|
The module introduces students to essential elements of the research process, focusing upon the methodological and theoretical approaches used in management research. The module expects students to adopt a critical approach to reading published research, examining the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to research design and the research process and to the dissemination of research. In particular students will consider the extent to which contextual demands and constraints upon research processes are dealt with by researchers and, through assessments will be encouraged to critique existing research and design an indicative research project. |
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MAN-20060 |
Services Marketing |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
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|
It is now widely acknowledged that most marketing activity carries a service dimension, whether the organisation is involved in manufacturing or pure service provision. Many organisations practice services marketing, whether they are in public service settings (e.g. education, medicine) or in commercial settings (e.g. telecoms). They may be very large organisations (e.g. energy suppliers) or very small (local hairdresser) but what they all have in common is the desire to satisfy customers in order to achieve their organisational objectives.
This module seeks to explore the wide variety of services marketing activity practiced in different services settings, and also to explore the dimensions of customer experience and the potential determinants of service satisfaction within those settings. |
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MDS-20020 |
Making the News |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module introduces a broad range of theoretical debates and issues involved in the making of contemporary news.
At the beginning of the module we study journalism and news values. In order to gain a balanced understanding of the news and its impact on society we will analyse its forms, motives, methods and conventions. The module pays particular attention to the political economy of news and the organisational constraints in producing news and the impact of this on content. We will study journalistic processes and practices in order to examine what and how news is constructed. We will consider a range of news media and the impact of technological change on news production.
There will be some opportunity to consider the issues raised through practical activities.
Over the course of this module there will be a variety of lectures, seminars and practical sessions.
Assessment is based on a essay at 50% plus a practical piece at 50% (news report + critical evaluation).
Reading:
Wahl-Jorensen K and Hanitzsch, T (2009) The Handbook of Journalism Studies. Routledge
Allan. S (2010) News Culture, OU
Allan, S (2009) Routledge Companion to News and Journalism. Routledge |
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MDS-20023 |
Creating Awareness Campaigns |
EF |
C
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7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will give students experience of solving communications problems by producing documents and artefacts. Students will be required to work in production groups and will address tutor negotiated communications goals by making documents, which may include desk top published materials, photography and video. Students will examine contemporary media issues which may include advertising, journalism, press coverage, design and the impact of the world wide web. They will work with various modes of practice including industry standard software such as Adobe Photoshop, Quark Xpress and Final Cut Pro. The outcome of this module is one finished practical project per production group and an individual student workbook. Previous projects have been based on issues such as Domestic Violence, Binge Drinking, Student Protest and Student Debt. It is highly recommended that you have completed level one module The Photographic Message or Digital Video or that you have some experience of graphic design or video production.
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MDS-20024 |
Teenage Dreams: Youth Subcultures in Fiction, Film and Theory |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The DJ John Peel has the words 'Teenage Dreams so hard to beat' carved on his gravestone, a line taken from The Undertones's classic punk song 'Teenage Kicks'. Peel's love of the music, style, attitude and outlook of youth subcultures encapsulates a general and ongoing fascination for writers, filmmakers and critics alike. On this module we will examine a range of theories related to the concept of subcultures, and how they relate to wider issues of class, gender, sexuality and ethnicity. We will look at the development of subcultural theory from the Chicago School, the Birmingham School and semiotics through to postmodern theories. This theoretical context will be discussed with respect to a range of textual representations of youth subcultures including fiction, film, fashion, pop songs and lyrics. We will explore issues related to the identification and historical development of a range of youth subcultures including teenagers, Mods, Rockers, punk, hip hop, R'n'B, and postmodern. We will also analyze the way in which subcultures produce meaning and how they relate to concerns in mainstream culture. Texts studied on the module might include Colin MacInnes's Absolute Beginners, The Who's Quadrophenia (album and film), Julien Temple's The Filfth and the Fury, Courttia Newland's Society Within and Irvine Welsh/Danny Boyle's Trainspotting. |
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MUS-20044 |
Theory and Analysis |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Analysing music enables critical understanding of the ways in which music is organised, and also facilitates more informed assessment of its qualities. Such enhanced appreciation offers the prospect of intensified engagement with music. As well as offering insights into individual scores, the module also demonstrates how such scores relate to larger frameworks of musical engagement. The underlying analytical question is: how does music work? |
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MUS-20045 |
Stravinsky, Russian Traditions and Legacy |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module introduces students to the music of one of the most signficant twentieth-century composers, Igor Stravinsky. Stravinsky's creative career spanned most of the century, but initiated and reflected some of the most important musical developments of the century. Stravinsky's early music was indebted to his Russian nationalist musical heritage and this is evident in his 3 early ballets, The Firebird, Petrushka, The Rite of Spring. These works shook the musical and artistic world because of their mixture of modernity, exoticism and primitivism; they also made him (in)famous. Not content to repeat himself, Stravinsky appeared to reject his own innovations and instead re-engaged with music of the past. For 30 years he wrote music that was largely tonal and that often reworked old forms and styles to produce something new and distinctive. Stravinsky's final phase surprised many; he embraced twelve-note serialism, albeit on his own terms. His final creative years give a fascinating reflection of the musicians, poets and politicians Stravinsky knew and to whom he paid homage in numerous musical tributes.
Exile is an important issue in considering Stravinsky. His moves from Russian to France and then to America are reflected in his compositional output, yet there are many enduring and persitent traits. Throughout his career, his music shocked on account of his tendency to borrow or 'steal' existing music, for instance, folk song and music of the past. Until recently, much of Stravinsky's output was considered to be outside mainstream modernist traditions. However, the module considers changing perspectives on Stravinsky significance; composers and writers have rethought Stravinsky's place in the twentieth century and his legacy today. |
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MUS-20046 |
Chamber Music |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The Chamber Music module offers the the opportunity for students to explore the great wealth of repertoire in the (mainly) Western classical canon and to establish musical partnerships which can then be extended and developed beyond the duration of the module.
Students will be introduced to works suitable to the combinations of instruments (voices) that are registered on the module and they will have the opportunity to undertake further individual research into possible repertoire. The groups (once established) will be coached in their selected repertoire aiming to develop a uniformity of approach and tightness of ensemble whilst still encouraging the individual expressive voice of each member of the group to speak.
In a series of workshop classes, groups will perform sections of or whole works to each other prompting group discussion on the musical, technical and stylistic issues which the performances generate.
The module culminates with an assessed public recital in which each student will perform in one or more ensembles for at least 15 mins.
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MUT-20001 |
Audio-Visual Composition |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module enable students to produce creative work that uses as combination of digital audio and digital video. This module deals with: a brief history and aesthetics of experimental digital audio-visual composition; the analysis of audio-visual works from selected repertoire. Students also learn to use: creative tools for synthesis and transformation of digital video footage and animations; creative tools for synthesis and transformation of digital audio materials; strategies to combine audio and video materials in a creatively coherent manner.
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MUT-20003 |
Meaning in Sonic Arts |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module examines the analytical tools and approaches used to understand the construction and meaning of works of Sonic Art together with their relationship to wider artistic and social contexts and impulses. Topics studied include: semiological approaches to music as applied to Sonic Arts and related art forms; sound, meaning and mimesis; timbre, structure and discourse; social aspects concerning the reception and dissemination of sonic arts. |
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MUT-20005 |
Interactive Realtime Composition |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
In this module, students learn skills for interactive realtime processing including the use of software and its application to advanced live audio processing. A variety of time-domain and spectral-domain techniques are covered including: filtering, FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) based algorithms (convolution, vocoding, etc.), granularization of streaming sound, delay effects. The module also discusses technical and aesthetic aspects of the creative repertoire that use relevant realtime processing and live performance techniques as well as providing guidance in related creative project work(e.g. interactive composition, improvisation). |
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PHI-20017 |
Philosophy of Religion |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will introduce students to a range of philosophical issues that concern all monotheistic religions. The first set of issues centres around the divine nature, who is typically held to be an omnipotent, omniscient, beneficent, immutable spirit, who is perfectly rational, perfectly good, and perfectly free. We aim to see whether there could be such a being, by looking at difficulties with some of these concepts and also by examining whether they could be jointly instantiated. The second issue that will be explored is the evidence for the existence of God. We will look at some of the traditional arguments for and against his existence: arguments from the design of the universe, the nature of religious experience, the occurrence of miracles, the prevalence of suffering. The third issue we shall look at concerns the nature of religious faith and its relation to reason.
The final module mark is based upon the following: a portfolio collection of 5 exercises (50%); a 2-hour unseen written exam (50%). |
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PHI-20019 |
Pursuit of the Good |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module discusses two of the most important and influential moral theories in the history of philosophy. The module would be of interest to all students who would like to acquire a more detailed knowledge of Aristotle's virtue ethics and of Kant's deontology.
The module presents the ethical views of Aristotle and Kant by focusing on the fundamental question of normative ethics: How can we judge in a certain situation what the right thing to do is? The module will examine key issues of our moral experience and will explore Aristotle&©s and Kant&©s answers to them. Possible topics include: the difficulty of moral choice, the role of circumstances and luck in our moral lives, emotions and the development of moral dispositions, how to lead a good life, the role of philosophical reflection in our moral lives, the actual performance of moral actions, the possibility of freedom or how to reconcile virtue and happiness.
The 15 one-hour lectures focus on the topics mentioned above. Lectures are accompanied by 5 one-hour fortnightly seminars, where tutor-led (small-group combine with group) discussion focuses on specific questions. Questions will be posted ahead of the seminars on the KLE. For each seminar students will have one task for which they will need to prepare 1-page types answers. Each such answer will be included in the student's portfolio.
Assessment format:
- summative: 50% 2000-word essay and 50% portfolio
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PIR-20066 |
Freedom and Equality |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module provides an introduction to two of the most widely debated concepts in contemporary political theory. Freedom and equality are amongst the central values of modern political life, and inform many campaigns for justice around the world today. The module focuses on current thinking about the meaning, justification and political application of these concepts. Through examining the ideas of leading contemporary political theorists and philosophers, students gain a better understanding of two of the most interesting and important concepts in contemporary political thought and practice.
The module firstly examines Isaiah Berlin's famous distinction between 'negative' and 'positive' freedom. We ask whether justice involves ensuring citizens' freedom from physical harm or other forms of danger; or whether freedom is a matter of achieving goals that one sets for oneself - i.e., autonomy. The distinction between 'positive' and 'negative' freedom is applied to the topical debate about free speech in liberal societies. The second part of the module focuses on equality. Why is equality valuable? Is it more valuable than freedom? Should egalitarians be committed to securing equal opportunities or equal outcomes? Pressing issues of equality between present and future generations and between different nations are also considered.
Fifteen lectures introduce the main concepts and thinkers covered in the module, and are accompanied by seven meetings of small one-hour tutorial groups. In the tutorials students have an opportunity to engage in structured discussions about particular themes and questions. The assessment for this course comprises an essay plan, to be written in the middle of the semester, followed by an essay and unseen examination at the end of the course. |
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PIR-20067 |
Environmental Politics and Policy |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module provides a level two introduction to some of the key historical, theoretical and practical dimensions of environmental politics and policy. In particular it aims to explore:
&· The political nature of environmental problems and controversies;
&· The diverse historical, political, and cultural roots of contemporary environmental problems
and controversies;
&· Connections between local and global environmental issues;
&· Challenges posed by environmental issues to political institutions;
&· Power relationships between developed and developing countries, and between social groups within political communities; and the various strategies and tactics used to bring about environmental change, such as government policy-making and regulation, corporate environmental responsibility,and social movement activism.
Emphasis is placed on the complexity of contemporary environmental issues and controversies, and on developing the skills necessary to analyse them critically, and thus respond to them effectively.
The module enables students to develop their argumentation and communication skills.
Students will be assessed on a portfolio of 5 short pieces of writing designed to develop argumentation skills (50%), a mid-term class test (formative) and a research essay (50%). |
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RUS-90001 |
Russian 1 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This course is designed for students with no prior knowledge of Russian. It will develop basic communication skills in Russian in everyday situations such as meeting someone for the first time, talking about daily routine, family, shopping and travelling. The module aims to provide students with the basic spoken Russian and with recognition skills of Russian alphabet. Students will also be introduced to some aspects of Russian culture.
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RUS-90003 |
Russian 3 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will further develop Russian language skills enabling students to speak, write and read Russian carrying out simple tasks they are likely to encounter in travelling, living or studying in Russia. |
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RUS-90005 |
Russian 5 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will further develop students Russian language communication skills already acquired, enabling students to speak, listen, read, and write in carrying out tasks they are likely to encounter in socialising, living, studying, travelling or working in Russia. Topics and functions covered in the module will include: making comparisons, discussing Russian cities, regions, countryside and types of accommodation, holiday options, talking about choices and decisions, quoting reported speech. |
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SOC-20033 |
Witchcraft, Zombies and Social Anxiety |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The topic of the supernatural has received little attention from sociologists and is largely dismissed as a set of irrational and superstitious beliefs. This module centrally positions the supernatural and paranormal - ghosts, monsters, witches, vampires, werewolves and zombies in the sociological study of modernity, thus contributing to contemporary debates about the transparency of social forces in a global economy and the secularisation of society. In the global economy, supernatural commentaries thrive and have become a symbol of the destructive effects of capitalism. In other words, occult practices crystallise social conflicts in the modern world. For example in early modern Europe and in Salem, witchcraft accusations encapsulated the inequality that obtains between rural and urban regions, gender and socio-economic status. In the global economy anxieties reverberate about the theft of childrens&© organs and ritual murder reflecting concerns about child trafficking and migration. Meanwhile, in Europe and the United States, allegations about the satanic abuse of children refuse to disappear as newspaper reports multiply about child abductions and horrific serial killers. Likewise, the media is obsessed with vampires and, now, zombies and horror stories and movies about the walking dead reverberate around the world.
The key theme of this course is that supernatural discourses represent a distinctive way of articulating fears about the increased uncertainty found in everyday life and the insecurities of the global economy.
In essence therefore, the course looks at the ways in which supernatural and occult discourses throw light on the very different ways in which we live our lives.
The lectures will focus on
Understanding Witchcraft and Monsters in a Global Society
The Witches' Sabbath: Early Modern European Witchcraft and Salem
Superstition, Religion and Science
Occultism and Risk
African Witchcraft and Modernity
Revision Session - poster and examination question/answer session
Zombies and Globalisation: The Malcontents of Modernity
The Supernatural: Commodification, Conspiracy and the Occult
Witches, Vampires and Female Sexuality
Conclusion: Witchcraft, Anxiety and Social Change; feedback on posters
Formative Assessment and Seminar Activities
Students on the module will be required to complete a range of different tasks in preparation for and during the seminars. Some of these will require individual reporting based on prior reading and some of these will require group working and discussion on key topics/issues set in class by the tutor.
Group work - thinking monsters and witchcraft
DVD screening on Early European witchcraft. Students asked to present in week 3 key factors behind Salem witchhunts (group work)
Salem presentations. Group work on symbolism of superstition and the significance of ritual.
DVD screening on satanism and child abuse in USA. Group work on key factors behind scapegoating.
Group work on African witchcraft and on key digitalised readings on witchcraft in Nigeria
Discussion on posters/revision - question and answer - reexamination of key topics covered so far; preparation for handing in of posters week 7/8
Group work on metaphor of zombie and world recession; group work on the transparancy of capitalism; Internet presentation on illicit global trade in body parts (Berkeley University web site)
Screening of X-Files montage; group discussion of the conspiracy through film/television
Screening of vampire montage; group discussion on Dracula and female sexuality
Conclusion - group feedback on posters/Individual feedback |
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SOC-20040 |
City, Culture, Society |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
We live on an urbanising planet. Rather than being a historical phenomenon urbanisation and the study of the city are of contemporary concern, not only to sociologists but to other academic disciplines (geography, criminology, social policy, politics, public health, etc.). The issues and problems that arise as populations migrate from traditional rural environments, traditions and societies is one that has been investigated and analysed in respect of the developed world of the northern hemisphere from the 19th century onwards. These analyses identified not only characteristic features of the experience of urban life but also the problems and associated political and structural arrangements that accompanied the expansion of the urban as a key site for modernity. These are still significant and crucial concerns and issues for understanding urbanisation in the 21st century.
This module provides an introduction and overview of the historical development of the urban concentrating on key approaches and perspectives and analyses of the transition to and experience of urban life in modernity. It will trace key elements and factors that distinguish characteristic features of the city and the urban and discuss the development of new forms of urbanisation in respect of post-modern debates and globalisation. It therefore links historical and extant urban issues and problems with those of wider sociological relevance such as class, gender, ethnicity, governance, social and environmental sustainability etc. to consider the contemporary experience of urban growth and expansion as well as issues of security, quality of life and opportunity.
The lectures will focus on
The City as Historical Form
Classical Sociology and the City: Marx, Durkheim and Weber
Georg Simmel, Ferdinand Tonnies, and Urban Sociology in Modern Germany
Walter Benjamin: Phantasmagoria, Flaneurie and Paris, City of Modernity
The Industrial City in Britain
The Chicago School: American Urbanism
Ameliorating the Consequences: Urban Plans and Designs for the 'good city'
20th century Reconstruction and Re-generation
Post-modern Cities
Global Cities or cities in a Global World
Formative Assessment and Tutorial Activities
The lecture topics serve as the basis for the seminars where students will be asked to participate in a number of individual and group activities. Students will be required to complete and submit various formative assessments throughout the course of the module to make up a portfolio of formatively assessed work which includes the following:
Short presentation on a lecture/ seminar topic/theme
View film screening(s) and discuss the themes/issues presented
Submit 500 word formative assessments on 2 of the lecture themes
Complete in class group exercises and discuss in plenary the various answers/responses
Complete a KLE multiple choice quiz as formative assessment
Essay planning
Exam revision and techniques |
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SOC-20043 |
Globalisation and its Discontents |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Globalisation has brought some great wealth, but it has plunged many more into the depths of poverty. While rich westerners grow more prosperous, millions of others in forgotten parts of the world continue to die of poverty, war, and disease. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, complacent westerners believed that they were, in practical terms, untouchable. This conceit was, of course, destroyed by the events of September 11th 2001. However, we must recognise that the spectre of insecurity which now haunts the west has always been the normal condition for most of the rest of the world. In this respect we can say that the terror attacks on New York and Washington finally woke the west to its global inheritance. That is to say that we have been given a taste of the fear and insecurity which has affected most of the world&©s population for more or less the whole of the 20th century.
Insofar as the condition of the global poor has started to impact upon our own lives, we have woken up to the rest of the world. While this situation may be deeply troubling for many people, it would be too easy, and ultimately futile, for the west to try to cordon itself off from the rest of the world. On the contrary, rather than trying to hide from the problems of globalisation, the west must attempt to think about the underlying causes of the current turbulent situation. This consideration is necessary in order to prevent further terror attacks on the west, but also to improve the lives of people in other parts of the world. It is too easy to say that because these people live far away, we have no responsibility to work to improve their situation. Due to globalisation we have become responsible for everybody in the world, regardless of their race, nation, class, or gender. For these reasons it is now, more than ever before, important for sociologists to study the subject of globalisation.
Following this rationale, Globalisation and Discontents divides the study of globalisation into three sections: history, discontents, and governance. In the first division the module is concerned to address the emergence of globalisation (industrialism to post-industrialism and Americanisation) and the rise of the new global economy. The second part of the course considers the future of the human rights society (political participation, citizenship, and the law) and the discontents (environmentalism, anti-capitalism, immigration) that necessarily accompany the birth of the world risk society. After the assessment of the key expressions of global discontent, the third division of the course is concerned with the political struggles that characterise attempts to construct a world society. To this end the module considers the politics of multiculturalism, thinks through the recent rise of fundamentalism and terror insofar as they can be seen to represent archaic forms of local anti-global identification, and assesses the value of humanitarian war as a means for upholding law in the turbulent global society.
The lectures will focus on
The Origins of Contemporary Global Society: Industrialism
The High Tech Society: Post-Industrialism
The American Century
The Post-Modern Society
The End of History and the Critique of Empire
The Risk Society: Economy and the Crash
Environmental Destruction and Global Catastrophe
Global Protest (Anti-Capitalism-Environmentalism)
Global Societies: Immigration and Multiculturalism
The Rise of Fundamentalism: War, Violence, Human Rights
Formative Assessment and Seminar Activities
Two hour seminars are split between lectures, tutorials, and other activities such as DVD screenings and web exercises which include the following:
Group work - Students each submit 500 words for formative assessment
Student Presentations
Close Reading - Students submit 500 words for formative assessment
Student Debate - Students submit 500 words on the dualistic nature of global politics for formative assessment. |
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SOC-20047 |
20th Century Social Theory |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
If Marx, Weber, and Durkheim were central figures in the 19th century project to think through the problem of the identification of self and society, then the key thinkers of the 20th century built upon their achievements. The object of this course is to run off the achievements of Marx, Weber, Durkheim into a consideration of the 20th century social theories of Freud, whose invention, psychoanalysis, made the psychological effects of the self / society problem explicit, Simmel, who thought about the problem of social relations in the city, the French structuralists, who came face to face with the symbolic edifice that structures our lives, and the various exponents of post-modernity, who have thought / fought to save us from either the loneliness that the existentialists considered the essential characteristic of the human condition or the horror of the monolithic other, society, that threatens to erase our identity. In-between our consideration of Freud, Simmel, Foucault, and Baudrillard, we will explore the works of the symbolic interactionists, critical theorists, feminists, and post-colonial theorists. Finally, we will update our discussion of social theory, by thinking about much more recent developments, exemplified in the writings of thinkers such as Slavoj Zizek. But before we can begin our survey of contemporary social theory, we must consider the figure of theory of itself. What is theory? What is the purpose of theory? Why is it necessary to use theory to think through the self / society problem?
The lectures will focus on:
What is Theory?
Freud and Paranoia
Simmel and the City
Mead, Goffman, Symbolic Interactionism
Adorno and Horkheimer
Structuralism
Post-Colonialism
Post-Feminism
Post-Modernism
Risk and Globalisation
Formative Assessment and Tutorial activities:
The tutorial programme is detailed below and are you are formatively assessed throughout the module by verbal and written feedback:
Group work - The Value of Theory in Everyday Life (500 Word - Formative Assessment)
Discussion - Relationship between Paranoia and Theory
Work Sheets, Simmel and the Contemporary City
Ethnography - What is Role-Play in SI?
Group Work - Construct an Advert (Employ Principles of Standardization and Persuasion)
Discussion - What is Social Construction? (Presentations - 500 Word Formative Assessment)
Group Work - Deconstruction of Images of Racial Others
Group Work - Deconstruction of Images of Gendered Identity
Work Sheets - What is Post-modernism? (Presentations - 500 Word Formative Assessment)
Discussion: Globalisation and Everyday Life |
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SPN-90001 |
Spanish 1 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Spanish is one of the world's major languages and is growing. You do not have to aim for total fluency. Basic language skills can be very useful to employers and will help you get a lot more out of travel to Spanish-speaking countries. It's a multilingual world and companies are increasingly aware of the advantages of recruiting people with language skills. Whatever career you choose to follow, your Spanish skills will help you get more from life.
This course is designed for students with no prior knowledge of Spanish. It will develop basic communication skills in Spanish - mainly in a familiar register- in everyday situations. Alongside the Spanish language, you will also be introduced to some aspects of Spanish culture: some Spanish traditions and customs, and culture-specific behaviour.
The emphasis will be on oral communication skills but you will also develop your reading and writing skills in Spanish. We will use a course book which will give a basic outline and structure to the course, but the book will be supplemented by regular video work and other materials. There will also be the opportunity to practise and reinforce vocabulary and language structures by using computer exercises in WebCT/KLE, linked to the weekly classes.
The language level of this module corresponds to work leading to Level A1 in the European Common Framework for Languages (CEFR -A1). |
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SPN-90003 |
Spanish 3 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Spanish is one of the world's major languages and is growing. Language skills can be very useful to employers and will help you get a lot more out of travel to Spanish-speaking countries.
For those studying International Relations, History, Politics, American Studies or doing Geography or Geology fieldwork in Spain, this module will equip them with an essential insight of Spanish language varieties and Hispanic cultures.
This module is designed for students with a basic level of Spanish -Spanish 2 or equivalent (e.g. CEF level A1, GCSE grade C or lower). It consolidates previous grammatical knowledge and widens vocabulary through practical exercises, guided conversation, games, songs, etc. and develops their communicative skills. Topics include your daily routine, relationships, hobbies, etc. Various aspects of contemporary Spanish life as well as of the Hispanic world (e.g. timetables, celebration of death, Christmas traditions) will be discussed in class and students will gain a basic understanding of these topics.
The course will unable you to sustain a basic conversation, incorporating the socio-linguistic functions of apologising, offering help and suggestions, inviting, rejecting an invitation and showing agreement and disagreement, etc.
We will use a course book which will give a basic outline and structure to the course, but the book will be supplemented by regular video work and other materials. You will also have the opportunity to practise and reinforce vocabulary and language structures by using computer exercises in Keele Learning Environment (KLE), linked to the weekly classes.
The language level of this module corresponds to work leading to Level A2 in the European Common Framework for Languages (CEFR -A2).
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SPN-90005 |
Spanish 5 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Spanish is one of the world's major languages and for those studying American Studies, International Relations, History, Politics, or doing Geography or Geology fieldwork in Spain, this module equips them with an insight of Spanish/Hispanic language varieties and cultures. Whatever career you choose to follow, your Spanish skills will help you get more from life.
Both the mastery of a foreign language as widely spoken as Spanish and the awareness of cultural and linguistic specificities will prove essential when negotiating the world of work.
This module is designed for students who have completed Spanish 4 or equivalent (e.g. CEF level A2, GCSE grade A). It will expand the foundations for further study or work in Spain and Latin America.
All language skills - reading, listening, speaking and writing as well as the pragmatic-socio cultural dimension of the language- are integrated in every tutorial. Cultural background of Spanish society as well as Hispanic traditions (Death celebrations, Lottery, Christmas, etc.) are present throughout the course. You will also enquire into the ways we learn and acquire a language (their motivations and difficulties when learning Spanish), where the contributions of students will be of vital importance.
Teaching will be based around a course book which will be supplemented by a range of video material. There will be a variety of tasks and exercises during each class, such as discussion and role play; listening comprehension and reading and writing tasks. There will be introductory class sessions but also regular group and pair work; and further, partly web-based, self-study tasks.
The language level of this module corresponds to work leading to Level B1 in the European Common Framework for Languages (CEFR -B1).
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SPN-90007 |
Spanish 7 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The mastery of Spanish, the official language in 23 countries and the second language in USA, as well as of the cultural background of Spanish society and of the Hispanic world presented throughout the course is of great advantage for future employment in this vast job market or for those wishing to travel in South America. It is specially relevant for those studying American Studies, International Relations, History, Politics, or doing Geography or Geology fieldwork in Spain.
This course is designed for students with a good knowledge of Spanish who have completed Spanish 6 or equivalent (e.g. CEFR level B1, AS-level grade B, A-level grade D). It will develop their advanced communication skills in Spanish in everyday situations as well as in more complex contexts, in particular in discussing a range of topical issues in Spanish or understanding contemporary Spain and the Hispanic world.
You will both, consolidate the skills you have acquired at previous levels and build on them by moving beyond the situations of everyday life to more challenging and stimulating tasks such as how to write the biography of the ideal candidate for a job, to set rules in given contexts, to broadcast information, to write reviews, to design a manifesto, tell anecdotes, understand culturally based sense of humour, etc
You will extend your vocabulary base and be introduced to the more complex grammatical Spanish structures, including the use of past tenses, the difference between the subjunctive/indicative, ser/estar + adjectives, direct/reported speech, etc.
All language skills - reading, listening, speaking and writing as well as the pragmatic-socio cultural dimension of the language- are integrated in every tutorial. We will also enquire into the ways we learn and acquire a language, where the contributions of students will be of vital importance.
There will be a course book which will be supplemented by a range of video material and there will be a variety of tasks and exercises during each class, such as discussion and role play; listening comprehension and reading and writing tasks and students will be required to complete a range of self study tasks. Furthermore, we will make extensive use of Spanish/Hispanic resources available on the Internet to consolidate vocabulary, grammatical structures and themes dealt with in class. There will be further self-study opportunities via Keele Learning Environment (KLE). Feedback on formative and summative assessments will be provided at regular intervals.
The language level of this module corresponds to work leading to Level B2 in the European Common Framework for Languages (CEFR -B2).
|
| Semester 1-2 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
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|
ENL-90001 |
English for Academic Purposes 3 (EAP 3) |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will help students strengthen the academic communication skills necessary for success in their degree studies. Students will improve their ability to:
· write clear sentences in an academic style
· extract key information from extended academic texts
· summarise, paraphrase and synthesise information from a variety of sources
· cite sources accurately and produce a bibliography
· research, prepare and construct an organised and coherent undergraduate
academic essay
· respond appropriately to set essay questions and prepare for essay examinations.
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ENL-90002 |
English for Academic Purposes 4 (EAP 4) |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will help students to enhance their English language skills and learn more about UK academic conventions and expectations.
Sessions will cover areas such as understanding the purpose, features and structure of undergraduate essays, developing essential critical reading and writing skills, compiling a bibliography, in-text citation conventions, developing an active academic vocabulary. Students will also prepare and deliver an academic oral presentation. The workshop style sessions will focus on practical application, group work and feedback. |
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ENL-90003 |
Academic English for Business Students (Part 1) |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Drawing on business-related themes, these sessions will help students to develop and refine the specific writing, reading and verbal communication skills they need to succeed in their studies. Through a series of workshops, lectures, assignments, online and practical tasks and projects, students will improve their ability to:
• extract key information from academic texts
• summarise, paraphrase and synthesise information from a variety of sources
• identify authorial stance, interpret data and read critically
• cite sources appropriately and write a bibliography
• write in an accepted academic style
• engage in academic discussion
• prepare and deliver academic presentations
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|
~
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ENL-90004 |
Academic English for Business Students ( 2) |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Drawing on academic business themes and materials, these sessions will provide opportunities for students to further develop their writing, reading and verbal communication skills. Through a series of lectures, workshops, assignments, on-line and practical tasks, students will improve their ability to:
• Summarise, paraphrase and synthesise information from a variety of sources
• Cite sources accurately and write a bibliography
• Gather, interpret and report on data
• Identify authorial stance and read critically
• Write in an appropriate style
• Engage in academic discussion
• Prepare and deliver business presentations
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ENL-90006 |
English for Academic Purposes 2 (EAP 2) |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will help students develop and refine the specific writing, reading and verbal communication skills needed for success in their degree studies. Through a series of class-based workshops, tutorials and assignments students will improve their ability to:
• extract key information from extended academic texts
• summarise, paraphrase and synthesise information from a variety of sources
• identify an author's point of view, interpret data and read critically
• cite sources accurately and produce a bibliography
• research, prepare and construct an organised and coherent undergraduate academic essay
• write in an accepted academic style
• respond appropriately to set essay questions and prepare for essay examinations
• understand and use key items of academic vocabulary
• engage in academic discussion
• prepare and deliver academic presentations
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~
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ENL-90007 |
Oral Communication Skills for Academic Study |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This highly practical module will help non-native English speaking students develop their ability to speak clearer, more comprehensible and more 'natural-sounding' English, engage confidently with others in conversation and discussion and understand and extract information from a variety of spoken sources for a range of purposes. Students will work on developing techniques for efficient and effective note-taking from listening sources, including lectures. Listening materials presented in class and made available to students through the KLE will also help students get to grips with English spoken with a variety of UK regional and international accents. Ample opportunities will be provided in class for students to practice and develop confidence in speaking in a variety of situations, both prepared and impromptu, for everyday and academic purposes. Small class size and individualised pronunciation targets ensure maximum attention to the particular needs of each student. Please not that this module is generally open only to students already enrolled on either English for Academic Purposes 1 (EAP1) or English for Academic Purposes 2 (EAP2).
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|
~
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ENL-90008 |
Language Development for Academic Study |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will equip students with the key reading and writing skills and vocabulary necessary for success in a wide range of communication activities, including those needed for undergraduate academic study. Particular emphasis will be placed on developing the ability to write clear and grammatically correct sentences and paragraphs, developing efficient and effective reading and note-taking strategies and building a core active vocabulary both for everyday and academic purposes. Small class size ensures maximum attention to the particular needs of each student. Please not that this module is generally open only to students already enrolled on either English for Academic Purposes 1 (EAP1) or English for Academic Purposes 2 (EAP2). |
| Semester 2 |
C/O |
TYP |
ECTS | CATS |
|
~
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AMS-20061 |
Alfred Hitchcock's America |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Alfred Hitchcock was an historian, critic, and analyst of American culture, as becomes clear by focusing on some of the greatest films he made in Hollywood from the early 1940s until the late $ù50s. We will pursue cultural and politicised readings, while also attending in detail to both the production histories of his films $ú the stars, studios, and collaborators he worked with - and, through close attention to detail, their paramount formal features.
Themes considered include the relation between national security and sexual identity, the complicity of cinema in a surveillance culture, fashion and the politics of gender construction.
This module is designed for students who have already taken a film module, and is not recommended for those without some relevant previous experience.
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CHE-20026 |
Entrepreneurship Level 2 |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Entrepreneurship is a widely-used but little understood concept, often equated with new and innovative business ventures. It is often touted as the panacea for economic growth and development and a source of new jobs and new ideas. However, entrepreneurs also require a sound knowledge of how to set up a company and promote their business.
This module aims to introduce you to the concept of entrepreneurship and new venture start-up and its role in economic and business development in particular. This will enable you to appreciate the skills required to create or begin a new business venture and equip you with relevant employability skills. Students will be arranged into teams at the start of the module and will carry out an assessed skills-based project to develop an entrepreneurial business activity, including preparing a detailed business plan and presenting the venture to staff experienced in business development as a viable investment proposition. |
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CHI-90001 |
Chinese (Mandarin) 1 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This course is designed for students with no prior knowledge of Chinese. It will develop basic communication skills in Chinese in everyday situations such as meeting someone for the first time, talking about daily routine, family, shopping and telephone conversations. The module aims to provide students with the very basics of spoken Mandarin and with recognition skills of written Chinese characters. Students will also be introduced to some aspects of Chinese culture.
Please note that if you are a Chinese National or have any experience of Chinese (Mandarin or otherwise) you cannot enrol for this module.
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CHI-90002 |
Chinese (Mandarin) 2 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
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|
This module is designed for students who have completed Chinese 1 or equivalent. It develops Chinese language skills - listening, speaking, reading and writing. On a more general level, it will enhance students&© intercultural skills. By successfully completing the module, students will be able to conduct simple short conversations about their daily life, leisure time activities, eating and drinking, home environment and public transport. They will be able to give or obtain information on locations of amenities, routines and schedules, and travel arrangements.
Please note that if you are a Chinese National or have any experience of Chinese (Mandarin or otherwise) you cannot enrol onto this module.
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CHI-90004 |
Chinese 4 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will further develop students, Chinese language communication skills, enabling them to speak, listen, read, and write in order to carry out routine tasks they are likely to encounter in socialising, living, studying or travelling in China. Functions and topics covered will include: giving and understanding directions, making polite requests, asking for permission, discussing family and educational background in more detail, expressing likes and dislikes as well as wishes and discussing travel itinerary and future plans. Students will also become familiar with aspects of contemporary Chinese culture and society through audio-visual materials and texts.
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CHI-90006 |
Chinese 6 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will further develop students language communication skills In Mandarin Chinese, enabling them to conduct routine tasks they are likely to encounter in socialising, living, studying, travelling or working in China. Functions and topics will include: expressing and understanding of feelings and emotions expressed orally and in personal letters, explaining reasons and giving excuses in a more sensitive or complex manner, expressing opinions, offering advice, giving details of future plans and projections and making guesses. Some feature film clips set in a variety of social and work situations will be analysed in teaching sessions. There will also be reading and writing work to build students' confidence in handling mixture of various Chinese characters. Students will also become fluent with a range of social contexts and culturally specific behaviour. |
|
|
CIE-20001 |
Comparing The U.S. and Great Britain |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
At first glance, the United States Great Britain appear similar in many ways. There is a shared history, language as well as a widespread exchange of culture. However, these similarities mask tremendous differences in both society and culture. This course seeks to show how very basic concepts such as race, class, and religion have tremendously different meanings and significance to each nation. The closer you look, the more different the two countries appear.
How is the U.S. unique as a society? How does that affect its education system? How does U.K.’s society compare? What are the major similarities and differences in how each nation’s society and culture? This course will analyze fundamental characteristics of the United States and Great Britain. By looking at issues such as race, class, religion, gender, and values such as equality, this course teaches students how to recognize differences and make comparisons across cultures. |
|
|
CRI-20020 |
Research Methods in Criminology |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The aim of this module is to introduce students to the logic and skills of social science research as applied to the study of crime and criminal justice. It aims to equip students with a critical appreciation of the range of strategies for research design, ethical guidelines, data collection and analysis in the conduct of social research. Within this overall context the course has three specific objectives: (i) To provide an introduction to the importance of both qualitative and quantitative research methods and the relationship between theory and methods in criminological research. (ii) To offer an introduction to the practicalities of thinking about and doing qualitative and quantitative criminological research. (iii) To enable students to use and critically evaluate qualitative and quantitative data for the purposes of criminological research. The philosophy underpinning the module is that research methods cannot be adequately, or interestingly, taught in the abstract and consequently the course will emphasise the practice of social research and its application to criminological issues. |
|
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CRI-20021 |
Policing and the Police |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Policing and the police are constantly in the news. Police investigations of serious crime - terrorism, murder, rape and robbery - make the headlines every day. They are also a staple of crime fiction on television, in films and print. But media headlines and TV cop shows tell us very little about what policing is really like. While the media concentrate on the police as crime fighters - the thin blue line between order and chaos - the reality of policing is both more varied and more challenging.
This module aims to go behind the headlines and to answer some basic questions. What do we mean by policing? How does it relate to experiences and feelings of security? Who does 'policing', and who are 'the police'? How do the people and institutions responsible for policing relate to each other? What do the people we think of as 'the police' actually do? And how is all of this changing as societies become more diverse, the threats to security more global in their origins and ways of responding to them more varied?
The main focus of the module is on policing in England and Wales but in answering these questions we will draw on an international literature written by scholars and researchers from many other jurisdictions including the US, Canada, Australia and South Africa. We will also look in detail at: the structure and organisation of the police; the development of policing both before and since the establishment of the 'new' Metropolitan Police in 1829; the main characteristics and conditions for existence of a distinctive culture within police organisations; and the powers of the police and how they are held to account for their use.
Apart from criminology this module draws on insights and concepts from several other disciplines including law, sociology, social policy, psychology and anthropology and will be of interest to students with backgrounds in any of these subjects. If you are thinking of a career in policing whatever your background this is very much the module for you.
Teaching is based on a course of ten weekly lectures, regular tutorials, online formative feedback on work in progress and dedicated one-to-one consultation sessions. Assessment for the module consists of a reflective analysis based on a series of blog postings and a conventional coursework essay. |
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~
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CSC-20002 |
Database Systems |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module introduces students to databases and database management systems by providing theoretical knowledge and practical experience in data modelling, database design, implementation and administration.
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|
~
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CSC-20004 |
Advanced Programming Practices |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module provides an understanding of object-oriented programming and its concepts, with particular emphasis on advanced features of Java and their applications. |
|
~
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CSC-20022 |
System Lifecycles and Design |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will provide students with knowledge of the techniques and processes to undertake the design of a system once the requirements and analysis activities have been completed. |
|
~
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CSC-20024 |
Virtual Worlds |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module introduces students to three dimensional computer modelling, animation and programming and their use within the creative digital sector of the economy. |
|
|
EDU-20019 |
Special Education: introduction to theory and practice |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will introduce students to key debates, issues and concepts in the field of inclusive/special education. It will critically explore current and past theories and philosophies that provide the basis for current special education practice. The module will also explore the applications of special/inclusive education research on classroom practice and, the applicability of pedagogic strategies from one context to another but with a particular focus on comparisons across UK and US contexts. In order to achieve this, students will engage with debates and research on characteristics, assessment techniques, educational considerations, and the role of technology in dealing with particular learning needs in the school context. Finally, they will reflect on the consequences of special education theory and practice for the role of the teachers. |
|
|
EDU-20021 |
Issues in Public Education |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Education has experienced unprecedented change over the past few decades. Much of this change has been planned, a lot has not. New policies, new ideologies, new practices, a new understanding of professionalism within education, have all contributed to the sense of transformation that now pervades every part of the sector. In many respects, these changes are also visible in other areas of the public provision. Indeed, we can see almost identical pressures for change occurring in other countries, eliciting many opposing views as to where education should be heading in the 21st century. Nevertheless, despite often having differing perspectives on the aims and purposes of education, one thing politicians and educationalists do agree on and that is the importance of education to the economic, cultural and social well-being of a nation. Recognising, then, the centrality of education at the turn of the millennium, it is entirely appropriate that we try to identify and understand some of the key issues that currently configure the sector. The module will therefore enable students to identify key issues in public education, examine the relationships between education policy and practice-based change and explore the implications of such policies and practices for students, educational professionals and work cultures. |
|
|
EDU-20022 |
COMPARATIVE EDUCATION |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module teaches students how to make valid and socially instructive comparisons of educational policy and practice across Britain and the United States. Students will compare and contrast national and regional approaches to governance, stakeholder roles and responsibilities, competition, and the tension between striving to maintain standards and being inclusive. They will explore how and why countries 'borrow' educational policy or practice from each other. Students will learn to describe significant differences and similarities between Britain and the US using a range of sources including statistics, policy documents, personal experience and themed discussion, explaining and accounting for educational difference effectively in both written and presentational formats. |
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ENG-20033 |
Romanticisms |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The period 1780-1830 was a time of startling cultural and historical activity. There was a revolution in France, the slave trade was abolished, the fight for women's rights got underway and the industrial revolution gained momentum. The writers of this period provided a prototype for modern celebrity culture and shaped the way we understand and appreciate literature today. This module studies the poetry, prose and drama of what we now call the Romantic period. It will consider key issues such as the the constructions of the $ùRomantic Imagination&©, questions of national identity, Romantic ecology and the rise of the Gothic novel.
Module suitable for: English students, EALs students, students who have passed an English elective in year 1, students with English A-Level or equivalent. |
|
|
ENG-20036 |
Twentieth Century Novels into Films |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Film has always had a close relationship to the novel through both literary adaptation and novelists who have also been screenplay writers. It has, nonetheless, frequently been framed as the poor relation of the two in terms of cultural value. By examining the distinctiveness and complexity of film language and the relative parameters of literary and film modes of narration, this module will examine some of the key but distinctive questions that need to be addressed when thinking about how film and literature make meaning. The module is specifically focused on the construction of history within narrative and will investigate how the categories of personal and collective memory, political conflict, change, national identity and gender are articulated in three novels and their film adaptations. |
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~
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ENG-20038 |
Post-War British Fiction and Poetry |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The period from the end of the Second World War to the present has seen profound changes in British society and culture. On this module you will study selected narrative fiction and poetry that reflects and engages with some of these changes. You will learn about the developing trends in poetry and fiction over the last 60 years and study the work of some of the leading novelists and poets. You will also gain a knowledge of some critical concepts that are central to the study of the literature of this period including postmodernism, postcolonialism and gender theory. Writers studied on the module are likely to include Muriel Spark, Alasdair Gray, Monica Ali, Martin Amis, A. L. Kennedy, Doris Lessing, Philip Larkin, Tom Leonard, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney, Eavan Boland, Simon Armitage, Carol Ann Duffy, Derek Walcott, Linton Kwesi Johnson and Jackie Kay. |
|
|
ENG-20039 |
Satire |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Satire can be savage, gentle, exhilarating or destructive. It can be directed at a specific political or religious target, or at the weakness of human nature in general. This module looks at a range of satire from the verse satires of the early modern period (Wyatt, Dryden & Pope), fiction and pamphleteering (Swift, Huxley and Pratchett), cartoons (Hogarth, Gillray and Steve Bell) as well as other media from the satire boom of the 1960s to the present.
Students will be invited to reflect on and write about these in different ways - a short close reading, a short item for radio or podcast, and a longer piece relating contemporary satire to older examples or the theory of satire. |
|
|
ENG-20042 |
Medieval Literature |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
"So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by / and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness. / We have heard of those princes' heroic campaigns." Do you have the "courage and greatness" to immerse yourself in a world of saints and sinners, heroes and monsters, princes and peasants, knights in shining armour and damsels in distress? In fact, many clichés about the medieval period are debunked by an investigation of the period's diverse literature. In this module, students will be introduced to a range of great literary texts from the tenth century to the fifteenth, and will also have the opportunity to look at how the medieval period and its literature have been adapted and appropriated in later cultural forms, including Shakespeare's plays, Tennyson's poetry, and Tolkien's novels, as well as more recent films, comics, and video games. Our survey of medieval literature will start with the heroic poem Beowulf and finish with Thomas Malory's stories about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. This "heroic campaign" will also take in Chaucer's motley cast of pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales, mystery plays that retell the biblical stories through which everyday men and women understood their lives, and Sir Gawain's chivalric tussle with a headless Green Knight! (The module is suitable for literature students, but can be taken as an elective by others. The course does not require prior knowledge of medieval history, prior study of medieval literature, or knowledge of Old or Middle English.) |
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ENL-90005 |
Advanced Business English Communication |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
In this highly competitive climate you need something to set you apart from others. This module will provide you with the specialist language and professional communication skills you will require if you wish to pursue a career in business.
This highly practical module will build upon and complement your existing language skills by working on themes such as negotiating strategies and presenting visual information. Revision of essential grammatical structures and functional areas of language as well as building a subject-specific bank of key words will provide you with the confidence to engage fluently and competently in a variety of business contexts.
|
|
|
ENL-90010 |
Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language 2 |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Some people believe we learn a language through habit formation while others feel we should concentrate more on using language to carry out meaningful tasks. This module looks at and assesses various theories of second language acquisition whilst also examining the types of errors learners make, why they may make them and what practical techniques we can use to help our learners. We discuss what goes into choosing a coursebook for our learners, how to design effective handouts and the ways in which technology can enhance our teaching. |
|
|
ENL-90012 |
Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language 4 |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The final module has three main themes. Firstly, we continue your practical development, as you teach a group of visiting students from Japan and continue with our regular weekly classes. We also tap into your creative side with the design, rationalisation and evaluation of various types of learning materials including the use of audio-visual sources and project work. Throughout the module we discuss career development and look at how you can find work both in the UK and overseas. Time is allocated for preparation for job interviews and ways to facilitate continuing professional development. |
|
|
FIL-20002 |
Film Genre, Narrative and the Star |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will explore the significance of generic categorisation, narrative order and the position of the Hollywood star in association with filmic constructions of identity and dis/pleasure. Generic classification will be studied in order to consider not only the purpose of such categorisations in terms of spectator expectations but further, to situate cinematic and filmic texts as part of a predicated economy. In terms of film narrative, this module will explore the cause-and-effect relationship associated with mainstream Hollywood film, distinctions between story and plot and the significance of cinematic codes in order to shape preferred meanings for filmic audiences. The module will also analyse the significance of the contemporary filmic star in terms of their positioning as both subjects and objects of desire. As such, the module will address pertinent questions such as: what is the relationship between performance and stardom and moreover, why are we as filmic spectators, so interested in film stars?
The purpose of this module is to convey to students the significance of these areas individually and collectively to the discipline of Film Studies as well as to encourage students to recognise the different theoretical approaches to genre, narrative and star studies by leading academics. Specific texts will be studied in order to explicate the differing modes and ways in which these three pertinent areas help to shape meaning in film and to consider how these areas relate to spectator gratification and pleasure. Through theoretical and illustrative lectures and contextualised screenings, this module will allow students to explore the ways in which certain genres, narrative structures and film stars operate. Indicative study texts may include 'The Battle of Orgreave' (Figgis, 2001), 'Gladiator' (Scott, 2000) and 'Memento' (Nolan, 2000). |
|
|
FRE-90001 |
French 1 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This course is designed for students with no prior knowledge of French and will develop basic communication skills in French in everyday situations such as introducing oneself and giving and understanding personal information about oneself, family and friends.
Alongside the French language, you will get an insight into French culture e.g. about a variety of French traditions and customs, and culture specific behaviour. By following Units 1 to 4 of "French Experience 1- BBC Publications", you will be able to put the language learnt into the context of socialising, leisure, visits and work.
As the focus of this module is on communication skills, a large proportion of the course will be based on oral work speaking in groups and pairs in a variety of question-and-answer and role-play exercises. But you will also develop your reading and writing skills in French. The course book gives basic outline and structure to your learning, and will be supplemented by other materials. There will also be the opportunity to practise and reinforce vocabulary and language structures by using computer exercises in the KLE, linked to the weekly classes.
The language level of this module corresponds to work leading to Level A1 of the European Common Framework for Languages (CEFR -A1).
|
|
|
FRE-90002 |
French 2 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module is designed for students who have acquired French 1 or equivalent.
The course is based on everyday activities and conversations involving a variety of French-speakers, with authentic audio material which allows you to join in and get the feel of speaking for yourself in your new language.
Each unit contains key words and phrases, leading into your ability to listen with confidence and use your new vocabulary. Since contact hours focus on communication skills, you will practise speaking in pairs or groups in a variety of everyday situations, such as travelling in France, visiting Paris and other cities, eating out and shopping.
You will also develop and practise reading and writing in French. The Units 5 to 9 of the course book "French Experience 1- BBC Publications" will provide outline and structure to the course, but the book will be supplemented by other materials. You will have the opportunity to practise and reinforce your new knowledge by using computer exercises in the KLE, linked to the weekly classes.
Upon successful completion of this course, students will reach level A1 of the Common European Language Framework (CEFR - A1).
|
|
|
FRE-90004 |
French 4 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
French 4 is designed to continue French language study for students who have successfully completed module French 3 or equivalent (e.g., GCSE Grade B).
It will enhance skills already acquired, developing knowledge of everyday French in spoken, written, reading and listening activities.
The Units 15 to 20 of the course book "French Experience 1- BBC Publications" refer to the experiences of a group of French speakers in France as they visit, travel, talk about their work and engage in work activities, such as using the telephone and talking to colleagues at work. Discussion is furthered by the introduction of topics currently debated by French people.
As in the preceding course, the targeted exercises and audio material provided are extended by the KLE.
When the course is completed, you can expect to have acquired a denser, more complex understanding of the language, together with the ability to respond with confidence.
Upon successful completion of this course, students will reach level A2 of the Common European Language Framework (CEFR - A2).
|
|
|
FRE-90006 |
French 6 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The course is designed for students with prior knowledge of French and will develop advanced communication skills in French in everyday situations such as talking about daily routine, socialising and food, family, the home as well as in more complex situations, such as discussing a range of topical issues in French or understanding the French media. To help you achieve this, the course-book, ''French Experience 2'' (BBC Publications) will provide you with an advanced vocabulary and plenty of practice. It also allows you to get a better understanding of the grammatical structure of the language.
By the end of this course you be able to understand extended vocabulary and complex phrases concerning a French speaking environment. You will understand complex sentences, for example those used in French speaking media. You will be able to interact in a more elaborate way with French people. You will be able to ask and answer a range of questions on familiar topics and discuss issues of contemporary France. You will be able to use complex phrases and sentences to describe your everyday life and life in your country. You will be able to write simple letters describing for instance a past holiday as well as longer texts in French.
In French 6, we continue from French 5 and you will both consolidate the skills you have acquired at that level and build on them by moving beyond the situations of everyday life to more challenging (and stimulating) topics like the media or politics. You will extend your vocabulary base and be introduced to the more complex grammatical structures characteristic of formal, written French.
Alongside the textbook, we will use audio,video and online material to consolidate vocabulary, grammatical structures and themes dealt with in class.
Upon successful completion of this course, students will reach level B1 of the Common European Language Framework (CEFR - B1),
|
|
|
FRE-90008 |
French 8 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The course is designed for students with an advanced knowledge of French and will develop their advanced communication skills in French in everyday situations as well as in more complex contexts, in particular in discussing a range of topical issues in French or understanding contemporary France.
By the end of this course you be able to understand extended vocabulary and complex phrases concerning a French speaking environment. You will understand complex sentences, for example those used in French speaking media. You will be able to interact in a more elaborate way with French people. You will be able to ask and answer a range of questions on familiar topics and discuss issues of contemporary France. You will be able to use complex phrases and sentences to describe your everyday life and life in your country. You will be able to write texts in French on a range of issues in the French speaking world.
In French 8, we continue from French 7 and you will both consolidate the skills you have acquired at that level and build on them by moving beyond the situations of everyday life to more challenging (and stimulating) topics. You will extend your vocabulary base and be introduced to the more complex grammatical structures characteristic of formal, written French.
We will make an extensive use of French resources available on the Internet to consolidate vocabulary, grammatical structures and themes dealt with in class.
Upon successful completion of this course, students will reach level B2 of the Common European Language Framework (CEFR - B2)
|
|
|
FRE-90010 |
French 10 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This is a French post-advanced course for those who have a very good familiarity with the language.
The course is designed for students with an excellent knowledge of French and will develop their advanced communication skills in French in everyday situations as well as in more complex contexts, in particular in developing arguments and discussions around a range of topical issues in French or understanding contemporary France.
By the end of this course you be able to understand extended vocabulary and complex phrases concerning a French speaking environment. You will understand complex sentences, for example those used in French speaking media. You will be able to interact in a very elaborate way with French people. You will be able to ask and answer a range of questions on familiar topics and discuss issues of contemporary France. You will be able to use complex phrases and sentences to describe your everyday life and life in your country. You will be able to write texts in French on issues in the French speaking world. You will be able to summarize French texts in French and to develop your skills at essay writing in French. You will become more fluent in making an oral presentation in French and in the use of French online resources.
In French 10, we continue from French 9 and you will both consolidate the skills you have acquired at that level and build on them by moving beyond the situations of everyday life to more challenging (and stimulating) topics. You will extend your vocabulary base and be introduced to the more complex grammatical structures characteristic of formal, written French.
We will make an extensive use of French resources available on the Internet to consolidate vocabulary, grammatical structures and themes dealt with in class.
The language level of this module corresponds to work leading to Level C1 in the European Common Framework for Languages (CEFR -C1).
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|
|
GER-90002 |
German 2 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This course is designed for students with limited prior knowledge of German (e.g. German 1, OR one year German at school several years ago) and will develop basic communication skills in German in everyday situations such as introducing oneself, talking about your daily routines and about your immediate surroundings. Alongside the German language, you will get an insight into German culture e.g. we will learn about a variety of German traditions and customs and culture specific behaviour. By following the video series 'Deutsch Plus' which charts the problems and successes of an immigrant to Germany in his first job, you will be able to put the language learnt into a work-based context. As the focus of this module is on communication skills, a large proportion of the course will be based on oral and aural work listening to tapes and video material, and speaking in groups and in pairs in a variety of question-and-answer and role play exercises. You will also develop and practise reading and writing in German. We will use a course book which will give a basic outline and structure to the course, but the book will be supplemented by regular video work and other materials. You will also have the opportunity to practise and reinforce vocabulary and language structures by using computer exercises in KLE, linked to the weekly classes.
Upon successful completion of this module, students will normally have reached level A1 of the Common European Language Framework (CEFR - A1) |
|
|
GER-90004 |
German 4 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The module will build on skills acquired in German 3 or equivalent (e.g. GCSE Grade B) and expand your vocabulary base and ability to interact in everyday situations in German. Topics include talking about education, likes and dislikes, future career plans and German reunification. You will consolidate and broaden your knowledge of vocabulary and grammar in class, as well as practise your communicative skills.
Teaching will be based around the textbook and a DVD series for language learners which focuses on young people's lives and work in today's Berlin. Various aspects of contemporary German life will be discussed, based on the textbook and audiovisual material and thereby give you an insight into German culture and customs. There will be a variety of tasks and exercises in class time, such as partner exercises, listening comprehensions, role-play and reading and writing tasks. You will consolidate the skills acquired in class through further web-based self-study exercises.
Upon successful completion of this module, students will normally have reached level A2 of the Common European Language Framework (CEFR - A2) |
|
|
GER-90006 |
German 6 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This course is designed for students who have completed German 5 or equivalent (e.g. GCSE grade A*, AS-level grade D or lower). There will be two contact hours per week over 11 weeks. Each week will be devoted to a different topic, which will include themes such as German identity, local culture and politics, festivals etc. The core skills listening, speaking, reading and writing will be expanded and communicative competence and awareness of grammar will be developed. Teaching will be based around a set course book which will be supplemented by a range of video and other language material. There will be a variety of tasks and exercises during each class, such as discussion and role play, listening comprehension and reading; and there will be further self-study opportunities via KLE and portfolio work.
Upon successful completion of this module, students will normally have reached level B1 of the Common European Language Framework (CEFR - B1) |
|
|
GER-90008 |
German 8 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module is aimed at students with a good knowledge of German and will be taught predominantly in the target language. All basic skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing) will be practised in the contact hours, and your communicative skills, vocabulary base and knowledge of grammar will be consolidated and expanded. The course is based around a series of texts focusing on life in contemporary Germany which will afford you an insight into the cultural background of German society, dealing with issues such as reunification, "Ostalgie", and follow-on social and political problems.
You will move from being able to communicate in everyday situations to discussing more complex issues with confidence. This will be practised in the classroom situation in a variety of ways: pair work and debates, as well as listening comprehensions and audiovisual material that familiarises you with authentic linguistic features. In the self-study time, these skills will be consolidated with the help of exercises on KLE, and German Internet sites that will expand your vocabulary base and further your understanding of German life and culture. The language learning process will be charted in the reflective diary and provide valuable tools to improve language acquisition. Feedback on formative and summative assessments will be provided at regular intervals.
Upon successful completion of this module, students will normally have reached level B2 of the Common European Language Framework (CEFR - B2) |
|
|
GER-90010 |
German 10 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This course is designed for students with very advanced German language skills (German 9, A-level grade A, CEF grade B1) and will focus on systematically enhancing all four skills, whilst studying topics of relevance to modern-day Germany.
The course will be mainly based on authentic German texts and audio-visual materials such as films, TV recordings and web material, which will be exploited in class and self-study time.
By the end of the course you will be able to handle a variety of complex German sources, including newspaper articles and fictional texts, conduct your own searches of German websites and read and discuss factual and fictional texts with some confidence.
Feedback on formative and summative assessments will be provided at regular intervals and emphasis will be placed on enabling you to become an efficient independent language learner after completion of the course.
The language level of this module corresponds to work leading to Level C1 in the European Common Framework for Languages (CEFR -C1) |
|
|
HIS-20067 |
Sources and Debates |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Most students who read history as undergraduates tend to read one book (at most) concerned with the question 'What is History?', and they usually do this before they have done any real historical research. Thereafter, their training tends to be conducted 'on the job'. If they reflect on the nature, theory or ideology which underpins what they practice, they tend to focus on issues which surface in assessments, learning that writing which is merely descriptive is not rewarded but that writing which is analytical gains good marks. Via the electives website you are asked to choose between medieval and modern history, or between political and social history, where the nature of the historian's work in each case is left as self-evident.
But ask yourself the following questions:
On what basis do historians claim to 'know' about the past?
Why do historians disagree?
What exactly is history which is 'out of date'?
What is historical evidence?
Aside from the area of their interest, can I tell the difference between any two of the historians who have taught me?
If you can't think how to respond to these questions, should you be able to call yourself a graduate in history? This module has been designed to help you to reflect on the nature of the subject in which you are being trained. We believe that history is a distinctive discipline and that you will acquire a deeper understanding of how it is (and has been) practised, partly by listening and reading, partly by practical experience.
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HIS-20071 |
Saints and Society in Medieval Europe |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
In 2004 animal rights activists kidnapped the corpse of 82-year-old Gladys Hammond from a Staffordshire church-yard. In 2006 Argentine trades unionists fought a gun battle over the coffin of former dictator, Juan Perón, when it was reburied. And, in 2007 the home and grave of Elvis Presley attracted 600,000 visitors. An anthropologist might explain these phenomena as cultures in which the dead are seen as powerful. In this module we will look at an important group of powerful dead, saints, who are critical to the formation of European culture, embodying concepts of ritual, power and celebrity. The course will cover a wide range of issues including the development of the cult of saints in the early Church, its development and spread during the period c.900-c.1250, as well as the religious, social and political use functions of the saints in medieval culture.
Particular attention will be devoted to the changing nature of who was a saint, the extent to which popular acclamation made a saint, medieval society&©s belief in the saints, the difference between local and universal saints as well as the increasing procedures demanded by the Church for canonization. With case studies on martyr and confessor saints and other models of sanctity and the use of translations of primary sources, it will also look to address the problems faced by historians of medieval saints due to the nature of the historical record.
|
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HIS-20078 |
Power in the Modern World |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
What is power? How is it attained, maintained, and relinquished? Who
has power, and for what reasons? Is it located in individuals, groups,
classes, or nations? How does it change? This course covers models, theories,
and themes that address the question of power since the French
Revolution. The module seeks to examine the impact of specific historical
forces, including nationalism, fascism, state building and imperialism.
It also endeavours to assess different explanations for power in the past
two hundred years, including gender, Marxism, and post-structuralist
approaches (Foucault, Bourdieu). The course will provide students with
the analytical tools to study the nature of power as it emerged in
the modern period. |
|
|
HIS-20080 |
Race and the Body in Colonial Africa |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will introduce students to some of the most important themes in the history of Africa from the abolition of the slave trade to decolonization. We will analyse diverse forms of difference, especially those related to race and the body, amongst European colonisers and Africans, and to chart changing views of difference. Students will develop an awareness of the diversity of the African continent through a range of critical perspectives, such as: theorising race in different geographical spaces; understanding inequality among and between peoples and how this varies over time and space; and the relationship between colonialism, nation, 'race', class, ethnicity, gender, and capitalism. Lectures and seminars will engage with a range of primary source materials including: travel writing, contemporary accounts, official reports, newspapers, photographs and paintings, literature and film, in addition to the diverse historiography available. |
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HRM-20012 |
Pay and Performance |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module provides students with specialist analysis on pay as a central element in the study of HRM. Crucially, the module examines both the external market for labour and the internal operation of pay determination within the organisation. The module explains variation in pay levels between occupations, the role of the State in shaping pay policy and the problems associated with grading and pay systems which seek to link pay to performance. Recent developments, notably the impact of the credit crunch, are examined in the context of theories of pay and pay negotiations. |
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HRM-20015 |
Managing Human Resources |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module develops and extends key themes and theories from the first year module 'Foundations of HRM'. The module content is central to the study of HRM covering: the process for resolving disciplinary cases and grievances, flexibility, performance management, and issues of employee representation, participation and involvement. The module provides students, from a conceptual and theoretical perspective, with an understanding of some of the core issues and processes involved in HRM, which are crucial to professional practice.
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|
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JAP-90001 |
Japanese 1 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This course is designed for students with no prior knowledge of Japanese. It will develop basic communication skills in Japanese in everyday situations such as meeting someone for the first time, talking about daily routine, family, shopping and telephoning. The module aims to provide students with the very basics of spoken Japanese (standard polite register) and with recognition skills of one of the Japanese scripts, Hiragana. Students will also be introduced to some aspects of Japanese culture.
|
|
|
JAP-90002 |
Japanese 2 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module is designed for students who have completed Japanese 1 or equivalent. It develops Japanese language skills - listening, speaking, reading and writing. On a more general level, it will enhance students&© intercultural skills. By successfully completing the module, students will be able to conduct simple short conversations about their daily life, leisure time activities, eating and drinking, home environment and public transport. They will be able to give or obtain information on locations of amenities, routines and schedules, and travel arrangements.
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|
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JAP-90004 |
Japanese 4 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will further develop students&© elementary Japanese language communication skills, enabling them to speak, listen, read, and write in order to carry out routine tasks they are likely to encounter in socialising, living, studying or travelling in Japan. Functions and topics covered will include: giving and understanding directions, making polite requests, asking for permission, discussing family and educational background in more detail, expressing likes and dislikes as well as wishes and discussing travel itinerary and future plans. Students will also become familiar with aspects of contemporary Japanese culture and society through audio-visual materials and texts.
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|
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JAP-90006 |
Japanese 6 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will further develop students&© Japanese language communication skills, enabling them to conduct routine tasks they are likely to encounter in socialising, living, studying, travelling or working in Japan. Functions and topics will include: expressing and understanding of feelings and emotions expressed orally and in personal letters, explaining reasons and giving excuses in a more sensitive or complex manner, expressing opinions, offering advice, giving details of future plans and projections and making guesses. Some feature film clips set in a variety of social and work situations will be analysed in teaching sessions. There will also be reading and writing work to build students' confidence in handling mixture of phonetic scripts and essential kanji characters. Students will also become familiar with a range of social contexts and culturally specific behaviour. |
|
|
MAN-20053 |
Operations and Quality Management |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will introduce students to key concepts and issues in quality management.
Students will be encouraged to critically analyse and evaluate concepts and techniques within specific organizational contexts through topical, real life examples. Particular emphasis will be placed on different perspectives of quality and why it is crucial to organisational success.
|
|
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MAN-20057 |
Corporate Social Responsibility |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The aim of the module is to provide critical understanding about the changing relationship between business and society in the context of globalisation. This course provides a broad introduction to and an opportunity to deliberate upon some of the ethical challenges which firms encounter, and to examine the theoretical frameworks available in order to resolve or discuss these challenges. |
|
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MAN-20059 |
Marketing Research |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
The purpose of this module is to provide students with the ability to identify what information is needed as part of the marketing feedback process which informs organisational change and as a primary tool for exploring new opportunities in the marketplace. Both require students to work effectively as individuals and at times as part of a team. Students will participate in the process of designing a marketing proposal and will critically evaluate marketing research tools through the marketing report. |
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MAN-20062 |
Marketing in Society |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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The module is concerned with the broader role of marketing in society. It thus examines the impact of marketing uses and practices and addresses some of the interrelated aspects of corporate social responsibility, marketing ethics and social marketing.
The module content unfolds along three dimensions. We will firstly examine some of the basic ethical philosophies, which will help us reflect upon the issues around marketing applications. We then consider some of the key ethical issues involved in marketing decision-making and the responsibilities of organisations to their stakeholders and the wider community. Finally, we examine the ways in which companies and organisations can use marketing in an ethical way, with a view to contributing to the common good, i.e. societal and social marketing.
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MDS-20018 |
Thinking Photography |
EF |
C
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7.5 |
15 |
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Thinking Photography is an elective module for second year students and will be of particular interest to those studying Media, Culture and Communications. The module places an emphasis on both photographic theory and practice. We will look at how ideas about photography have evolved and how theory can inform your own practical work. Alongside this we will be looking at different genres of photography and individual photographer's work and asking pertinent questions about the definition and intent of the work as both artefacts and modes of communication. You will be able to advance both your critical understanding of photographic practice, your own photographic practice and Photoshop software skills.
Reading List
Although no textbook covers everything we do on this module the books listed below give a good overview of the subject area:
Clarkle G 1997 The Photograph Oxford University Press
Wells, L (ed) 2003 The Photography Reader Routledge
Wells, L (ed) 2009 Photography: a critical introduction Routledge
Sturken M, Cartwright L, 2001 Practices of Looking: an introduction to visual culture Oxford University Press
Sontag, S. 2002 On Photography Harmondsworth: Penguin
Burgin, V (ed) 1982. Thinking photography Basingstoke: Macmillan
Soloman-Godeau, A. 1997 Photography At The Dock University of Minnesota Press
Barthes, R. Camera Lucida: reflections on photography. Translated by R. Howard 1984 London Flamingo |
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MDS-20019 |
Analysing Culture |
EF |
C
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7.5 |
15 |
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In Analysing Culture we consider how culture enables people to make sense of their personal and social lives. The first session of the course refers to Geertz&©s classic paper on Balinese society to introduce the concept of culture. The key question we want to ask through our study of Geertz essay is $ùwhat is culture?&© Following this example of an anthropologically strange culture we move on to think about the construction of national identity through a consideration of Hall&©s work on western identity, Said&©s essay on orientalism, Anderson&©s notion of imaginary communities, and various representations of contemporary nationality. Although the nation has provided a strong cultural map for people since the middle of the 17th century, the rise of modern urbanism has challenged this cultural form through its embrace of privacy and a culture of alienation. In week 3 we consider urban culture, read Simmel&©s classic essay on the metropolitan mind, and think about the ways in which the city is represented today. In the next session we show how people have sought to relate culture to the problem of alienation in modern culture. In week 4 we think about the notion of consumer culture through Adorno and Horkheimer&©s idea of mass culture and Klein's theory of branding and consider how commodities might work like narcotics that numb our senses to the impoverished reality of our one-dimensional society. Our key cultural texts here is Danny Boyle&©s film Trainspotting.
In the second part of the course we begin by thinking about cultural politics. In week 5 we focus on Bourdieu&©s idea of distinction and think about how far his theory reflects popular uses of culture in the contemporary world. For Bourdieu culture is not simply a form of deception, but rather a tool that people use in order to try to distinguish themselves from other people in the endless struggle that is competitive capitalism. Although Bourdieu suggests that people use culture for their own purposes, he thinks that they use it unimaginatively and strictly within the confines of capitalist ideology. Thus we may say that Bourdieu is essentially a Marxist. In week 6 we try to extend the Marxist theory of culture through an exploration of the works on the key writers on everyday life. In particular we refer to the idea of contested culture expressed in the works of the French theorists of constructed space and everyday life, Lefebvre and de Certeau. The purpose of this exercise is to suggest that culture may be a space of negotiation, contestation, and confrontation, rather than simply a mechanism of deception or distinction.
In week 7 we extend our exploration of this idea of cultural resistance through a discussion of the theory of sub-culture. This theory shows how new communities are able to emerge through consumer relations and cultural performance. We address this theory through a consideration of the classic example of punk, the more contemporary case of gangsta rap, and a reading of the works of the cultural sociologists of performance, Goffman, Garfinkel, and Mead. In the final three weeks of the course we move on to focus on theories of post-modernism, the culturally constructed body, and globalisation. In week 8 we explore the idea of post-modern culture through Dominic Strinati&©s essay on the topic, David Lynch&©s cinema, and Fredric Jameson&©s influential paper, Post-modernism, Or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism. For Jameson culture is the dominant form of identification in post-modern society. He thinks that people no longer worry about economics or politics, but rather understand these categories through culture. What does this mean? We will try to find out week 10 when we consider the ideas of global culture and anti-capitalism. But before we consider global culture, we examine the post-modern concern for the body and in particular Bordo's theory of the economic body. In week 9 we approach Bordo's theory through a cultural history of thinking about and imaging the body, taking in the Greek God body, the modern super-hero body, and the post-modern techno body, represented by both Haraway's cyborg, Bordo's metabolic body, and various science fiction bodies.
Our study of the body, and body image, allows us to think about the ways that politics and economics are subsumed in culture in global society. Shifting from a study of the microcosm of the body to the macrocosm of the globalised world, in week 10 we refer to the works of contemporary writers, such as Giddens and Beck, who dispute the claims of the conflict theorists, such as Adorno and Horkheimer, by arguing that there is no monolithic centre of power that imposes meaning upon people&©s lives in global society. Rather Giddens and Beck argue that contemporary culture is characterised by risk, chance, and freedom of choice. In this session we think about their suggestion that traditional power structures no longer hold in post-modern / global society through an exploration of the idea of the new social movement and in particular anti-capitalist cultural politics. Our core text for this session is the recent film, Fight Club, which connects visions of the body and globalised consumer capitalism to issues of revolutionary cultural politics.
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MDS-20029 |
DIY Broadcasting: Digital Culture and You |
EF |
C
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7.5 |
15 |
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|
Although initially developed as a method of military and scientific communication in the 1960s, since the early 1990s internet use has become increasingly popular, with the majority of households in developed countries now connected to high-speed broadband. The internet age has bought about changes in modern society and the way that we communicate - perhaps most notably in the form of increased access to information, culture and the global marketplaces.
This module explores the impact of new technologies on media forms and audiences. In particular we will explore how these developments have democratised the media and provided opportunities for users to be producers. We will consider the questions this so-called democratisation of media raises. Can media truly be owned any more? What is the role of copyright? Where, if at all, do the boundaries between the amateur and professional lie? Perhaps most importantly, have the masses finally found their voice in modern society though collaboration and communication on a mass scale, or are we increasingly distracted and confused by a cacophony of anonymous and indistinguishable chatter? Over the course of this module there will be a variety of lectures, seminars and some practical sessions.
Assessment is based on a group practical piece and an individual critical evaluation (50%), plus an essay at 50%.
Introductory Reading:
Staiger J and Hake, S (2009) Convergence Media History. Routledge
Lister, M et al (2008) 2nd ed New Media: A Critical Introduction, London: Routledge
Trend, D. (2001) Reading Digital Culture, Blackwell.
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MUS-20032 |
Indian Music |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module promotes an understanding of Northern Indian classical music, Indian film music and and range of related popular music through the analysis of recorded performance and video. Central to the module is an understanding and recognition of musical techniques which may surface in a variety of musical contexts, but which are rooted in the classical traditions; students are encouraged to focus on both the minutiae of very short extracts as well as understanding the large scale architecture of performance. In the case of popular music, students will explore how traditional elements interact with the conventions of popular music through various case studies. |
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MUS-20039 |
Music in German Culture |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
Germany holds a special place in the history of music; this module considers why this is so, and examines some of the principal moments in this history. By ranging across a variety of media, such as concert music, opera, film music, music theatre and the musical, it also reveals how music interacts with a range of cultural forms within a modern European nation that is associated with a prestigous tradition. Key moments will be chosen from an historical span ranging from the late eighteenth to late twentieth centuries.
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MUS-20042 |
Composition Studies: Intermediate Composition |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
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|
This module is concerned with the study and practice of compositional techniques through composition and analysis of scores. The focuses will be: timbre, texture, process, structure and form. These areas of compositional practice will be studied across a number of scores. Students will compose one or more compositions for the instrumental forces available within the group, demonstrating an understanding of creative, artistic, issues arising from coursework, discussions and workshops.
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MUT-20002 |
Creative Sound Design |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module deals with the application of software to advanced audio-processing and sound-design using a variety of techniques (e.g. filtering, spectral domain techniques, time domain techniques, etc.). The module includes discussion of technical and aesthetic aspects of the uses of audio processing and sound design techniques; providing skills for creative project work, such as composition and sound design (e.g. design of a soundtrack for video). |
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PHI-20016 |
Epistemology and Metaphysics I |
EF |
C
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module introduces students to fundamental issues in epistemology and metaphysics through the study of key thinkers in the history of philosophy such as Descartes, Locke and Berkeley. We will consider the fundamental assumtpions which govern rationalism and empiricism as well as the debate between realism and idealism in its early modern form. Individual topics include: Descartes and external world scepticism, Locke's critique of innatism, Berkeley's argument for immaterialism.
The module consists of 15 one-hour lectures and 5 one hour seminars. The seminars will be student led and consist of group presentations.
The final module mark is based upon the following: group presentation (25%); essay (75%) |
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PHI-20018 |
Philosophy of Mind |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
|
|
This module will introduce students to one of the most fundamental problems of philosophy, which many would argue is the most fundamental philosophical problem of all: the problem of how we are to understand the connection between the subjective mind (thoughts, feelings, emotions) and the objective world (the human body, and especially, the brain). This is a contemporary course, and so students will be introduced to the five main positions on the mind-brain connection that are held in the present day. Students will then be introduced to five of the most important problems that arise for all theories of mind, namely problems concerning mental causation, subjectivity, consciousness, intentionality and externalism, and will then revisit the five positions they were introduced to in the first part of the course in light of these problems. By the end of this module, students will have a thorough understanding of the mind-body problem as it is understood at the beginning of the twenty-first century, and will have been encouraged to develop their own opinion about the nature of mind.
There will be ten topic-based lectures, one per week, with an extra lecture every fortnight which will sometimes be used in part for group activities, such as debates, quizzes, and revision exercises. Small group seminars will be held every fortnight, which will incorporate small group presentations for the development of oral presentation and team-work skills, all of which are either formatively self- or peer-assessed. The seminars will provide the basis for portfolio assignments. Assessment format: 50% portfolio, 50% unseen exam (2 hours).
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PIR-20064 |
International Relations of the Environment |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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|
As a global society of increasingly interdependent states, the world faces numerous problems stemming from the depletion of natural resources such as fish, forests, hydrocarbons and water and the deterioration of various aspects of the natural environment. Most of these are examples of common problems (we all independently experience them to varying degrees) or also shared problems (what each of us does or doesn't do about them affects how they are experienced by others). This poses many challenges for the development of national and international policies that will effectively address the global environmental agenda.
Through a detailed examination of a selection of international environmental issue areas, students are introduced to some of the key analytical themes from the academic literature on the international relations of the environment. This enables students to analyse a number of common or shared conservation and environmental protection challenges that many states and parts of the world face, and to critically evaluate the proposed solutions.
The issues and themes covered in the module usually include: how issues get on the international environmental agenda; the environment in international affairs; the contribution of the discipline of IR to understanding international environmental affairs; patterns of sovereignty and jurisdiction affecting transboundary resources and pollutants; actors, factors and effectiveness in international environmental regimes; environment and security; the International Whaling Regime; The African Elephant in international trade; high seas fisheries; tropical rainforests; the ozone layer; climate change; trade and the environment. Other topics which sometimes feature in the module include: Antarctica; the deep seabed; the global trade in hazardous waste; persistent organic pollutants.
There are 15 one-hour lectures. Each tutorial group meets fortnightly for a total of 5 one-hour sessions. Students work in teams to coordinate their class contributions as well as working individually on the topics which especially interest them, further developing their ability to conduct research using a variety of sources in order to analyse some of the policy problems encountered in the quest for ecologically sustainable development.
In the 2012-13 academic session, the sequence of lecture topics will probably be as follows:
The environment in world politics
The environment in the discipline of International Relations: prominent approaches
The environment and security
Global health and security
Actors, factors and effectiveness in environmental cooperation
Governance and the commons
The tragedy of the commons
Governing the seas: the sea in international politics and international law
Fisheries: the high seas and straddling stocks
Sustainable use of wildlife, a tenuous concept? The cases of the Great Whales and African Elephants
The politics of risk: biosafety in global politics
Biopiracy: biodiversity and equity at the global level
The Battle of Seattle: the environment and international trade in the globalising world
Saving the ozone layer
The mother of all battles: the development of the global climate change regime.
The tutorials are usually organised around the analysis of the following areas in the International Relations of the Environment:
1. Introduction to the subject and the format of the module
2. Environment and security
3. New frontiers and the management of new commons: the oceans, the deep seabed and Antarctica
4. Managing the conservation and exploitation of transboundary resources: the case of the Great Whales
5. The atmosphere: international cooperation to save the ozone layer and combat climate change.
The final module mark is based upon the following: short oral presentation to the class (10%); 2,000 word essay (40%); 2-hour unseen written examination (50%). |
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PIR-20065 |
The Practice of Politics |
EF |
C
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7.5 |
15 |
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|
This module involves exploration of a number of interrelated personal and political questions. Through engaging with the module fully, you will, by the end of it, have clearer answers to at least some of the following questions:
Personal Development
- What am I good at?
- What do I enjoy doing?
- What are my motivations?
- What are my priorities?
- How can I become more effective?
Future Careers
- What is it like to work in various different kinds of political career?
- How do careers develop?
- What kind of work do I want?
- What do I need to do in order to get the kind of work I want?
Political Action
- How can I communicate about politics more effectively?
- What are the techniques used by the most effective public speakers?
- How can I influence others?
- How can I improve my people skills?
- How can I be an effective leader?
Political Communication and Leadership
- When are political leaders effective?
- When do campaigns succeed?
- What are the features of effective public speaking in a variety of contexts?
The module will be taught in 12 x 2-hour workshops which will consist of a combination of instruction, small and large group discussion and practical exercises. Rather than prior reading the focus will be on practical activities in the workshop and reflection or other activitiesafterwards. Participants will also be given the opportunity to practice public speaking and media and interview skills as part of a presentation day.
Assessment will be through a portfolio including analysis of political rhetoric, analysis of indivdual political leaders, a number of reflections on individual skill areas, as well as a number of documents relating to the process of career management and development. |
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PIR-20068 |
Why Policy Changes |
EF |
C
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7.5 |
15 |
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|
Why do some policies change while others stay the same?
Ultimately, most politics is about what governments do, or don't do. While many scholars of politics work in specific fields (e.g. legislatures, transport policy), those working in the field of public policy try to explain the whole: how does the system fit together to produce change or continuity in the way the government acts? That questions raises further issues: how do agendas work?, how do people in a policy area work together or compete with one another?, how does policy reflect people's political interests? This module introduces you to the work and methods of these scholars. There are three assessments for the module: two short written pieces which ask you to consider two particular areas of public policy scholarship (each of 1200 words and each worth 25% of your final module mark) and a policy analysis essay examining a policy area of your choice (2000 words, worth 50% of your final module mark). If you're after some indicative reading, try John Kingdon's Agendas, Alternatives and Public Policies or Michael Hill's The Public Policy Process.
If you've ever wondered about questions of policy, such as why the trains don't run on time, or why you're paying fees to study at university, this module might help you understand. |
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PIR-20074 |
British Government and Politics |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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This module seeks to offer an in-depth analysis of the British system of government and its politics
more broadly, including the constitution; the government; Parliament; parties and the party system; elections and voting; the role of interest groups; policies; constitutional reform; and the impact of the European Union. The final module mark is based upon completion of a portfolio (40% of overall module mark) and a 2 hour exam (60%). |
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PIR-20081 |
The Politics of the European Union |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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This module introduces students to the study of the European Union and its historical setting, then proceeds to describe and analyse the workings of its main institutions and selected policies. The institutions covered are the Commission, Council of Ministers, the European Parliament and the Court of Justice. Issues discussed include 'how democratic is the EU', 'how does the EU change the domestic politics of its members', 'is the EU a global power?, and finally 'what is the effect of new countries joining the EU'. The assessment for this module is based on: one 2,000-word essay (50%), and one 2-hour unseen written examination (50%). |
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RUS-90002 |
Russian 2 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
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|
This module is designed for those who have completed Russian 1 or equivalent. It helps to develop further writing, speaking, reading and listening skills in Russian. By successfully completing the module, students will be able to conduct simple short conversations about themselves, their hobbies and skills, homes and immediate surroundings, eating and drinking, and public transport. They will be able to give or obtain information on locations of amenities and travel arrangements. |
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RUS-90004 |
Russian 4 |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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This module will further develop students elementary Russian language communication skills, enabling them to speak, listen, read, and write in order to carry out routine tasks they are likely to encounter in socialising, living, studying or travelling in Russia. Functions and topics covered will include: giving and understanding directions, making polite requests, asking for permission, discussing family and educational background in more detail, expressing likes and dislikes as well as wishes and discussing travel itinerary and future plans. Students will also become familiar with aspects of contemporary Russian culture and society through audio-visual materials and texts. |
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RUS-90006 |
Russian 6 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
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This module will further develop students Russian language communication skills, enabling students to conduct routine tasks they are likely to encounter in socialising, living, studying, travelling or working in Russia. Functions and topics will include: expressing and understanding feelings and emotions expressed in conversations and in personal letter; explaining reasons and giving excuses in a more sensitive or complex manner; expressing opinions, offering advice, giving details of future plans and projections and making guesses. Some feature film clips set in a variety of social and work situations will be analysed in teaching sessions. There will also be reading and writing work to build students' confidence in using Russian grammar and vocabulary. Students will also become familiar with a range of social contexts and culturally specific behaviour. |
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SOC-20036 |
Cultures of Consumption |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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What does it mean to be a 'consumer' in the 21st century? We are used to the notion of shopping to meet our needs but the idea of a 'consumer culture' stretches much wider than this. Are we PRIMARILY consumers in the sense that consumption dominates all or almost all of our cultural, social and civic beliefs and practice? In other words, have we allowed consuming to become the most important social practice and identity? Can we still think of ourselves as 'workers', 'families', 'citizen'
In this module we explore how consumption and consumer culture can be analysed sociologically. We begin to imagine the 'consumer' at the heart of the process, placing this in the context of historical and theoretical shifts in the relevance of consumer society. We will explore some of the connected socio-political and ethical questions that frame our understanding of what people do when they consume, as well as offering up some critique of consumption as an ethical problem.
The kinds of real-world issues we will explore may include:
The consumer: rational chooser, dupe or socially embedded agent?
Revisiting consumer desire: the unconscious and shopping
Consumer citizens 1: is everything shopping?
Consumer citizens 2: anti-consumerism and green ethics
Does class matter anymore? Cultural capital and consumption
Playful identities, or is TOWIE really OK?
Pampers, plumbing and potatoes: what does it mean to be an 'ordinary' consumer?
'Material culture': Social exchange, display and sacrificial shopping
Family and intimacy: how does consumption help us 'do' relationships?
The module will be based on lectures and tutorials; students will be expected to read one or two chapters/articles in preparation for tutorials, plus wider reading in preparation for assessments. Lecture and tutorial activities may include: discussion of key readings, interactive voting, observation activities, DVDs, use of social media strategies such as blogging.
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SOC-20041 |
Families and Households: Diversity and Change |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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This module aims to provide a students with a solid understanding of key issues in the sociology of family life. It will be particularly concerned with the ways in which people's experiences of families have been changing over the last 30 or so years.
The first part of the course will be explicitly concerned with the increased diversity there now is in family and household construction, in particular with regard to sexual and domestic partnerships. Demographic changes in family and household organization will be analysed, as will changing notions of commitment. There will also be a focus on the 'democratisation' of relationships and the extent to which new forms of partnership have altered the traditional gendered inequalities that were structural to marriage and parenthood.
The middle part of the module will be specifically concerned with exploring the diverse forms of family that different people now construct. This will entail examining patterns of divorce, exploring the circumstances of lone-parent families (including policy initiatives to improve these circumstances), examining the experiences of gay and lesbian partnerships and families, and analysing the particular issues stepfamilies face.
The final section of the module will focus on kinship, paying particular attention to: a) the role of grandparents in family life in the context of increased diversity in patterns of partnership and parenting behaviour; and b) the ways in which transnational families sustain solidarity following long-distance migration.
The module will be concerned throughout with developing an appreciation of how family relationships are constructed in the context of wider changes in social and economic conditions that constrain and shape the apparently individual and private relational decisions that people make.
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SOC-20046 |
Research Methods |
EF |
C
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7.5 |
15 |
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This module aims to introduce you to both the principles of developing research strategies and to the strengths and weaknesses of different data collection methods used within sociology. The lectures will be concerned with examining the criteria that can be used to judge the advantages of different research approaches, as well as introducing you to the assumptions that underpin different modes of data collection. There will also be a focus on the ethics of social research.
The workshops will help develop further the understanding gained through the lectures. They will be more practically focused. Workshops will entail you demonstrating skills in the use of bibliographic data bases, evaluating existing research and exploring alternative methodologies for collecting relevant data within the constraints of specified research resources.
The module will consist of lectures and workshops. The workshops will based and concerned with applying the concerns of the lectures to specific research problems, the discussion of specific methodological issues or the development of research skills.
Lectures will focus on:
What is social research?
Interviewing
Ethnography
Ethics
Analysing qualitative data
Official statistics and surveys
Using quantitative methods in social research and mixing methods
Internet, social media and social research
Using documents in research
Writing social research
The workshop activities will include:
- Undertaking search strategies and developing bibliographies
- Discussions of the processes involved in operationalising specific research issues
- Using research methods: interview techniques
- Discussion of ethical dilemmas
- Analysing qualitative data
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SPN-90001 |
Spanish 1 |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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Spanish is one of the world's major languages and is growing. You do not have to aim for total fluency. Basic language skills can be very useful to employers and will help you get a lot more out of travel to Spanish-speaking countries. It's a multilingual world and companies are increasingly aware of the advantages of recruiting people with language skills. Whatever career you choose to follow, your Spanish skills will help you get more from life.
This course is designed for students with no prior knowledge of Spanish. It will develop basic communication skills in Spanish - mainly in a familiar register- in everyday situations. Alongside the Spanish language, you will also be introduced to some aspects of Spanish culture: some Spanish traditions and customs, and culture-specific behaviour.
The emphasis will be on oral communication skills but you will also develop your reading and writing skills in Spanish. We will use a course book which will give a basic outline and structure to the course, but the book will be supplemented by regular video work and other materials. There will also be the opportunity to practise and reinforce vocabulary and language structures by using computer exercises in WebCT/KLE, linked to the weekly classes.
The language level of this module corresponds to work leading to Level A1 in the European Common Framework for Languages (CEFR -A1). |
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SPN-90002 |
Spanish 2 |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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This course is designed for students with limited prior knowledge of Spanish (e.g. Spanish 1, OR one year Spanish at school years ago). It will develop basic communication skills- listening, speaking, reading and writing in Spanish. On a more general level, it will enhance your intercultural skills, since alongside the Spanish language, you will also be introduced to some aspects of Spanish culture: traditions and customs, and culture specific behaviour.
Being able to speak Spanish, the official language in 23 countries and the second language in USA, can open up a whole new world whether that means travelling in South America, making the most of holidays in Spain or using your language skills to get a better job. Spain is one of
the UK's major trading partners. Whatever career you choose to follow, your Spanish skills will help you get more from life
By successfully completing the module, you will be able to conduct simple short conversations about daily life, leisure time activities, eating and drinking, home environment and public transport. You also will be able to give or obtain information on locations of amenities, routines and schedules, and travel arrangements.
The emphasis will be on oral communication skills through the use of role plays, pair work and short presentations in small groups. But you will also develop your reading and writing skills in Spanish. We will use a course book which will give a basic outline and structure to the course, but the book will be supplemented by regular video work and other materials. There will also be the opportunity to practise and reinforce vocabulary and language structures by using computer exercises in KLE, linked to the weekly classes.
Upon successful completion of this module, students will normally have reached level A1 of the Common European Language Framework (CEFR - A1),
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SPN-90004 |
Spanish 4 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
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Learning Spanish can open a door to a whole new world: is the official language of more than 23 Spanish speaking countries and the second language in USA. Thus there are constant opportunities for using your language skills; whether on holiday, socialising, enjoying cultural life or to get a better job. Spanish will widen your horizons, create new opportunities and increase your appreciation of what's out there.
This module is designed for students' who have completed Spanish 3 or equivalent (e.g. CGSE grade B). It will further develop students' Spanish language communication skills, enabling them to conduct routine tasks they are likely to encounter in socialising, living, studying, travelling or working in Spain. Main topics we will study are shopping, eating out, facilities in your town, making travel and social arrangements, state of health, talking about events in the past, skills, discussing plans for the future. Cultural background of Spanish society as well as traditions of the Hispanic world (i.e. Food habits and daily meals, Easter/spring celebrations, etc.) will be presented throughout the course, thus providing the foundations for further study or work in Spain and Latino-America..
We will use a course book which will give a basic outline and structure to the course, but the book will be supplemented by regular video work and other materials. You will also have the opportunity to practise and reinforce vocabulary and language structures by using computer exercises in KLE, linked to the weekly classes.
Upon successful completion of this module, students will normally have reached level A2 of the Common European Language Framework (CEFR - A2)
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SPN-90006 |
Spanish 6 |
EF |
M
|
7.5 |
15 |
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|
Both the mastery of a foreign language as widely spoken as Spanish and the awareness of cultural and linguistic specificities will prove essential when negotiating the world of work or when travelling around the world.
For those studying American Studies, International Relations, History, Politics, or doing Geography or Geology fieldwork in Spain, is most relevant, since this module equips you with an insight of Spanish/Hispanic language varieties and cultures.
This course is designed for students who have completed Spanish 5 or equivalent (e.g. GCSE grade A*, AS-level grade D or lower).
The core skills listening, speaking, reading and writing will be expanded and communicative competence and awareness of grammar will be developed further. Teaching will be based around a set course book which will be supplemented by a range of video material. We learn to describe a journey, compose a CV; to assess past experiences; to talk about habits in the past; to express obligation and possibility; to predict our future and offer hypotheses; etc. We will study some Latin American countries in more detail, such as Chile, through a DVD series.
There will be a variety of tasks and exercises during each class, such as discussion and role play; listening comprehension and reading and writing tasks and students will be required to complete a range of self study tasks for portfolio. For computer-assisted learning, KLE will enable you to enhance your self-study skills and research for some of the module tasks.
Upon successful completion of this module, students will normally have reached level B1 of the Common European Language Framework (CEFR - B1)
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SPN-90008 |
Spanish 8 |
EF |
M
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7.5 |
15 |
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The sheer size of the Spanish speaking population world-wide, the communications revolution and the emergence of a global economy mean there are more opportunities to use the language and more economic incentives.
This is a Spanish post-advanced course for those who have a good familiarity with the language. It is specially relevant for those studying American Studies, International Relations, History, Politics, International Law or doing Geography and Geology in Spain.
You will develop advanced communication skills in Spanish in everyday situations as well as in more complex contexts, in particular in discussing a range of topical issues in different varieties of Spanish or understanding contemporary Spain and the Hispanic world. This will be of great advantage for future employment .
You will both consolidate the skills you have acquired at previous levels and build on them by moving beyond the situations of everyday life to more challenging and stimulating tasks such as to organise a debate, simulate the editorial board of a journal or in a reality-show, reflect on the world of feelings and relationships, design an useful object, or prepare a competition about knowledge of Latin America. In order to perform these tasks, some problematic aspects of Spanish grammar will be dealt with, including uses of subjunctive, conditional tenses, passive voice, past tenses etc.
The main linguistic functions involved: express hope, wishes, complaints, demands, define the known and unknown, giving advice and recommendations, etc. All language skills - reading, listening, speaking and writing as well as the pragmatic-socio cultural dimension of the language- are integrated in every tutorial. We will also enquire into the ways we learn and acquire a language, where the contributions of students will be of vital importance.
There will be a course book which will be supplemented by a range of video material and there will be a variety of tasks and exercises during each class, such as discussion and role play; listening comprehension and reading and writing tasks and students will be required to complete a range of self study tasks. Furthermore, we will make an extensive use of Spanish/Latin American resources available on the Internet to consolidate vocabulary, grammatical structures and themes dealt with in class. There will be further self-study opportunities via KLE. Feedback on formative and summative assessments will be provided at regular intervals.
Upon successful completion of this module, students will normally have reached level B2 of the Common European Language Framework (CEFR - B2)
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