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Programme code | 1MODL008U |
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Programme type | Joint Honours (UG) |
Programme director(s) |
Jo Crow (Spanish)
Ruth Glynn (Italian) |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
School/department | School of Modern Languages |
Second School/department | Department of Italian |
Third School/department | Department of Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies |
Teaching institution | University of Bristol |
Awarding institution | University of Bristol |
Relevant QAA subject benchmark groups | Languages, Cultures and Societies (2023) (benchmark statement) |
Mode of study | Full Time |
Programme length | 4 years (full time) |
The joint programmes across seven major languages offered by the five departments within the School of Modern Languages enable students to develop a high degree of fluency and accuracy in a combination of two modern languages of international importance. Further options are available in Catalan, Czech and Slovak.While the Single Honours degrees available in French, German, Hispanic Studies, Italian, Russian and Spanish allow students to acquire a more detailed specialist knowledge of the cultures associated with a particular language, the joint programmes allow students to acquire comparable levels of fluency in two languages (from the same or from separate language families) combined with a wide coverage of related literary, cultural, historical, societal and linguistic interests. The University recognises that it is the inter-relationship between the mastery of foreign languages and the development of a broad and deep appreciation of these languages' cultural, historical and societal contexts which underpins the value of degrees in Modern Languages. The diversity of provision within these degrees beyond the concentration on language acquisition itself allows for interdisciplinary interests to be developed, particularly when the cultures and histories of more than one language-speaking community are considered, as in these degree programmes. Students can expect to acquire a high level of intercultural awareness through exposure to one or more cultures in each of the modern foreign languages they study, as well as on the basis of their personal backgrounds.Joint degrees can be an excellent preparation for those students who intend to pursue careers for which linguistic skills are central (translation, interpreting, teaching, Foreign Office, etc.), and for whom a broader choice of languages is a distinct advantage. The joint programmes have in common with the Single Honours programmes offered by the departments of the School of Modern Languages the development of the key intellectual, cognitive, practical and personal skills offered by an Arts degree.These joint programmes have in common a third year spent abroad, divided equally between two countries to develop linguistic fluency and cultural awareness in both languages. Students normally divide their time equally between the two languages and associated cultural units in their first year, but in the second and final years may, if they choose, weight their studies (within a given framework) towards the cultural units offered in one or other of the two languages. A small number of generic cultural or linguistic units may also be offered across all combinations. The core language units in both major languages remain mandatory throughout the degree programme. Students may enter the University to study both languages from A-level standard (or equivalent) onwards or, with the exception of French, they may choose to study one of the two major languages at ab initio level or from GCSE standard (or equivalent). As subsidiary subjects, students of Spanish and Portuguese may also study Catalan; students of Russian may also study Czech; and students of Russian and Czech may also study Slovak.
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Knowledge and understanding are acquired through: lectures, seminars, tutorials, intensive language classes, directed reading, regular written coursework and practical language work (supported by the facilities of the Multimedia Centre), and a compulsory period of residence in the country or countries where the language is spoken. |
Methods of Assessment | |
A range of essay writing skills (short and extended essays). Project work. Seminar presentations. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Intellectual skills are developed through seminars, tutorials, oral presentations and essay writing. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Essay writing and examinations test the students' ability to analyse information and present reasoned arguments. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Seminars and tutorials are used to develop oral communication by requiring students to engage in class discussions and to give short introductory talks/presentations to initiate discussion. These oral skill are further developed in the language classes. |
Methods of Assessment | |
All units are assessed through written coursework in the form of essays of varying lengths and requirements. These require a detailed and expansive handling of literature and extensive reading in support of their conclusions. |
Statement of expectations from the students at each level of the programme as it/they develop year on year.
Level C/4 - Certificate |
Year 1 of the course has been expressly designed to lay the foundations which will allow students to fulfil the course's aims and objectives. Core units in language are geared to lead the student in the development of their language skills. Foundation units introduce students to the literature, society, culture, politics and history of Spanish-speaking countries from the medieval period through to the present day. The expectation is that their work may require considerable direction from members of staff at this stage. |
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Level I/5 - Intermediate |
In Year 2 students are expected to be able to demonstrate that they have expanded the range and depth of their knowledge in various areas of the discipline and their capacity to evaluate their work. The themes and language readings will be of greater depth and substance. Students will develop their analytical skills, their ability to structure their work and present it fluently. They will be encouraged in group work skills through active participation in seminars and oral language classes. They will be developing a capacity for self-directed learning (for example, through the researching and writing of essays and projects). The grammatical and lexical knowledge of the Spanish language will be tested, as will their specialist knowledge of specific periods/topics within the language, literature, society, culture, politics, history of the Spanish-speaking world. In Year 3, students will develop their command of spoken and written Spanish during the mandatory period of residence abroad when they either follow a formal programme of instruction at an academic institution in a Spanish-speaking country or take up an approved placement in a business or administrative organisation in a Spanish-speaking country. Their linguistic, critical, research and presentational skills will also be enhanced through the writing of a dissertation in Spanish during the year. |
Level H/6 - Honours |
Students are expected to have expanded the breadth of their knowledge through the study of optional units, which are more closely linked to staff research interests and which aim to develop conceptual and methodological approaches in more complexity.Students will be expected to develop further their ability to gather and assimilate information, to synthesise these in an appropriate way, to engage in sophisticated evaluation of texts. The students' ability to assimilate and synthesise material, organise their ideas, weigh conflicting interpretations, marshal arguments, form judgements and present their thoughts in written and verbal forms with precision and clarity will be further developed. There will be an emphasis on independent learning, self-directed study and research skills. The grammatical and lexical knowledge of the Spanish language will be tested, as will their specialist knowledge of specific periods/topics within the language, literature, society, culture, politics and history of the Spanish- speaking world. |
The intended learning outcome mapping document shows which mandatory units contribute towards each programme intended learning outcome.
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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|
Knowledge and understanding are acquired through: lectures, seminars, tutorials, intensive language classes, directed reading, regular written coursework and practical language work (supported by the facilities of the Multimedia Centre), and a compulsory period of residence in the country or countries where the language is spoken. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Weekly formative assessment to support all aspects of language learning: 1-8Formal language examinations (written, oral, aural) 1-8 |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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|
Intellectual skills are developed through seminars, class discussion, oral presentation and essay writing |
Methods of Assessment | |
Essay writing and oral presentations test ability to analyse information and present reasoned arguments |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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|
Seminars are used to develop oral communication by requiring students to give oral presentations and engage in class discussion |
Methods of Assessment | |
All non-language units are assessed through written coursework and oral presentations requiring a detailed and expansive handling of secondary literature and extensive reading to support conclusions. |
Statement of expectations from the students at each level of the programme as it/they develop year on year.
Level C/4 - Certificate |
By the end of their studies at level C, students are expected to be able to demonstrate a sound knowledge of the fundamental principles of musicology (including a grasp of appropriate repertoires and texts and a satisfactory level of competence in the relevant bibliographic skills). Confidence in handling elements of musical notation and language (for example, intervals, rhythms, modes, metres and sonorities). Competence in the memorising of musical materials sufficient to enable accurate realisation of notation in sound; where appropriate, demonstrate a degree of personal expression and creativity in practical music-making. Foundational knowledge of sound recording and manipulation, MIDI, and notation software; and of technologically-mediated art musics. The expectation is that their work may require substantial direction from members of staff at this stage (supplied tutorially). |
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Level I/5 - Intermediate |
At level I students are expected to be able to demonstrate that they have expanded the range and depth of their knowledge of the various sub-disciplines and their capacity to evaluate these using a variety of critical perspectives. They should also have developed a higher level of competence in the relevant technical and/or practical skills. They are expected to be developing a capacity for self-directed learning (for example, through the researching and writing of approved seminar projects). Composers are expected to develop a critical relationship to their evolving musical language such that a personal 'voice' can be recognized intuitively and rationalized in the specific handling of and inter-relation between musical elements. Analytical studies may play a part in the acquisition of this skill. Performers are expected to refine the technical and interpretative aspects of their craft both as soloists and in an ensemble situation. |
Level H/6 - Honours |
At level H students are expected to expand the breadth of their knowledge through their study of optional subjects and to develop further their ability to gather and assimilate information. They are expected to synthesise material in an appropriate way, engage in sophisticated critical evaluation of texts about music, construct effective and detailed arguments (both orally and in writing) that display competence in the practices, processes, techniques and methodologies that underpin musicological practice. As composers, they are expected to refine the creative imagination, lateral thinking skills, and disciplined objectification of original ideas in a practical form. As performers, they are expected to develop a sensitivity to the musical demands of pieces in a variety of styles, and/or an affinity with the relevant performance practices of one particular style, and to communicate their interpretations with confidence in a performance setting. At this level students are expected to be able to demonstrate their capacity for self-directed study using the skills acquired and developed at level C and I.The ability to comprehend and speak fluently a European language. |
The intended learning outcome mapping document shows which mandatory units contribute towards each programme intended learning outcome.
For information on the admissions requirements for this programme please see details in the undergraduate prospectus at http://www.bristol.ac.uk/prospectus/undergraduate/ or contact the relevant academic department.
Workload Statement
In common with the rest of the University, units in the Faculty of Arts
adhere to the credit framework which sets out that 20 credits normally
equates to some 200 hours of student input. Some of this time will be spent
in class, with the remainder divided between preparation for classes and
preparation for, and completion of, the assessment tasks. Some of this
activity may occur within the University’s online learning environment,
Blackboard, which you may use to prepare wikis, to interact with other
students, to download tutorials or to receive feedback.
Assessment Statement
Please select the following link for a statement about assessment. This is University of Bristol access only.
https://www.bris.ac.uk/arts/current/under/assessment.html
In addition to its Single Honours Italian degree, the Department also offers joint programmes in which Italian is combined with Drama, History of Art, Music, Philosophy or Politics.The Department currently has SOCRATES exchange links with the universities of Milan, Turin, Bologna, Siena, Modena, Palermo, Forlí, Florence, Padua, Verona, Udine , Venice, and Naples, but other arrangements are also possible.
Mandatory Units Italian Language 1 (Post A-level) or Italian language 1 (ab-initio, 40 credits) and Spanish Language 1 (Post A-level) or Spanish Language 1 (ab-initio and post-GCSE, 40 credits). For further information and a definition of must pass units please see the Glossary of Terms
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | ||
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The appropriate language unit, ITAL10001 or ITAL 10002, is a must-pass unit. | |||||
Italian Language 1B (ab initio students) | ITAL10002 | 40 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
Modern Italy | ITAL10029 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
Instead of Italian Language 1B, students with A level Italian must take the following two units: | |||||
Italian Language 1A (Post A-level) | ITAL10001 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Medieval and Renaissance Italy | ITAL10030 | 10 | Optional | TB-1 | |
And select one from: | |||||
Modern Italian Texts | ITAL10007 | 10 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Reading Medieval and Renaissance Culture | ITAL10031 | 10 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Plus | |||||
The Making of the Hispanic World, from 1492 to the present day | HISP10014 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 | |
Critical Concepts in the Study of the Hispanic World | HISP10010 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 | |
Spanish Language (Post A level) | HISP10001 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
Spanish ab initio students take the following unit instead of HISP10010 and HISP10001: | |||||
Spanish Language (Ab-initio) | HISP10116 | 40 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Certificate of Higher Education | 120 |
The following units are must pass: Italian Language 2 and Spanish Language 2 . For further information and a definition of must pass units please see the Glossary of Terms
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | ||
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Italian Language 2 | ITAL20001 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
Students must choose at least one but no more than two units from the following list: | |||||
Italian Memories of the 2nd World War | ITAL20016 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Dante's Inferno | ITAL20024 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Italian Cinema: Genre and Social Change | ITAL29007 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Italian Identities in the Nineteenth Century | ITAL20040 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Oral Histories of 68 and the Years of Lead | ITAL20041 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Plus | |||||
Spanish Language | HISP20101 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
Students must choose one but no more than two units from the following list: | |||||
Writing, Society and Politics in Franco's Spain | HISP20038 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Republic, War and Dictatorship in Spain, 1931 - 1975 | HISP20076 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
El Siglo de las Luces: Literature and Society in Spain 1700-1814 | HISP20083 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Languages of the Iberian Peninsula | HISP20088 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Women's Writing in Post-War Spain | HISP21309 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Conflict and Transformation in the Visual Arts of the Hispanic World | HISP20103 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
On the Matter of Poetry: Concrete and Material Poetics in 20th Century Brazil and Chile | HISP20094 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
African Presence in Latin America: Nation and Representation | HISP20100 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Culture in Revolution: From Latin America to the USSR | HISP20110 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Students may choose up to two units from the following list: | |||||
Political Systems of Modern Europe | MODL20008 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Woman and Nation | MODL23017 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Gender in Post-Socialist Central and Eastern Europe | MODL20011 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Foreign Language Skills for Semester Abroad Students | MODL20018 | 10 | Optional | F | TB-1 |
Students may choose up to one unit from the following list: | |||||
Catalan Language (Elementary) | MODL23014 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Czech Language (Elementary) | MODL23015 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Diploma in Higher Education | 120 |
Year Abroad units are must pass. For further information and a definition of must pass units please see the Glossary of Terms
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | ||
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Year Abroad TB-1 | MODL20014 | 60 | Mandatory | AYEAR | |
Year Abroad TB-2 | MODL20015 | 60 | Mandatory | AYEAR | |
120 |
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | ||
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Italian Language 3 | ITAL30001 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
Students must choose at least one but no more than two units from the following list: | |||||
Naples: Culture, Identity and Nation | ITAL30045 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Screening the Past: Representing History in Contemporary Italian Cinema | ITAL30046 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Dante: Purgatorio and Paradiso | ITAL30059 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Institutions and Anti-Institutions in Italy in the 1960s and 1970s | ITAL30050 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Select from: | |||||
Spanish Language for Hispanic Studies, School of Modern Languages and Joint Degrees | HISP30101 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
Students must choose at least one but no more than three units from the following list: | |||||
The Theatre of Federico Garcia Lorca | HISP30029 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Hispanic Sociolinguistics | HISP30056 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Spanish for Business | HISP30057 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
History of Latin America's Indigenous People | HISP30068 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Dictatorships, prisons, and writing(s) in the Portuguese and Spanish-speaking worlds | HISP30070 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Colombia: History and Culture since Independence | HISP30071 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
The Cuban Revolution in the World: Culture and Politics of Internationalism | HISP30074 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
The Spanish Civil War, 1936 - 1939 | HISP30076 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Oceanic Images in Modern Chilean Culture | HISP30084 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Images and Text: Hybrid Media and Power in Latin America | HISP30086 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Latin American Digital and Visual Cultures: Identity and Resistance | HISP30092 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
The Novels of Carmen Laforet | HISP31026 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Students may choose up to two unit from the following list: | |||||
Communism in Europe | MODL30001 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Independent Study 1 | MODL30005 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Translating in a Professional Context | MODL30010 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Sociolinguistics: Language Variation and Change | MODL30015 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Gender, Sexuality and Cinema | MODL30018 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
The Italian City: Medieval and Early Modern Cultures | MODL30020 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Pan-Africanism: ideas and archives | MODL30026 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Environmental Entanglements: Issues in Ecocriticsm | MODL30032 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
This unit is available to students studying Programmes of French German Spanish Italian and Russian: | |||||
Liaison Interpreting | MODL30006 | 20 | Optional | TB-1,TB-2 | |
Students may choose MODL30011 if they took MODL23014 in their second year of study and students may choose MODL30012 if they took MODL23015 in their second year of study: | |||||
Catalan Language (follow-on) | MODL30011 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Czech Language (follow-on) | MODL30012 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Italian and Spanish (BA) | 120 |
Unit Pass Mark for Undergraduate Programmes:
For details on the weightings for classifying undergraduate degrees, please see the Agreed Weightings, by Faculty, to be applied for the Purposes of Calculating the Final Programme Mark and Degree Classification in Undergraduate Programmes.
For detailed rules on progression please see the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes and the relevant faculty handbook.
Please refer to the specific progression/award requirements for programmes with a preliminary year of study, the Gateway programmes and International Foundation programmes.
All undergraduate degree programmes allow the opportunity for a student to exit from a programme with a Diploma or Certificate of Higher Education.
Integrated Master's degrees may also allow the opportunity for a student to exit from the programme with an equivalent Bachelor's degree where a student has achieved 360 credit points, of which 90 must be at level 6, and has successfully met any additional criteria as described in the programme specification.
The opportunities for a student to exit from one of the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine, and Dentistry with an Award is outlined in the relevant Programme Regulations (which are available as an annex in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes).
An Ordinary degree can be awarded if a student has successfully completed at least 300 credits with a minimum of 60 credits at Level 6.
The pass mark for the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine and Dentistry is 50 out of 100. The classification of a degree in the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine, and Dentistry is provided in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if he/she takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided.
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