University home > Unit and programme catalogues in 2020/21 > Programme catalogue > Faculty of Arts > School of Modern Languages > International Business Management and French (BA) > Specification
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Programme code | 1FREN006U |
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Programme type | Joint Honours (UG) |
Programme director(s) |
Gregory Schwartz (International Business Management)
Andreas Schonle Head of School (School of Modern Languages) |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
School/department | School of Modern Languages |
Second School/department | School of Management - Business School |
Teaching institution | University of Bristol |
Awarding institution | University of Bristol |
Mode of study | Full Time |
Programme length | 4 years (full time) |
Students will develop distinct but also complementary skills as they progress through the degree. In Modern Languages the curriculum will draw on a skill-based teaching and learning approach which is common to all Bristol degrees in the Arts and Humanities, and which balances various skill-based types of assessment across the units which deliver core and optional aspects of the curriculum. Students will be able to draw on a rich menu of units that aim to develop a broad variety of skills. Jointly with the skills taught in International Business Management (IBM), students will thus be equipped with a broad set of skills that will ensure their employability: they will hone their communicative skills by learning a foreign language, develop their essay-writing and oral-presentation skills, and gain familiarity with group work. Additionally, they will also sharpen their ability to analyse a range of visual and discursive texts and place them in their social and political context. This work will interact meaningfully with and indeed reinforce what they will learn in IBM, where they will gain an understanding of the cultural, economic, political and social contexts in which organisations operate, both within and across national borders. They will acquire the basic knowledge and skills - both qualitative and quantitative – to function effectively within an international/globalised management context. They will develop research skills (data collection and analysis, statistical analysis, interviews and observation of organisations) and have an opportunity to study a range of subjects appropriate to a graduate seeking and international management role. Practice in collaborative work will be ensured at a minimum by the group work required in the cap stone Independent Project. Thus the programme will be fully supportive of the Bristol Skills Framework.
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 to countries where the language is spoken. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Essay writing, formal presentations and examinations test the students' ability to analyse information and present reasoned arguments. Problem solving is assessed on the basis of the ability shown in addressing and responding to direct questions. Research skills are assessed through coursework and dissertations. Language development skills are tested through formative and summative modes of assessment (translations, language essays, oral presentations and aural comprehension exercises). |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Intellectual skills are developed through group work in seminars, tutorials, oral presentations, essay writing and practical language work. Units are structured in such a way that the skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation of data are developed. Specific units focus on other intellectual skills: problem solving and research techniques. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Essay writing, formal presentations and examinations test the students' ability to analyse information and present reasoned arguments. Problem solving is assessed on the basis of the ability shown in addressing and responding to direct questions. Research skills are assessed through coursework and dissertations. Language development skills are tested through formative and summative modes of assessment (translations, language essays, oral presentations and aural comprehension exercises). |
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 presentations to initiate discussion, including defending their interpretations in debate with other students and staff. (1, 4, 5, 6) Oral skills are further developed in the language classes. (8, 11) Research and written communication skills are developed through the writing of essays and tutors' feedback on these. (3, 7, 9, 13) Independent learning is required in all language and non-language units. (1, 13, 14) IT skills are developed when researching and producing course work. (5, 12, 15) Students are given guidance on how to manage their time and work independently. (1, 17) Students are given guidance on the use of electronic resources, and are informed of opportunities for C&IT training. (15) |
Methods of Assessment | |
Non-language units are assessed through, written examination, written coursework and oral presentations requiring detailed and informed handling of the primary literature and extensive background reading in support of the argumentation advanced. In language, oral presentations are assessed according to criteria testing the effectiveness and accuracy of delivery and the command of information. Some units require oral class presentations of a satisfactory standard in order to gain CPs. The knowledge base is also tested through traditional unseen written examinations and through dissertations. Research and IT skills are assessed through coursework and dissertations |
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, both in terms of subject-specific knowledge and skills and in terms of more general skills and abilities, which will allow students to fulfil the programme's aims and objectives. Core units in language are geared to help students progress in the consolidation and development of their A-level (or equivalent) language skills. Mandatory non-language units cover some of the main themes and concepts of French culture, familiarising students with the literature and political/social backcloth of France and thereby introducing them to the key areas of study offered in the programme. This will enable students to make informed choices between the optional units available in future years and provide a sound basis for study in Level I. The expectation is that their work will 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, in both mandatory and optional units, they have expanded the range and depth of their knowledge and also their capacity to evaluate their work. The topics explored and source materials consulted will be of greater depth and substance. Students will develop their analytical skills, their ability to structure their work and to expound it effectively with the increased requirement for seminar presentation. Language work will be of a higher level of complexity and students will develop their capacity to work accurately and creatively with French. They will be encouraged in group-work skills through active participation in seminars. They will be acquiring a heightened capacity for self-directed learning (for example, through the researching and writing of coursework assignments). |
Level H/6 - Honours |
In Year 4, students are expected to expand the breadth of their knowledge through the study of optional units that allow them to pursue more closely their particular areas of interest. These units are more directly linked to staff research specialisms. Students are thereby able to benefit from a wide range of expertise at the cutting-edge of research that not only enhances their intellectual development but also serves actively to foster in them a research culture. Students will be expected to develop their ability to gather and assimilate information, synthesise it in an appropriately informed way, and engage in sophisticated evaluation of primary texts. These skills will have been enhanced through the heightened command of the French language acquired during the mandatory period of residence in a French-speaking country. |
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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Lectures and linked tutorials/clinics. 2. Group work and presentations. 3. Directed and independent reading, with a strong emphasis on effective use of a wide range of literature and other information sources: academic texts, journals, articles, Blackboard, Business Source Complete and WinEcon. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Range of written essays/assignments and examinations (unseen) in all three years. 2. Other coursework will include tasks as appropriate to each unit of the course (eg: continuous assessments, presentations, group work). 3. Extensive application of theory to practice in dedicated group and solo assignments culminating in a third year Dissertation unit. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Intellectual skills are developed through the lecture programme and linked seminars, independent study and coursework. Students are exposed to relevant modes of enquiry and analyses, and to a range of theoretical perspectives in the study of management; they are encouraged through class discussion and their individual written work to identify key issues, to summarise and reflect upon key points from their reading, to assess evidence and its relevance. Decision-making skills are developed through seminar classes, assignments and group exercises, and in case study classes. Research skills are further developed through teaching of quantitative and qualitative methods and study skills (e.g. in preparation for the dissertation). |
Methods of Assessment | |
A variety of written assignments/essays provide formative assessment throughout the course. Assessment includes unseen examinations, essays, group assignments and a dissertation. These test summary, analytical and evaluation skills, problem-solving, report writing and the presentation of arguments. Organisation skills are developed through the preparation and fulfilment of individual and group assignments. Further research skills are tested through the dissertation. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Personal development is developed through tutorials, assignments and feedback. Effective use of information sources, analytical ability, independent and group work are all developed through coursework tasks and study skills. Use of Blackboard and Business Source Complete develop IT skills and essential computing packages. Oral communication is developed by requiring students to engage in class discussions, in tutorials/clinics, and to give short presentations individually or in groups. Other communications skills are developed through tutorials, assignments and feedback. Interpersonal skills are developed through taught sessions and class interaction, particularly through group and syndicate work. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Recall and organisation of relevant material are tested through unseen written examinations. Independent study is assessed through coursework, assessed essays, dissertation and preparation for examinations. Communication and presentation skills are assessed through written coursework/essays, group assignments and the dissertation which students will word process. Interpersonal skills are assessed through group and syndicate oral and written presentation of assignments. |
Statement of expectations from the students at each level of the programme as it/they develop year on year.
Level C/4 - Certificate |
Students are expected to acquire the foundations on which to develop appropriate expertise in line with the aims and objectives of the course. They will acquire familiarity with the main themes and key concepts of: the global business environment; economics that underpin business and organisational environments; and the use of financial information for the management of a business. They will develop an understanding of debates on issues of central importance to management and its theoretical foundations. They will have grasped the analytical tools necessary to work in the discipline. The expectation is that their work may require substantial direction from tutors at this stage with guidance on the development of study skills. |
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Level I/5 - Intermediate |
In Year 2, students are expected to expand the range and depth of their knowledge in core areas of international business management and their capacity to evaluate material using a variety of critical perspectives. They acquire an overview of key fields of organisation and management theory, international business and international management, and appropriate methodologies, a strong conceptual basis for later theory and substantive units. Students will extend 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/clinics. They are expected to be developing a capacity for self-directed learning (for example, through the researching and writing of essays and coursework assignments). In Year 3, students will develop their command of the spoken and written forms of the language they study during the mandatory period of residence abroad when they either follow a formal programme of instruction at an academic institution overseas or take up an approved placement in a business or administrative organisation in a country where that language is spoken. Their linguistic, critical, research and presentational skills will also be enhanced through the writing of a dissertation in the language of study during the year. |
Level H/6 - Honours |
In Year 4, students are expected to broaden and deepen their knowledge through their study of specialised subjects, developing the conceptual and methodological approaches used in more complexity. Students will be expected to develop further their ability to gather and assimilate information from diverse sources, to synthesise these in an appropriate way and to engage in sophisticated critical evaluation of texts and cases. Students will be expected to study specialist relevant units from the social sciences disciplines, which provide the context in which organisations operate in a global world economy. Students will be encouraged to make their own critical judgements, to develop greater independence and organisation of relevant materials, which is tested in particular through traditional unseen written examinations and the dissertation. They will further extend individual and group work skills and their capabilities of direct application of theory to practice. |
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
Mandatory Unit French Language FREN10029 is 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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French Language | FREN10029 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
Shaping France | FREN10008 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 | |
Introduction to Management | EFIM10015 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 | |
Accounting and Finance for Managers | EFIM10030 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 | |
Select 40cp from: | |||||
Representations of Francophone Cultures | FREN10013 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Markets and Marketing | EFIM10017 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Bristol Futures Unit | OPEN | 20 | Optional | ||
Certificate of Higher Education | 120 |
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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