University home > Unit and programme catalogues in 2022/23 > Programme catalogue > Faculty of Arts > School of Modern Languages > International Business Management and French (BA) > Specification
Please note: you are viewing unit and programme information for a past academic year. Please see the current academic year for up to date information.
Programme code | 1FREN006U |
---|---|
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) |
This section sets out why studying this programme is important, both in terms of inspiring you as an individual and in considering the challenges we face. It describes how this degree programme contributes to:
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.
The learning outcome statements shown below for your programme have been developed with reference to relevant national subject benchmarks (where they exist), national qualification descriptors (see the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) and professional body requirements.
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies are listed to show how you will be able to achieve and demonstrate the learning outcomes.
This programme provides opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas:
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning/teaching methods and strategies |
---|---|
|
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 (formative and summative) | |
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/teaching methods and strategies |
---|---|
|
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 (formative and summative) | |
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/teaching methods and strategies |
---|---|
|
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 (formative and summative) | |
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 |
This section describes what is expected from you at each level of your programme. This illustrates increasing intellectual standards as you progress through the programme. These levels are mapped against the national level descriptors published by the Quality Assurance Agency.
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. |
---|---|
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 learning outcome statements shown below for your programme have been developed with reference to relevant national subject benchmarks (where they exist), national qualification descriptors (see the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) and professional body requirements.
Teaching, learning and assessment strategies are listed to show how you will be able to achieve and demonstrate the learning outcomes.
This programme provides opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas:
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning/teaching methods and strategies |
---|---|
|
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 (formative and summative) | |
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/teaching methods and strategies |
---|---|
|
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 (formative and summative) | |
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/teaching methods and strategies |
---|---|
|
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 (formative and summative) | |
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. |
This section describes what is expected from you at each level of your programme. This illustrates increasing intellectual standards as you progress through the programme. These levels are mapped against the national level descriptors published by the Quality Assurance Agency.
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. |
---|---|
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. |
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.
UG Workload Statement
Success as an undergraduate student depends on you being able to make the transition to self-motivated, independent learning. Programmes are designed to assist you in this development, in many cases by starting with units in which timetabled teaching, such as lectures and practical classes, provides the foundations of knowledge and skills in a subject, moving on to individual research-based work. Over time you will be expected to take increasing responsibility for your own learning, guided by the feedback on your work that you will receive. At the heart of your studies at every level there must be regular and disciplined individual reading, reflection and writing and it is this skill of independent studies, above all others, that will serve you best when you leave the University.
Most programmes use credits and a 20 credit unit broadly equates to about 200 hours of student input. This includes all activities related to the teaching, learning and assessment of taught units.
A component of this is the time that you spend in class, in contact with the teaching staff, which includes activities such as lectures, laboratories, tutorials and fieldwork. Some of this activity may be online and could consist of activity that is synchronous (using real-time environments such as Blackboard Collaborate) or asynchronous (using tools such as tutor moderated discussion forums, blogs or wikis).
In some programmes there are field courses and/or placements that will take place in concentrated periods of time.
Outside scheduled activities you are expected to pursue your own independent learning to build your knowledge and understanding of the subjects you are studying. Such independent activities include, reviewing lecture material, reading textbooks, working on examples sheets, completing coursework, writing up laboratory notes, preparing for in-class progress tests and revising for examinations.
We recognise that many students undertake paid employment. To achieve a sensible balance between work and study, you are advised to undertake paid work for no more than 15 hours per week in term-time.
Professional Programmes
Many undergraduates in the Faculty of Health Sciences will be following the professional programmes of:
For these professional programmes, full time attendance is compulsory unless absence is formally approved. Academic activities are timetabled throughout the 5-day week and student workload is around 40 hours per week on average. Where possible, students in the early years are permitted Wednesday afternoons for sport and extra-curriculum activities. This may not be available in later years of professional programmes as when a student progresses through the curricula there is an increasing exposure to clinical and professional activities. Students in clinic or on placements may need to stay later than core times of 08.00 – 18.00 or even overnight to observe out-of-hours activities. This increasing exposure to clinical activities means that students on these professional programmes often have longer term dates than the University standard. Individual years within programmes are likely to vary in length (for example because of the timings of placements) and further information on this will be found in individual programme regulations. Another important point to note is that many of the assessments sit outside of the standard University examination timetable and are likely to be more frequent meaning that students will more oftentimes be engaged in revision activities and self-directed learning.
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty Assessment and Feedback Statement for Undergraduate Students. University of Bristol access only.
Mandatory Unit French Language FREN10029 is must pass. For the definition of must pass units please see the Glossary of Terms from Annex 1 to the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
French Language | FREN10029 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
Shaping France | FREN10032 | 20 | Mandatory | B | TB-1 |
Introduction to Management | EFIM10015 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 | |
Accounting and Finance for Managers | EFIM10030 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 | |
Select 40cp from: Students are not permitted to take UWLP10001, UWLP10002 or UWLP10003 from this list | |||||
Representations of Francophone Cultures | FREN10013 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Markets and Marketing | EFIM10017 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Beginners Catalan | UWLP10025 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Beginners French | UWLP10001 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Beginners German | UWLP10004 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Beginners Korean | UWLP10018 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Beginners Italian | UWLP10014 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Beginners Japanese | UWLP10012 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Beginners Mandarin Chinese | UWLP10013 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Beginners Modern Standard Arabic | UWLP10008 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Beginners Portuguese | UWLP10026 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Beginners Russian | UWLP10016 | 20 | Optional | F | TB-4 |
Beginners Spanish | UWLP10009 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Post-Beginners French | UWLP10002 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Post-Beginners German | UWLP10005 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Post-Beginners Italian | UWLP10015 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Post-Beginners Spanish | UWLP10010 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Intermediate French | UWLP10003 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Intermediate German | UWLP10006 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Intermediate Spanish | UWLP10011 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Sustainable Development | UNIV10001 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Convincing stories? Numbers as evidence in the social sciences | GEOG10005 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
City Futures: Migration, Citizenship, and Planetary Change | UNIV10005 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Creative Futures: Tools for Changing the World | UNIV10007 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Understanding global problems using data: inequality, climate change and the economy | UNIV10008 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Certificate of Higher Education | 120 |
Mandatory Unit French Language FREN20001 is must pass. For the definition of must pass units please see the Glossary of Terms from Annex 1 to the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
French Language 2 | FREN20001 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
International Business Management | EFIM20003 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 | |
Students must select 40 credits from the following list; 20CP must be FREN-coded. | |||||
French Drama | FREN20026 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
French Fiction: from Realism to the 21st Century | FREN20048 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Introduction to French Cinema | FREN20056 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Race, Gender, and Intersectionality in Twenty-First Century France: Cultural Production, Politics, and Identity | FREN20072 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
General Linguistics | MODL20016 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Historical Linguistics | MODL20017 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Beginners Portuguese | MODL20022 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Catalan Language (Elementary) | MODL23014 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Czech Language (Elementary) | MODL23015 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Woman and Nation | MODL23017 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Follow-on French | UWLP20001 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Follow-on German | UWLP20003 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Follow-on Italian | UWLP20010 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Follow-on Portuguese | UWLP20016 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Post-Beginners Russian | UWLP20011 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Follow-on Spanish | UWLP20005 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Advanced French | UWLP20002 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Advanced German | UWLP20004 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Advanced Spanish | UWLP20006 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Pre-intermediate Japanese | UWLP20008 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Pre-intermediate Mandarin Chinese | UWLP20009 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Intermediate French for second and final year | UWLP20013 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Intermediate Spanish for second and final year | UWLP20014 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Intermediate German for second and final year | UWLP20015 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Students must select 40 credits from the following list: | |||||
Organisation Theory | EFIM20026 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
People, Work and Organisations | EFIM20022 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Public Management | EFIM20019 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Management Accounting | ACCG20011 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Strategic Finance | EFIM20024 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Foundations of Business Law | LAWD10007 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Diploma of Higher Education | 120 |
Mandatory Year Abroad units MODL20014 and MODL20015 are must pass. For the definition of must pass units please see the Glossary of Terms from Annex 1 to the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year Abroad TB-1 | MODL20014 | 60 | Mandatory | AYEAR | |
Year Abroad TB-2 | MODL20015 | 60 | Mandatory | AYEAR | |
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.
University of Bristol,
Senate House,
Tyndall Avenue,
Bristol, BS8 1TH, UK
Tel: +44 (0)117 928 9000