University home > Unit and programme catalogues in 2021/22 > Programme catalogue > Faculty of Arts > Arts Faculty Office > Foundation in Arts and Social Sciences (CertHE) > Specification
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Programme code | 1ARTF007U |
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Programme type | Undergraduate Certificate |
Programme director(s) |
John McTague
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Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
School/department | Arts Faculty Office |
Teaching institution | University of Bristol |
Awarding institution | University of Bristol |
Mode of study | Full Time |
Programme length | 1 years (full time) |
This programme aims to develop a student’s interest in, and knowledge and understanding of, a range of disciplines in the arts and social sciences. Students follow one of three pathways: ‘Arts and Humanities’ ‘Social Sciences,’ or ‘Economics and Finance’. Each pathway combines units that deliver the skills required to pursue undergraduate study in these areas with interdisciplinary lecture and seminar units that introduce students to a wide range of arts and social science subjects taught at the University of Bristol. As the programme progresses students have opportunities to specialise in particular subjects by taking optional units and completing an ‘Individual Project’. The programme aims to help students develop the confidence and skills required to take an independent approach to their studies and to engage with curiosity and an open mind with the subjects on offer, without passively accepting received ideas. The aim is that a student should have the requisite knowledge, understanding, intellectual and study skills to progress to an undergraduate degree in the arts and humanities or social sciences upon completion of the foundation programme.
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Students will be able to develop such knowledge and understanding through ‘What does it mean to be human?’ I and II, ‘Global Bristol,’ the two mathematics units and ‘Foundations of Economics’ which will offer a range of teaching methods, designed to help students operate in a variety of contexts (e.g. lectures, seminar discussion and small group work). There will be an emphasis on teaching methods that are designed both to help students develop their knowledge and understanding (1-4) and to reflect on how it may subsequently be applied at undergraduate level (5). There will be a particular emphasis on non-Western perspectives (3) and on the relationship between theoretical and practical knowledge and everyday experience (4) in the TB2 units 'Representations: (Re)-making the world’, and ‘Global Bristol,’ and the TB4 unit ‘Foundations of Economics,’ all of which encourage students to examine their own knowledge and experience, and that of different communities locally and globally, with the help of various theoretical frameworks. In addition, some knowledge of the overall aims and content of disciplines in the arts and social sciences (1) will be gained during the units ‘An Introduction to Study in the Arts and Social Sciences’, while a student’s knowledge of how a particular discipline may be studied in more depth (5) will be extended in the supported independent study undertaken in the ‘Individual Project’ or other optional unit. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Students will undertake a range of assessments across the above-mentioned units, normally combining essay or report writing with at least one other mode of written assessment and including at least one formal examination. They will be encouraged to engage with a range of disciplines in these assessments. The unit ‘An Introduction to Study in the Arts and Social Sciences’ will be assessed through a reflective portfolio. The ‘Individual Project’ unit will be assessed through a presentation and an extended essay. The Mathematics and Economics units combine regular formative work in the shape of problem sheets with formal exams, reflecting current practice in the destination schools. The 'Representations' unit will offer students the choice of undertaking either an academic essay, a creative response, or a reflective assignment that maps the cultural contexts of an individual or organisation outside the academy. ‘Global Bristol’ is assessed by a research project, and a reflective commentary relating to a group research project devised by students. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Many of these skills/attributes (1-6) will be addressed explicitly in the units ‘An Introduction to Study in the Arts and Social Sciences’, through seminar and small group discussions and in assignments to be completed week-to-week in independent study. In addition, students will be expected to put many of these skills (1-4) into practice in the What Does it Mean to be Human units, the two mathematics units, Foundations of Economics, and ‘Global Bristol,’ through their contributions to seminar and tutorial discussions, in independent study, group research projects, and in written assignments. There will also be an opportunity to gain skills specifically relevant to utilising the knowledge that has been gained in professional and community settings in the 'Representations' unit and through the group research project in the ‘Global Bristol’ unit (5). The ‘Individual Project’ is designed to give students an opportunity to develop their understanding of the discipline in which they wish to specialise beyond the course (6) and is thus taught in a mode combining seminar discussion and support with individual mentoring and supervision. In this unit, students will thus also be given greater responsibility for the work they are undertaking. |
Methods of Assessment | |
These skills will be continually assessed through a range of assignments across all units, with a particular emphasis on essay and report writing and reflective assignments, but also including assessed presentations (‘Individual Project’) and formal examinations ('What Does it Mean to be Human? 1'; Foundations of Economics; both mathematics units). |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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These issues (1-5) will be addressed primarily in the units ‘An Introduction to Study in the Arts and Social Sciences’, through seminar and small-group discussion and in individual consultations with tutors throughout the unit. ‘Global Bristol’ also offers students the opportunity to examine their experience of re-entering formal education with the help of theoretical frameworks from the Social Sciences (1), and ‘Foundations of Economics,’ in keeping with that school’s pioneering of the ‘CORE’ approach to teaching economics, encourages students to connect the study of economics with their experience of real life (3). In addition, the ‘Individual Project’ is designed to enable students to (4) relate the process of making decisions about their future progress to a specialised piece of academic work within the programme. There will be an option for students to work collaboratively in the 'Representations' and ‘Global Bristol’ units and to develop skills that facilitate working with both fellow students and in a range of non-academic environments (4). |
Methods of Assessment | |
These skills/attributes will be assessed through the units ‘An Introduction to Study in the Arts and Social Sciences’, in the form of a portfolio of work submitted at the end of the unit. This portfolio will draw on practical tasks set each week, designed to help students reflect on the skills they are developing and their future plans. The exact nature of the tasks set may vary from year-to-year, but they might normally include reflection on time management and/or taking notes in lectures, to help place the work undertaken in the context of the student’s future plans within or beyond formal education. Students will also have an opportunity to reflect on their own educational history and current engagement in education in this assignment. This work will be assessed on a pass/fail basis as the work is seen principally as being formative and developmental in nature. The skills developed for working in teams/groups may be assessed through an optional reflective assignment in the 'Representations' unit and the assignments relating to the group research on the ‘Global Bristol unit’ (a research project and a reflective commentary). |
Statement of expectations from the students at each level of the programme as it/they develop year on year.
Level C/4 - Certificate |
This programme is offered at Level C and aims to prepare students for progression to an undergraduate degree in in the arts and social sciences, normally via progression to commence such a programme at the same level. A student may be able to progress to Level I, where an appropriate route is identified and there is suitable evidence of the student’s preparedness to succeed at that level. Students will be expected to develop knowledge and understanding of a wide range of disciplines within the arts and social sciences and a range of skills relevant to study within them; to apply this knowledge in various activities within and beyond taught seminars; to demonstrate both their comprehension of what is learned and their ability to access, evaluate and analyse materials relevant to these subjects and to make reasoned judgements about them; and to demonstrate an ability to relate the theoretical questions that are introduced to the skills and attributes that may be required to solve problems in a variety of professional and community settings. In order to progress, students should normally have demonstrated the potential to apply what they have learned at this level with a greater degree of specialisation in a particular discipline. |
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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.
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.
Each year taster courses are offered for local community groups. These courses help to recruit a diverse range of students to the programme, including those who might not otherwise have the confidence to apply. Taster courses are informal, non-accredited and free to participants. The curricula for the course are developed collaboratively with the community partner.
Contact hours: The course is offered full-time only but, in order to make it widely accessible, students are required to attend university on 2 (or 3*) days per week (currently Mondays and Tuesdays) with all teaching between 10am and 3pm. *Students on the EFI pathway may need to attend an additional class on Wednesday mornings.
Progression to degree: A student may progress to a degree in the relevant Faculty on satisfactory completion of the Foundation programme, where they meet our progression criteria (see below). However, we cannot guarantee that a student may progress to their first choice of degree, as this will depend on student demand in any given year, on the areas in which a student has chosen to specialise within the programme and on the evidence of their existing strengths and success in that discipline. Where a student cannot progress to their first choice, we will do our best to ensure they are offered a satisfactory alternative.
Overall mark for the foundation programme: A student’s overall mark for the programme consists of
Arts and Humanities Pathway: an average of their unit marks for An Introduction to Study in the Arts and Social Sciences, What does it mean to be human? I, What does it mean to be human? II, the Individual Project and the Representations unit or other optional unit, weighted to acknowledge the credit points for each unit.
Social Sciences Pathway: an average of their unit marks for An Introduction to Study in the Arts and Social Sciences, What does it mean to be human? I, Global Bristol, the Individual Project and the Representations unit or other optional unit, weighted to acknowledge the credit points for each unit. Students seeking to progress to degrees in the School of Law will need to sit the LNAT exam.
Economics and Finance pathway: an average of their unit marks for An Introduction to Study in the Arts and Social Sciences, Introductory Foundations of Mathematics, Foundations of Economics; Mathematics for Social Sciences, Individual Project and the Global Bristol or other optional unit, weighted to acknowledge the credit points for each unit.
Exit award and award with distinction: If a student completes the foundation programme they will be awarded a Certificate in Higher Education (Arts and Humanities / Social Sciences / Economics and Finance). If the student achieves this award with an overall mark above 70%, the certificate will be awarded with distinction.
Progression criteria:
The aim of this programme is to enable students to progress to an undergraduate degree. We are committed to enabling students to progress wherever they have satisfactorily completed the foundation programme and demonstrated a capacity to succeed at undergraduate level. Students will be able to progress to an undergraduate degree where they meet the following criteria:
(i) An overall average of 60% or above;
(ii) An overall average of 50% or above and at least one unit mark of 60% or above;
(iii) An overall average of 40% (i.e. a pass) or above, subject to a progression review meeting with relevant academic staff.
Students on the Economics and Finance pathway will need to achieve a unit mark of 60 or above for the units ‘Introductory Foundations of Mathematics’ and ‘Mathematics for Social Sciences’ to progress to a degree in the Schools of Economics or Accounting and Finance. Students who do not meet this additional criterion but do meet either (i), (ii) or (iii) above may be allowed to progress to degrees in other Schools in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law.
Foundation Year in the Arts and Social Sciences
University of Bristol
Faculty of Arts
3/5 Woodland Road
Bristol BS8 1TB
E-mail: fass-info@bristol.ac.uk
Students will indicate a preferred ‘pathway’ (either ‘Arts and Humanities,’ ‘Social Sciences’ or ‘Economics and Finance) as part of the admissions process. These pathways will be managed internally, by unit choices: hence the labelling of all units as optional, except the Individual Project, which will be taken by all students.
In practice, the meaningful unit choice that students will make (on AH and SS pathways) is between the TB2 unit ‘Representations’ and one of the University Wide Language units (i.e. Post-beginners French) made available for students seeking to progress to degrees with a foreign-language element. Students on the EFI pathway seeking to progress to a degree involving a foreign language (such as Economics with Study Abroad) may choose to take a modern language option in place of Global Bristol.
The following abbreviations are used below to indicate which ‘pathway’ each unit belongs to
AH - Arts and Humanities
SS - Social Sciences
EFI – Economics and Finance
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | ||
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Individual Project | AFAC10008 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 | |
An Introduction to Study in the Arts and Social Sciences | AFAC10017 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 | |
Arts and Humanities Pathway - must also take: | |||||
What Does It Mean To Be Human? I: The Modern World | AFAC10010 | 40 | Optional | TB-1 | |
What Does it Mean to be Human? II: From Modern to Ancient | AFAC10006 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Arts and Humanities Pathway - choose 20 CP from: | |||||
Representations: (Re)-making the World | AFAC10009 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Post-Beginners French | UWLP10002 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Post-Beginners German | UWLP10005 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Post-Beginners Spanish | UWLP10010 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Social Sciences Pathway - must also take: | |||||
What Does It Mean To Be Human? I: The Modern World | AFAC10010 | 40 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Global Bristol | SPAI10008 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Social Sciences Pathway - choose 20 CP from: | |||||
Representations: (Re)-making the World | AFAC10009 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Post-Beginners French | UWLP10002 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Post-Beginners German | UWLP10005 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Post-Beginners Spanish | UWLP10010 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Economics and Finance Pathway - must also take: | |||||
Introductory Foundations of Mathematics | AFAC10015 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Mathematics for Social Sciences | AFAC10014 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Foundations of Economics | AFAC10013 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Economics and Finance Pathway- choose 20 CP from: | |||||
Global Bristol | SPAI10008 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Post-Beginners French | UWLP10002 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Post-Beginners German | UWLP10005 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Post-Beginners Spanish | UWLP10010 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Foundation in Arts and Social Sciences (CertHE) | 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.
Arts and Humanities Pathway
A student’s overall mark for the foundation year will consist of an average of their unit marks for:
Marks will be weighted to acknowledge the credit points for each unit.
For the purposes of this pathway, satisfactory completion is defined as achieving an overall pass mark of 40%.
Students who leave the University at this point will be awarded a Certificate of Higher Education.
Social Sciences Pathway
A student’s overall mark for the foundation year will consist of an average of their unit marks for:
Marks will be weighted to acknowledge the credit points for each unit.
For the purposes of this pathway, satisfactory completion is defined as achieving an overall pass mark of 40%.
Students who leave the University at this point will be awarded a Certificate of Higher Education.
Economics and Finance Pathway
A student’s overall mark for the foundation year will consist of an average of their unit marks for
Marks will be weighted to acknowledge the credit points for each unit.
For the purposes of this pathway, satisfactory completion is defined as achieving an overall pass mark of 40%.
Students who leave the University at this point will be awarded a Certificate of Higher Education.
Progression to Undergraduate Study
A student may progress to an undergraduate degree in the relevant Faculty on satisfactory completion of the Foundation programme, where they meet our progression criteria (see below). However, we cannot guarantee that a student may progress to their first choice of degree, as this will depend on student demand in any given year, on the areas in which a student has chosen to specialise within the Foundation programme and on the evidence of their existing strengths and success in that discipline. Where a student cannot progress to their first choice, we will do our best to ensure they are offered a satisfactory alternative. Students will be able to progress to an undergraduate degree where they meet the following criteria:
(i) An overall average of 60% or above;
(ii) An overall average of 50% or above and at least one unit mark of 60% or above;
(iii) An overall average of 40% (i.e. a pass) or above, subject to a progression review meeting with relevant academic staff.
Students on the Economics and Finance pathway will need to achieve a unit mark of 60 or above for the units ‘Introductory Foundations of Mathematics’ and ‘Mathematics for Social Sciences’ to progress to a degree in the Schools of Economics and Accounting and Finance. Students who do not meet this additional criterion but do meet either (i), (ii) or (iii) above may be allowed to progress to degrees in other Schools in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law.
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