Unit name | Foreign Language Skills for Semester Abroad Students |
---|---|
Unit code | MODL20018 |
Credit points | 10 |
Level of study | I/5 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Dr. Foster |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Modern Languages |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit will provide students with the opportunity to study a foreign language in the context of their existing BA (Hons) programme and their preparation to study abroad for one semester in Year Two. Students who choose this unit option will be placed in an existing University-wide Language Programme (UWLP) class in the School of Modern Languages, appropriate to their language level at point of entry (benchmarked against the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages – CEFR). It is expected that this will be in French, German, Spanish or Italian. However, the School of Modern Languages’ UWLP portfolio also includes Russian, Czech, Brazilian Portuguese, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese and Japanese and there may be cases in future where a semester abroad will be facilitated by taking a class in one of these languages.
This unit will not be open to students wishing to learn a new language, as a single semester is insufficient preparation for study abroad. It is expected that students will have some prior learning of the language concerned, typically an A level or equivalent. Similarly, it will not be possible for students to take this unit in their mother tongue.
The unit will include:
Students will:
The level of the intended learning outcomes will be benchmarked against the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages as indicated in the UWLP unit on which the student is registered.
3 hours of teaching per week covering all four topics of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Classroom-based learning is supplemented by online access to resources delivered via Blackboard. Regular formative homework is set.
The four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) are assigned equal weighting for the purposes of assessment (25% each).
Listening is assessed by continuous assessment, consisting of listening assignments and class tests, which comprise 25% of the total mark. Both assess ILOs a and b.
Speaking is tested by continuous assessment, consisting of marked coursework (oral presentation) and an oral test. Both assess ILOs a, b and c.
For reading and writing there is a written class test at the end of TB1, which comprises 50% of the total mark. This assesses ILOs a-e.
As indicated in the UWLP unit on which the student is registered: materials developed in house by the relevant Language Department. Reading and reference material will be provided on Blackboard.