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Programme code | 1MODL002U |
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Programme type | Joint Honours (UG) |
Programme director(s) |
Marianne Ailes (French)
Rhiannon Daniels (Italian) |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
School/department | School of Modern Languages |
Second School/department | Department of French |
Third School/department | Department of Italian |
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 | |
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.
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.
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
Italian:
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.
French:
Honours Degree programmes involving French and another subject require mandatorily that one year Students can opt to take an assistantship in a French school under a scheme organised by the French government if they are spending the entire academic session in France. The French Department also has Erasmus exchanges with universities in Aix-en Provence, Paris, Bordeaux, La Réunion, and Poitiers among others. Students can also take up work placements; some placements are recurrently available to Bristol students while others are arranged anew each year. The French Department offers a rich array of internal pathways for students to follow. All the pathways place an emphasis on the development of language skills and the enhancement of the students' knowledge and expertise in a variety of aspects of culture (including film, literature and visual cultures), history, and politics. Students may also opt to take a School of Modern Languages unit; these are usually interdisciplinary or allow students to take an additional language (for example, Czech or Catalan). Students of French are therefore integrated into the broader community of the School of Modern Languages while retaining a distinct departmental identity. The Departments teaching is informed by its dynamic research agenda, resulting in the creation and development of a vibrant learning environment for students within the Department and the School, as staff continuously upgrade existing teaching materials. The School offers a wide variety of joint programmes involving the study of any two of the following languages: Czech, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. There are also joint programmes combining French with Theatre, Film, History of Art, Music, Philosophy, Politics, and Law. Such students serve to enrich the intellectual environment within which teaching and learning take place within the French Department.
http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/Italian/
http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/French/
The following units are must pass: French Language 2 and Italian Language 2(Post A-level) or Italian Language 2 (ab-initio , 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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List A - students must take one unit from each subject - therefore in addition to the mandatory unit, you will choose 20cp or 40cp from list A depending on your Italian language ability | |||||
Italian Language 1A (Post A-level) | ITAL10001 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Italian Language 1B (ab initio students) | ITAL10002 | 40 | Optional | TB-4 | |
French Language | FREN10029 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
List B - If you take ITAL10001 in List A, also take ITAL10034 | |||||
Medieval and Renaissance Italy | ITAL10034 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Shaping France | FREN10008 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 | |
List E | |||||
Modern Italy | ITAL10033 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
Representations of Francophone Cultures | FREN10013 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 | |
Certificate of Higher Education | 120 |
Mandatory units FREN20001 and ITAL20001 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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Students may take up to 40cp of MODL-coded units from the lists below, and must take at least 40 CP in each language studied within the degree programme | |||||
List A | |||||
French Language 2 | FREN20001 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
Italian Language 2 | ITAL20001 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
List B - Choose 20 CP from this list | |||||
The French Language: Structures and Varieties | FREN20044 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
France 1940-44: Occupation and Resistance | FREN20037 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
The Invention of the Renaissance Woman | ITAL20029 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Destination Italy: Cultural Responses to Migration | ITAL20032 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
General Linguistics | MODL20016 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Woman and Nation | MODL23017 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
List C - Choose 20 CP from this list | |||||
French Drama | FREN20026 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
French Thought | FREN20068 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Introduction to French Cinema | FREN20056 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
The Invention of the Renaissance Woman | ITAL20029 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Destination Italy: Cultural Responses to Migration | ITAL20032 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Catalan Language (Elementary) | MODL23014 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Czech Language (Elementary) | MODL23015 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Woman and Nation | MODL23017 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Introduction to teaching Modern Languages as Foreign Languages | MODL20021 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Beginners Portuguese | MODL20022 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
List D - Choose 20 CP from this list | |||||
French Fiction: from Realism to the 21st Century | FREN20048 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Francophone African Literature | FREN20069 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Dante's Inferno (TB2) | ITAL20035 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Italian Cinema: Genre and Social Change (TB2) | ITAL20037 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Historical Linguistics | MODL20017 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
List E - Choose 20 CP from this list | |||||
French Fiction: from Realism to the 21st Century | FREN20048 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
France and Europe | FREN23013 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Paris 1857-1897 | FREN20041 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Dante's Inferno (TB2) | ITAL20035 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Italian Cinema: Genre and Social Change (TB2) | ITAL20037 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
List F | |||||
Take 20 CP From UWLP or Faculty Wide Units – OR choose an additional 20 CP from lists B-E above, if you have selected a language unit (Catalan MODL23014, Czech MODL23015 or Portuguese MODL20022) in list C you are not permitted to select a further language unit from this list. | OPEN | 20 | Optional | ||
Diploma of Higher Education | 120 |
Year Abroad units MODL20014 and MODL20015 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 |
Mandatory Units FREN30001 and ITAL30001 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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You may take up to two MODL-coded units from lists B-E, including MODL30005. You must take at least 40 CP in each language studied within the degree programme. | |||||
List A | |||||
French Language 3 | FREN30001 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
Italian Language 3 | ITAL30001 | 20 | Mandatory | A | TB-4 |
List B - Choose 20 CP from this list | |||||
Les Miserables: Readings and Receptions | FREN30030 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Political Cultures of Early Twentieth-Century France | FREN30044 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Francophone Identities in the Visual Arts | FREN30099 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Culture, soft power and diplomatie d'influence: Exporting French culture from the 1870s to the present | FREN30133 | 20 | Optional | B | TB-1 |
Screening the Past: Representing History in Contemporary Italian Cinema | ITAL30046 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Dante: Purgatorio and Paradiso | ITAL30059 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Communism in Europe | MODL30001 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
List C - Choose 20 CP from this list | |||||
French for Business and Enterprise | FREN30047 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Me, Myself, and I: The Essais of Michel de Montaigne | FREN30114 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Propaganda, Politics, and the Islamic Other: Literary Responses to the Crusades | FREN30117 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Transnational Encounters in the Francophone World | FREN30134 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
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 | |
Translating in a Professional Context | MODL30010 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Catalan Language (follow-on) | MODL30011 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Czech Language (follow-on) | MODL30012 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Follow-on Portuguese | MODL30037 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Liaison Interpreting | MODL30006 | 20 | Optional | TB-1,TB-2 | |
List D - Choose 20 CP from this list | |||||
Revolutions in Fiction: Romanticism and Realism under the July Monarchy | FREN30118 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Studying and Making Early Printed Books | MODL30040 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Transnational Narrative in pre-modern cultures | MODL30041 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
List E - Choose 20 CP from this list | |||||
MODL30005 is mandatory for Single Honours Students | |||||
Independent Study 1 | MODL30005 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Sociolinguistic Anthropology: Language, Culture, and Society | MODL30016 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Theoretical Approaches to Language Teaching | MODL30036 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
List F | |||||
Take 20 CP From UWLP or Faculty Wide Units – OR choose an additional 20 CP from lists B to E above. | OPEN | 20 | Optional | ||
French and Italian (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.
An oral distinction may be awarded.
The alternative classified honours degree of Arts (Modern Language Studies) may be awarded on this programme. For further details please see 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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