University home > Unit and programme catalogues in 2014/15 > Programme catalogue > Faculty of Social Sciences and Law > Centre for Deaf Studies > Deaf Studies (BSc) > 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 | 9DEAF006U |
---|---|
Programme type | Single Honours |
Programme director(s) |
Lorna Allsop
|
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
School/department | Centre for Deaf Studies |
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 | 3 years (full time) |
The programme gives students the opportunity to study in the area of deaf studies. The emphasis is on issues relating to sign language, deafness and the Deaf Community, as well as service provision for deaf people. All students study BSL (language and linguistics) and introductory courses in deafness and society. Hearing students may elect to follow units relating to the development of language and interpreting skills. Students will also have the opportunity to take units relevant to Deaf Studies from other departments in the Faculty of Social Sciences. As the programme progresses students are able to select units on linguistics, history, education, social services or further development of BSL skills. Programme selection can follow interpreting or BSL literature and focus on the social and political situation of the British and world deaf communities. In the final year students will have an opportunity to see 'Deaf Studies in Practice' and undertake a placement with organisations working with deaf people.
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
---|---|
|
Acquisition of knowledge through lectures, seminars and BSL language classes. Directed reading. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Assessment will be through traditional examination (in either English or sign language), and also through extended essays, individual assignments and assessed lab reports and placement reports. Dissertation may also be a method of assessment. Language assessments under exam conditions (which will include rthe use of role-play) will assess the productive and receptive language competence in BSL for all students, and also for interpreting competence in Interpreting units. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
---|---|
|
Intellectual skills are developed through seminars, tutorials and by attendance at lectures. |
Methods of Assessment | |
A variety of assessment methods are used as per individual unit aims and objectives. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
---|---|
|
Some of these will be explicitly taught as part of a study skills unit, others will be built in to language and other Deaf Studies units as tools needed for furthering their study of that unit. |
Methods of Assessment | |
The majority of non-linguistic units are assessed through written coursework; considerable use is also made of class tests. Assessed essays require both detailed knowledge and understanding of texts, and extensive reading in support of arguments formulated. Oral skills will be assessed in interpreting units and will also be seen in seminars and group discussions. This will be for both English and BSL. All coursework and assessed pre-prepared written work will assess written communication, presentation skills and computer literacy, as far as it extends to the use of word processing packages and the Internet. |
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 conceived to lay the foundations which will allow students to fulfil the programme's aims and objectives. Units are designed to provide intensive initial instruction for ab initio students, and to consolidate and develop the existing skills of qualified entrants. Units introduce some of the main themes and key concepts of Deaf community, history, culture and social interaction. The expectation is that their work may 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 an increased range and detail of knowledge in relevant areas of Deaf Studies. Continuing development of linguistic skills places increased emphasis on independent learning, and linguistic analysis of BSL. Several units may be selected from a list of options; all are treated in greater depth and specificity. Students will be expected in consequence to develop their analytical skills, their ability to formulate ideas and to present them cogently. They will be encouraged in group work skills through active participation in seminars. |
Level H/6 - Honours |
Year 3. Linguistic/BSL skills acquired over the previous years are refined though an increased use of interpreting/translation and with a placement in a deaf environment. Students also continue to expand their knowledge of the subject-area through the study of a varied range of optional units closely linked to staff research interests. Optional units combine substantial breadth with analytical depth. Students will be expected to develop further their ability to gather and assimilate challengingly complex information, to synthesise their findings in an appropriate way. There is an increased emphasis on independent learning. |
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
Success at undergraduate level in the Social Sciences and Law depends on your being able to make the transition to self-motivated, independent learning. The programmes offered in the Faculty are designed to assist you in this development, in many cases by starting with larger lecture-based units providing the foundations of knowledge and skills in a subject, moving through to smaller seminar-based specialist units and finishing with an individual dissertation or research project. Over time you will be expected to take increasing responsibility for your own learning. But at the heart of your studies at every level there must be regular and disciplined individual reading, reflection and writing, whether in the library or at home. It is this skill of independent study above all others that you will take with you when you leave.
This model of academic development is particularly obvious in the more discursive subjects such as human geography, law, politics, social policy and sociology. The typical timetabled contact time for a discursive 20 credit point unit in the Faculty is about 20 hours, divided into 2-hour seminars, or a mixture of lectures and seminars. You will find that you need to allow for about 12 hours preparation on your own if you are to get the most from one of these seminars. In addition there will often be class presentations or essays to write. But this is not the only model of teaching. The typical first year programme tends to have a larger number of less intense contact hours per week (about 7-10 hours lectures and tutorials). The typical final year independent research unit by definition has a much smaller amount of more individualised support. Towards the end of any year you may have additional revision or updating classes, and many programmes have occasional ad-hoc lectures of general interest and relevance. If you get stuck, there is always the chance to speak to your lecturer after a class or during their hours of general availability, or you could see your personal tutor.
The Faculty also includes programmes which require more extensive structured practice (e.g. Audiology and Deaf Studies), and thus greater levels of timetabled contact time, and those requiring increasing levels of mathematical sophistication, typically in Economics, Finance and Management. In this latter case, much larger numbers of lectures - up to 18 hours a week depending on option choices - and fewer small group classes are normal, as in the sciences.
As a result, and depending on your particular programme and option choices, your timetable is likely to be a lot more flexible than that of fellow students who are linguists, scientists, engineers or medics. But the time that others spend in laboratories you should be spending in private study. In a sense, the library is your laboratory, and you will want to make best use of the excellent range of resources available to you here. A good University education does not tell you 'what you need to know'. Rather, we assume that, like your lecturers and professors, you are intellectually curious about your subject. We invite you to join us and we are there to help you satisfy your curiosity as best we can.
Assessment Statement
Please select the following link for a statement about assessment. This is University of Bristol access only.
https://www.bris.ac.uk/fssl/current-students/fssl-undergraduates/assessmentandfeedbackstatement.pdf
Two-week placements relecting wherever possible the student's specific interests are carried out in the third year of study.
The Course Secretary
Centre for Deaf Studies
8 Woodland Road
Bristol, BS8 1TN
Telephone: 0117 954 6919 (voice), 0117 9546920 (text), 0117954 6921 (fax).
Videophone: 0117 9706253.
Email: coursesecretary-cds@bristol.ac.uk
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/Depts/DeafStudies
Please note: this programme is no longer running/accepting applications.
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Deaf People in Society Not available in this year | DEAF10025 | 20 | Mandatory | |
British Sign Language (ab initio) A Not available in this year | DEAF10026 | 20 | Mandatory | |
Introduction to the Linguistics of Sign Language Not available in this year | DEAF10030 | 20 | Mandatory | |
Introduction to Deaf Culture Not available in this year | DEAF10031 | 20 | Mandatory | |
British Sign Language (ab initio) B Not available in this year | DEAF10027 | 20 | Mandatory | |
Qualified entrants take the following instead of 10026/10027 | ||||
20 credit points of open units | OPEN | 20 | Optional | |
Certificate of Higher Education | 120 |
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
---|---|---|---|---|
British Sign Language in its Social Context Not available in this year | DEAF20024 | 20 | Mandatory | |
Service Provision to the Deaf Community Not available in this year | DEAF20025 | 20 | Mandatory | |
80 credit points from the following list: | ||||
20 credit points of open units | OPEN | 20 | Optional | |
Diploma of Higher Education | 120 |
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Deaf Studies in Practice Not available in this year | DEAF30001 | 20 | Mandatory | |
Either 60 or 80 credit points from: | ||||
Students must take ONE of the following: | ||||
Deaf Studies (BSc) | 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.
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