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Programme code | 1GERM002U |
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Programme type | Single Honours |
Programme director(s) |
Debbie Pinfold
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Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
School/department | Department of German |
Second School/department | School of Modern Languages |
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 programme aim is to deliver a command of modern spoken and written German to a high level of fluency and accuracy, and also to provide the opportunity of studying the rich cultural, linguistic, political and social history of the German-speaking world since the Middle Ages to the present day. The programme combines the traditional and the innovative, students gain an interest in and knowledge and understanding of the Germanic world, past and present, including its language, literature, broader culture, institutions and politics. Through the ages the language, culture and political and economic weight of the German-speaking world have made a lasting impact on civilisation in Europe and beyond, and today it remains a powerhouse at the centre of the European Union. Learning the German language is the key to understanding this fascinating society and its complex development. The programme aims to promote the self-development of the individual learner and thereby to offer society the resource of intellectually trained individuals, capable of both independent and collective work, with both subject-specific and transferable skills. Graduates enter employment in a wide range of contexts, building on the skills and values of an education in the humanities.
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 | |
A range of essay writing skills (short and extended essays), providing summative and formative assessment. Project work. Special subjects to allow students to address areas in-depth and the option of a dissertation. Examinations and coursework assessment in all three years spent in Bristol. Language is formally assessed through coursework, translations, essays, oral presentations and aural comprehension. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Intellectual skills are developed through seminars, tutorials, oral presentations and essay writing. Units are structured in such a way that the skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation of literature are developed. History and linguistics units develop similar skills in that specific field. Language, problem solving and research are honed in the year abroad assignment. The option of Independent Study is also available in the final year. |
Methods of Assessment | |
A variety of assessment methods are used as per individual unit aims and objectives. Essay writing and examinations test the students' ability to analyse information and present reasoned arguments. Research skills are assessed by means of extended written coursework and dissertation. Language is formally assessed by translations, essays of various types, oral presentations and aural comprehension, including interpreting. |
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 introductory talks/presentations to initiate discussion. These oral skill are further developed in the language classes. The ability to think and work independently is stimulated by dissertation, essay and project tasks. |
Methods of Assessment | |
All units are assessed through written coursework and extended essays. These require a detailed and expansive handling of literature and extensive reading in support of their conclusions. The knowledge base is also tested through traditional unseen written examinations, through project work and Dissertation. |
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 programme has been expressly designed to lay the foundations which will allow students to fulfil the programme aims and objectives. A core unit in language is geared to lead the student in the development of their language skills. The year introduces and includes preliminary work on some of the main themes and key concepts of German literature, history and linguistics to provide a familiarity with these disciplines. It enables students to understand the cultural heritage, historical development and modern contours of the German-speaking world. The expectation is that their work may require considerable direction from members of staff at this stage, and the Year 1 units are designed with this in mind. |
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Level I/5 - Intermediate |
In Year 2 students are expected to be able to demonstrate that they have expanded the range and depth of their knowledge in various areas of the discipline and their capacity to evaluate their work through the wide range of options available beyond the core language unit. The themes and language readings will be of greater depth and substance. Students will develop 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. They will be developing a capacity for self-directed learning (for example, through the researching and writing of essays and projects). Spoken and written language skills will be reinforced and enhanced. In Year 3, students will develop their command of spoken and written German during the mandatory period of residence abroad when they either follow a formal programme on instruction at and academic institution in a German-speaking country. Their linguistic critical, research and presentational skills will also be enhanced through the writing of dissertations in German during the year. |
Level H/6 - Honours |
Students are expected to have expanded the breadth of their knowledge through the study of optional units; the units are more closely linked to staff research interests developing the conceptual and methodological approaches used with more depth and complexity. Students will be expected to develop further their ability to gather and assimilate information, to synthesise these in an appropriate way, to engage in sophisticated evaluation of language texts. These skills will be perfected in the writing of longer and more demanding essays, already introduced during their study abroad. There will be an emphasis on independent learning, self-directed study and research skills. |
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.
The School of Modern Languages offers a single honours German degree but also joint programmes: German and Italian; German and Portuguese; German and Russian; German and Spanish; French and German, German and Czech. There are also courses in Film and German; Theatre and German; History of Art and German; Music and German; Philosophy and German; Politics and German; Law and German and History with Study in German.The Department has special links under the Erasmus scheme with the Universities of Augsburg, Berlin, Leibniz, Hannover, Heidelberg, Leipzig and Marburg.
Mandatory Unit German Language 1 (Post A-level) 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 | ||
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List A - Choose one unit from the list below (if you select GERM19003 in list A you must choose either GERM10035 in list B or GERM10038 in list D) | |||||
German Language 1 (ab initio) | GERM19003 | 40 | Optional | TB-4 | |
German Language 1 (Post A-level) | GERM10009 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
List B | |||||
German Literature and Film: Genres, Texts, Contexts | GERM10035 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 | |
List C | |||||
List D | |||||
Modern German Thought and Thinkers | GERM10038 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 | |
Comparative Literature: What is it and how can we practise it? | MODL10016 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 | |
List E | |||||
Language and Power: Introductions to German History | GERM10039 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-2 | |
List F | |||||
20 CP From Bristol Futures, UWLP or Faculty Wide Units | OPEN | 20 | Optional | ||
Certificate of Higher Education | 120 |
Students take at least 80 CP of units coded GERM
Mandatory unit GERM20001 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 | ||
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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 | |||||
German Language 2 for Single Honours | GERM20046 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
List B - Choose 20 CP from the list below | |||||
Effi Briest and her Afterlives | GERM20048 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Inventing Austria | GERM20051 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
World Cinemas: from national to transnational | MODL23016 | 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 the list below | |||||
Transnational Nation: Germany 1840 - 1990 | GERM20047 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Effi Briest and her Afterlives | GERM20048 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Inventing Austria | GERM20051 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Catalan Language (Elementary) | MODL23014 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Czech Language (Elementary) | MODL23015 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Introduction to teaching Modern Languages as Foreign Languages | MODL20021 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
Beginners Portuguese | MODL20022 | 20 | Optional | TB-4 | |
Migrations of Culture | MODL20024 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
List D - Choose 20 CP from the list below | |||||
Transforming the Tragic Hero(ine): 1770-1840 | GERM20044 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
List E - Choose 20 CP from the list below | |||||
Transforming the Tragic Hero(ine): 1770-1840 | GERM20044 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Transnational Nation: Germany 1840 - 1990 | GERM20047 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
World Cinemas: from national to transnational | MODL23016 | 20 | Optional | TB-1 | |
List F | |||||
20 CP From Bristol Futures, UWLP or Faculty Wide Units – OR choose an additional 20 CP from lists B-E above | OPEN | 20 | Optional | ||
Diploma of Higher Education | 120 |
Both year abroad units 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 | ||
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Year Abroad TB-1 | MODL20014 | 60 | Mandatory | AYEAR | |
Year Abroad TB-2 | MODL20015 | 60 | Mandatory | AYEAR | |
120 |
Mandatory Unit German Language 3 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 | ||
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You may take up to 40cp of MODL-coded units from lists B-D. You must take at least 40 CP in each language studied within the degree programme. MODL30005 may count towards the 40 CP requirement in one language where a dissertation is based in the study of that language | |||||
List A | |||||
German Language 3 for Single Honours | GERM30073 | 20 | Mandatory | A | TB-4 |
List B - Choose 20 CP from the list below | |||||
Exiles and Migrants in German Literature | GERM30058 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Language Variation and Change in German | GERM30074 | 20 | Optional | B,C | TB-1 |
Visibility Matters: Identity, Diversity, and Power in the Cultural Marketplace | GERM30081 | 20 | Optional | B | TB-1 |
List C - Choose 20 CP from the list below | |||||
Exiles and Migrants in German Literature | GERM30058 | 20 | Optional | TB-2 | |
Language Variation and Change in German | GERM30074 | 20 | Optional | B,C | TB-1 |
Translating in a Professional Context | MODL30010 | 20 | Optional | C | 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 the list below | |||||
Theoretical Approaches to Language Teaching | MODL30036 | 20 | Optional | D | 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 | |||||
Independent Study 1 | MODL30005 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 | |
List F | |||||
20 CP From Bristol Futures, UWLP or Faculty Wide Units – OR choose an additional 20 CP from lists B-D above | OPEN | 20 | Optional | ||
German (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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