Unit information: Placement in Publishing or Related Industries in 2020/21

Unit name	Placement in Publishing or Related Industries
Unit code	ENGLM0075
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Mimi Thebo
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	N/A
Co-requisites	This unit can be taken instead of Critical Issues in Contemporary Publishing. Both cannot be taken.
School/department	Department of English
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

In this unit, students will be co-supervised by an academic member of staff and a partner contact/organisation and undertake 1 x 1-hour seminar per week plus 1 working day per week in the work placement (during teaching weeks).

In addition, the hosting organisation will be required to provide formative feedback on the student’s performance and his/her achievements during the placement in the form of an end-of-placement report. This report will be collated and communicated to each student individually by the unit director, who will also be available for consultation to discuss and analyse the feedback through one-on-one supervision meetings.

A formal memorandum of understanding will be drawn up at the beginning of the placement (to be signed by the student, the organisation and the unit director) to set out mutual expectations and commitments. The content of the end-of-placement report will reflects the expectations of both the student and the organisation as articulated in the MoU.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Work independently, set goals, manage workloads and meet deadlines.
2. Anticipate and accommodate requirements that may change when creating an original work. Be able to work productively and negotiate creative contexts that are ambiguous, uncertain and unfamiliar.
3. Interact effectively with others, in team or group-work and appreciate the benefit of giving and receiving feedback
4. Use and develop information retrieval and analytical skills, including the ability to interpret, evaluate, synthesise and organise material.
5. Engage with written and oral feedback.
6. Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, demonstrating an awareness of voice, idiom, idiolect, simile, metaphor, analogy, rhythm and media-specific restraints.

Teaching Information

Teaching style and the role of the supporting lecturer will be agreed between the placement organisation, student and supervising lecturer in a learning contract, but will normally include a description of the role/duties or specific project the student will undertake, the materials the student will produce, the feedback the host will provide and the supervisor contact/support scheme. The student will undertake work under the supervision of both the industry host and the lecturer and this will provide the main learning experience.

Assessment Information

A portfolio of writing to include:

1 x 3,000 word summative essay, responding to a topic relevant to the particular placement tasks/project [ILOs 1, 2, 4, 6] (70%)

1 x summative reflective journal, demonstrating employability skills and knowledge transfer. The specific content and structure of the journal will depend on the individual placement, and will thus be agreed between the student, the partner contact/organisation and the unit co-ordinator [ILOs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5] (30%)

Reading and References

Texts and other reading will depend on the placement organisation and will be negotiated with the partner and informed by the supervising academic.