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Programme Specification (Undergraduate) Date amended: February 2016

1. Programme Title(s) and UCAS code(s): BA International Communication and Culture 9Q84 BA International Communication and Culture with a Year Abroad 9Q83

2. Awarding body or institution: University of Leicester

3. a) Mode of study: Full Time

b) Type of study: Campus-based

4. Registration periods:

The normal period of registration is three years The maximum period of registration is five years

Year Abroad variant The normal period of registration is four years The maximum period of registration is six years

5. Typical entry requirements: Home/EU Students: ABB at A2 level. 320 points from 3 A levels. General Studies accepted as one of the three A2 levels.

International Baccalaureate: Pass diploma with 30 points, including 6 in Higher Level French or Spanish.

European Baccalaureate: Pass with 77% overall.

Access to HE Courses: Pass relevant Access to Higher Education course with 45 level 3 credits including 30 at distinction. Other national and international qualifications welcomed.

Students who wish to study French, Italian or Spanish from Beginner level will have to provide evidence of language learning abilities in the form of, as a minimum, GCSE or equivalent in a foreign language.

International Students: 13 years of education at a good standard in any country (eg. High School plus Foundation Year) and IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent) is required.

Mature students welcomed. Alternative qualifications considered for mature students.

6. Accreditation of Prior Learning: Other than standard credit transfers where students have completed the first year of a comparable programme at another university, it is not expected that there will be any exemptions for specific modules on this programme.

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7. Programme aims: The programme aims to:

• To produce creative and reflexive international communications graduates possessing an in-depth knowledge of international media and communications research, with a focus on theory and practice, combined with excellent intercultural communication skills and advanced foreign language proficiency.

• To provide students with an intellectually stimulating and innovative programme, this responds directly to demand by employers for candidates possessing strong inter-cultural communication skills and foreign language expertise.

• To provide a unique programme building on the existing strengths of the School of Modern Languages in the teaching of foreign languages and cultures and extending it towards intercultural and cross-cultural study of media and communication.

• To equip students with a theoretical and practice-based understanding of the dynamics of transnational media and communication systems in a globalising world.

• To provide students with a theoretical and practical understanding of communication as a cultural process in settings beyond media texts. In particular, to provide them a rigorous knowledge of institutional and inter-personal communicative contexts involving inter-cultural interaction.

• To train students in the analysis of media texts and communications research methods, with particular emphasis on intercultural and cross-cultural media and communication research.

• To train students in media production, and to provide them with an informed appreciation of communicative practice in intercultural and trans-cultural settings.

• To provide students with advanced knowledge of different fields of media and communication including news, television, cinema, documentary, public relations, new media and comics. The cross-cultural framing of the course will ensure that the students possess an appreciation of the differences and similarities in media practice across cultures.

• To provide students with advanced competence in a foreign language. The foreign language and culture specialisations will allow students to position themselves as international communications professionals possessing advanced regional/cultural expertise.

• To develop students’ skills of critical analysis and analytical problem-solving. • To develop students’ ability to communicate ideas clearly and coherently in a variety of

forms, including both written and oral. • To promote students’ independent learning skills and their ability to form independent

critical judgments. • To enhance students’ employability by assisting them in the development of the range of

subject-specific and transferable skills necessary for successful career development.

8. Reference points used to inform the programme specification: • QAA Benchmarking Statement for Communication, Media, Film and Cultural Studies: • http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/benchmark/statement/CMF08.pdf • QAA Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) • University of Leicester Learning Strategy

http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/sas2/quality/learnteach • University of Leicester Employability strategy • University of Leicester Periodic Developmental Review (2014) • National Student Survey (2014) • First Destinations Data • Graduate survey • External examiners’ reports

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9. Programme Outcomes:

Intended Learning Outcomes

Teaching and Learning Methods How Demonstrated?

(a) Discipline specific knowledge and competencies (i) Mastery of an appropriate body of knowledge

On completion of the programme the successful student will have a systematic understanding and critical knowledge of: 1. The transnational structures and processes of media and communication. 2. Media and communications theories. 3. Research paradigms and methodologies in communications research, with particular emphasis on intercultural and cross-cultural communication research. 4. Theory and practice of inter-cultural communication. 5. Media and communication practice. 6. Their selected foreign language. 7. The cultures of relevance to their selected foreign language. 8. The ways in which different cultural contexts impact on communication. 9. The interrelationship between language, media products and cultural artefacts and communication.

Students master the required body of knowledge through:

• Lectures and seminars • Guided reading • Independent reading and

private study • Attendance at and

participation in talks and presentations by professionals in the field

• The period of study and living abroad

• Core Media production and communication practice modules in years 1 and 2

• Media and communication practice event in year 2

Essays Examinations Seminar presentations/ discussions (assessed and unassessed) Media analysis and production exercises

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Intended Learning Outcomes

Teaching and Learning Methods How Demonstrated?

(ii) Understanding and application of key concepts and techniques On completion of the programme the successful student will be familiar with concepts in the study of media and communications from both the humanities and social science perspectives. They will be conversant with the multiple ways in which different cultural contexts impact on communication and be able to explain the interrelationships between language, media products, cultural artefacts and communication. The student will therefore be competent in the following techniques and critical approaches:

1. Media and communications research (including the use of quantitative and qualitative data analysis software like SPSS and NVivo).

2. Basic audio-visual media production (including training in the use of equipment and software used for filming, sound recording and editing).

3. Using multimedia packages for research and data presentation.

4. The use of a foreign language in both written and oral forms.

5. Key humanities critical approaches (such as Modernism and Postmodernism, Colonial and Postcolonial Studies, Gender and Queer Studies, Visual Culture and Literary Theories) and their meaningful application to media analysis.

Students acquire working knowledge of key concepts and techniques through:

• Lectures and seminars • Guided reading • Independent reading and private

study • Computer classes • Workshops • Field courses/visits • Independent research for media

production and campaign design exercises

• Independent preparation for seminars and in-class discussion

• Core Media production and Communication modules in years 1 and 2

• Media practice event in year 2

Essays Examinations Seminar presentations/discussions (assessed/unassessed) Media production exercises

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Intended Learning Outcomes

Teaching and Learning Methods How Demonstrated?

(iii) Critical analysis of key issues On completion of the programme the successful student will be able to :

1. Critically evaluate media texts and communications in terms of quality and efficacy and, where appropriate, contribute to the development of better media content and more effective communication.

2. Critically evaluate current research in the study of media and communications.

3. Critically evaluate research methodologies and develop critiques of them.

4. Critically evaluate media and communications practice and, where appropriate, contribute to the development of better practice.

5. Critically evaluate a variety of cultural texts in their original language.

6. Apply key humanities critical approaches in the analysis of media and cultural products.

7. Identify and critically engage with the impact of specific national cultural contexts on the interpretation of media texts and cultural products.

Students acquire critical analytical abilities through:

• Lectures and seminars • Guided reading • Independent reading and private

study • Computer classes • Workshops • The period of study and living abroad • Core Media Production and

Communication Practice modules in years 1 and 2

• Media and communication practice event in year 2

Essays Examinations Seminar presentations (assessed/unassessed) Contributions to seminar discussions Media production exercises

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Intended Learning Outcomes

Teaching and Learning Methods How Demonstrated?

(iv) Clear and concise presentation of material On completion of the programme the successful student will be able to :

1. Communicate their knowledge, understanding and conclusions clearly, error free, and in appropriate formats and modes.

2. Produce effective media content and communications, in appropriate formats and modes, and across a diverse array of communicative contexts.

3. Present sound material in response to a given tasks in their target language with accuracy, fluency, and in appropriate registers.

Students acquire presentation skills through:

• Seminars • Tutorials • Workshops • Project supervision • Constructive criticism of media

products • Core Media Production and

Communication Practice modules in years 1 and 2

• Media and communication practice event in year 2

Essays Examinations In-class tests (written communication) Seminar presentations and reports (oral communication) Media production exercises (media content)

(v) Critical appraisal of evidence with appropriate insight On completion of the programme the successful student will be able to:

1. Use both Humanities and Social Science methodologies to explore research questions within the fields of media and communication studies.

2. Apply theoretical models and frameworks to the analysis of specific examples.

3. Read, discuss and critically analyse a variety of sources on both English and their target language.

Students acquire skills in the critical appraisal of evidence via:

• Lectures • Seminars • Directed reading • Tutorials • Independent research

Essays Examinations Seminar presentations Contributions to seminars Independent research exercises

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Intended Learning Outcomes

Teaching and Learning Methods How Demonstrated?

(vi) Other discipline specific competencies Intercultural awareness and understanding

• Lectures • Seminars • Directed reading • Tutorials • Independent research • Period of study and living abroad

Essays Examinations Seminar presentations Contributions to seminars Independent research exercises

(b) Transferable skills (i) Oral communication

On completion of the programme the successful student will be able to communicate orally in a clear and appropriate manner to a range of audiences and in diverse academic and professional contexts, and in both English and their selected foreign language The student will additionally be skilled in the identification and use of appropriate media (traditional and new media) to supplement oral communication depending upon the communicative context and requirement.

Students acquire oral communication skills through:

• Class discussions • Seminar presentations • Assessment and feedback for the

above. • Language classes • Period of study and living abroad • Media and Communication practice

event in year 2

Students’ communication skills in English will be demonstrated in class discussions and seminar presentations Their communicative abilities in their target foreign language will be demonstrated in assessed presentations in that foreign language.

(ii) Written communication On completion of the degree programme the successful student will be able to present information and articulate concepts and arguments fluently and cogently in written English and observing correct scholarly apparatus. Equally, students will have the ability to articulate subject-relevant ideas in written form in their target foreign language.

Students acquire written communication skills through:

• Workshops • Seminars • Tutorials • Preparation of assessed written

assignments • Examinations • Period of study and living abroad

Essays In-class tests Examinations

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Intended Learning Outcomes

Teaching and Learning Methods How Demonstrated?

(iii) Information technology On completion of the programme the successful student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of and competency in IT, including theoretical knowledge of its development and uses, especially in research and advanced study.

2. Deploy a variety of digital resources for research purposes.

3. Demonstrate competency in word processing and use of multi-media packages for research and presentations.

4. Use specialised discipline specific software for media and communications research.

5. Use specialised software for media production.

6. Deploy software and online resources for the purposes of self-directed foreign language learning and skill consolidation.

Students acquire information technology skills through:

• IT-specific, study skills-related, research skills, and media production workshops

• Seminars • Tutorials • Computer classes for both language

and media and communications course components

• Media production classes and exercises

Essays Examinations Independent research related to assessed work Media production tasks

(iv) Numeracy On completion of the degree programme the successful student will be able demonstrate knowledge of numeracy and use of statistics in media-based research. Equally, the successful student will be able to engage with numeracy issues presented in their target foreign language.

Students acquire numeracy skills through: • Lectures • Seminars • Directed reading • Tutorials • Independent research • Analysis of statistics in current affairs

documents in oral and written language classes, and in cultural studies modules.

Essays Examinations IT exercises

(v) Team working On completion of the degree programme the successful student will be able to work in groups and to demonstrate skills in group management, leadership and peer responsibility.

Students acquire team-working skills through:

• Group presentation tasks • Group-based seminar tasks • Group based media production

exercises and campaign design tasks

Group presentations Group projects (e.g. practical media production exercises)

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Intended Learning Outcomes

Teaching and Learning Methods How Demonstrated?

(vi) Problem solving On completion of the degree programme the successful student will possess the capacity to address critical, theoretical, historical and linguistic problems, and to identify methods of solving them; formulating answers while understanding that further questions will arise from this process.

Students acquire problem solving skills through:

• Lectures • Seminars • Directed reading • Workshops • Tutorials • Team exercises • Media production exercises • Completion of assessed coursework

tasks

Essays Foreign language assignments Examinations Media production exercises Group presentations and projects

(vii) Information handling On completion of the degree programme the successful student will be able gather, process, store, retrieve, present and exchange data relating to media and communication theory and practice, and in relation to cultural studies. They will possess this ability in both English and in their target foreign language.

Students acquire information handling skills through:

• Lectures • Seminars • Directed reading • Workshops • Tutorials • Team exercises. • Key issues explicitly addressed in the • study skills module

Essays Examinations Seminar presentations Group presentations and projects

(viii) Skills for lifelong learning On completion of the degree programme the successful student will be able to demonstrate key skills in the areas of: time and resource management; meeting deadlines; scholarly independence; group work/collaboration; effective communication in both written and oral formats; critical self-reflection and evaluation of skills and professional development; independent and original thinking.

Students acquire skills for lifelong learning through all of the teaching and learning methods employed in the degree programme. However, some of these skills are addressed explicitly by the Study Skills module, thereby affording an opportunity for students’ to develop their metacognitive understanding of how they are developing such transferable and employability skills.

Demonstrated through the successful completion of programme modules, and in particular in the completion of assessment elements for the Study Skills module.

10. Progression points:

This degree programme follows the University's standard progression rules set out in Senate Regulation 5. However, all core language modules must be passed in order to progress to the following year of the programme and must be passed at Honours level (40%+).

11. Scheme of Assessment This programme follows the standard scheme of award and classification set out in Senate Regulation 5

12. Special features:

All students of the School of Modern Languages who are taking a language as part of their degree programme beyond the first year are required to attend the compulsory summer school for their relevant language, where they undertake intensive language study and are afforded the opportunity to experience their target language and culture first-hand and with full linguistic and

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cultural immersion. This will be fostered by the combination of accommodation with host families or in student halls with daily language classes taught by native speakers via communicative teaching methodologies. BA International Communications students will be required to attend this programme also, however in a modified format: they will attend a fortnight- rather than three week-long language summer school in the relevant country (France, Italy or Spain), partaking in the linguistic and cultural immersion provided by the intensive language classes and homestay arrangement.

The usual third week of summer school is exchanged in this programme for a three day on-campus event in the Easter vacation of the second year of the programme, which will focus on developing the students’ media practice and intercultural communications skills by providing them the opportunity to meet media practitioners from a variety of fields, partake in practical sessions with them, and engage a number of the subject-specific and transferable skills they have developed thus far in their studies. The event will be divided into a set of activities that supplement the technical skills that the students will have already acquired, and will include sessions with practitioners providing masterclasses on specific skills or workshop sessions with students producing content/ engaging in a communication task and receiving feedback from the professional media practitioners. The other set of activities will serve to introduce students to potential employers and will be interactive sessions with diverse UK based media and communications organisations outlining their work profile. Students will gain from this a sense of the different professional opportunities available and will have an opportunity to establish contacts that they might then develop further. Lastly, the third day will include talks with professionals involved in practice relating to the optional modules to be offered in fourth year. The event will vary year on year and will be developed with student involvement and input, thus representing an excellent learning and career-development opportunity.

More broadly, this BA programme will maintain a focus on developing the students’ professional skills as communicators with an understanding of media practice. Beyond the theoretical, technical and practical element provided as part of the course, this will be achieved through integrating some level of interaction with communication practitioners. This will help the students appreciate the conditions in which professional work is undertaken, and develop awareness of as well as abilities in the practical needs of that profession.

13. Indications of programme quality

The School of Modern Languages offers programmes encompassing the study of languages as well as culture (including literature, film, cultural studies, visual cultures, history, politics, gender studies, postcolonial studies, sociology, translation, interpreting). The School has done particularly well in recent National Student Surveys. The School of Modern Languages NSS score in 2015 was 91% (overall satisfaction). The Guardian University Guide 2016 placed the School in 3rd position in the country, and External examiners’ reports have emphasized the quality of the student learning experience and the high standard of teaching. The school places considerable emphasis on friendly and caring student support in a compact and closely integrated environment. 95% of the School’s research has been recognised internationally.

14. External Examiners

The details of the Modern Languages External Examiner(s) for this programme and the most recent External Examiners’ reports can be found here.

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15. Year Abroad The Year Abroad is a key element of the overall degree. For students registered within the School of Modern Languages it carries a 30% weighting of your whole BA degree. This mark is obtained as follows:

• 10% mark for the Year Abroad derived from ECTS credits obtained via University

placement or a work placement report. • 20% mark is calculated by double-weighting final year language modules (to reflect

linguistic skills acquired during the year abroad).

Resits take place in Leicester in the form of an essay (length depending on how many credits failed) on a topic in relation to a subject studied during our year abroad or a relevant final year module completed at Leicester.

Students on University placements are therefore required to keep a dossier of lecture notes, copies of assignments taken (+ feedback), module outlines, handouts and notes provided, as well as reading notes on set texts per module in view of potential resits.

Appendix 1: Programme structure (programme regulations) – please see below

BA International Communication and Culture FIRST YEAR MODULES Semester One International Communication and Culture 40 Credits 40 Credits ML1010 Media, Culture and Transnationality (20) ML1011 Communication Culture and Identity in a Globalising World (10) ML1012 Study Skills (10) Language Modules 20 Credits OR

Modern Language If studying as a Beginner: 20 credits language module If studying at Advanced level: 10 credits language module 10 credits content module option English as a foreign language 10 credits EL1005 Advanced Writing 10 credits EL1007 Advanced Speaking

(20)

(10) (10)

(10) (10)

Semester Total 60 Credits Semester Two International Communication and Culture 40 Credits MS 1003 The Media in the International Context (20) ML1013 Key Issues in Intercultural Communication (10) ML1014 Media Production and Communication Practice-1 (10) Language Modules 20 credits

Modern Language If studying as a Beginner:

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OR

20 credits language module If studying at Advanced level: 10 credits language module 10 credits content module option English as a foreign language 10 credits EL1006 Advanced Writing 10 credits EL1008 Advanced Speaking

(20)

(10) (10)

(10) (10)

Semester Total 60 credits Year One Total 120 Credits Students will select either a Modern Language Route or English as a Foreign Language route, and will study modules appropriate to that selection throughout their programme. NOTE: Students studying a modern language for more than one year are required to attend a language Summer School, organized by the School of Modern Languages. This will take place during the summer vacation at the end of the first year, in France, Italy, and Spain or, for students taking English as their foreign language, in the UK. Students taking the BA International Communications will be required to participate in a two week Summer School programme. SECOND YEAR MODULES Semester One

International Communication and Culture 40 Credits 40 Credits ML2010 Analysing Transnational and Intercultural Meaning (20) ML2011 Media Production and Communication Practice-2 (10) Language Modules 20 Credits OR:

Modern Language 10 credits language module 10 credits European Texts in Translation 1 English as a foreign language 10 credits EL2023 Business English 10 credits EL2015 Listening

(10) (10)

(10) (10)

Semester Total 60 Credits Semester Two International Communication and Culture 40 Credits ML2012 Global TV: Examining Television Across Cultures

20 credits (20)

MS2002 Analysing Communication Processes (20) Language Modules 20 credits OR:

Modern Language 10 credits language module 10 credits European Texts in Translation 2 English as a foreign language 10 credits EL2024 Business English 10 credits EL2011 Pronunciation

(10) (10)

(10) (10)

Semester Total 60 credits Year One Total 120 Credits

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As above, students will select either a Modern Language Route or an English as a Foreign Language route, and will study modules appropriate to that selection throughout their programme. THIRD YEAR MODULES All Home/EU students spend a full academic session abroad between the second and final years. They may do so in one of three ways:

1. By following approved courses at a university in Europe 2. As British Council English Language Teaching Assistants in schools in one of those countries,

including wider destinations in Latin America, or in Québec; 3. On an approved work placement.

20 credit Study Abroad modules in foreign language (ECTS transfer) or Work Placement Report (in French, Italian or Spanish) 40 credits of Language skills modules (in French, Italian or Spanish) 60 credits of English modules studied at the foreign university (ECTS transfer) or Work Placement Report (in English) International students taking the degree with English as their foreign language, who are already living and studying in a country whose native language is their target language, will progress directly to the final year of the programme. FOURTH YEAR MODULES Semester One International Communication and Culture 50 credits ML3010 International Media Campaigns: Design and Evaluation (20) ML3011 PR Practice in a Globalizing World (10) Plus one of: ML3012 Communicating Conflict: War and the Media (20) MS 3004 Global Affairs: Communication, Culture and Power (20) Migration, Identity and Development (20) Hispanic Documentary Film (20) Language Modules 10 Credits OR:

Modern Language 10 credits language module English as a foreign language 10 credits EL3021 English Language & Literary Studies

(10)

(10)

Semester Total 60 credits Semester Two International Communication and Culture 50 Credits ML3013 New Media Practice in an International Context (20) ML3014 Corporate Communication in a Global Context (10) Plus one of: ML3015 Mediating Distant Suffering: Politics of Pity and Victimhood in

Transnational Context (20)

ML3016 Memory in the Global Age (20) ML3017 Comics Across Cultures: Transformations and Translations in

Popular Culture (20)

MS 3010 Technology, Culture and Power: Global Perspectives (20)

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Language Modules 10 credits OR:

Modern Language 10 credits language module English as a foreign language EL3022 English Language & Literary Studies OR EL3016 English for Art & Film Critics

(10)

(10)

(10) Semester Total 60 credits Year Total 120 credits As above, students will select either a Modern Language Route or English as a Foreign Language route, and will study modules appropriate to that selection throughout their programme.

Appendix 2: Module specifications See module specification database http://www.le.ac.uk/sas/courses/documentation Appendix 3: Skills Matrix

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