Unit information: Year Abroad Portuguese in 2013/14

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Unit name Year Abroad Portuguese
Unit code HISP29101
Credit points 120
Level of study I/5
Teaching block(s) Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52)
Unit director Dr. Leu
Open unit status Not open
Pre-requisites

None
Co-requisites

None
School/department Department of Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies
Faculty Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

Year Abroad (Portuguese and Joint Honours)

Teaching Information

Given the experiential learning model of the Year Abroad, there are no lectures or seminars as such. Learning is conducted primarily through the linguistic and cultural immersion of living abroad, and aided through fieldwork undertaken on site in the form of both the student’s Learning Journal and their Assignments (see below).

To facilitate student preparation prior to departure in the third year of their degree, academic and administrative support is provided as follows during the second year:

(a) one 1hr introductory session (‘Thinking About the Year Abroad’) at the end of Y1 (b) one 1hr briefing session for each language studied on the Year Abroad options run by the Departments of French, German, Italian, Hispanic, Portuguese and Latin American Studies and Russian early in the Y2 academic session. These briefings will include information on (i) work placements, (ii) study placements; and (iii) British Council Teaching Assistantships (c) use of Consultation Hours as required (all students must have their plans approved by the relevant language department before proceeding) (d) exercises during Y2 language classes, including CV / cover-letter writing for job applications and researching Year Abroad destinations (e) one 1hr pre-departure briefing and workshop in the spring of Y2, organised by the Year Abroad Officer and the SWAP Team (Study and Work Abroad Placement) from the International Office and, to address practical aspects of the Year Abroad and to brief students on the Learning Journal and Year Abroad Essays (f) pre-departure online tutorials through Blackboard to test key areas of preparation, including personal insurance, health and safety, and risk assessment

Assessment Information

2 essays (2500 words), written in the target language: 75% of the unit mark.

2 brief audio / video reports (4 minutes in length) in the target language presenting key findings of each essay: 25% of the unit mark

Reading and References

  • Benson, Phil., Autonomy and Independence in Language Learning (London: Longman, 1997)
  • Coleman, Jim., Effective Learning and Teaching: Modern Languages (London: Routledge, 2005)
  • Dickinson, Leslie., Self-Instruction in Language Learning (Cambridge University Press, 1987)
  • Lidstone, Anna & Caroline Rueckert, The Study Abroad Handbook (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007)
  • Moon, Jennifer, A. Learning Journals: A Handbook for Reflective Practice and Professional Development, 2nd ed., (London: Routledge, 2006)
  • Reuvid, Jonathan, Working Abroad: The Complete Guide to Overseas Employment and Living in a New Country (Kogan, 2010)

Related links