| Unit name | Year Abroad for Students Taking One Language |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MODL20033 |
| Credit points | 120 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
| Unit director | Dr. Foster |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
Students must normally have passed all Year Two Units on their course. Students wishing to qualify for a study exchange place must have obtained an average mark of 55 on their Year One programme. |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Modern Languages |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
As a formative year of personal development, the Year Abroad is a critical phase in your growing understanding of the target language and associated cultures.
It is one of the most challenging and potentially life-changing aspects of a degree involving a language.
Through a study placement, work placement or language course arranged in consultation with the School of Modern Languages (SML), you will be immersed in a foreign environment. This immersion is both linguistic and cultural, enabling you to inhabit your target languages daily and to experience first-hand the cultures in which that language is used.
Time on placement will both allow you to consolidate the key skills of language acquisition, cultural understanding and intercultural competence and provide opportunities to acquire new transferable skills, particularly those related to personal development and employability – for example, independent working, working with others and working across communities.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
The Year Abroad is an integral and compulsory component of your degree and forms 10% of your overall degree classification.
To fulfil the learning objectives below, you should normally spend at least six months in total of continuous residence abroad. Where possible, your stay should coincide with the teaching blocks of the University academic year from September to May. Where you spend your time away on study placement at a host university, you are required to stay there for the full semester(s).
An overview of content
The year abroad allows you to move beyond structured learning into independent learning. This requires you to take active ownership of the learning experience, developing the resourcefulness and adaptability needed to live and work abroad.
The year abroad presents authentic opportunities for you to learn autonomously by identifying, planning and carrying out personalised strategies to develop your linguistic proficiency and confidence and deepen your understanding of the life and cultures of your target language and its communities.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
Crucially, the year abroad enables you both to enhance your existing skills and knowledge and to learn and develop substantial new skills and knowledge throughout your placement(s). Experiential learning on placement is self-directed and personalised. You will take stock of your readiness for work and study abroad by using the University’s Skills Profile as a template for reflection and development throughout your time away. You will set personal goals, articulate these and reflect on them via the medium of your target language.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the Year Abroad students will be able to:
Given the experiential learning model of the Year Abroad, there are no lectures or seminars during the time spent abroad.
You will learn primarily through the linguistic and cultural immersion of living abroad and aided through reflection and planning undertaken as part of your assessment (see below).
However, to facilitate preparation for the third year of the degree and successful completion of the Year Abroad itself, an extensive programme of preparation is offered, commencing at the end of Y1 and continuing through Y2.
This programme begins with a one-hour introductory session at the end of Y1, supported by the Careers Service and Bristol Abroad Team (International Office).
At the start of Y2, the School’s academic lead for the Year Abroad provides an overview of the timeline and assessment for the coming year and each Department run briefing sessions for each language studied on the Year Abroad.
These briefings will include outline information on (i) work placements, (ii) study placements; (iii) British Council Teaching Assistantships; and (iv) language courses.
Following these sessions, you will be asked to identify how you intend to fulfil the course requirement of spending time abroad.
In TB2, students will attend a series of full-cohort seminars that address different aspects of the Year Abroad. These sessions will normally include:
In addition, there will be use of Consultation Hours as required.
All students must submit their plans for approval by the relevant language department before proceeding and are expected to discuss their plans at Personal Tutor meetings at relevant points.
Y2 language classes include relevant training in, for example, CV / cover-letter writing for job applications and researching Year Abroad destinations.
There are also pre-departure online tutorials to test key areas of preparation, including personal insurance, health and safety, and risk assessment.
During the year abroad itself, individual support for students will take place via email / online meetings.
All relevant presentations, handbooks, and other information are posted on the Year Abroad Blackboard Site.
After departure, students are required to check in with the Bristol Abroad team and School of Modern Languages.
Personal Tutors will contact students throughout the year to monitor their progress at regular fixed intervals and will also be available for academic and pastoral consultation as required.
Tasks which do not count towards your unit mark but are required for credit (zero-weighted):
The Year Abroad Reflective Development plan is to be written in the target language and submitted at the start of Teaching Block 1.
You will base the content of this plan on your planned year abroad placement(s) and your evaluation of the challenges and opportunities available to you in developing your portfolio of skills.
You will receive feedback and guidance on the content of your submission.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The discussions will focus on two subjects:
The online review discussion will take place in the middle of TB2.
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. MODL20033).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
