| Unit name | Contemporary Global Challenges |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LANG00065 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | QCA-3 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Mr. Thornthwaite |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Centre for Academic Language and Development |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences |
Why is this unit important?
The aim of this unit is to introduce you to ten contemporary challenges facing humanity. The views of activists, governments, and theorists will be analysed alongside traditional and critical approaches to solving problems. This unit will enhance your critical thinking and problem solving, alongside how to research an issue in depth, and your communication skills in presenting your view to others. You will debate your ideas in small group settings, discussing and developing the approaches to global challenges that you think will serve us best in the 21st century.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
This unit provides direct preparation for social science degrees, and is strongly complementary with law, arts and humanities units. There is a strong emphasis on the application of theoretical approaches to real world, contemporary situations. You will develop an understanding of different theoretical frameworks and how to use them to critically analyse complex challenges in the world today.
An overview of content
In this unit, you will learn about major thinkers and ideas in political thought and international relations. This includes concepts such as liberty, power and sovereignty. You will learn about constitutions and types of local and global government and governance, and gain a solid grounding in the different models of state interaction. In the study of international relations, you will become familiar with influential authors, and both the theory and the reality of global politics by exploring global developments such as migration and climate change.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
By the end of this unit, you will be well prepared for studying a range of degrees. You will develop skills and critical thinking desirable for further studies in Social Science programmes. You will also develop strong discussion and debating skills, and you will be confident constructing arguments and communicating complex ideas in political contexts. The unit introduces you to topics such as global development, the changing state of childhood, crime and deviance, social stratification, and inequalities. It will teach you skills to present and defend your ideas.
Learning Outcomes
Teaching is facilitated weekly through weekly workshops. Classes are delivered interactively, using a combination of teacher input and student discussions. This means you should come prepared to ask questions, join in discussions and make notes.
How you will be assessed
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Draft essays preparing you for summative assessment
Draft discourse brief preparing you for summative assessment
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Essay, 1,500 words (40%) ILOs 1,2,3
Assessed Discourse, 15 minutes or equivalent (60%) ILOs 1,2,3
When assessment does not go to plan
In cases where the summative assessment ‘Assessed Discourse’ involved peer activity, students who need to complete a reassessment will achieve the learning outcomes by conducting a 1:1 discourse with the unit teacher. Any student registered on the International Foundation Programme will be offered a conditional place on an undergraduate degree at the University of Bristol. Students must meet the entry requirements to be admitted onto an undergraduate degree at the University of Bristol. Different degree programmes may have different entry requirements. The IFP Board will review the mark profiles of all students who are close to attaining the entry requirements but are outside the previously agreed near miss criteria and may agree to admit them to a degree programme. If not admitted, students may be offered a further opportunity (i.e. two attempts in total) to meet the entry requirements for their intended degree programme at the University of Bristol by re-taking a relevant assessment. Marks are not capped for this purpose. If a student is absent or their performance in assessment is significantly affected due to exceptional circumstances, they may re-take the relevant assessment at the next appropriate time, without penalty.
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. LANG00065).
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.
