Year Abroad Module
Pre-requisites
French, German and Spanish: Spring Semester of stages 3, 4 or Consolidation OR Placement Preparation Italian: MLT208 or MLT267
Aims
To enable students to heighten their awareness of cultural and linguistic aspects of the country where they are studying; to encourage integration into that society during the period of study; to foster independent and/or collaborative study in the foreign language.
Intended Outcomes
On completing the course students should be able to:
• Interact with native speakers of their Target Language Country.
• Understand complex or specialised texts, identifying key facts, ideas and arguments.
• Reflect upon the language and culture of the TL-Country (diary).
• Reflect upon and make decisions as to how to improve their language/cultural proficiency (diary).
• Write extended reports on areas of their study/work (project).
• Present findings in writing (all) and speech (project).
Methods and Materials
Students will complete a learner diary or devise an outline for extended study of their chosen topic. All students should have access to email contact with their tutor over their Year Abroad.
Assessment
Autumn semester: Students will complete a Year Abroad Diary.
Spring Semester: Students will complete either a Year Abroad Diary or a Project.
The Diary will require students to record and reflect upon advances they have made in linguistic and cultural awareness and competence.
The Project will entail: devising and presenting an exploratory project or experiment; selecting and justifying a methodology; analysing data and statistics; pursuing the project to a successful conclusion; making recommendations and stating hypotheses about future research projects and giving a presentation (10-15 mins) in the target language on return to the UK.