BA (Hons) English and Psychology in Society

Summary:

This innovative programme is aimed primarily at students interested in following a career in teaching and would make an excellent preparation for PGCE work. The English component of the programme focuses on the development of language and literature, on children's literature and on ideas of education in different periods and cultures, The psychology component provides a grounding in developmental psychology, research methods and the relationship between human growth and development with respect to social structures such as class, gender and race.

Course Length: Three Years Entry Requirements:

A minimum of 160 tariff points is usually required but we have no standard offer as we take into account reference, motivation and commitment to the course as well as any projected or actual A Level grades or qualifications. We wecome applications from studnrts who have done an Access Diploma.

Core Skills:

It provides a grounding of psychology with an emphasis on early child development and an exploration of the underpinning research base. The English component focuses on the development of literacy skills, analysing structures and meaning within a variety of literary works. Skills and understanding are obtained through individual study and wider group involvement. Practical and pastoral support is always available.

Assessment:

Essay-writing, examinations, seminar work, oral presentations - group and individual, learning journals, workshops, research projects, personal development plans, work-based learning.

Academic Progression:

Graduates from the course have also embarked on research careers by undertaking Masters and PhD programmes of study at other institutions.

Career Progression:

Past students have gone into a variety of careers including: teacher training, research assistant, librarianship, publishing, local radio, management and administration, professional sports coaching, mental health nursing, health and social care, youth work, marketing and website design, police graduate trainee scheme.

Full Description:

Introduction to the Programme

Whether this is the first time you have studied with us, or whether you have taken other courses within the College, we hope that you will thoroughly enjoy the programme on which you are about to embark.

On your course you will be supported in your learning by module leaders who are enthusiastic about their subjects, a personal tutor, regular assessments, feedback to aid your progress and high quality teaching materials. These will give you the best possible chance of achieving your goal.

The programmes are designed to:

• enable students to demonstrate increasing levels of autonomy in learning
• enable students to acquire and develop comprehensive and detailed knowledge and understanding of chosen academic discipline(s) while recognising the provisional nature of all knowledge
• encourage awareness of personal responsibility, professional codes of conduct and the ability to incorporate a critical ethical dimension
• enable students to acquire and use, in an independent manner, analytical techniques appropriate to the chosen fields
• enable students to transform abstract data and/or concepts and demonstrate creativity and imagination
• encourage students to demonstrate skills in critical thinking and an ability to review and evaluate evidence in order to identify reasons for contradictions and to support conclusions
• enable students to acquire and use investigative skills as appropriate to the chosen award
• encourage students to develop confidence in their ability to identify and define complex problems and a flexible approach to the application of appropriate knowledge and skills in order to find solutions
• prepare students for employment or further academic study eg PGCE

Generic Objectives

The programmes seek to ensure that on graduation you should be able to;

• Work with confidence both independently and as a member of a group or team
• Demonstrate a capacity for systematic, conceptual and critical thinking
• Show flexibleand creative approaches to problem solving
• Communicate clearly and appropriately, demonstrating a sense of audience
• Manage information effectively in a range of media
• Act in an ethical manner demonstrating political, social and cultural awareness
• Produce output that is literate, numerate and coherent

The course scheme enables the student to achieve the objectives by providing a range of teaching and learning strategies, and evaluation is by means of appropriate assessment methods.

Qualification Structure

While you are on the course you will acquire breadth and depth of subject knowledge and understanding. You will be encouraged to develop and use the appropriate investigative, analytical and practical skills that employers expect of graduates. These are the transferable intellectual and personal skills related to your personal and working lives and to your future career intentions and aspirations. Examples include the ability to communicate effectively, to use IT, to work in a group and to solve problems.

All of the courses offered by the scheme are modular and credit based. Each unit of study (we call them modules) is normally taught, assessed and finished within a semester lasting 15 weeks. Every module is assigned a credit value and most modules are 'worth' 10 or 20 credits.

In order to achieve an honours degree, you must accumulate 360 credits; full-time students normally take 60 credits in each semester (120 credits each year).

Each 10 credit HE module involves a total of about 100 hours of study which may be divided as follows:

• Up to 14 teaching weeks of each semester plus
• 70 hours independent study eg writing up class notes, reading, working on assignments etc

Some time in class is spent in formal lectures but seminars, workshops, group work, practical activities, visiting speakers and visits all play a part in the modules. The amount of time individual students spend studying also depends on their experience of the subject and their use of study skills.

Modules

The Course Scheme is based on modules, each of which lasts 15 weeks (a semester). Some modules are double modules (worth 20 credits) and the Dissertation/Project module is worth 40 credits. At the beginning of each module the module leader should provide you with a scheme of work, a reading list for the module and a guide to the assessment.

Directed Study

This is the time that is organised by the module leader(s) so it may be spent in lectures, seminars, individual tutorials, on practical work in the laboratory, out on field trips and visits or in other forms of work that are related to the subject. Teaching provides important sources of information and a forum for debate through lectures, tutorials and small group work. However, it is important to recognise that these are only some of the sources that you should draw on when you are writing essays etc and preparing other forms of assignment. On any HE course, it is very important to explore a wide variety of reading material and to engage in discussion with as many people as possible, as often as possible. All of this will help you to develop both your ideas and your ability to extend and defend them.

Private Study

During this time, for private study, you will be expected to take responsibility for your own learning. This might involve writing up lecture notes or laboratory/field reports, preparing assignments, researching future seminar topics or general reading around the subject. Of course, the amount of time that this takes varies between modules and between students. Some have told us that they spend at least the same amount of time again outside the College in supporting study for each module. Others spend much less than that. The 20 or so weeks every year that you are not in College can be a time for intensive reading, too.

Credit Accumulation

The credits you gain when you successfully complete a module are added together to qualify for awards. You have been enrolled on a programme leading to an Honours Degree for which you need 360 credits - usually 120 at each level. You can leave earlier if circumstances make it necessary and you will then be awarded the highest immediate award for which you have sufficient credits. Each programme is divided into 3 stages (equivalent to the three years of a conventional full-time course). Your final degree classification will be based on the marks/grades you achieve at Levels 2 and 3 (including the Dissertation/Project module).

Course Timetable

Your individual timetable will depend upon the course that you take during an academic year. Modules are timetabled in one of three blocks:

• morning: 0900 – 1200
• afternoon: 1300 – 1600 or 14.30 – 17.00
• twilight: 1600 – 1900

The module leader will determine how the timetabled sessions will be utilised but you will normally have a break at some stage. Module leaders provide you with a course outline for their modules at an early stage. Some sessions may be used for individual academic tutorials or as research time. If you are unclear then please ask your module leader.

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

The objectives of the scheme will be achieved by:

• an approach which emphasises the quality of teaching and learning and encourages the pursuit of excellence
• a learning experience which, through application of appropriate and varied approaches, fosters the development of the autonomy and confidence of the individual
• the provision of a modular curriculum which will provide for flexibility and choice on the one hand, and coherence and continuity on the other

While you are studying on this course you will be taught by a team of committed lecturers who are all enthusiastic about their specialist subjects. We hope that we can pass on some of that enthusiasm to you!

All of the staff take their teaching seriously; we aim to provide you with opportunities to develop more than just basic knowledge and understanding of one subject area. Module leaders will normally try to create a balance of activity in your timetabled sessions.

However, learning to study at degree level is not a simple, passive process. We expect you to be an active participant in class sessions.

Lectures, seminars and tutorials will usually form the base of your studies. Additionally, laboratory work, field trips and workshops may be a significant, and often compulsory, portion of your course. Visits to historical sites, the museums in London and elsewhere can be an important part of the courses. Where possible, we also invite guest speakers to talk about their interests.

Lectures have traditionally been the main mode of teaching in higher education and continue to be an important means of passing across information - but do not expect to be solely passive. Note-taking is an important skill and a good set of notes will give you a firm foundation for exploring the subject by your own reading. Lectures can involve anything up to 40 students.

Small group work or seminars will provide opportunities to promote exchange of ideas. Sometimes you will be given reading matter beforehand and you will be expected to contribute to a class discussion. The session might be used for a problem-solving workshop. At other times, you might be asked to prepare and deliver a presentation to the other members of your group. This type of session should help you to develop a range of transferable skills that are valued by employers. Normally seminar groups comprise 16-20 students.

Tutorials are when students work with a tutor on a one-to-one basis (or with a very small group of maybe 3 students) eg to discuss your progress during the module or to work on an assignment or other assessment activity.

Workshops might involve working on study guides or problem-solving exercises or perhaps a discussion of directed reading. They might involve hands-on time on computers to learn a new software package or explore resources.

Laboratory sessions and field work enable you to develop practical and observational skills - particularly important for those students who are following science pathways.

Assessment The Course team use a range of assessment methods to establish that you have achieved both the specific learning outcomes for modules (as detailed on the module reference sheets) and, through those outcomes, the overall aims and objectives of the course.

Examinations Because the possession of a suitable knowledge base is seen as the most important element of the course, a significant number of modules will be partially or entirely assessed by examination. These may be open book or closed, but, mindful of the student load, will not normally be of more than 2 hours' duration each. In the case of open book examinations your module leader will advise you about the materials you will be allowed to use for reference during the examination.

Assignments Assignments allow for the assessment of many different learning outcomes. The course team makes use of a variety of assessment methods which will be described as an assignment by the module leader. Thus, an assignment might be an essay, a written-up seminar paper, exercises involving the interpretation of data or of pieces of text, mathematical or statistical exercises, a presentation, a case study report, laboratory report(s) or a project dissertation - it will depend on the module. Your module leader should inform you of the nature of the assignment(s) for each module in the first three weeks of the semester in which it runs. S/he should also tell you when the deadline for submission will be.

In Class Assessments These will involve work that is carried out in class time. They may include practical work, report writing and problem solving, seminar presentation, participation in seminar discussion or the more general assessment of learning outcomes and objectives that cannot be assessed by written work, such as the ability to work in a team and oral communication skills. The choice of these assessments will be at the discretion of the individual module leader and will be detailed on module reference sheets.

Innovative Assessments Individual module leaders have discretion to introduce other modes of assessment, as seems appropriate for any particular module. These might include student self-assessment or peer group assessment, in addition to one of the more traditional methods. Any assessments of this type will be detailed on the module reference sheet and should be described in more detail by the module leader concerned.

Dissertations/Projects If you are aiming for an Honours degree you will be required to take and pass a dissertation or project module (worth a minimum of 40 credits) normally in the final stage of your programme. The Course Team regards your dissertation or project as the culmination of your undergraduate programme and as such it is an extremely important module.

The following information provides an indicative Programme Structure and potential modules ( Modules and structure may change)

ENGLISH AND PSYCHOLOGY IN SOCIETY

LEVEL 4 Modules

Module Title: Higher Learning SkillsCredit value: 20Brief description: Designed to enable students to identify and develop HE study skills in order to undertake successful study at HE level and to identify and develop “softer” transferable skills relevant to the workplacePrincipal assessment methods: PDP, PresentationStatus: C --------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: Introduction to Literature ICredit value: 20Brief description: An introduction to two of the three main literary genres, the Novel and Drama, through the study of two major novels, several plays and a range of critical/theoretical issuesPrincipal assessment methods: Essay x 2, Presentation/written analysisStatus: C--------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: A History of Children’s LiteratureCredit value: 10Brief description: This module will look at the history of children’s literature from the 18C to the present dayPrincipal assessment methods: Passage analysis, Examination (closed book)Status: DO--------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: Individual StudyCredit value: 10Brief description: This module gives students the opportunity to delve more deeply into texts and theories and to gain familiarity with research methodsPrincipal assessment methods: EssayStatus: DO--------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: Introduction to Literature 2: PoetryCredit value: 20Brief description: This module continues to pursue, within the genre of poetry, the issues raised in Semester 1Principal assessment methods: Production of texts and commentary, Examination (open book)Status: C --------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: Data Handling and MethodsCredit value: 20Brief description: The purpose of this module is to offer students a comprehensive introduction to the research and analysis methods used in the exploration of psychological processesPrincipal assessment methods: ReportStatus: C--------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: Fundamentals of Developmental and Social PsychologyCredit value: 20Brief description: This module will provide an introduction to Social and Developmental PsychologyPrincipal assessment methods: Individual Presentation, EssayStatus: C --------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: Understanding SocietyCredit value: 10Brief description: This module aims to introduce students to the main characteristics and development of sociological theories from 18C to todayPrincipal assessment methods: EssayStatus: DO --------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: Theoretical Foundations of PsychologyCredit value: 10Brief description: This module aims to give students an overview of theoretical, philosophical and historical foundations in the discipline of psychologyPrincipal assessment methods: 4 x 1hr timed constrained assessments (closed book)Status: DO--------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: Brain and BehaviourCredit value: 10Brief description: This module will introduce students to the methods and limitations of the biological approach to psychologyPrincipal assessment methods: Learning JournalStatus: DO--------------------------------------------------------------

LEVEL 5 Modules

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Module Title: Myth and MedievalismCredit value: 20Brief description: A focus on the literary and cultural traditions of Greece and Rome and the vernacular tradition of the Middle Ages (15C Athens/14C England)Principal assessment methods: Examination (open book), EssayStatus: C--------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: Postcolonialism ICredit value: 10Brief description: An extension of knowledge of postcolonial texts with the emphasis on prose and film genres with reference to Indian and Pakistan in the 20CPrincipal assessment methods: EssayStatus: DO--------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: Aspect of American CultureCredit value: 10Brief description: Brings together the literary analytical skills developed in level I and the concern for social/cultural understanding and artefactsPrincipal assessment methods: Exam, Presentation with write upStatus: DO--------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: The RenaissanceCredit value: 20Brief description: This module will allow students to engage with significant texts produced between 1582 and 1621, to include poetry, drama, music and the visual artsPrincipal assessment methods: Examination (open book), Anthology, EssayStatus: C--------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: Education in SocietyCredit value: 20Brief description: The module considers both the ‘political’ nature of educational problems and considers strategies for their resolutionPrincipal assessment methods: EssayStatus: C--------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: Qualitative ResearchCredit value: 10Brief description: This module provides an opportunity to focus on the development of skills in qualitative research, and to gain the sort of understanding of methodological issues that can only be acquired by practical experiencePrincipal assessment methods: ReportStatus: C--------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: Development and CultureCredit value: 20Brief description: This module aims to give students an overview of differing explanations of human development and experience across the lifespanPrincipal assessment methods: Examination (open book), EssayStatus: C--------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: Behaviour and Behaviour ChangeCredit value: 10Brief description: This module aims to provide students with an understanding and critical evaluation of the science of the experimental and the analysis and intervention of problem behaviours of social significancePrincipal assessment methods: Examination (open book)Status: DO---------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: Personality and IntelligenceCredit value: 10Brief description: This module will enable students to develop an understanding of the main approaches to understanding personality and intelligence within the context of individual differencesPrincipal assessment methods: Exam (unseen)Status: DO---------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: BiopsychologyCredit value: 10Brief description: Biopsychology introduces students to physiological mechanisms and the philosophy that underpins biological psychologyPrincipal assessment methods: EssayStatus: DO---------------------------------------------------------------

LEVEL 6 Modules

Module Title: Revolution and ReactionCredit value: 20Brief description: An opportunity for students to study key themes in literature from 1700 to 1830Principal assessment methods: Exam – closed passageStatus: C---------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: Victorians and VictorianismCredit value: 20Brief description: This module will allow students to engage with significant texts produced between 1830 and 1900Principal assessment methods: Examination (unseen), Presentation and write-upStatus: C---------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: Dimensions of DifferenceCredit value: 20Brief description: This module aims to give students an overview of differing approaches to differentiationPrincipal assessment methods: Examination (seen paper), EssayStatus: C---------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: Individual DifferencesCredit value: 20Brief description: This module will enable students to have a critical awareness of the issues and debates involved in understanding normal and abnormal behaviourPrincipal assessment methods: Essay, Examination (unseen)Status: C---------------------------------------------------------------
Module Title: DissertationCredit value: 40Brief description: Academic research project/essay using appropriate research toolsPrincipal assessment methods: Report, Log BookStatus: C---------------------------------------------------------------

Support Material

While on the course you will receive reading lists and study guides. You will also be expected to be an active user of “Blackboard”, the college’s virtual learning environment. There will be a wide range of workshops during the first few weeks of your programme that you will need to attend. These will form a crucial part of your PDP. Whilst on the course your tutor is always your first point of call. If there are issues that you do not wish to discuss with your tutor you can contact either the course rep or the Head of School. Please be aware that classes may be delivered across any one of City College Norwich campus sites and that timetables can change throughout semesters. We will always give students notice of this.

Please contact the Advice Shop for details of costs and start dates.

Please note that although the information given is believed to be correct at the time of publication, course information, costs where applicable and attendance details may change.

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