Global Literatures and Cultures Work Placement
| Module title | Global Literatures and Cultures Work Placement |
|---|---|
| Module code | SMLM115 |
| Academic year | 2020/1 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 15 |
|---|
Module description
This practice-based module will enable you to plan and arrange a placement with an external cultural organisation in which you will work on a commissioned project. Suggested organisations may include media firms, publishers, museums and art galleries, libraries and archives, or relevant heritage sites. The assignment may involve researching a priority theme, completing skilled tasks, or designing your own project in relation to gaps identified by the organisation. You will hold responsibility for securing a placement. However, support and advice will be provided by our careers team in the College of Humanities.
The module provides an opportunity for you to reflect on the process of adapting academic skills to other working environments and projects. The module will allow you to develop an understanding of how the skills and knowledge acquired as part of a Global Literatures and Cultures Master’s degree are applicable to the workplace and to extend relevant work-based skills and knowledge in a reflective way. It will also give you an understanding of a non-academic work environment through practical activities and enable you to gain experience in the use of relevant methods, technologies and applications commonly used in such organisations.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module involves work with a range of organisations, including sponsors from the cultural, media, heritage, and museum sectors, on commissioned research projects that will develop both your archival research capabilities and your presentation skills for the public sphere. For the duration of the module, you will have an assigned supervisor who will support you in working with the relevant cultural material, texts, artefacts, heritage sites, communities, and professional staff. You will report your findings in a manner suitable to the project, taking care to consider your audience: for example, by developing an exhibit for public display. The module provides employability skills in working in the agreed sector alongside practical experience of conducting a research project, developing your experience of completing a live project as part of a team and the related capacity to work autonomously to a specified timescale.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Establish connections between the subject-knowledge, interpretation and presentation skills acquired as part of a Masters degree in Global Literatures and Cultures and the skills required in the workplace
- 2. Formulate a project with an external organisation, review it in light of feedback, deliver this brief with the organisation, and reflect critically on the application of academic skills in the workplace
- 3. Reflect critically on practical experiences gained, and the impact they may have on her/his views and actions
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Demonstrate your skills in the research, selection and evaluation of specific jobs and the structural context of your placements
- 5. Use discipline-specific critical approaches acquired in a Masters degree in Global Literatures and Cultures to deliver an agreed project brief in an employment setting
- 6. Ability to communicate (in writing and in speech) in a manner appropriate to the particular workplace context
- 7. Analyse and reflect critically upon the discipline-specific practices used in delivery of a project with an external organisation
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 8. Develop/Enhance practical work-based skills and experience
- 9. Negotiate the different types of working relationships with staff within the workplace, and others - directly or indirectly - relevant to the placement
- 10. Identify and reflect on personal challenges and to learn from their resolution
- 11. Use a range of technologies and applications relevant to the external organisation
Syllabus plan
This module will involve regular meetings with an allocated academic supervisor, with the input of your sponsor organisation, in order to assess your progress and adapt the project(s) as required. The pattern of the placement attendance will be agreed on a case-by-case basis with your supervisor and external organisation, in consultation with the module convenor, but with the expectation that the module will be completed within 12 weeks (maximum).
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | 189 | 100 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Placement talk | 1 | Placement talk |
| Tutorial | 8 | Tutorial meetings with supervisor |
| Feedback | 2 | Feedback |
| Guided Independent study | 189 | Independent study |
| Placement | 100 | Placement |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project brief | 1000 words | 2, 4, 6-9 | Pro-forma feedback form from non-HEI organisation |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project portfolio | 50 | 5000 words | 1, 3, 5-7, 10, 11 | Written and oral |
| Placement talk | 25 | 30 minutes (+30 minutes question and answers) | 1, 3, 5-7, 10, 11 | Written and oral |
| Critical reflection essay | 25 | 2000 words | 1, 2, 3, 7-11 | Written and oral |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project portfolio | Project portfolio | 1, 3, 5-7, 10, 11 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Placement talk | Placement talk | 1, 3, 5-7, 10, 11 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Critical reflection essay | Critical reflection essay | 1, 2, 3, 7-11 | Referral/Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Reassessment will involve submission of all the written elements of the Work Placement module assessment (Project Portfolio and Critical Reflection Essay). A 1000 word written report on project outcomes will be substituted for the Placement talk.
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 50%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 50%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- Cottrell, S. (2003), Skills for Success: The Personal Development Planning Handbook . Palgrave Study Guides. London
- Fanthorne, C. (2004), Work Placements – A Survival Guide for Students . Palgrave Study Guides. Macmillan, London.
- Kolb, D. (1984), ‘Experiential Learning: Experience as a source of Learning and Development.’ PHI, New Jersey.
- Longson, S. (1999), Making Work Experience Count . How to Books.
- Moon, J. (1999), Learning Journals: A handbook for academics, students and professional development . Kogan Page. London.
- Cottrell, S. (2003), Skills for Success: The Personal Development Planning Handbook . Palgrave Study Guides. London
- Fanthorne, C. (2004), Work Placements – A Survival Guide for Students . Palgrave Study Guides. Macmillan, London.
- Kolb, D. (1984), ‘Experiential Learning: Experience as a source of Learning and Development.’ PHI, New Jersey.
- Longson, S. (1999), Making Work Experience Count . How to Books.
- Moon, J. (1999), Learning Journals: A handbook for academics, students and professional development . Kogan Page. London.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 30/06/2017 |
| Last revision date | 16/01/2019 |