BA French and International Development

Title:

Study Skills for BSc International Development

Code:

AP1ID3

Convenor:

MS Rebecca Jerrome

Summary:

Through this module, designed for students on the BSc International Development programme, you’ll gain a common foundation in transferrable skills relevant to studying in an academic context. You’ll take part in guided seminars to practice key skills through worked examples.

Assessment Method:

n/a

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Title:

International Development: Global and Local Issues

Code:

AP1ID1

Convenor:

DR Garth Holloway

Summary:

Identify the challenges currently confronting societies, governments, and households and examine how researchers seek to understand these challenges in order to enhance welfare, global sustainability, and the protection of rural livelihoods. In this module you will engage with a range of experienced practitioners and you will learn through diverse teaching methods, including assigned readings, participatory discussions, and directed exercises. These activities will help you understand the formal theories underpinning development processes and the nuances surrounding participatory governance, and will prepare you for future employment in fields of International Development.

Assessment Method:

Class test 100%

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Title:

The Economic Environment

Code:

AP1EE4

Convenor:

MR Jurgen Peci

Summary:

How do we know whether an advertising campaign will make economic sense? Why do we see brand proliferation for some products and not others? Why do some countries’ economies grow faster than others? Why do governments intervene in agricultural markets? Why do we need environmental policy? These are some of the topics that we will address, whilst developing a basic understanding of key economic concepts, and their relevance to some of the key challenges facing individuals, businesses, and societies across the globe.

Assessment Method:

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Title:

Introduction to Linguistics

Code:

ML1IL

Convenor:

MR Federico Faloppa

Summary:

This module aims to familiarise students with principles in general linguistics, and to give students an overall picture of what a language is, how it works, and what its main structures are, with a particular focus on French, German, Italian and Spanish. It will also provide useful meta-linguistic competence which can be applied to the study of any other language.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 40%, Oral 20%, Set exercise 40%

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Title:

Thinking Translation: History and Theory

Code:

ML1TRANS

Convenor:

DR Claire Ross

Summary:

This module introduces students to the history of translation as a literary practice, as well as to the main theoretical approaches to it and the influential concepts that have been used to reflect on translation practice.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 90%, Report 10%

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Title:

Greats of European Cinema

Code:

ML1GEC

Convenor:

DR Marta Simo-Comas

Summary:

The aim of this module is to provide students with an understanding of the ways in which European Cinema – and the various national cinemas that comprise it – reflects the changing political, social and cultural climate of the twentieth century. The course is designed to introduce students to key features of film analysis and to develop their ability to apply them to the films studied.

Assessment Method:

Exam 55%, Set exercise 45%

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Title:

What is Comparative Literature?

Code:

ML1COMP

Convenor:

DR Claire Ross

Summary:

This module will introduce students to some of the major critical and theoretical issues in the study of Comparative Literature, as well as to important methodologies for studying literature in a comparative context. Approaching a cluster of texts from different cultural and historical traditions, students will be encouraged to reflect on the practices and consequences of reading transnationally. 

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Assignment 50%

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Title:

Freedom

Code:

PO1FRE

Convenor:

DR Andrew Reid

Summary:

This module provides an inter-disciplinary approach to the subject of freedom, with contributions from four different departments of the University: Classics, Law, Philosophy, and Politics. Students will explore a range of different perspectives on the idea of freedom, and will examine the different ways in which freedom is valued and regulated in a variety of settings. Students will work both individually and within groups to prepare their assignments, and there are a variety of written and oral assessments.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 30%, Oral 40%, Report 30%

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Title:

Politics: International Relations and Strategic Studies

Code:

PO1IRS

Convenor:

DR Vladimir Rauta

Summary:

The module provides an introduction to the study of International Relations and Strategic Studies. 

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Assignment 50%

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Title:

Introduction to Political Ideas

Code:

PO1IPI

Convenor:

DR Rob Jubb

Summary:

An introduction to political theory, covering central topics like the state and its authority, democracy, rights and liberty, equality and social justice, and war and intervention, as well as some of the basic methods for understanding them all. 

Assessment Method:

Exam 60%, Assignment 40%

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Title:

Global Justice

Code:

PP1GJ

Convenor:

DR Shalini Sinha

Summary:

Global traditions of philosophy  from the Buddha and Confucius to Simone Weil, Frantz Fanon, Martin Luther King Jr., and African and Native American thinkers advocate ideas of justice and freedom that extend far beyond contemporary conceptions. This course shows how these thinkers question our  ideas of justice, and  transform how we approach injustice and freedom in the  context of race and colonialism, nature and  indigenous communities, identity  and sexuality, family and polity, through radically different conceptions of freedom and violence,  love, equality and harmony.

Some of the claims we will examine include: Justice is freedom from suffering!  Revolutionary violence is cathartic and emancipatory! Political justice  requires mental training! Nature is alive and has rights! Gender and sexual freedom are gained by  dissolving bodily boundaries!  Truth lies in pleasure! Justice is  love! Social justice comes with harmonising differences! 

Assessment Method:

Assignment 70%, Oral 20%, Class test 10%

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Title:

Beginners French Language

Code:

FR1L1

Convenor:

DR Marine Orain

Summary:

This module aims to introduce students with no previous knowledge of French to the study of French language and culture.

The course will provide the necessary basis for the study of French. Students who successfully complete this module will have achieved a level of competence in French comparable to level A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference.

Assessment Method:

Exam 30%, Practical 40%, Oral 20%, Class test 10%

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Title:

Intermediate French Language

Code:

FR1L2

Convenor:

DR Marine Orain

Summary:

This module aims to develop the language skills of students who have already achieved AS Level in French or equivalent, as well as of students with an excellent GSCE Level qualification in French or equivalent.

The course will provide the necessary basis for the study of French to Honours degree level.  Students who successfully complete this module will have achieved a level of competence in French comparable to level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference.

Assessment Method:

Exam 30%, Practical 40%, Oral 20%, Class test 10%

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Title:

Introduction to French Culture

Code:

FR1IFC

Convenor:

DR Veronica Heath

Summary:

The aim of this module is to introduce students to French culture through the study and analysis of key literary and visual art forms.

Assessment Method:

Exam 60%, Assignment 40%

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Title:

The Making of Modern France

Code:

FR1MMF

Convenor:

DR Marjorie Gehrhardt

Summary:

The aim of this module is to examine events that shaped modern French society, ideas and institutions.

Assessment Method:

Exam 60%, Assignment 40%

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Title:

Advanced French Language I

Code:

FR1L3

Convenor:

MRS Celine Biart

Summary:

This module aims to develop the language skills of students who have already achieved Advanced Level or equivalent in French. Students with an excellent AS Level qualification in French may also be considered for this module.

The course will provide the necessary basis for the study of French to Honours degree level, but will also be an effective study and career tool for students who are not intending to continue with French after Part 1. 

Students who successfully complete this module will have achieved a level of competence in French comparable to level B1/B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference.

Assessment Method:

Exam 30%, Practical 40%, Oral 20%, Class test 10%

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Title:

Food Dilemmas: Production, Security and Health

Code:

FB1FD1

Convenor:

DR Emma Bennett

Summary:

This module will cover the historical, present and future aspects of food production and consumption. Topics include the impact of food on the environment, the relationship between diet and health, and the implications of future populations and climates on food production. The complex and fascinating problem of global food security, providing sufficient, safe and nutritious food for everyone will be explored within the module and the implications for societal and cultural behaviour will also be discussed

This module is NOT intended for Food and Nutritional Sciences students, but students from this department can register for attendance on a 0-credit basis to further develop their interest in the subject.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 30%, Oral 30%, Project 40%

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Title:

Theories and Debates in Human Geography

Code:

GV1HGT

Convenor:

DR Eirini Saratsi

Summary:

This module provides students with an introduction to core academic debates and theories in contemporary human geography. It introduces students to key sub-disciplines within human geography including economic, social, environmental and political geography. The module also establishes foundation knowledge for students wishing to take more advanced human geography modules in Parts 2 and 3. The module is taught by a team of human geographers, each giving an introduction to their area of particular expertise. In this way, the module also serves as an introduction to the research interests of staff in the Department. Teaching is mainly delivered through a series of lectures and student-led learning is encouraged through carefully selected further reading.

Assessment Method:

Exam 75%, Assignment 25%

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Title:

Contemporary Issues in Human Geography

Code:

GV1CIG

Convenor:

DR Filippo Menga

Summary:

This module provides students with an appreciation of the geographical dimensions of contemporary global issues and events that are shaping the world around us. This appreciation works in two ways, by encouraging students to operationalise geographical concepts to better understand these issues, and by reflecting back on the nature of geographical research in the light of contemporary events. The module is taught by a team of active researchers in human geography, each of whom will use illustrations from their own work as the basis for the module.

Assessment Method:

Set exercise 50%, Report 50%

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Title:

The Economics of Climate Change

Code:

EC110

Convenor:

DR Stefania Lovo

Summary:

The module will offer an economic perspective on the causes and consequences of climate change. It will provide an introduction to key theoretical concepts, such as externalities and public goods, and to the policy tools available to devise adequate responses to climate change, such as command and control measures, taxation and subsidies. The module will also introduce national and international policy approaches in dealing with climate change and provide an overview of their implications for economic development.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 60%, Class test 40%

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Title:

Introduction to Economic Institutions and Policy

Code:

EC107

Convenor:

DR Maria Asensio

Summary:

This module provides an introduction to the key economic institutions in Britain and the nature of the policy process undertaken by the government. The module also covers the work of the main international institutions such as the IMF and World Bank and their role in alleviating world poverty.

Assessment Method:

Exam 60%, Set exercise 40%

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Title:

Global Sustainability: Challenges and Prospects

Code:

AP1A28

Convenor:

DR Nick Bardsley

Summary:

The world faces multiple ecological crises, including climate change, biodiversity loss and soil erosion. This module examines such challenges, their drivers, their relationship to other social and economic issues, and potential responses. 

Assessment Method:

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Title:

Introduction to Agricultural and Food Systems

Code:

AP1A02

Convenor:

Summary:

To achieve global food security we need to do more than produce more food. This module explains why and introduces you to the factors that influence food security around the world: how climate, people, and markets affect where food is produced, processed, and transported around the world; and how government policies are used to support the food system. You will also learn about the environmental impacts of food production, and the likely impacts of future climate change. This will help you to develop a better understanding of how agricultural and food systems need to change in the future.

Assessment Method:

Exam 60%, Assignment 20%, Class test 20%

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Title:

Research Methods for BSc International Development

Code:

AP2ID1

Convenor:

DR Jo Davies

Summary:

THIS MODULE IS FOR BSc INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT STUDENTS ONLY.

Understanding the lived experiences of people living in poverty is crucial when building policies and development initiatives that reflect the needs and priorities of the people they are designed to help.  You will explore the difference between qualitative and quantitative research methods and why these matter in development.  You will learn how to interpret statistical data and will gain experience in using interview techniques and observation in research.

Assessment Method:

Oral 50%, Class test 50%

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Title:

Approaches to International Development

Code:

AP2ID2

Convenor:

DR Andrew Ainslie

Summary:

How do development actors justify their role and their work? Our premise here is that all development interventions - whether policy or programmatic – ultimately rely on social and economic theory. You’ll learn where some seventy years of mainstream and more radical ideas about development spring from, how they’re connected to each other, and what authority they have in the world. Through reading, lectures, seminars and discussions, you’ll learn to recognise and debate key features of the contemporary intellectual architecture of development.

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Report 25%, Class test 25%

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Title:

Science, perversion, and dream in global fantastic literature

Code:

ML2GF

Convenor:

DR Alice Christensen

Summary:

This module will explore a number of key literary texts that engage the Fantastic mode of literary representation. The module aims to promote critical awareness of the ways in which French, Hispanic, Italian and German literary traditions adapted and transformed the Fantastic narrative so that it spoke to a number of specific issues such as the advances in science and technology, the changing roles of women, the pressures of modernisation, the impact of psychoanalysis, and fears related to changes brought about by colonisation, the political structure of the Nation-state, and the economy. Texts will be read in the original language if the student is taking that language to degree level, and in English translation if not.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

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Title:

Society, Thought, and Art in Modern Europe

Code:

ML2STA

Convenor:

DR Veronica Heath

Summary:

This module aims to provide students with a systematic historical and cross-national understanding of the key ideas, institutions and symbols that have come to constitute and represent modernity in Europe and, at the same time, new conceptions of Europe. The module examines the birth of modern men and women in Europe in the late eighteenth century and the broad intellectual, cultural, economic, political and social conditions which have been shaping and re-shaping them since. The module further shows a) the contributions of different European nations to a common European reaction to and re-evaluation of tradition and modernity; and b) the diffusion of modernity (Westernisation) from Europe to Asia and Africa and its role in the creation of a global world. Finally, it shows how art has played a leading role in the transformations of modernity; not only recording it but also constituting one of its central components.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 80%, Class test 20%

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Title:

Unity, Nationalism and Regionalism in Europe

Code:

ML2UNR

Convenor:

DR Athena Leoussi

Summary:

The aim of this module is to study how two ideas became two of the most important forces which shaped modern Europe from the 18th century to the present day. These were the idea of the nation and the idea of the European community. With this aim in mind, the module is divided into two thematic sections:

The first section explores the origins of the idea of the nation as it emerged as a revolutionary idea in Enlightenment Europe, remoulding states and peoples across Europe and the rest of the world. The section gives historical depth to current debates on nations and nationalism exploring the development of ideas about the nation, national identity, nationalism and the nation-state, through the study of classic and foundational texts such as Ernest Renan’s famous lecture at the Sorbonne of 1882, ‘What is a nation?’, Woodrow Wilson’s ‘Fourteen Points’ of 1918, and close examination of a variety of national movements in Europe, from the French Revolution of 1789, through the making of the first German nation-state, to the national revolutions of 1989 in communist Eastern Europe.

The second section engages, first, with public debates about European integration and the nature of European identity as these interact with the member states of the EU and with processes of globalisation; second, with challenges to established nation-states by the nationalisms of the European regions which have persisted into the 21st century (e.g., Catalan, Flemish, Scottish); and third with the relationship between majority, ruling nations and ethnic and national minorities in the 20th and 21st centuries. This section explores relations between ethnic and national majorities and minorities by using examples from Europe and the rest of the world.  

Assessment Method:

Assignment 60%, Oral 20%, Set exercise 20%

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Title:

Modern International Relations

Code:

PO2MIR

Convenor:

DR Joseph O' Mahoney

Summary:

This module provides an advanced analysis of the principal theoretical approaches to international politics, as well as coverage of a selection of major issues on the international stage, including globalisation, conflict, nuclear weapons and terrorism. 

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Assignment 45%, Set exercise 5%

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Title:

Politics of the Welfare State

Code:

PO2PWS

Convenor:

DR Brandon Beomseob Park

Summary:

The course is an introduction to the politics of welfare states in the developed economies of OECD countries with a particular focus on Western Europe. It focuses on the interaction between political and economic factors in explaining the emergence and evolution of welfare states and their various forms across countries. Students learn the major theoretical approaches in the study of the welfare state and apply them to contemporary debates about the welfare state as well as the politics of welfare state reform.

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Assignment 40%, Oral 10%

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Title:

Practice of Entrepreneurship

Code:

MM270

Convenor:

DR Norbert Morawetz

Summary:

This is a dynamic and experiential module aiming to give students a strong understanding of key dilemmas likely to be faced by first time entrepreneurs. The module develops student's entrepreneurial skill and confidence to put plans into action. Students gain understanding of the practice of entrepreneurship as informed by theory, role play and guest lectures. This will include exposure to the experience of successful entrepreneurs. Students are given a solid understanding of the realities of business start-up.

This module is delivered at the University of Reading and the University of Reading Malaysia

Assessment Method:

Assignment 65%, Oral 30%, Portfolio 5%

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Title:

Oppression, Inequality, and the Enemies of Democracy 2

Code:

PP2OID2

Convenor:

DR George Mason

Summary:

In this module you will consider the questions of oppression, inequality or democracy in more depth.  The course will build upon key philosophical arguments concerning the meaning and value of freedom, equality and democracy.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

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Title:

Literature, Language and Education

Code:

LS2LLE

Convenor:

MRS Suzanne Portch

Summary:

This module aims to provide students with an opportunity to apply their existing degree-based knowledge and learning and extend it within their chosen specialisation. 

Assessment Method:

Assignment 45%, Oral 10%, Report 45%

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Title:

Children’s books in France

Code:

FR2CHF

Convenor:

DR Sophie Heywood

Summary:

Some of our best-known children’s books are in fact French: Perrault’s fairy tales, Jules Verne’s 20,000 leagues under the sea or the adventures of Babar the Elephant to name but a few. However, many other texts that have shaped the lives and ideas of generations of French children remain virtually unknown to the English-speaking world. Who has heard of the comtesse de Ségur for example? Yet in France, she is a national icon. 
Without pretending to be exhaustive, this module introduces students to some of the important texts, authors and themes in the study of children’s literature in modern France.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 80%, Practical 20%

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Title:

The First World War: Then and Now

Code:

FR2FWW

Convenor:

DR Marjorie Gehrhardt

Summary:

This module aims to give students a clear understanding both of the French experience of the First World War and of the wider impact of the war on twentieth-century France. 

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

Title:

Intermediate French Language

Code:

FR2L2

Convenor:

DR Marine Orain

Summary:

This module is aimed at students who in Part 1 have successfully completed FR1L1 Beginners French Language. The course will build on the work done in the core language module at Part 1 and provide students with the necessary linguistic competence and proficiency for the Year Abroad. Students who successfully complete this module will have achieved level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).

Assessment Method:

Practical 80%, Oral 20%

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Title:

How to Think in French

Code:

FR2HTF

Convenor:

DR John McKeane

Summary:

It is sometimes said that as well as being a place, France represents a set of values and philosophies. Just some of these are secularism, the Republic, human rights, equality, freedom of debate, clarity of thought, universalism – but also hierarchy, rigidity, bureaucracy. 

This module provides an overview of how these ideas have developed since the 18th century, and how they affect culture and society in France today. It introduces students to the symbiotic relationship between these ideas and the French language. This will be studied in a range of landmark writers both traditional and contemporary, but also in broadly-varying modes of cultural production.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 70%, Class test 30%

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Title:

Advanced French Language I

Code:

FR2L3

Convenor:

MRS Celine Biart

Summary:

This module is aimed at students who in Part 1 have successfully completed FR1L2 Intermediate French Language and build on the work done in either of those modules. Students that achieve exceptional results in FR1L1 Beginners French Language might be considered for this module.  

Students who successfully complete this module will have achieved a level of competence in French comparable to level B1/B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference.

Assessment Method:

Practical 80%, Oral 20%

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Title:

Advanced French Language II

Code:

FR2L4

Convenor:

MRS Celine Biart

Summary:

This module is aimed at students who in Part 1 have successfully completed FR1L3 Advanced French Language I or FR1L2 Intermediate French Language. The course will build on the work done in the core language module at Part 1 and provide students with the necessary linguistic competence and proficiency for the Year Abroad. Students who successfully complete this module will have achieved level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).

Assessment Method:

Practical 80%, Oral 20%

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Title:

Corporate Social Responsibility Consultancy

Code:

GV2CSR

Convenor:

MR Jim Ormond

Summary:

This module introduces students to critical analyses of corporate social responsibility and environmental governance. The module encourages students to play the role of sustainability consultants, drawing on the module convenor’s extensive experience in this area. As such, students will gain employability and professional development skills alongside the more intellectual content of the module.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

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Title:

Analysing Social Data

Code:

GV2ASD

Convenor:

PROF Steve Musson

Summary:

I have met hundreds of students during my career who told me they 'couldn't do statistics'. This view was often based on a lack of confidence in their mathematical ability to follow through the technical steps required to complete a statistics test, and confusion over how to interpret statistical results. As a consequence, large numbers of students are switched off from using numerical data because they aren't sure they can handle it. This module takes a different approach to analysing social data. Rather than seeing data as a set of numbers that need to be subjected to complex mathematical processes, it sees such data as political and social ammunition. In this module, we will use social data to persuade, argue, illustrate and deceive. The emphasis will NOT be on developing your statistical ability. Instead, I want you to become a better informed, more confident and critical user of social data. I hope that these skills will be useful both in the remainder of your degree and in your life after university.

Assessment Method:

Set exercise 100%

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Title:

Nature, Society and Imaginaries of Degrowth

Code:

GV2NS

Convenor:

PROF Hilary Geoghegan

Summary:

This module will introduce the students in a variety of geographical approaches debating nature-society dialectics. It will consider key concepts, theoretical frameworks and practices relevant to the politics of nature and economic growth to critically evaluated interrelationships between socio-economic systems, environmental values and sustainable development.

Assessment Method:

Exam 70%, Oral 15%, Report 15%

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Title:

Global perspectives in Education

Code:

ED2BGP

Convenor:

MR David Kerr

Summary:

This module will enable students to understand the complex nature of education globally.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

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Title:

Economics 3

Code:

AP2EE4

Convenor:

DR Garth Holloway

Summary:

Build on the knowledge you developed in Economics 1 and 2. Learn about economic theory and how it applies to supply and demand, and to economic decision making by consumers and firms. Investigate how markets function and understand the mechanisms behind recent economic events, such as the world food price crisis and the financial crisis. Explore the role of public policy and market dynamics, i.e. how and when markets work or do not work. Learn via lectures and independent study, and a recommended online textbook; test your knowledge with formative multiple-choice questions.

Assessment Method:

Class test 100%

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Title:

Professional Practice Placement for International Development

Code:

AP2ID5

Convenor:

MS Rebecca Jerrome

Summary:

You’ll gain and apply a range of essential career planning skills, including developing your career action plan, CV, applications and professional networks, through a series of seminar sessions supported by a Careers Consultant. You’ll use your skills to apply for and undertake a short work experience placement (35 hours) related to development, and through this experience you'll develop your critical self-reflection abilities to help you get the most out of this professional development opportunity.

Assessment Method:

Portfolio 100%

Disclaimer: