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HUM2000 - Humanities in the Workplace

2012/3 Module description

Staff	Dr Paul Young - Convenor
Credit Value	30
ECTS Value	15
NQF Level	6
Pre-requisites	No module pre requisites, a satisfactory interview with the Work Placement coordinator and Module leader is required.
Co-requisites	None
Duration of Module	Term 3: 11 weeks;

Module description

This module will permit students to study on one or two subject-related placements, totalling at least 80 hours. The module will allow you to develop an understanding of how the skills and knowledge acquired as part of a Humanities degree are applicable to the workplace and to extend relevant work-based skills and knowledge in a reflective way. The module provides an opportunity for you to develop an understanding of a business or work environment through practical work and to gain experience in the use of technologies and applications commonly used in organisations.

Module aims

Workshops: all students are required to take a series of workshops, co-ordinated by the Module Leader and Work Placement Co-ordinator, with support from the Employability & Graduate Development Service, on getting started, CV writing, the interview experience, applications and letter-writing, corporate and commercial awareness and managing expectations. These will take the shape of a two-day intensive workshop followed by two follow-up workshops of 2 hours each. One-to-one consultations: all students will have one-to-one consultations with the Humanities Work Placement Co-ordinator, in which an appropriate placement will be discussed. All students will also have the opportunity of scheduled consultations with a discipline-based supervisor, and the option of a feedback session with a Careers Advisor. Seminars: all students will participate in a series of 11 x 1 hour seminars led by a module tutor, with involvement from other members of academic staff from across the College of Humanities. These sessions will enable students to understand employment-related issues from the perspective of a range of theoretical and disciplinary perspectives. Independent work experience and study: with the assistance of the Humanities Work Placement Co-ordinator, students will be required to organise their own placements, including preparing appropriate CVs and cover letters, and to navigate successfully interviews and employment tests. They will work for at least 80 hours in an agreed professional setting and will reflect on that experience within the context of the module's assessment. It is the responsibility of the student to keep the Module Leader informed of progress in the workplace and of problems that have arisen.

ILO: Module-specific skills

• 1. demonstrate an ability to reflect critically on practical experiences gained, and the impact they may have on his/her views and actions;
• 2. establish connections between the skills acquired as part of a degree in the Humanities and the skills required in the workplace;
• 3. demonstrate a critical understanding of the social, cultural and political considerations which influence employment settings, using appropriate discipline-specific theoretical perspectives to analyse those settings;
• 4. produce job applications that represent the students' strengths and target specific employers in an appropriate manner;

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

• 5. their skills in the research, selection and evaluation of specific jobs and the structural context of those jobs;
• 6. demonstrate their ability to use appropriate discipline-specific critical approaches to evaluate the social and cultural and political aspects of an employment setting;
• 7. demonstrate an ability to communicate (in writing and in speech) in a manner appropriate to the particular workplace context;
• 8. demonstrate the ability to critically analyse and reflect upon the communicative practices (textual and verbal) used in the workplace;

ILO: Personal and key skills

• 9. develop / enhance practical work-based skills and experience;
• 10. negotiate the different types of working relationships with staff within the workplace, and others - directly or indirectly - relevant to the placement;
• 11. demonstrate the ability to identify and reflect on personal challenges and to learn from their resolution;
• 12. demonstrate the ability to use a range of technologies and applications relevant to most work places.

Syllabus plan

The module will start in Term 3 of Year 1.

The schedule for this term will include:

• 2-day workshop: Getting started, CV writing, Interview experience, applications and letter-writing

• Follow-up workshop 1: Corporate and Commercial Awareness

• Follow-up workshop 2: Managing expectations

• Consultation with Work Placement Co-ordinator and Module Leader

The schedule for Year 2 will include:

• 11 x 1 hour interdisciplinary seminars

• Consultations with Module Leader and discipline-based supervisors

• Submission of assessment

Work experience can take place at various points in the year, in one or two blocks or continuously (with a maximum 15h/week during term time). The module is designed to enable the work placement(s) to take place at any point between the last workshop and the assessment.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
31	189	80

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled	16	workshops
Scheduled	11	seminars
Scheduled	2	workshop on presentation skills
Scheduled	2	feedback
Placement	80	work experience
Guided independent	189	research, reading and essay preparation

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
60%		40%

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Research report	30%	2000 words	1-3, 6-11	Feedback sheet with opportunity for tutorial follow-up.
Essay	30%	2000 words	1-3, 6-11	Feedback sheet with opportunity for tutorial follow-up.
Oral presentation	40%	15 minutes	1-3, 6-8, 10-12	Feedback sheet with opportunity for tutorial follow-up.

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
Research report	Research Report	1-3, 6-11	Referral/deferral period
Essay	Essay	1-3, 6-11	Referral/deferral period
Oral Presentation	Oral presentation	1-3, 6-8, 10-12	Referral/deferral period

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

To be provided in consultation with the Module Leader regarding the specific placement.

Module has an active ELE page?

Yes

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

Preparatory materials provided as part of the workshops, including guidance on writing a CV, application letters and an occupational profile. Facilities available in the Employability and Graduate Development Service in Reed Mews. Discipline-based supervisors will provide bibliographical guidance.

Available as distance learning?

No

Origin date

01/10/2011

Last revision date

26/02/2012

Key words search

Work, experience, placement, humanities