Fundamentals of Study: Learning through the Global City
Module outline
Approaches to Study
This course develops your study and communication skills before taking a subject-based course. Drawing on a range of academic and other resources, you will try out fresh approaches to learning, and debate new ideas and concepts relevant to the study of arts, humanities, business and social sciences.
Approaches to Study or Approaches to Study with English Language Support
This course covers the same study techniques and content as the Approaches to Study course, but it has been specially designed for students whose first language is not English. You take this course first, to develop your academic study skills before taking a subject-based course, and you will also be given additional guidance on how to develop your oral and written English skills.
Aims
- Enable students to develop effective approaches to study through the acquisition of a range of oral, written, visual, analytical and team working skills.
- Introduce students to some contemporary concepts, debates and perspectives that are relevant to their studies.
- Provide both native and non-native speakers of English with the opportunity to improve their English language skills to enable them to participate more fully in their academic life in the UK
- Promote study about the English language and active involvement in speaking and writing in English
Learning Outcomes
- Communicate more effectively and confidently in English in an academic context.
- Use time management strategies to enable them to effectively balance the demands of study with other aspects of their lives.
- Identify their own learning experiences, reflect on these and develop strategies to further enhance their learning.
- Identify the impact of factors such as “race”, class, gender, sexuality, disability and age on their own and others’ experiences of learning, having considered the validity of such terms in the contemporary world.
- Recognise and employ the skills necessary to complete written assignments, undertake oral presentations, and prepare for and complete written tasks under timed conditions.
- Independently – and as part of a team- collect and analyse information from a variety of sources {including the internet) and represent the findings in oral and written forms.
- Recognise the benefits of working in groups and employ strategies to increase their individual effectiveness when working in group contexts.
- Critically analyse, debate and evaluate differing perspectives on relevant topics and produce structured arguments in written and oral form.
Syllabus
Academic writing
Reading effectively
Research
Presentations
General study skills
Timetables
Indicative timetables can be found in the handbooks available on programme pages. Personalised teaching timetables for students are available via My Birkbeck.
Coursework
Written assignments and presentation
Recommended reading
Cottrell, S., (2008) Study Skills Handbook, 3rd or 4th Edition. Hampshire. Palgrave Macmillan. (This will be a useful study skills book for this module as well as for other modules on this course).
Oshima, A. & Hogue, A. Writing Academic English (+ separate answer key), Pearson Longman, 2006 (4th ed)