University of Bradford

Bradford Centre for International Development

Awarding and teaching institution: / University of Bradford
Final award: / BSc (Honours) [English National Qualifications Framework level H]
Programme title: / Economics with French/Spanish/English (EFL)
Duration: / 3 years full time
UCAS code: / L1RC Economics with French
L1RK Economics With Spanish
L1QH Economics with English (EFL)
Subject benchmark statement: / Economics, Languages and Related Studies
Date produced: / April 2004: Updated: August 2004; July 2005

Bradford Centre for International Development (BCID) is a multidisciplinary department within the School of Social and International Studies. The Centre’s activities include undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, short training courses for development professionals, overseas-based consultancy, training and research. Teaching staff have academic backgrounds in branches of economics and other social sciences, but they share some common areas of interest, including international development, globalisation, the European Union, business finance, environmental and social impacts. All BCID courses have strong vocational and skill-based elements, and are intended to be relevant to contemporary life, occupations and events.

The Centre offers three joint BSc (Honours) degrees combining Economics with French, Spanish or English (EFL) offered by the highly-regarded department of Languages and European Studies. The Economics component provides a structured approach to the discipline that is informed by the Quality Assessment Agency for Higher Education (QAAHE) Benchmarking statement in Economics. In addition, you will acquire high-quality vocational language skills whilst learning more about the different contexts/societies/communities in which the language operates. The language component of the degree is informed by appropriate sections of the QAAHE benchmarking statement in Languages and Related Studies.

With reference to teaching and learning, the Centre aims to:

·  provide a supportive, structured environment in which students are encouraged to develop independent learning skills;

·  develop subject knowledge and understanding, and provide education in discipline skills to enable graduates to pursue further programmes of study or careers in areas where skills in Economics are required or desirable;

·  develop personal transferable skills to enable a significant proportion of graduates to pursue further programmes of study or careers in non-cognate fields.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes indicate what a graduate should know and understand, and be able to do, on successful completion of a degree, not only in terms of the academic subjects they have studied, but also in more general discipline skills and personal competences with broader relevance beyond a degree. At the end of your course, a graduate should have acquired:

·  Knowledge and understanding of the theories and concepts of economic principles and policy within both microeconomic and macroeconomic levels; relevant quantitative methods and analytical techniques; the applications of economics with respect to government policy and the performance of economies and a detailed knowledge and effective understanding of the written/oral discourse of the language studied.

·  Discipline skills including abstraction of essential features of complex systems; analysis, deduction and induction applied to assumption-based models; quantification and design of data and its effective organisation; framing of parameters in problems, the ability to communicate fluently, coherently and appropriately in written/spoken form in the chosen language.

·  Personal transferable skills in critical thinking, independent and group study experience, numerical and statistical techniques, IT skills, using written and electronic sources of information, effective communication and fluency in speech and writing, intercultural awareness, curriculum vitae preparation, finding employment and developing a career.

Course structure

The degrees consist of 360 credits, made up of core and optional course units. 120 credits are taken at each Stage. The economics and transferable skills core course units offered in Stage 1 are common to all the Honours degrees offered by BCID. Students will also study 20 credits of language in each semester (Professional Language Skills I and II). In Stage 2 joint honours students continue to study macro- and micro-economic theory, and in common with the single honours group, take two methods courses (Introductory Econometrics and Research Skills for Economists). Language Study continues with a further 20 credits in each semester (Professional Language Skills III and IV). In Stage 3, in addition to preparing a 8000-word dissertation, all students continue to study micro- and macro-economics, 10 credits per semester of language and a mix of options.

The list of course units illustrates the core and optional course units available in each academic period throughout a degree course. In addition to the options marked ‘O’ against each degree, students may choose 20 credits from other lists, subject to availability.

Unit Code / Course Unit Title /

Level

/ Semes-ter / Credits / Core/
Option / Core/
Option
FRENCH/
SPANISH / ENGLISH
ID-1011L / Principles of Economics (Microeconomics) / 1 / 1,2 / 20 / C+ / C+
ID-1012L / Principles of Economics (Macroeconomics) / 1 / 1,2 / 20 / C+ / C+
ID-1013M / Study Skills for Economists / 1 / 1 / 10 / C / C
LH-1002D / Professional Language Skills 1 (French and Spanish) / 1 / 1 / 20 / C
LH-1004D / Professional Language Skills 1 (EFL) / 1 / 1 / 20 / C
ID-1005M / Mathematics for Economists / 1 / 2 / 10 / C / C
ID-1008M / Statistics / 1 / 1 / 10 / C+ / C+
LH-1003D / Professional Language Skills 2 (French and Spanish) / 1 / 2 / 20 / C
LH-1005D / Professional Language Skills 2 (EFL) / 1 / 2 / 20 / C
ID-2105L / Microeconomic Theory / 2 / 1/2 / 20 / C++ / C++
ID-2106L / Macroeconomic Theory / 2 / 1/2 / 20 / C++ / C++
ID-2103D / Quantitative Economics I / 2 / 1 / 20 / O / O
ID-4104M / Financial Accounting / 2 / 1 / 10 / O / O
ID-4108M / International Monetary Economics / 2 / 2 / 10 / O / O
ID-8000M / Development Economics / 2 / 1 / 10 / O / O
LH-2004D / Professional Language Skills 3 (French and Spanish) / 2 / 1 / 20 / C
LH-2008D / Professional Language Skills 3 (EFL) / 2 / 1 / 20 / C
LH-2006M / Specialised Language Skills (Basic) / 2 / 1 / 10 / O
Lh-2010M / English Discourse: Theory and Practice (Basic) / 2 / 1 / 10 / O
ID-2104M / Research Skills for Economists / 2 / 2 / 10 / C / C
ID-4105M / Management Accounting / 2 / 2 / 10 / O / O
ID-4110M / Introductory Econometrics / 2 / 1 / 10 / C / C
ID-4113M / Industrial Organisation / 2 / 2 / 10 / O / O
ID-4117M / Economics of the Environment / 2 / 2 / 10 / O / O
ID-4118M / Political Economy of the Single European Market / 2 / 2 / 10 / O / O
ID-4121M / Marxist Political Economy / 2 / 2 / 10 / O / O
ID-4122M / The Radical Economic Tradition / 2 / 2 / 10 / O / O
LSS2000M / Career and Personal Development for Economists / 2 / 2 / 10 / O / O
LH-2005D / Professional Language Skills 4 (French and Spanish) / 2 / 2 / 20 / C
LH-2009D / Professional Language Skills 4 (EFL) / 2 / 2 / 20 / C
ID-4234K / Dissertation in Economics / 3 / 1/2 / 40 / C / C
ID-3104M / Topics in Microeconomics / 3 / 1 / 10 / C / C
ID-3105M / Topics in Macroeconomics / 3 / 1 / 10 / C / C
ID-4204M / Financial Accounting / 3 / 1 / 10 / O / O
ID-4207M / International Trade / 3 / 2 / 10 / O / O
ID-4216M / Economics of Crime and Punishment / 3 / 1 / 10 / O / O
ID-4247M / Investment Appraisal / 3 / 1 / 10 / O / O
LH-3007M / Professional Language Skills 5 (French and Spanish) (Intermediate) / 3 / 1 / 10 / C
LH-3012M / Professional Language Skills 5 EFL (Intermediate) / 3 / 1 / 10 / C
ID-3106M / Quantitative Economics II / 3 / 2 / 10 / O / O
ID4205M / Management Accounting / 3 / 2 / 10 / O / O
ID4206M / Financial Management / 3 / 2 / 10 / O / O
ID4217M / Economics of the Environment / 3 / 2 / 10 / O / O
ID-4218M / Political Economy of the Single European Market / 3 / 2 / 10 / O / O
ID-4219M / Economics of Labour / 3 / 2 / 10 / O / O
ID-4221M / Marxist Political Economy / 3 / 2 / 10 / O / O
ID-4222M / The Radical Economic Tradition / 3 / 2 / 10 / O / O
ID-4246M / Business Finance / 3 / 2 / 10 / O / O
LH-3009M / Professional Language Skills 6 (French and Spanish) (Intermediate) / 3 / 2 / 10 / C
LH-3014M / Professional Language Skills 6 EFL (Intermediate) / 3 / 2 / 10 / C

The curriculum may change, subject to the University's course approval, monitoring and review procedures.

Regulations for Progression

Detailed and definitive university regulations for progression are published on the web and apply to these courses. In addition to the standard regulations:

1. to progress to the Honours Degree course in Stage 2 students must achieve at least 40.0% in the individual Stage 1 units marked C+ in the above table; and

2. to progress to the Honours Degree course in Stage 3 students must achieve at least 40.0% in the individual Stage 2 units marked C++ in the above table.

Teaching, learning and assessment strategies

The strategy for learning within the Centre is to enable students to achieve their optimum level of competence and understanding at each Stage in order to be well prepared, and feel confident, to progress to higher levels of skill and knowledge. While lectures are the main teaching method a wide variety of other learning activities take place including: lectures with notes and supplementary reading, exercises, projects and workbooks, independent study and group work. Different assessment methods are employed to match the learning outcomes of each course unit, and to achieve an overall balance between examinations (unseen or open book), essays and other written work, oral presentations, problem solving exercises and group work. Practical seminars, including small-group interaction with a Target Language speaker, is used for the development of language skills. Aural skills are developed in specialised language laboratories. Assessment in language takes a number of forms as appropriate to the knowledge and skills being tested, including examinations, coursework, and oral presentations (individual/group).

The Stage 3 dissertation is a substantial piece of work that gives students the opportunity not only to increase their specialist subject knowledge, but also to demonstrate their ability to undertake independent study. Throughout the three-year course, students acquire skills that will be useful not only in Economics, but in whatever profession they choose to follow. These will be taught, practised and assessed.

Admission requirements

The undergraduate programme in Economics admits approximately 80 new undergraduates per year across all degrees. If you are offering any combination of GCE A/AS Levels, Vocational A/AS levels and Scottish Framework qualifications, our standard offer is 260 points. We would normally expect a grade C in the language for candidates applying for French or Spanish. This points total must include the scores from 2 GCE A levels (6-unit awards). Other than the language, there are no specific subject requirements and General Studies may be included within the overall points score. We welcome applications from mature students, particularly those with Access course qualifications. The main requirement is that mature students should be able to demonstrate a commitment to the subject and the course and appropriate learning and communication skills. We also welcome candidates with the appropriate Irish Highers or the European/ International Baccalaureate, together with a range of equivalent international qualifications. International students need to show competence in English to a high level, for example, IELTS with overall band score of 6.0.

Student support and guidance

We aim to help you become a confident and independent learner who is able to source information in the student handbook, course study guides, libraries and learning materials. However, interaction is also vitally important to successful learning. According to a recent successful TQA assessment in Economics, the Centre 'exudes friendliness and openness in staff-student relations'. It is also a truly international community, with nationals from about twenty countries represented in the student population at any one time. Each student is allocated a personal academic tutor who acts as a mentor and adviser. Personal tutors are able to arrange for appropriate specialist help from the wide range of experts across the University, as well as advise on any matter to do with their tutee’s work or welfare. Student representation in BCID is organised through the Staff Student Liaison Committees, chaired by an appointed academic staff member. The University infrastructure for student support and guidance is very strong, and includes the Student Advice Centre, Disabilities Office, Career Development Services, and the Health Centre. Welfare and social support also provided through the Student Union. For any students wishing to spend time abroad to improve their language skills, the Department of Languages and European Studies holds details of a variety of summer language courses in France and Spain. LES will also facilitate opportunities for students to make contact with target language speakers via tandem learning and extracurricular activities.

Learning resources

The Learning Support Services of the University of Bradford, comprising the Library , the Computer Centre and the Career Development Service, have been rated excellent in all recent TQA assessments. BCID supplements the resources available on campus with its own computer cluster for use by Masters, short course and Stage 3 undergraduate students. BCID Students also have access to the School of Management Library, and the Development Collection in the University Library, which consists of specialist materials relating to developing countries and international development. The University Library is a designated European Documentation Centre, one of only 45 in the UK, with a comprehensive coverage of EU information. The Language Resources Centre houses specialist audio-visual equipment and self-access materials.