Lancaster University

 

 

We run this combined degree programme because German Studies and Music are of strong interest to students and professionals both as independent subjects and in combination as music and (German) text. Furthermore, Austro-German music has been of central importance to the development of Western European Music, especially across the eighteenth to twentieth centuries, with Bach, Beethoven and Brahms, together with the ?First' (Haydn, Mozart) and Second Viennese Schools (Schoenberg, Berg, Webern).

 

            Such a subject combination can be very valuable for students considering a career in teaching, especially at secondary level, but the degree scheme also provides a foundation for many other careers within both English- and German-speaking contexts, such as music journalism, work within publishing, media, arts administration, communications, and so on.

 

            German Studies

 

            Major schemes of study in the department are based on the premise that the study of language and of     culture are equally indispensable to the discipline.                          These schemes of study aim to contribute incrementally, as students progress through each of the four           years, to their knowledge, understanding and skills in four areas:

           

i.                                 Use of the German language

ii.                               Explicit knowledge of language

iii.                              Knowledge of aspects of the cultures, communities and societies where German is used

iv.                             Intercultural awareness and understanding

             

            The year abroad can be seen as the key point at which language skills and cultural awareness become   integrated in terms of the individual student. It combines first-hand experience of German culture of the            language studied and intensive exposure to the language itself. It also aims to develop personal          independence and maturity.

             

            In general, the department's major degree programmes provide the opportunity to acquire social, cognitive         and linguistic skills, knowledge, interests and attitudes that enable graduates to compete successfully for       employment in a wide range of job markets. They also aim to produce a number of graduates who are      suited for further study and/or training in the subject and then work in schools, colleges and universities.

             

            Our over-riding aim is to produce graduates who:

 

i.                                 Are more clearly and reflectively aware of their own national identity, having encountered at first hand one             or more foreign cultures;

ii.                               Have gained greater critical awareness of cultural stereotypes and some understanding of cultural             differences, and are better equipped to represent the UK to foreigners, and foreigners to the UK;

iii.                              Have achieved a level of communicative performance (productive and receptive, oral and written) in one             or more foreign languages that enables them to demonstrate their intercultural awareness;

iv.                             Have achieved high levels of literacy and cognition, and are able to transfer their knowledge and thought             processes to a variety of professional contexts

             

            Music

 

            Music within LICA aims to offer a rounded education whilst also providing increased opportunities for specialization at levels 2 and 3. Staff research interests inform most modules, and the influence of research is particularly strong in third-level modules. Across Part II, combined students choose four Music units (two in Year 2 and two in Year 3/4). Two units must be chosen from the following selection: music techniques, musicology units, performance, composition or dissertation. For the other two units, students can select from any other modules, subject to the usual prerequisites. These modules currently include: music psychology, conducting, music education, music therapy, and arts administration. Performance opportunities are many and varied: orchestral, choral, chamber and solo recitals; students also learn from listening to professional concerts (Lancaster Concerts) and recitals given by their peers.

 

The overall teaching and learning aims of LICA are

 

i.                     to nurture independent thought through the staged delivery of coherent, integrated, progressive and up-to-date degree schemes;

ii.                   to create a challenging but supportive learning environment with a range of learning experiences and possibilities;

iii.                  to offer high quality teaching, informed by staff research, which helps students realize their creative and/or academic potential;

iv.                 to provide graduates with the skills, interests and attitudes needed to study for higher degrees or to compete successfully for employment in a wide range of job markets by equipping them with technical, personal and transferable skills in written and oral communication, collaboration, team-work and negotiation, self-directed learning, and creative problem-solving.

Intended Learning Outcomes

German Studies

Knowledge and understanding:

• Precise understanding of the modern spoken and written language studied, in its various styles and registers (e.g. colloquial, journalistic, literary etc.)
• General understanding of more specialised registers and usages of the contemporary language (e.g. business and commerce, academic, scientific).
• Extensive and detailed knowledge of the contemporary societies and cultures where the language is spoken, such as will inform and enhance its understanding, and the ability to engage in conversation and argument with educated native speakers.
• Knowledge and understanding of the major historical events and forces (social, political, intellectual) which have shaped those societies and cultures.
• Thorough knowledge and understanding of the grammar and syntax of the language, such as will inform correct and accurate expression, and enable one to explain them to others.

Intellectual skills

• Ability to express oneself fluently and correctly in both spoken and written language, conduct serious conversation, exchange ideas, put forward complex opinions and analyses, articulate arguments.
• Ability to paraphrase or translate quickly and accurately into and out of the language
• Capacity to further extend knowledge of the language through self-instruction and experience, so as to develop more precise understanding of and be able to use specialised registers and usages.
• Capacity to further extend knowledge and understanding of the societies and cultures where the language is spoken, through self-instruction and practical experience.
• Capacity to identify, respond sensitively to and reflect critically on cultural diversity in all its forms, including reappraising and developing  critical understanding of one's own culture.
• Research skills, including identifying sources of information, evaluating their quality, extracting relevant facts and ideas, being able to synthesize information from disparate sources and reach one's own, coherently expressed views.

Transferable practical skills

• Effective oral and written communication in professional contexts.
• Retrieval and critical analysis of data, regulations, concepts etc.
• Ability to extend knowledge and understanding to other fields through research and self-instruction
• Self-management, planning, motivation, adaptability and ability to work independently
• Team-working skills: ability to collaborate, contribute to, define goals and  organize group tasks.
• Interpersonal skills: listening, negotiation, persuasion, presentation.
• IT skills, including a high level of proficiency in electronic information retrieval.

Music

The learning outcomes in Music are both subject specific and general. The Part I modules MUSC101 and 102 provide a foundation for Part II. Essential learning outcomes are embodied in a number of compulsory modules, beyond which students are guided in choosing from a range of modules to create their own appropriate programme of study and associated learning outcomes. On successful completion of their studies, students on any of Music's degree schemes will have acquired and demonstrated:

Knowledge and Understanding:

i. A broad knowledge and understanding of a range of music repertories
ii. Detailed knowledge and expertise in selected parts of their discipline
iii. Depth of subject knowledge in repertory-based music case studies
iv.  A range of current musicological approaches
v.  A range of music analytical techniques
vi.  Practical and interpretative abilities in performance at post-Grade-8 standard or compositional practice
vii.  An optional specialist area in performance, or composition, or dissertation
 
Skills

i. Initial analytical, critical and listening skills through lectures and concerts
ii. Fundamental analytical and problem-solving skills appropriate to Western tonal music, both through formal assessment of notated music, and through pastiche composition
iii. Develop their critical and research skills in tandem with their knowledge and understanding of a specific music repertory
iv. A range of transferable skills such as analysing audio material, numeracy, carrying out research, making a presentation on their own work, participating in group discussions, reviewing peer progress, and communicating effectively
v. Develop studentship skills such as organization, ability to assimilate information or brief and produce work relating to aim of module
vi. Competency in the use of information technology, especially as related to resource discovery and presentation
vii.  Ability to work with a degree of independence, and to work with others with staff support Ability to work with greater independence (dissertations, recitals), and with others (student presentations, ensemble work) with staff support