Lancaster University

Educational aims

Spanish 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:

• Use of the Spanish language
• Explicit knowledge of language
• Knowledge of aspects of the cultures, communities and societies where Spanish is used
• 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 Spanish culture of the language studied and intensive exposure to the language itself. It also aims to develop personal independence and maturity.

In general, the departments 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:

• Are more clearly and reflectively aware of their own national identity, having encountered at first hand one or more foreign cultures;
• 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;
• 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;
• Have achieved high levels of literacy and cognition, and are able to transfer their knowledge and thought processes to a variety of professional contexts

Psychology

A necessary aim of the Lancaster degree programme is to provide knowledge of psychology that goes beyond the depth and breadth of the Qualifying Examination (QE) of the British Psychological Society (BPS). The accreditation of psychology degrees by the BPS is based upon a comparison of the degree scheme with the Societys QE syllabus (see Regulations and Reading Lists for the QE 2002. BPS: Leicester). This syllabus outlines necessary knowledge and skills in core areas of psychology. Degrees are accredited as providing the Graduate Basis for Registration (GBR) as a Chartered Psychologist and any student wishing to continue training as a Chartered Psychologist requires GBR.

Further Educational Aims:

  To give students the opportunity to develop the necessary academic and practical skills to allow them to progress to postgraduate study in psychology.

  To encourage students to adopt a critical approach to the subject of psychology.

  To enable students to appreciate the wider context of their specialist knowledge and methodology and the potential applications of their knowledge and skills in their future employment.

  To encourage the development of transferable skills including the ability to learn independently, understand complex problems and communicate what has been learned to others .

Intended Learning Outcomes

Spanish Studies

Knowledge and Understanding

By the end of the final year

• Students should be able to follow a serious debate or speech in the spoken media and communicate the gist of it; construct sophisticated arguments without a script; express cogent opinions on their own society, that of Spain, and global issues, and articulate arguments and/or analyses in Spanish
• Students should be able to translate advanced passages of Spanish into an appropriate idiom
• Students should have a sufficient awareness of aspects of the culture of Spanish speaking countries to be able to discuss these with educated Spanish speakers, and to derive pleasure from making connections between language, history, society and culture
• Students should have gained in self awareness and sensitivity to diversity in people and cultures, and be more able to apply knowledge of Spanish speaking culture in a professional context, and have gained some ability to reappraise their knowledge of British history and culture in the light of experience of Spanish culture

The intended learning outcomes of the year abroad are to

• Enhance students level of proficiency in Spanish and their independence, self-awareness and capacity for decision-making;
• Depending on the nature of the placement(s), to develop students capacity for independent study and/or to acquire professional skills, including for many students the special responsibility of language teaching;
• Increase their powers of observation and insight into cultural difference;
• Extend their knowledge of the history, culture and outlook of Spanish speaking country(ies);
• Reinforce their ability to handle unfamiliar situations in a foreign language

Skills

High importance is given at all levels to the development of knowledge and skills (including interpersonal skills) which are transferable from an academic to a professional context:

• Improving self-management: planning, motivation, initiative, self-reliance, adaptability and ability to work independently;
• Developing team-working skills and the ability to work well under pressure and to tight deadlines;
• Developing an appetite for learning (reflective, adaptive and collaborative);
• Improving interpersonal skills: listening, negotiating, persuasion and presentation;
• Communicating effectively, including the use of electronic media, in professional contexts;
• Learning to transfer linguistic and analytical skills to non-academic spheres of employment in the UK and abroad.

Psychology

Knowledge and Understanding

• Concepts and research methods in Cognitive Psychology.
• The theory, methods and key empirical findings of Physiological Psychology.
• An advanced understanding of some of the key topics in Clinical and Cognitive Neuropsychology.
• Theory and research in a number of core areas of Social Psychology.
• Current theoretical issues and research findings in Developmental Psychology.
• An awareness of key Conceptual issues in psychology and the history of psychology.
• Basic techniques of psychological research methodology and the statistical analysis of data collected in psychological research.

Intellectual Skills able to:

• Obtain, synthesise and critically evaluate information.
• Interpret and evaluate psychological reports.
• Analyse and interpret psychological data using a range of techniques.
• Plan, conduct, analyse and report a substantial investigation.
• Apply psychological principles and methodologies to seek the solution of problems.

Practical skills able to:

• Use appropriate statistical packages to analyse data collected in psychological investigations.
• Report investigations in conventional professional formats.
• Use appropriate computer packages and other equipment for the control of Psychological investigations.
• Retrieve information from bibliographic sources.

Transferable skills able to:

          Use information technology to present reports.

          Use information technology to find relevant information.

          Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills

          Design and prepare projects

          Work independently or as part of a team developing skills of group participation.

          Assess the relevance and importance of the ideas of others.

          Manage time effectively and work to deadlines.