University of St Andrews

Programme Specification for Master of Arts (Honours) Russian and Spanish with International Relations

Awarding institution:	University of St Andrews
Teaching institution:	University of St Andrews
Programme type:	Undergraduate (Major/Minor)
Programme title:	Russian - Spanish with International Relations
Faculty:	Faculty of Arts
Schools:	School of Modern Languages (ML) School of International Relations
Language of study:	English, Russian and Spanish
Programme length:	4 years
SCQF credit level:	Level 10
UCAS code:	RRT4
Contact details:	See the School of Modern Languages website at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/modlangs/home/ For further details about this programme contact modlangs-dot@st-andrews.ac.uk See the School of International Relations website at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/intrel/home/
Admissions criteria:	AAAA Highers AAA A-levels 38 IB points
Accreditation details:	None known
QAA benchmarks:	For general QAA information on academic infrastructure see http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/default.asp For subject specific benchmarking see http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/benchmark/statements/languages07.pdf http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/benchmark/statements/politics.asp
Date(s) of production:	June 2009
Date(s) of revision:
Authorised by:	Dr Jonathan Carson Dr Rick Fawn
Route code:	UAHFRSPWIRL

Educational aims of programme

This programme will involve study of Russian, Spanish and International Relations at an advanced, research-led level in which students will gain an understanding of how knowledge is created, advanced and renewed. The programme will encourage in all students a desire to pursue learning with curiosity, integrity, tolerance and intellectual rigour.

Programme outcomes / Graduate attributes

In the course of this programme students will develop programme-specific skills. On completing the programme students should be able to demonstrate the graduate attributes outlined below.

a) Intellectual skills and attributes

• Understand the nature and significance of politics as a global and human activity
• Apply concepts, theories and methods to analysing political ideas, institutions, practices and issues in the local, international and global arena
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of different political systems, their nature and the distribution of power in them; the social, economic, historical and cultural contexts within which they operate, and the relationships between these, including ongoing contemporary changes
• Evaluate different interpretations of political issues and events, locally and globally
• Demonstrate an understanding of the origins and evolution of international politics
• Gather, organise and deploy evidence, data and information from secondary and primary sources
• Identify, investigate, analyse, formulate and advocate solutions to problems
• Construct reasoned arguments, synthesise information and exercise critical judgement
• Recognise the importance of ethical approaches to work
• Reflect on own learning and seek and make use of constructive feedback
• Manage own learning self-critically
• Communicate effectively and fluently in speech and writing
• Use communication and information technology in a reflective and critical way to retrieve and present information, including statistical and numerical information
• Work independently, demonstrating initiative, self-organisation and time-management
• Ability to communicate in and comprehend both written and spoken Russian and Spanish at an advanced level
• Ability to construct a coherent argument or debate
• Ability to create a hypothesis and appreciation of how hypotheses relate to broader theories
• Ability to evaluate hypotheses, theories, methods and evidence within their proper contexts
• Ability to reason from the particular to the general
• Ability to solve complex problems by critical understanding, analysis and synthesis
• Academic integrity
• Capacity for close analysis of visual material and comparative analysis
• Capacity for close textual analysis and comparative analysis
• Clarity of expression
• Creativity and originality
• Curiosity and an enquiring mind
• Deductive reasoning
• Direct engagement with current research and developments in the subject
• Discipline specific technical abilities
• Engagement with both primary and secondary material and an appreciation of the differences between them
• Independence of thought
• Informatics
• Logical processing of information
• Qualitative methods of analysis
• Referencing
• Sophisticated use of a range of resources appropriate to the task at hand
• Understanding of Russian and Hispanic culture(s)
• Identification of goals
• Planning and strategy
• Taking responsibility
• Objectives orientation; focus on goals
• Adaptability in response to developments and feedback
• Delivery of outcomes to time and scale demands
• Self motivation and independence
• Self-reflection

b) Transferable skills

• Note taking
• Listening
• Oral presentations
• Rapport building
• Translation, interpreting and negotiation skills
• Audio-Visual presentations
• Web/electronic presentations
• Written material
• Team working
• Active engagement
• Collective responsibility
• Delegation
• Initiative
• Leadership

Teaching, Learning and Assessment strategies

The skills and graduate attributes listed above will be accomplished through delivery of the following teaching, learning and assessment strategies appropriate to the programme aims.

a) Teaching and Learning

Students will engage with independent and group study in a supportive framework of teaching and learning. The strategy is to use methods of teaching and assessment that will facilitate learning appropriate to the aims of the joint honours degree programme. The following methods will be employed where appropriate to the level of study and the particular content of each module in the programme.

(i) Russian and Spanish

• Autonomous learning groups
• Dissertation
• Independent study activities (supervised and unsupervised)
• Language learning (translation, linguistic and analytic competence)
• Lectures
• One-to-one discussion
• Period of residence in Russia, Spain or Spanish speaking country
  
• Practical work
• Presentations
  
• Project work
• Regular practice exercises
  
• Seminars
• Small group discussion tutorials
• Study at a partner University in Russia, Spain or Spanish speaking country
  
• Workshops

(ii) International Relations

• Weekly reading and analysis for tutorial group meetings
  
• Verbal contributions to structured discussions on assigned academic literature
  
• The preparation and verbal presentation of individual work at least once per module in each semester and respond to peer challenges to it
  
• The submission of researched, analytical and argumentative essays
  
• Revision of the module material in order to be able to complete successfully a written analytical examination

b) Material submitted for assessment

Assessment can be a blend of diagnostic work to determine student needs, formative work submitted for assessment and feedback (but not necessarily for academic credit) or summative work submitted for academic credit.

Continuous assessment

• Aural comprehension
• AV media presentations
• Class tests
  
• Commentaries
• Dictation
• Discourse analysis
• Essays, dissertations (short and long)
• Oral presentations

End of semester examinations

• Unseen written examination - standard end of module examinations (including for example, translation, grammar exercises, essays)
• Oral examinations

c) Learning and Teaching support

Students' scholarship skills (in, for example, academic writing, information gathering and academic conduct) will be supported and developed through this programme. The following will be available, where appropriate to the level of study and the particular content of each module in the programme.

• Access to specialist University support units
• Class handouts/handbooks
• Central access to Russian and Spanish television
  
• eLearning - web-based and via the virtual learning environment (VLE)
• Feedback on work submitted (in accordance with School and University policies)
• High number of contact hours
  
• Library support
• Multi-media centre
• School guidelines for good scholarship
• Office hours and staff availability
• Recommended reading lists and booklets (for the programme and specific modules and courses)
• Small group teaching

Programme structure

This is a four-year programme of study leading to the degree of Master of Arts (Honours). As with all St Andrews programmes, it is made up of credit bearing modules. Students must earn 480 credits over the duration of the programme, with 120 credits normally earned each academic year. Typically, the first two years of study include core modules specific to the programme as well as other modules chosen from a range of options (in some cases, including modules from a different Faculty). The remaining years offer advanced research-led learning through modules that provide a programme-specific curriculum.

For information about core and optional modules for each programme, please consult the Course Catalogue, which can be found at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/admissions/ug/Choosingyourdegree/Coursecatalogue/. This catalogue describes the detailed structure of the course and the contents of all the modules that can be included in the programme. Teaching, learning and assessment are progressive, with both the content and methods of delivery changing to suit the increasing level of complexity in the material, and independence of students, as they work through the programme.

Distinctive programme features

Distinctive features of this programme include:

a) School of Modern Languages (ML)

Teaching, learning and assessment of and in Russian and Spanish to a high level. Students can expect to have the opportunity to engage with a number of specialist topics including for example Russian and Spanish language, literature, culture, history, politics and film in both English, Russian and Spanish. All languages in the School require students to take the specialised Senior Honours modules specific to the languages.

b) School of International Relations

Rather than rote learning a set of terms, instead grappling with contending interpretations of the same events and processes occurring in international affairs.

Students can expect to have the opportunity to engage with a number of specialist topics including both thematic and regional issues. Examples of the former include human rights; the various impacts of globalization; forms of contemporary political violence and conflict and conflict prevention and resolution. Examples of regional concentrations include Africa; Central, East and South Asia; Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union and the Middle East.