Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Postgraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2021-2022 (archived)

Module MELA46015: Work Placement

Department: Modern Languages and Cultures

MELA46015: Work Placement

Type Tied Level 4 Credits 15 Availability Available in 2021/22 Module Cap None.
Tied to R9T207

Prerequisites

  • None

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • None

Aims

  • To provide the opportunity for students to take control of their own learning experience in a professional environment.
  • To provide the opportunity to plan and experience a bespoke programme of study which will meet specified objectives agreed with the module coordinator (e.g. to work as part of a professional team; to engage with practical issues of administration and business planning; to work as a support to an experienced team).
  • To provide the opportunity of learning through a work placement, either in the UK or abroad, in agreement with the University regulations, acquiring skills from practitioners in a professional environment

Content

  • This module provides the framework for an optional national or international placement. Students will be required to organise their work placement proactively in consultation with the work placement officer in the Careers Office. The process is accompanied – in a merely supervisory function – by the module coordinator. The arrangements which the student proactively makes have to be in place by the end of term 1, when the Director of PG Studies signs off on them.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • By the end of this module students should be able to demonstrate:
  • organizational and time management skills;
  • the ability to work as part of a team;
  • the ability to evaluate personal achievements in relation to self-imposed targets;
  • the ability to learn from practitioners in real-world settings.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • By the end of this module students will:
  • acquire an exact understanding of the business processes in their area of choice.
  • develop an essential understanding of current practices in their area of choice.
Key Skills:
  • By the end of this module students will acquire a capacity:
  • to work under time constraints;
  • to communicate effectively when working in a team;
  • to work towards respecting a deadline;
  • to set up personal development plan to reflect on personal performance;
  • to set a task that can be completed;
  • the ability to work in a team

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • The module consists of a minimum of 140 working hours of work placement (4 weeks full-time or 8 weeks part-time).
  • The module will be assessed by means of a final reflective report (3,000 words) produced at (or towards) the end of the placement.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Seminars 2 2 hours 4
Workshop 1 2 hours 2
Consultation 1 1 hour 1
Work Placement 143
TOTAL 150

Summative Assessment

Component: Essay Component Weighting: 100%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Essay 3000 words 100% Yes

Formative Assessment:

Formative assessment will take place throughout the course, and feedback will be provided on presentations and class discussion.


Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University