General structure of the degree

 

1. Teaching Structure

This section details the structure of the syllabus. The syllabus is organised according to a structure of modules and courses. The modules and courses proposed are coherent with the general objectives and guarantee the acquisition of the competences of the degree. In order to adapt the map of degrees to the demand, it was decided to propose a joint action plan that would comply with the recommendations of the Dictamen de Parlamento de Andalucía on the Andalusian university system of 2001, the agreements of the Academic Commission of the CAU and the Governing Council of the University of Cadiz. With this objective in mind, a joint planning of the teaching in the Faculty has been articulated, which implies the existence of a first year of common contents almost in its entirety for the philological type degrees. In addition, and following the structure approved by the Andalusian Commission for Philology, these degrees share twelve credits of modern language in the compulsory courses, as well as a single credit assigned to the end-of-degree project in the different degrees (six credits). In accordance with the guidelines set out in Real Decreto 1393/2007 of 29 October, the first year of student enrolment consists of basic branch courses, most of which are common to all degrees with philological roots. Of these courses, five have been established at Andalusian level (Language, Linguistics, Literature, Modern Language, Classical Language) and are distributed in a total of 36 credits. The Andalusian commission for philologies decided that the distribution of the remaining 24 credits to complete the 60 credits of basic branch courses should be left to the discretion of each university. In this sense, the Faculty Board of the Faculty of Philosophy and Arts of the University of Cadiz, in an extraordinary session held on 3 February 2009, agreed to reserve twelve of these 24 credits to try to complete the transversal training of the student, while the other twelve credits were assigned to each of the degrees in order to introduce introductory courses to more specific contents of the degrees. This distribution responds to the philosophy expressed in the aforementioned Real Decreto in the sense that the 60 credits of basic branch courses will be automatically recognised for Bachelor’s degrees in the same branch of knowledge. In addition (except in exceptional cases), the centre has placed all the basic branch courses in the student’s first year of enrolment, thus facilitating the change of enrolment and degree in the second year when appropriate. In this way, a student can enrol in the first year of any degree and change degree after that year without having to take first-year contents; instead, he/she would go directly to the second year of the new degree chosen.

 

1.1. Distribution of the syllabus in ECTS credits, by course type.

 

The Graduate Degree in Linguistics and Applied Languages is structured in such a way that full-time students must take 240 ECTS credits over four years, in accordance with the provisions of Real Decreto 1393/2007. This total includes 60 credits corresponding to basic training courses, the rest being distributed among compulsory courses, optional courses, external placements and the final degree project, as indicated in the following table:

 

 

 

 

• Includes 6 credits of the “Practicum” course which may consist, alternatively, of:
• the performance of Professional internships in companies or institutions,
• recognition for Erasmus, Socrates or equivalent placements in the countries of the languages studied in the course, this does not limit the possibility of recognition of optional and compulsory credits when their contents are close to those of courses taken and passed during the stay.
• the holding of a workshop/seminar (“Linguistic research techniques”).

 

 

 Students will be able to configure their study plan by taking all the basic training courses (60 credits) and compulsory courses that make up the core of the degree (114 credits, plus 6 credits for the final degree project). All students will also take a 6-credit professional integration activity, which may consist of 1) an internship in companies or institutions 2) an Erasmus, Socrates or equivalent stay in the country of the languages studied in the degree programme, or 3) in a set of Seminar activities. These contents are in line with what has been established by the Andalusian Council of Universities to define the proposed degree, and have the backing of the social agents represented in the plenary session of this coordinating body of the Andalusian University System.

Taking into account their interests, and with the necessary advice from the guidance system of the Centre, the student studying this Degree at the University of Cadiz must complete 60 optional credits according to the following options: taking complementary courses of specific contents of the degree and modules oriented towards a specific curricular profile, or taking courses or training activities authorised by the Governing Council of the University; either from among those included in other degrees, or specifically created and oriented towards their comprehensive training. In any case, students may request the recognition of up to 6 credits for university activities: cultural, sporting, student representation, solidarity and cooperation.

Without entering into contradiction with what is expressed in the previous paragraph and in order to allow training in the specific itineraries of the Degree in Linguistics and Applied Languages, the elective credits for students are distributed in 1) 12 credits that extend the compulsory module of Linguistic Theory and Language Technologies, which, by agreement of the Andalusian Commission for Philology, originally had 12 credits, although by agreement of the National Network 24 credits were assigned to this module, which will allow greater recognition of the credit transfer system at national level, and 2) the remaining 18 credits, devoted to courses related to discourse and conversation analysis, the theory and practice of general and specific translation and the various fields of action of applied linguistics, make up the Applied and Discourse Linguistics module, which broadens the compulsory training and lays the foundations for the two proposed pathways. For their part, the optional courses offered by the centre aim to delimit the appropriate training for the two graduate profiles or itineraries approved by the Commission of the Degree in Linguistics and Applied Languages. These pathways are among those recognised by the Libro Blanco on the Degree in Studies in the field of Language, Literature, Culture and Civilisation approved by ANECA and are made up of courses that provide competences in relation to the field of linguistic communication and counselling, on the one hand, and the evaluation and treatment of language and languages, on the other. Thus, students can take the optional courses (30 credits) in the following way:

 

1. By taking the optional courses that make up the modules of one of the two itineraries foreseen in the syllabus.
2. By taking 4 optional courses from those that make up the modules of one of the two itineraries foreseen in the syllabus and the recognition of up to 6 credits for:

• external placements, up to a maximum of 6 credits, in addition to those that may be compulsory.
• taking courses, courses and workshops aimed at the acquisition of transversal competences, offered by the University, and which are appropriate to the degree: Languages, IT, Entrepreneurship, as determined by the Governing Council.
• taking courses and activities aimed at the integral training of the student, offered by the University, according to the list to be determined and updated by the Governing Council, and chosen in such a way as to complement those specific to the degree programme.
• recognition of credits for participation in activities contemplated in art. 12.8 of RD 1393/2007 [Following art. 46.2.i of Ley Orgánica 6/2001, of 21 December, on Universities, according to which students may obtain academic recognition in credits for participation in university cultural, sporting, student representation, solidarity and cooperation activities.

The aim of this proposal is to provide a better response to the social and vocational demands of students, in accordance with the provisions of Art. 56.3 of the Andalusian Law on Universities. The Governing Council, in view of the proposals made by the Centre, will be responsible for determining the contents that may broaden the specific elective offer of the degree.

 

The course ‘Practicum’ is compulsory and may be taken for 6 credits in the fourth year. Internships will be offered in accordance with the signing of the appropriate agreements with companies and administrations. Students will be awarded 6 compulsory credits for the Internship. The Faculty will organise and evaluate external placements so that they are a real learning space and an introduction for students to the professional world. Likewise, in order to guarantee students’ training, these credits may be recognised for Erasmus, Socrates or similar placements in the countries of the languages studied in the degree, without this limiting the possibility of recognising optional and compulsory credits when they are similar in content to those studied and passed during the placement. For the student, this means putting into practice, for at least one semester, the language and linguistic skills acquired in the Degree. In this sense, from the point of view of the usefulness and viability of this internship possibility, the Area of General Linguistics has different agreements with companies and institutions, directly related to the contents and, above all, to the professional profiles of its future graduates, so that its students can successfully carry out these external internships:

 

1. Framework collaboration agreement between the University of Cadiz (Area of General Linguistics) and EMPIEL (29 October 2007).
2. Specific collaboration agreement between the Area of General Linguistics of the University of Cadiz and EMPIEL (30 May 2008).
3. Addendum to the specific collaboration agreement between the Area of General Linguistics of the University of Cadiz and EMPIEL. Specific collaboration agreement between the Area of General Linguistics of the University of Cadiz, EMPIEL and MOVEX (Fundación Centro Tecnológico de la Piel) (23 April 2009).

 

Finally, for those students who have not had the possibility of recognising these credits, a practical workshop on Linguistic Research Techniques is also offered.

 

In order to be able to register for the final degree project, students must have passed 60 credits of basic training and 114 of compulsory training. Students must complete and present a dissertation in which they demonstrate the skills associated with the degree and which they have acquired over the years of study. The tutoring of this work will be in charge of the teaching staff of the University of Cadiz involved in the teaching of the degree in Linguistics and Applied Languages.

 

Mobility programmes (Erasmus, Socrates, etc.) are optional and highly recommended. They will be offered to a large number of students, which the Faculty will maintain and, as far as possible, increase year after year throughout the implementation of the syllabus in accordance with the signing of the appropriate agreements with universities around the world. Every year an information session will be held for all first year students on the interest and conditions of the mobility programmes (further information on mobility is given in point 2).

 

1.2. General explanation of the planning of the syllabus.

 

This section contains a description of the modules and courses of which the syllabus is made up, as well as their timetable.

 

1.2.1. Description of the modules and courses that make up the plan.

 

The syllabus for the Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics and Applied Languages is made up of the following modules:

 

LIST OF MODULES/courses IN THE SYLLABUS.

 

The present Report sets out the commitment to teach the Modules and courses indicated, which will be articulated at all times by means of the courses determined by the Governing Council of the University of Cadiz.

 

COURSES OF THE BASIC COURSES OF THE DEGREE

 

The courses that form part of the basic courses of the degree are listed below. The following table contains the name and ECTS of the courses that form part of each of the basic courses of the degree (M1).

 

 

Table 1.1. courses belonging to the Basic Training course MODERN LANGUAGE I

 

 

Title of course: MODERN LANGUAGE I

ECTS: 12

Type of course: Basic Training

courses that compose it (to choose two courses corresponding to a single language among those offered by the Centre).

 

Table 2.2. courses belonging to the Basic Training course area LITERATURE

Title of course: LITERATURE

ECTS: 6

Type of course: Basic Training

courses that compose it

 

Table 3.3. courses belonging to the Basic Training course area LINGUISTICS

Title of course: LINGUISTICS

ECTS: 6

Type of course: Basic Training

courses that compose it

 

Table 4.4. courses belonging to the Basic Training course area LANGUAGE

Title of course: LANGUAGE

ECTS: 6

Type of course: Basic Training

courses that compose it

 

Table 5.5. courses belonging to the Basic Training course area CLASSICAL LANGUAGE

Title of course: CLASSICAL LANGUAGE 

ECTS: 6

Type of course: Basic Training

courses that compose it

 

Table 6.6. courses belonging to the Basic Training course area COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Title of course: COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT 

ECTS: 6

Type of course: Basic Training

courses that compose it

 

Table 7.7. courses belonging to the Basic Training course area CRITICAL THINKING, DISCOURSE AND ARGUMENTATION

Title of course: CRITICAL THINKING, DISCOURSE AND ARGUMENTATION

ECTS: 6

Type of course: Basic Training

courses that compose it

 

Table 8.8. courses belonging to the Basic Training course area LINGUISTIC APPLICATIONS

Title of course: LINGUISTIC APPLICATIONS

ECTS: 6

Type of course: Basic Training

courses that compose it

 

Table 9.9. courses belonging to the Basic Training course area WORLD LANGUAGES

Title of course: WORLD LANGUAGES

ECTS: 6

Type of course: Basic Training

courses that compose it

 

1.2.2. Temporal sequencing of the syllabus.

 

The distribution of the subject into courses and semesters reflects the organisation of the offer by the centre, but it is of an orientative nature for the student, who may take these credits at the time he/she deems appropriate and with the distribution he/she wishes, but always subject to the general limitations imposed by the University and those contemplated in this report.

 

In view of the above, the proposed teaching schedule is as follows:

 

PLANNING THE DELIVERY OF SUBJECTS/COURSES

 

 

ELECTIVE ITINERARY

 

 

 

 

1.3. Degree coordination mechanisms.

 

As a whole, the proposed modules constitute a coherent and feasible proposal, guaranteeing the acquisition of the degree’s competences. In order to achieve the development of the competences proposed within the framework of the EHEA, various teaching-learning activities will be developed, including: theoretical class, practical class, practical-theoretical class, theoretical-practical class, debate, exhibition, seminar, specialised individual tutoring, specialised group tutoring and non-face-to-face activities. To this end, regular meetings will be held between the degree coordinator and the teaching team in order to permanently ensure horizontal (within an academic year) and vertical (throughout the different academic years) coordination of the subjects involved in the degree, in terms of the design, type and relationship of the activities designed. The assessment systems will also be extended to include, in addition to the final exam, student participation in face-to-face activities, as well as the preparation and/or presentation of work supervised by the lecturer.