International Foundation Certificate in Social Sciences

Course

In London

Price on request

Description

  • Type

    Course

  • Location

    London

  • Duration

    1 Year

  • Start date

    Different dates available

This one-year programme gives you the opportunity to develop your English language, become familiar with UK academic culture, and prepare to study for a BA degree in a related field. The International Foundation Certificate (IFC) programme is aimed at undergraduate students who need a year to: develop or consolidate their language skills in academic English. undertake preliminary study in the subject areas they would like to study at BA level. familiarise themselves both with ways of working in British academic culture and in the standards required at undergraduate degree level. It is useful for students who may not have a clear idea of exactly which subject they want to study. The programme enables you to attend lectures or choose modules in which you have a broad general interest and, with the help of the tutorial support, clarify your future area of study. Two core modules concentrate on different areas of language development: Academic Writing. Reading. Listening. Speaking. A further module integrates interdisciplinary content with language and study skills development. Finally, you will select two option modules offered by various academic departments across Goldsmiths, including the Departments of Politics, Anthropology, Sociology, Educational Studies and History. The option modules will give you a taste of undergraduate study at Goldsmiths. You will have a personal tutor, who you meet in small groups or on a one-to-one basis to discuss progress on the course, general approaches to study, and ways of maximising language learning. Tutors will also support you in finalising your plans for future study. You are encouraged throughout the programme to work independently and in particular to use the resources available in the Goldsmiths Library. Guaranteed progression If you pass the programme at the required level (a pass in all modules with

Facilities

Location

Start date

London
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New Cross, SE14 6NW

Start date

Different dates availableEnrolment now open

About this course

We also accept a wide range of international qualifications. around the world. If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score of 5.0 with 5.0 in writing to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for degree-level study. Additional RequirementsEntry requirements for the International

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Subjects

  • Media
  • Art
  • Camera
  • Cultural Studies
  • English Language
  • Politics
  • IT
  • Sociology
  • English
  • Economics
  • International
  • Writing

Course programme

What you'll study Overview The programme is made up of the following modules: English for Academic Purposes (2 x 30 credits). Interdisciplinary module – choose one of two offered (30 credits). Option modules – choose two modules offered by academic departments (2 x 15 credits). English for Academic Purposes modules (30 credits each) Students on all IFC Pathways take both of these core modules, designed to develop your ability and confidence in the four key areas of writing, reading, listening and speaking. English for Academic Purposes modules Module title Credits. Academic Reading and Writing Academic Reading and Writing 30 credits The course covers the key aspects of writing an essay. These include features of academic style, the planning process, structuring an argument, summarising, paraphrasing techniques, referencing, avoiding plagiarism, and drafting and editing. Emphasis is given to the logic underlying Western academic writing conventions, rather than simply looking at the procedural aspects. This is supported by work on the main areas of English grammar, with a particular focus on improving grammatical range and accuracy in students’ writing. Reading skills are also developed. Textual analysis enables students to learn about cohesion, extend their vocabulary, read for gist and specific information, infer meaning, as well as develop summary skills. The texts generally focus on a background to Western thought and culture, taking into account ancient Greeks and Romans, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and the influence of modernity, feminism and Marxism. There is an emphasis on how to use reading in writing: to learn from other writers’ style and using their points as evidence for students’ arguments. 30 credits. Academic Listening and Speaking Academic Listening and Speaking 30 credits To enhance listening skills, the course makes use of a wide range of texts, drawing firstly on commercially produced EAP materials to help students acquire the skills of listening for gist and specific information and taking useful notes. Later, the course moves on recordings from Goldsmiths library as well as BBC radio shows. Students are exposed to a range of challenging and interesting recordings related to the arts, current affairs, media, education and aspects of British culture. Many of the recordings are relevant to subjects studied at Goldsmiths, for example race and ethnicity, representation, identity and culture. Where possible, the recordings are exploited for vocabulary development. To develop speaking skills, students will have to research and give seminar presentations and lead the class through discussion of their chosen topic. They will receive input on effective seminar techniques and functional language. There is also ongoing feedback on their presentations. 30 credits. I Interdisciplinary modules (30 credits each) All students on the Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, and Media, Culture and Society Pathways select one of these modules. The interdisciplinary modules introduce some basic ideas and theories that are important within many of Goldsmiths’ academic subjects, and integrate study skills and language development. Interdisciplinary modules Module title Credits. Images and Representation Images and Representation - The intention of this introductory unit is to provide students with some of the basic tools available in interpreting the kinds of images that surround us in our everyday life. As such, it is relevant and adaptable to many of the disciplines students will go on to study in both the humanities and social sciences. The course will have both a practical and a theoretical approach. For example, students will be asked to examine advertisements such as those advertising women’s perfume, and to consider what ‘myths’ they represent in terms of power relations in western culture. Students will also be actively encouraged to bring in and discuss advertisements and images from their own culture to consider the connotations of such images. The concept of ‘myths’ relates to the theoretical work of Roland Barthes, a key and influential thinker on the science of signs and systems of representation. Further texts will be drawn from the work of the well-known cultural theorist, Stuart Hall. -. Globalisation Globalisation - Globalisation is one of the most far-reaching and widely discussed phenomena of modern times. It affects all our lives, and has an impact on all areas of study. The globalisation course will give students an overview of the main theories regarding globalisation, and they will consider how it influences their own countries, their academic subjects and the world at large. By taking this course, students will be able to develop their English in a genuine academic setting, and they will practice the key skills of reading academic texts, researching and writing essays, listening to lectures, discussing theory and giving academic presentations. They will also develop vital study skills such as evaluating the strengths of competing arguments and discussing their project proposal in tutorial with the supervisor. -. Option modules (15 credits each) You select two of these modules. The option modules are taught in different departments and allow you to explore your particular area of academic interest and get a taste of the various disciplines that can be studied at Goldsmiths. At least one option should relate to your intended area of future study. Some modules may be required for progression onto certain degree programmes. The list of IFC option modules here is indicative. Options may change and not all modules will be available each term. For full information contact the English Language Centre. Option modules Module title Credits. London: Arts Capital London: Arts Capital 15 credits This course explores London as a diverse and vibrant capital of the arts. Students will be introduced to a range of musical, theatrical and visual art activities taking place in well-known institutions, as well as in smaller alternative venues. Visits to events in the city are put in context in follow-up discussions. 15 credits. Urban London Urban London - This is a visual urban sociology course conducted on the streets of London rather than in a Goldsmiths classroom. You should only consider taking it if you are happy exploring with the lecturer as a guide, in small groups with fellow students and maybe sometimes on your own, with a camera. You can use your phone camera and no special equipment is needed. As this course extends through late February and March you will need warm and waterproof clothing and footwear you are able to walk in for several hours at a time. Think of it as ambulatory sociology with a camera. You will be learning Sociological Theory especially as it relates to cities, but on the streets and through five walks around London. -. Contemporary Art Worlds Contemporary Art Worlds - By embarking directly into the complex and colourful landscapes of present-day practices, this course aims to familiarize students with the vocabularies and context of visual culture as it has developed from art history. The first half focuses on particular artists and the various inflections that situate their work within modernity and Postmodernity; concentrations on case studies will yield fundamental skills of reading and thinking the visual. The second half then shifts attention to spaces of exhibition and display, whilst also introducing students to wider topics such as (inter)nationalism and its impact on contemporary theory. Importantly, by laying these specific foundations, Contemporary Art Worlds will prepare students for the first year of the BA history of Art programme. -. Identity, Movement and Change Identity, Movement and Change - This is a multi-disciplinary course that examines key issues in relation to migration in the 21st century. You will begin to consider the reasons why people migrate and the impact of movement on their language and cultural identities and life courses. You will have the opportunity to explore issues of power, status and equality in relation to the migratory experience and develop critical engagement with concepts related to identity, 'race', class and gender. Throughout the course, reference will be made to contemporary research and you will be encouraged to reflect on your own experiences in relation to theoretical frameworks. -. Introduction to Literary Criticism Introduction to Literary Criticism 15 credits This course introduces a range of works from 1800 to the present day. The emphasis is introducing students to reading primary texts in the way in which undergraduates study literature. The lecture/seminar format encourages student to consider contrasts and dialogue between texts. Cohesion is also supplied by the fact that many of the texts articulate literal and metaphorical ‘explorations’, quests and searches. 15 credits. Introduction to Cultural Studies Introduction to Cultural Studies 15 credits This course is offered as an option in the Media, Culture and Society pathway in the Spring term. It introduces students to Cultural Studies as a discipline, with particular reference to Western cultural production. The main content is delivered in first year Media and Communications lectures, which students audit. As students will have to attend and understand lectures on their undergraduate degree programmes, this course enables students to audit a real undergraduate lecture course and supports this with structured pre-reading and feedback classes. This is so that students can learn to get the most out of their lectures, and so the content is properly contextualised and students prepared. The lecture content is relevant to social sciences in general and provides students with a broad awareness of developments in contemporary Western culture. As an integrated skills course, it allows students to make practical use of the skills developed in the Academic Speaking and Listening and Reading and Writing courses. 15 credits. Nations and Nationalisms Nations and Nationalisms 15 credits This course, jointly offered by the Politics and the History Departments, is an examination of the continued salience of nationalism and the nation-state form in the modern world. In the 18th and 19th C, many thinkers expected the nation-state to be superseded by more ‘universal’ forms of political organisation. As recent history demonstrates, however, that expectation has been dramatically falsified. Indeed, the nation and nationalism, once exclusively European phenomenon, became globalised in the course of the 19th and 20th C. Through a series of case studies which introduce students to a variety of nationalisms, this course asks why that was so. What are the distinctive features of nationalism, and why has it proved so resilient and so adaptable to different circumstances? Are the nationalisms of the non-Western world repetitions of an original template, or are they fundamentally different? 15 credits. Assessment The two core English for Academic Purposes units are assessed by coursework, written examination and an oral examination. The remaining module units are assessed via a variety of methods which include, for example, essays and reflective journals. Successful completion at the required level will guarantee you a place on a relevant Goldsmiths degree programme. Download the programme specification for this degree to find out more about what you'll learn and how you'll be taught and assessed. Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year. Download the programme specification for this degree to find out more about what you'll learn and how you'll be taught and assessed. Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

International Foundation Certificate in Social Sciences

Price on request