THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2020/2021

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Centre for Open Learning : Access

Undergraduate Course: Access Humanities 1 (AACE07001)

Course Outline
SchoolCentre for Open Learning CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryAccess Humanities 1 is a supportive and intellectually stimulating introduction to the skills required for successful study of the Humanities, taught via a range of visual and written sources, from the ancient world to the present day. The course aims to develop students' confidence and communication skills and nurture creative and critical thinking through the study of some of the great works in Art History, Classics, History, Literature and Philosophy.
Course description
1) Academic Description

This course is offered as part of the Access Programme (Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences). The Access Programme aims to prepare students for undergraduate study by introducing them to a range of essential skills and encouraging them to employ these
skills in a confident and flexible way.

Semester 1 courses are designed to foster those skills which are broadly transferable within their respective disciplinary areas and are designed to prepare students for progression to semester 2.

This semester 1 course aims to introduce students to a range of Humanities disciplines and the skills which are required for successful study of these disciplines at undergraduate level. The central aim of the course is to build confidence and inculcate good skills of academic reading and writing in preparation for progression to Access Humanities 2.

In addition, students' intellectual curiosity will be cultivated, directing them to new areas of academic interest and facilitating an ability to undertake independent study in these areas. The course will develop the capacity for independent thought and the ability both to evaluate contrasting positions in academic debate, and to engage in inter-disciplinary thinking in the Humanities.

2) Outline Content

A range of entry-level texts and excerpts will be employed with which to develop a range of skills: from essential study skills (e.g. planning and structuring coursework), through core academic skills (e.g. interpreting sources), towards an ability to work reflectively and independently.

The course aims to provide students with an insight into a range of central disciplines in the Humanities: Art History, Classics, History, Literature and Philosophy. Representative texts and works will be selected in order both to develop students' awareness of the specific nature of these disciplines, and of the skills which are employed in studying, appraising, and writing a critical and scholarly response to the text or work in hand.

Teaching will emphasise both the similarities and the differences between those skills which are employed in, for example, studying a poem, a painting, or a philosophical argument.


3) Student Learning Experience

Teaching will be principally via tutorial. Tutorials will be student-centred, with small group and individual tasks related to the text or artwork under consideration. Students will thus be encouraged to share their understanding and to participate in collaborative learning.

A range of technologies will be employed, both in the classroom, and in students' work outside class, with a view to developing individuals' familiarity with digital technologies employed in learning.

Students will submit a number of formative pieces of work linked to the learning outcomes for the course. Constructive feedback (both verbal and written) will be provided by the course tutor. Students will be encouraged to consider feedback and to respond to this in future work.

No grades will be provided for individual pieces of work but an overall indicative course grade will be given based upon participation, coursework and response to feedback.

In addition to support and feedback at course level, all students on the Access Programme will engage via an online learning journal, where they will be prompted to reflect on their learning experience, feedback and progress and will receive personalised guidance and support from their Personal Tutor.

Students will also participate in a range of cultural and social engagement activities which are intended to complement their studies, increase cultural capital, encourage engagement with peers and communities, and build a sense of belonging.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2020/21, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 32, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 66 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Five formative written assignments linked to the learning outcomes for the course. The course will be pass/ fail. No grades will be provided for individual pieces of work but an overall indicative course grade will be given based upon attendance, participation, responding to feedback and submission of coursework.

1. Writing a practical criticism
2. Writing a short literature essay
3. Writing a short art history essay
4. Interpreting historical sources
5. Analysing and evaluating arguments

No grades will be provided for individual pieces of work but an overall indicative course grade will be given based upon participation, coursework and response to feedback.

Students will be deemed to have passed the course if they satisfy the necessary criteria (which will be provided in advance) in line with the course learning outcomes.

Students who do not satisfy the necessary criteria will be offered the opportunity to resit in accordance with taught assessment regulations.
Feedback Constructive feedback (both verbal and written) will be provided by the course tutor for each formative assignment. Students will be encouraged to consider feedback and to respond to this in future work.

Students will also be prompted to reflect on feedback via the online learning journal and will be provided with personalised guidance and support from their Personal Tutor.
No Exam Information
Academic year 2020/21, Not available to visiting students (SS2) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 32, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 66 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Five formative written assignments linked to the learning outcomes for the course. The course will be pass/ fail. No grades will be provided for individual pieces of work but an overall indicative course grade will be given based upon attendance, participation, responding to feedback and submission of coursework.

1. Writing a practical criticism
2. Writing a short literature essay
3. Writing a short art history essay
4. Interpreting historical sources
5. Analysing and evaluating arguments

No grades will be provided for individual pieces of work but an overall indicative course grade will be given based upon participation, coursework and response to feedback.

Students will be deemed to have passed the course if they satisfy the necessary criteria (which will be provided in advance) in line with the course learning outcomes.

Students who do not satisfy the necessary criteria will be offered the opportunity to resit in accordance with taught assessment regulations.
Feedback Constructive feedback (both verbal and written) will be provided by the course tutor for each formative assignment. Students will be encouraged to consider feedback and to respond to this in future work.

Students will also be prompted to reflect on feedback via the online learning journal and will be provided with personalised guidance and support from their Personal Tutor.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate an awareness of the scope of the Humanities, and of their inter-relations;
  2. Identify methods employed in creating texts, artworks, etc., and methods of analysis and interpretation of texts and other works studied;
  3. Participate effectively in small group tasks and tutorial presentations;
  4. Complete coursework to meet deadlines, and respond effectively to feedback;
  5. Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
Reading List
Art History
Jones, A. 2003. The Feminism and Visual Culture Reader. London: Routledge
Gombrich, E. H. 1966. The Story of Art. New York: Phaidon Publishers; distributed by Oxford University Press.
Vasari, G., 1965 [1568]. Lives of the Most Eminent Painters, Sculptors & Architects. Translated by G. Bull. London: Macmillan and Co.

Classics
Ovid, 2004. Metamorphoses. Translated from Latin by D. Raeburn. London: Penguin.

History
Roberts, G., 2001. The History and Narrative Reader. New York: Routledge.
Trevor-Roper, H., 2008. The Invention of Scotland: Myth and History. New Haven & London: Yale University Press.

Literature
Burns, Robert, 1993. Selected Poems. Edited by Kenneth Brown. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Greene, G., 1970. Twenty-One Stories. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
King, C. and Crichton Smith, I. eds., 1986. Twelve More Modern Scottish Poets. London: Hodder & Stoughton
Wilde, Oscar, 2010. The Complete Short Stories. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Philosophy
Hospers, J., 1990. An Introduction to Philosophical Analysis. London: Routledge.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Employability awareness will be enhanced through the development of skills on the Access Programme. The holistic nature of the skills included in the programme design will enhance students' readiness to develop both graduate attributes and the social and cultural capital that will enable them to make the most of their undergraduate studies. Those with alternative exit routes will be able to draw on the skills inculcated in the Access Programme for future employment or study.
KeywordsHumanities,History,Art History,Literature,Classics,Philosophy,Academic skills,Study Skills
Contacts
Course organiserMrs Anthea Coleman-Chan
Tel: (0131 6)51 1589
Email: Anthea.Coleman-Chan@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Kameliya Skerleva
Tel: (0131 6)51 1855
Email: Kameliya.Skerleva@ed.ac.uk
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