Specialist modules: Business Foundation and Humanities and Social Sciences Foundation

Study Skills and Project (30 credits)

This module is designed to help students adjust to the specific nature, demands and expectations of UK higher education. The module will help students to develop relevant key study skills for successful study at university level in the UK. The skills covered will include the organisation and handling of lecture notes; making notes from texts; library and information skills; using and interpreting data; team-working skills; problem-solving skills; examination and revision techniques; using academic dictionaries and academic reference books; information literacy; and time management. In addition, students will develop competence in core ICT skills including the use of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, email, and web-based learning systems. Students will learn how to research and prepare an extended essay (or project). This will draw on their modules in English language and other academic subjects.

Students will develop confidence, knowledge and skills in the following key areas: choosing a topic; researching and narrowing a research question; selecting source texts; selecting, organising and presenting information and argument; structuring an extended essay; checking drafts and proofreading; the awareness of intellectual property and how to avoid plagiarism; and the overall importance of independent study.

Introduction to British Institutions and Culture (10 credits)

This module is designed to provide a sufficient introduction to British institutions and culture to enable students to undertake university study in a UK context in business, humanities and social science subjects. It is also designed to help students understand better the country in which they are living and studying. Topics will include: government and politics in the UK; legal institutions; geography and sociology of the UK and the North East; business in the UK; culture and the UK education system. The module uses lectures, seminars, discussions and student presentations.

Introduction to the Study of Business (20 credits)

This module will help students understand key features of business in the UK, and offers a broad introduction to many aspects of business to help prepare students for a range of business degrees. Topics include: how businesses are formed in the UK; business funding in the UK; the small business sector in the UK; scrutiny of corporate annual reports and accounts; how economic factors affect business; introduction to key concepts in marketing; introduction to management; current themes in business. Teaching is by lectures, seminars and tutorials. The assessment methods offer formative feedback, at the same time exposing students to unseen examination questions of various types covering a broad range of the syllabus.

Maths for Business (20 credits)

This is an optional module but is compulsory for all business degree programmes The module covers basic mathematical and statistical techniques that have applications in business and in economics. The course initially reinforces algebra skills and then builds on those skills in the areas of equation handling and graphing techniques. Basic differentiation is introduced as a technique for finding the slope and turning points of a curve. Study then focuses on developing basic statistical skills in the area of handling, summarising and representation of data, and introduces probability as concept. Finally, correlation is introduced and developed to establish relationships between variables.

Introduction to the Study of Social Sciences and Humanities (20 credits)

A broad-based module which examines what we mean by social science and humanities and what the nature of academic knowledge and research is in these areasIt includes a review of articles about topics in the social sciences and humanities; study of the city of Newcastle and its region from geographical, sociological, political, historical, cultural and artistic perspectives, as well as how it is reflected in literature.

Introduction to Sociology (20 credits)

This is an optional module for some programmes This module offers an introduction to sociological concepts and methodological approaches, as well as the opportunity to study certain key topics in sociology with particular reference to modern British society. The topics covered include education, religion, gender, families, social class, poverty and welfare, health and the mass media. Teaching is by lectures, seminars and tutorials.