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2021/2022

Degree Project

Code: 100251 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500245 English Studies OB 4 0
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Susagna Tubau Muntaņa
Email:
Susagna.Tubau@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
english (eng)
Some groups entirely in English:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Prerequisites

  • Students can register for the TFG provided they have passed 2/3 of the credits of the curriculum, that is, 160 credits. The TFG is a 4th year second-semester subject. Students who are registering for the TFG a second time or who can duly justify a personal circumstance will be able to do the TFG during the first semester if the Teaching Committee grants permission.
  • The paper will be assessed according to a C2 level of English. With C2 students can understand almost everything they read or hear without effort; they can summarise information from different oral and written sources, reconstruct facts and arguments and present them in a coherent way; they can express themselves spontaneously, with fluency and precision, distinguishing subtle nuances of meaning even in the most complex situations.

 

Objectives and Contextualisation

General aims

The TFG is a piece of work that must allow a global and synthetic assessment of the specific and cross-curricular competences of the degree.

Specific objectives

The TFG must be an academic paper, not a research paper in the strict sense of the word (which is what a TFM is). Exceptionally, the degrees will be allowed to propose some topics that involve the initiation to the use of the basic tools of research.

Competences

  • Critically assessing the scientific, literary and cultural production in the English language.
  • Demonstrate a comprehension of the relationship between factors, processes and phenomena of linguistics, literature, history and culture, and explaining it.
  • Demonstrate a general comprehension of the historical evolution of the English language.
  • Demonstrate they know a wide variety of texts in English language of any mean (oral, written, audiovisual) and recognising implicit meanings.
  • Describe synchronously the main grammar units, constructions and phenomena of the English language.
  • Develop critical thinking and reasoning and knowing how to communicate effectively both in your mother tongue and in other languages.
  • Distinguish and contrast the various theoretical and methodological models applied to the study of the English language, its literature and its culture.
  • Effectively working individually or in teams in multicultural and interdisciplinary environments in English and other languages, applying values of a culture of peace, and the characteristic democratic values of a degree in a foreign language that trains the student for intercultural communication.
  • Generate innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activities.
  • Identify the main literary, cultural and historical currents in the English language.
  • Produce clear and well structured and detailed texts in English about complex topics, displaying a correct use of the organisation, connection and cohesion of the text.
  • Respect the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  • Rewrite and organize information and arguments coming from several sources in English and presenting them in a coherent and summarised way.
  • Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
  • Students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (normally within their study area) to issue judgments that include reflection on important issues of social, scientific or ethical.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Using the acquired knowledge in order to solve problems related to any professional activity in the field of the English language, specially to the teaching.
  • Utilising new technologies in order to capture and organise information in English and other languages, and applying it to the personal continued training and to the problem-solving in the professional or research activity.
  • Working in an autonomous and responsible way in a professional or research environment in English or other languages, in order to accomplish the previously set objectives.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analysing and interpreting theoretical texts in an advanced level about any of the areas covered by this field.
  2. Apply the acquired knowledge in order to improve the general knowledge of linguistic and cultural diversity.
  3. Apply the acquired knowledge to the generation of innovative and competitive research on a basic level.
  4. Apply the knowledge and competences acquired in the professional and academic activities related to literature, history and culture.
  5. Applying the acquired knowledge about intercultural communication to the work in multicultural and interdisciplinary environments in English.
  6. Applying the acquired knowledge and competences to professional and academic activities related to linguistics.
  7. Applying the acquired methodologies of work planning to work in an environment in the English language.
  8. Applying the acquired scientific and work planning methodologies to the research in English.
  9. Applying the information in English that is available on the Internet, in databases, etc. to the work and/or research environments.
  10. Communicating in the studied language in oral and written form, properly using vocabulary and grammar.
  11. Comparing in an advanced level the methodologies of the areas covered by this field.
  12. Demonstrate a master of the specific methods of individual academic work that prepare the student for a postgraduate specialised education in the same or a different field of study.
  13. Demonstrate a sound knowledge about advanced topics related to the study of literature and culture.
  14. Demonstrate sound knowledge of the topics within the study of Linguistics.
  15. Demonstrating they know English specialised and non-specialised texts of high difficulty level, and interpreting them in a critical manner.
  16. Developing a labour and research bond in multicultural and interdisciplinary environments in English that contribute to international collaboration.
  17. Distinguishing different areas or disciplines where specialised research about the English language, culture and literature, and the history English-speaking countries can be developed.
  18. Distinguishing the main ideas from the secondary ones and summarising the contents of primary and secondary texts related to any of the areas covered by this field.
  19. Effectively communicating and applying the argumentative and textual processes to formal and scientific texts.
  20. Generate strategies to facilitate the increase and improvement of mutual respect in multicultural environments.
  21. Issue appropriate critical assessments based on the comprehension of relevant information about social, scientific or ethical issues related to linguistics.
  22. Issue rating pertinent criticism supported in understanding the relevant information on issues related to the literature and culture of social, scientific or ethical concern.
  23. Localising secondary academic sources in the library or on the Internet related to any of the areas covered by this field.
  24. Locating and organising relevant information in English that is available on the Internet, in databases, etc.
  25. Making judgements of value in relation to the scientific production in any of the areas covered by this field.
  26. Mastering the advanced knowledge and scientific methodologies related to linguistics, literature, history and culture that prepare the student for a postgraduate specialised education in the same or a different field of study.
  27. Presenting in written form the results of the own autonomous research in academic C2-level English.
  28. Produce new professional initiatives.
  29. Producing autonomous research on a basic level related with topics of history of the English language.
  30. Producing autonomous research on a basic level related with topics of the English language and linguistics.
  31. Producing autonomous research on a basic level related with topics of the learning methodology of the English language.
  32. Producing autonomous research on a basic level related with topics of the literature in English language.
  33. Selecting the most appropriate methodology for autonomous research in any of the areas covered by this field.
  34. Show comprehension of a wide variety of non-colloquial auditory material in standard British and American English.
  35. Students must be capable of comprehending advanced academic or professional texts in their own language or the another acquired in the degree.
  36. Students must be capable of precisely arguing ideas and opinions in their own language or another acquired in the degree.
  37. Summarising the content of primary and secondary academic sources related to any of the areas covered by this field.

Content

The TFG consists of:

  • Writing and orally presenting an academic paper about a topic in any of the area of English Studies (English Linguistics, Applied English Linguistics, English Literature and Culture) which allows for global assessment of specific and cross curricular competences of the degree.
  • For TFGs on British, American and German literature, students will not be allowed to use works as primary sources which have been dealt with in obligatory and optional courses the student has previously done.
  • Bibliographical research: selection and critical analysis of specific literature on the chosen topic (there must be a minimum of 7 secondary sources).
  • An oral defence before two teachers, one of whom will be the supervisor.

 Topics

  • Shakespeare
  • British history and culture
  • Romantic poetry
  • American Modernism
  • Post-colonial literature
  • Victorian literature
  • Irish & Scottish literature
  • War narratives
  • Contemporary poetry
  • L2/L3 acquisition
  • Argument structure
  • Assessment
  • Contrastive linguistics
  • Analysis of L2 errors
  • Phonetics and phonology
  • Syntax
  • History of English
  • Sociolinguistics
  • Academic English
  • English teaching methodologies
  • English as a lingua franca
  • A comparison of German and British or American literature
  • Learning and Service TFG (https://www.uab.cat/web/cooperacio-i-epjg/aprenentatge-i-servei-aps-1345779120885.html): the TFG can be carried out by participating in a project oriented to solving a real need in a community, with the aim of improving people's living conditions. Once a social or cultural need has been identified, the student's intervention must connect the practical experience with the theoretical knowledge acquired in the Degree.

Methodology

 This subject has no weekly in-class teaching activities. The teaching methodology is based on the following: 

  • Directed activities: 4h (group tutorials, informative sessions)
  • Supervised activities: 5h (individual tutorials)
  • Autonomous activities: 140h (research, reading, summarizing, writing)

TFGs are done individually.

Students on an Erasmus stay may do their TFG in their guest university, except for the oral presentation, which will be done at the UAB (if the sanitary situation permits it).

The TFG must follow the Department of English’s Paper Guidelines. The bibliography must follow the MLA guidelines for Literature and the APA guidelines for Language.

The paper must be between 4000 and 9000 words long (maximum length may vary according to the format ant type of the paper), or between 15 and 25 double-spaced pages, References and Appendices excluded.

 Supervisor assignment

The list of supervisors and topics offered will be published during the month of September. Students will fill in a pre-registration google form and choose 5 preferences (English Studies) and 10 preferences (Combined degrees students, 5 preferences per degree). Pre-registration forms must be completed by the end of October. Supervisors will be assigned in November according to transcript average marks. The list of assigned supervisors will be published in November.

CALENDAR 

July 2021: Registration period.

4th – 22nd October 2021: Supervisor and topic preferences to be manifested.

25th October – 18st November 2021: Supervisor and topic assignment.

19th November 2021: publication.

13th June 2021: Due date for final TFG version

27th June– 1st July 2022: TFG oral presentations.

 

 

 

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Group tutorials and informative sessions 4 0.16 36, 12, 25, 21, 19, 10, 37
Type: Supervised      
Tutorials 5 0.2 1, 7, 8, 5, 3, 2, 6, 4, 9, 36, 11, 35, 34, 15, 14, 13, 26, 12, 16, 17, 18, 25, 21, 19, 10, 20, 28, 29, 32, 30, 31, 23, 24, 27, 33, 37
Type: Autonomous      
research, reading, study, writing of proposal and of final paper. 140 5.6 1, 7, 8, 5, 3, 2, 6, 4, 9, 36, 11, 35, 34, 15, 14, 13, 26, 12, 16, 17, 18, 25, 21, 19, 10, 20, 28, 29, 32, 30, 31, 23, 24, 27, 33, 37

Assessment

The assessment of this subject is based on the continuous assessment of three items and it consists of two parts:

  • Written paper = 60% (proposal10%, finished paper 50%)
  • Oral presentation = 40%

 Both the written part and the oral presentation need to be passed to pass the TFG.

 Important:

  • If the final paper is not handed in, the student will obtain a NO AVALUABLE.
  • The English level will be taken into account when assessing the TFG. It will correspond to 30% of the grade both in the written paper and in the oral presentation. In the written part the items taken into account will be grammatical accuracy, vocabulary, cohesion, organization, style and spelling, and pronunciation and fluency in the oral presentation, according to C2 level CEFRL.
  • Reassessment is not applicable in the TFG. 
  • VERY IMPORTANT: Partial or total plagiarising will immediately result in a FAIL (0) for the plagiarised exercise (first-year subjects) or the WHOLE SUBJECT (second-, third- and fourth year subjects). PLAGIARISING consists of copying text from unacknowledged sources - whether this is part of a sentence or a whole text - with the intention of passing it off as the student's own production. It includes cutting and pasting from internet sources, presented unmodified in the student's own text. Plagiarising is a SERIOUS OFFENCE. Students must respect authors' intellectual property, always identifying the sources they may use; they must also be responsible for the originality and authenticity of their own texts.

Procedure to present the paper 

  • The TFG Coordinator appoints a committee of 2 evaluators for each TFG, proposed by the supervisor.
  • Students mustsend an electronic copy to the supervisor and the second examiner.
  • Students must upload an electronic copy of their TFG in the dedicated Moodle task so that the TFG coordinator can keep track of their submission.
  • TFGs must be orally presented in a public event. Students will have 10 minutes to present their work and the committee has 10 minutes to ask questions and make comments which the student has to address.
  • Those students with a mark ≥9 will be asked to edit their work and sign a written consent for the TFG to be published in the UAB's DDD, and will be openly accessible for teaching, research or personal study purposes, except in those cases in which the author explicitly indicates the confidential nature of the TFG, or there are data that cannot be made public because of their private nature, or the author does not explicitly authorize the public access of the paper. In any possible use of the TFG, the author, nature of the paper and its link to the Facultat de Filosofia i Lletres (UAB) must be stated.
  • The TFG has to follow the instructions in the Paper Guidelines of the Department of English Philology and German. The bibliography must follow the format MLA for Literature and APA for Language.
  • The qualification Matrícula d’Honor will be awarded by the Teaching Committee taking into consideration the TFG mark and the average mark of 3rd and 4th years (75% TFG, 25% transcript).
  • The TFG coordinator will grant the prizes Mia Victori i Guillermina Cenoz (150 € in ABACUS) to the students with the two highest marks in Language and Linguistics and Literature and Culture, respectively based on the average mark (85% TFG, 15% transcript).

  • The process of revision of the grade will be carried out by the TFG Coordinator, following the established procedures.
  • In the event that the TFG sessions cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB's virtual tools.

 

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Oral presentation 40% 1 0.04 36, 19, 10, 31
Written paper 60% 0 0 1, 7, 8, 5, 3, 2, 6, 4, 9, 36, 11, 35, 34, 15, 14, 13, 26, 12, 16, 17, 18, 25, 21, 22, 19, 10, 20, 28, 29, 32, 30, 31, 23, 24, 27, 33, 37

Bibliography

The TFG bibliography will be specific to each topic.

Students are referred to the following list of academic writing references and style manuals:

Alonso Alonso, M. Rosa (2009) Writing for Academic Purposes: A Handbook for Learners of English as a Second Language. Munich: LINCOM.

Barnet, Sylvan and William E. Cain (2011). A Short Guide to Writing about Literature. London: Longman.

Booth, Alison and Kelley J. Mays (2012). The Norton Introduction to Literature Study Place. London: Norton & Co.

Buckingham, Louisa. (2015). Doing a research project in English Studies. A guide for students. E-book.

Hamp-Lions, Liz and Ben Heasley (2006). Study Writing: A Course in Written English for Academic Purposes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

McCarthy, Michael and Felicity O'Dell (2008). Academic Vocabulary in Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Savage, Alice, Patricia Mayer, Masoud Shafiei. Rhonda Liss and Jason Davis (2006). Effective Academic Writing 1 & 3. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Sowton, Chris (2012). 50 Steps to Improving your Academic Writing. Reading: Garnett Education.

Swales, John M. and Christine B. Feak (1994). Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Tasks and Skills. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press.

Sorenson, Sharon. (2009). Webster’s New World Student Writing Handbook. Webster’s New World.

Wray, Alison, & Aileen Bloomer. (2012). Projects in Linguistics and Language Studies: A Practical Guide to Researching Language. New York/London: Routledge

 Online resources:

 

 

 

Software

Not applicable.