International Foundation Diploma

You will study

Compulsory modules

• Academic Skills 1

  This is your introduction to the institutional culture and practices of British higher education in an international academic setting. It will also help you to develop your critical thinking skills, academic research and communication skills and English language proficiency necessary for undergraduate studies.

• Academic Skills 2

  This module continues and extends the work covered on Academic Skills 1.

• University Study Skills

  This is your introduction to the institutional culture, practices, norms and expectations of higher education and will help you to develop effective academic research and communication skills both written and oral. Also you’ll focus on listening, notetaking and seminar skills that you’ll progress while exploring pastoral, social and sustainability subject areas. You will gain confidence in critical, strategic and collaborative thinking (Education for Sustainable Development competencies) through a variety of learning activities that encourages self awareness.

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

  This module will introduce you to the transferable skills and techniques used in environmentally and socially critical thinking through the exploration of issues of local and global concern. These skills will be put into practice through critical thinking and a problem-solving task. You will develop your argumentation skills using the A-C-R method. You will discuss conspiracy theories and misinformation and logical fallacies will be examined. In addition, you will learn how to conduct primary research at a basic level and complete preliminary ethics approval paperwork. You will develop your report writing skills, your ability to present information visually and your communication skills. All of this will help you question the prevailing norms, practices and opinions of key stakeholders that have contributed to these problems. and those that are most impacted by them.

• Communication and Culture

  Study the basic concepts, theories and importance of culture and communication in a globalised world. You’ll reflect on personal, consumer and global cultural identities and how these may impact on perceptions, behaviours and communication across human relations. Building your awareness of cultural diversity and intercultural competencies, you’ll understand how to communicate effectively across cultures, and be able to identify the barriers to doing so. Also you’ll explore your own biases and the lenses through which the self and ‘other’ are viewed, contributing towards the development of key skills for culture and thereby Education for Sustainable Development literacy.

• Extended Research Essay

  Plan, research and submit an original paper on an interdisciplinary topic of sufficient depth to demonstrate your understanding of the conventions governing the presentations and submissions of academic papers in higher education. The module will help you to develop your research, academic, personal literacies and your critical self-awareness, for you to gain confidence in critical thinking competency for Education for Sustainable Development. It will also help you to work as an autonomous learner, plan effectively and manage your own time and studies.

• Business Fundamentals (Business and Technology students)

  Explore business studies, including some of the core areas and concepts associated with the study of business. You’ll look at people’s motives for setting up in business and the different types of businesses they can create, as well as an introduction to marketing and some of the ways in which businesses promote themselves and their products.
  
  You will learn how business performance is measured; including an introduction to cash flow forecasts and the profit and loss account. Finally you’ll study how businesses organise their workforce and manage people at work, including the application of some of the most influential theories and practices associated with motivation.

• Economics for Business (Business and Technology students)

  Learn the basic principles of economic analysis and how to apply them to the real-world situations facing businesses and consumers in the UK and elsewhere. You will develop competencies in applying basic economic concepts and theories with confidence, communicating in the language of economics. Also you’ll learn how to analyse and assess economic issues impacting on business operations and decisions using appropriate economic concepts and theories as well as the use of diagrams.
  
  This module aims to help you contextualise economic issues within wider concerns including current and emerging social and environmental issues as well as the way economic thinking is framed and contested.

• Ideas and Ideologies (recommended for Arts, Humanities and Law Students)

  You’ll examine the major thinkers, theories and movements of the modern era (Enlightenment to modern day). You will have the opportunity to study and reflect on critically diverse theories of knowledge through weekly lectures, readings and seminar discussions. The thinkers and theories you study will reflect the various disciplines you’ll go on to study in the fields of Science, Humanities, Social Science and Business. You’ll explore and reflect on how these ideas from diverse disciplines are interrelated and can support sustainable development.

• Foundations of Computing Programming (Computer Science Students)

  For those who wish to progress to a degree in the Department of Computer Science.
  
  This module will give you an introduction to the design and implementation of programs using a high-level computer programming language.

Optional modules

• Maths and Statistics for University Study

  This module should be taken in your first semester of study.
  
  For those who haven't met the Maths GCSE requirements for their undergraduate degree.
  
  On this module you will study the knowledge, skills and understanding required to interpret mathematical information and carry out the mathematical and statistical activity necessary for your future studies.
  
  This module will help you to develop your confidence with mathematics and statistics. You will build your skills in mathematical fluency, self-reliance and problem solving and how to apply your learning to your studies and in real life. The module adheres to the Education for Sustainable Development competencies of integrated problem solving and developing an awareness of real-world issues.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  "

• Being Human: Love, Sex and Death (recommended for Arts, Humanities and Law students)

  Love, sex and death - how do these make us human? In this module, you’ll gain core analytical skills, key to studying Humanities at university, as you explore human bodies and emotions through time. 

  You’ll understand the ideas, practices and experiences that we have around bodies and feelings. You’ll also explore how bodies and emotions are shaped by: 

  • politics
  • religion
  • science
  • medicine
  • literary and artistic fashion.

  You’ll analyse texts, images and artefacts to understand the core role of human emotions and bodies in our world. 

• Development Studies (recommended for all students)

  Explore some of the key issues (e.g. urbanisation, poverty and social exclusion, environmental concerns and gender issues) within the field of Development Studies and in particular to identify the factors causing poverty in countries defined as less developed. You’ll look at the fundamentals of how sociology, human geography and economics interact in the process of development. You’ll study key topics that will help you to draw on your own knowledge and experience where possible in evaluating the policies that can be undertaken in pursuit of development, and in mitigating the problems faced by less developed countries. You will be able to identify and reflect on some of the key social, economic and environmental issues that challenge sustainable development.

• English Law (recommended for all students)

  Build your foundational understanding of the basic characteristics of the English legal system such as the function of the courts, and key aspects of:

  • Criminal law
  • Contract Law
  • and Tort Law.

  Also you’ll develop awareness of the difference between law in theory and law in practice, as well as the purpose and limitations of the law, equality of access to the law and how the value of justice is treated. Justice is the core theme of UN Sustainable Development Goal 16.

• Global Issues (recommended for all students)

  You’ll look at current global issues, question their causes and impacts and reflect on how to drive the changes so urgently needed for a more equitable and sustainable future. You will explore three overarching areas:

  • Power
  • People
  • Planet.

  You’ll draw on theoretical models such as Systems Thinking and Futures Thinking that support a transformative learning approach that aims to build the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) competencies needed to navigate and respond to today’s problems.
  
  You’ll be empowered to build skills of resilience, empathy and hope that are vital for working towards a fairer and fitter future. The module uses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UNESCO ESD competencies as a framework of reference.

• Tourism and Hospitality (recommended for Business students)

  Build your understanding and knowledge of the nature and function of the Travel and Tourism and Hospitality industries. Your study on this module will take into consideration:

  • an historical overview
  • the scale and scope of tourism
  • the different types of tourism
  • the sectors that the travel and + tourism industry comprise
  • their role and function
  • the importance of accommodation and hospitality in meeting the needs of tourists.

  You will also explore the tourist gaze, sustainable tourism and the future of tourism to then critically reflect on them.

• Literature, Art and Media (recommended for Arts, Humanities and Law Students)

  This module is your introduction to studying literature, art and media in preparation for your undergraduate study. You’ll develop your ability to engage critically with the subject and progress your Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) literacy competencies. Both the culture of the UK and your home country will be examined, through works of art, literature and media. The module has a learner-centred focus and uses your cultural background (your prior knowledge of literature and art) as a resource from which to draw, thereby fulfilling a core ESD literacy. You’ll also have the opportunity to explore your own media consumption habits, identity and responses to both traditional media (newspapers, film, television) and social media. Another important aspect will be to encourage you to find the links between art and literature and the way these continue to influence social media of today.

• Perspectives on Britishness (recommended for Arts, Humanities and Law Students)

  Explore the factors and relationships that have shaped Britain today. This module will provide you with an introduction to key political, social and economic influences in recent British history and their impacts on the identity of people who live here today. You will analyse these influences in part by reflecting on an aspect of contemporary UK society and by exploring the experiences of diverse cultural communities within the UK and critically reflect on how these are represented by media and information sources. The module will provide you with opportunities to develop self-awareness, media information literacy and critical thinking skills.