Chinese and Global Affairs, Politics and International Relations BA (Hons)

This module is an important step in your language learning journey and prepares you for your residence abroad in China, or equivalent immersive experience. It combines contemporary Chinese history and current societal and cultural issues with developing language skills and competencies related to the workplace which will enhance your employability profile. The overall aim is to support your success in a Chinese-speaking professional context as well as in your everyday interactions.

You will advance towards a B1 equivalent for Chinese. The material is tailored to support your language level.  You will build on key skills such as reflecting on your learning and identifying development opportunities, participating in group work and carrying out research.

This module is designed to equip students with the essential skills and knowledge required to excel in research, practice, and professional life. Emphasising a transdisciplinary approach, experiential learning and practitioner tools and approaches, the module aims to enhance critical thinking, research abilities, and practical skills essential for careers in Global Affairs, International Relations and related fields. Students will engage with theoretical concepts, practical and practitioner-based tools and applications, and professional development, with an emphasis on current global challenges and trends, enabling them to become informed, effective, and adaptable professionals. 

Indicative content includes:

• In-depth analysis of contemporary global challenges, such as climate change, conflict resolution, humanitarian crises, and global health issues.
• Examination of current geopolitical trends and their implications for international relations.
• Case studies on the role of international organisations (e.g., UN, IMF, World Bank) and regional organisations in addressing global issues.
• Analysis of real-world policy documents, international agreements, indicators and schematics.
• Use of qualitative and quantitative tools and information eco-systems for research, practice and professional work.
• Communication skills for effective writing, public speaking, and international negotiations.
• Intercultural awareness and competency to navigate diverse international environments.
• Ethical decision-making and the importance of professional ethics

This module provides a structured, university-level work placement for 4, 5 or 7 weeks as one continuous block / period with a placement provider (i.e. industry apprioprate sector). It is designed to enhance your professional skills in a real-world job setting.

The placement can either be organised by you or with support from university staff.

All work placements within this module must be university-level; this means:

• Undertaking high-skilled work commensurate with level 5 study (e.g. report writing, attending meetings, delivering presentations, producing spreadsheets, writing content on webpages, social media, marketing services/products etc)
• Physically placed (albeit part of it can be hybrid) within an employer setting in one continuous block / period for 4, 5 or 7 weeks for a minimum of 140-147 hours over the course of the entire work placement

Where applicable, your existing part-time employer can be approached/used as the placement provider, if the high-skilled work.

• criterion above is fulfilled for the full duration of the placement.
• All quality assurances/agreements provided by the University are adhered to, by you and the employer.

The work placement context may not necessarily, reflect your degree discipline per se, but rather, it will give you an enriched experience to enhance your professional skills in a real-world job setting.

The module will provide the opportunity to further develop your language skills, building on your previous learning at intermediate level. The first half of the module includes intensive taught sessions in interactive workshop mode which will prepare you for placements abroad or self-directed language development. The second half of the module includes an placement abroad or, alternatively, a project on a business or tourism issue in a target language country. 

This module provides the opportunity to achieve the University of Cambridge’s CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) qualification, which is an internationally recognised initial ELT (English Language Teaching) teacher qualification. The standards of teaching required in this are in accordance with CELTA standards. The CELTA is assessed on a Pass/Fail basis for the purposes of the University of Chester. There are pass grades A, B & C Pass, which are applied by Cambridge and will be indicated on the certificate issued by them on completion of the course. These grades do not apply to the grading of the university.

• The multiple facets of global citizenship
• Ethical engagement and practice
• The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
• Cross-cultural issues and sensitivity
• Intercultural communication
• Culture shock
• Cultural adjustment
• Self- assessment of needs: identification of the range of transferable skills, competencies and attitudes employees need and employers expect graduates to possess-with a strong focus on understanding the intercultural competencies (ICC) needed to live and work abroad.
• Critical analysis/evaluation of individual requirements in relation to culture/cultural adjustment/culture shock/visas/medical.
• Critical analysis/evaluation of skills already acquired in relation to key skills related to ICC.
• Devising strategies to improve one’s own prospects of working abroad in the future.
• Devising an action plan to address gaps in transferable skills based on organisational analysis and sector opportunities.

The module centres on the study, translation and post-editing of written texts, as well as the practice of interpreting.

Texts for translation will be linguistically demanding, illustrating different genres, styles and registers, and will cover varied subject matter, including current affairs, advertising, and contemporary literature. With a view to developing your employability profile, you will be introduced to current practices in professional translation, such as revision, post-editing and the use of appropriate Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) tools and of artificial intelligence. You will also study methods and principles of translation and related terminology to be able to reflect critically on translation processes.

Additionally, the module will focus on interpreting as a vocational skill. You will explore different methods of interpreting and will practise applying these in simulated professional contexts, for example business meetings and public sector environments. In so doing, you will develop an awareness of the specialised language and register appropriate to each.

This module will re-engage you to study more formally and put in context with all your previous experiences from placements and taught modules at level 5, by taking an analytical and in-depth study of China’s culture and society as well as everyday life in China today.  This module will offer the possibility of developing your target language skills in a practical, immersive and interactive way. The module also offers plenty of opportunities for oral practice and student input through class presentations and discussions. 

This module will offer you the opportunity to examine thematically some of the challenges of representing identity and giving voice to diversity in contemporary global societies. You will explore a range of literary, visual, audio and cinematic texts (all available in English translation) from across the different language cultures studied on this course. These texts will be structured around dominant themes drawn from, among others: decolonising the intellectual; ableism, hip hop and oral traditions in the 21st century; visual representations of difference; young voices in protest; identity politics in action. You will analyse and discuss cultural representations of contemporary identities and be invited to suggest and present ideas for new texts to include.

This module on International Political Economy is concerned with the (re)production of power and wealth within the contemporary world order. The module explores complex questions and global challenges that are rooted in an understanding of power, international relations and economy. Students are asked to think critically about how the politics of the international economy is governed and through an evaluation of power and inequality. Such questions include: Why and how does the politics and economics of the world take its current form? In what ways do the structural features of the world economy shape power and visa versa, and with what consequences? In what ways does the international political economy create uneven consequences and shape interactions in the international community?  Case studies will be drawn from across the world and, in particular, from Latin America. Indicative content includes:

• Theoretical Approaches of IPE: Orthodox, Critical and Radical theories.
• The Subject of International Political Economy and its Methods
• The Evolution of the IPE: Empires and mercantilism; economic liberalism; the liberal economic order; Pax Britannica, industrial capitalism and imperialism; Power, Contemporary capitalism and global governance – who does the governing?; contemporary imperialism.
• Bretton Woods Institutions; the Washington Consensus, Post-Washington Consensus and Critique; Dismantling Embedded Liberalism; States, Markets and Institutions.
• Key issues, global challenges and responses in the IPE: Globalization and its discontents; North-South Relationships; International Trade, Finance and Development; Transnational Production; Global Division of Labour; Sustainable Development; International Security, Conflict and Migration; Culture, Indigeneity and IPE; Resistance to the Global norms; Climate change and energy security; the IPE of ideas and knowledge production

The aims of this module are four-fold:

• To provide an in-depth understanding of the historical development of the IPE.
• To provide a critical analysis of the main institutional and structural contours of the global political economy and the effects of these.
• To offer perspectives and insights that engage with, stand in contrast to and challenge dominant paradigms about power dynamics within the global political economy.
• To provide a sophisticated understanding of global issues and challenges through mainstream, critical and radical theories of IPE.

The overarching aim of this module is to develop in students an in-depth understanding of  how  media stories, whether factual or fictional, are generated globally: by whom, why and in whose political interests are a multiplicity of stories circulated and competing? What is at stake when some stories are amplified, whilst others are invisibilised? What methods of journalism whether transnationally-disseminated  or citizen -led, serve to obscure or enlighten? How are stories  received or resisted  in distinct parts of the globe?  In what ways do popular culture narratives serve as a form of  cultural imperialism? Students will  critically analyse and evaluate the role of communication in the political sphere.

The module will cover the following areas: political and media organisations and their relationships with one another; propaganda and disinformation; globalisation, popular culture and power; theories and practice of political marketing; political campaigning; new campaigning methods; the role of spin doctors, media managers, polling companies. The role of lobbyists and public affairs agencies; political representation; theories of media analysis,  and visual decoding. Implications of new and social networking media in a range of global contexts will be considered.

This module allows you the space to explore an area of language, culture or professional practice in greater depth, giving you the opportunity to steer your degree in a direction of your choosing. With your tutor's support, your guided project can be designed to suit your individual goals. This is an opportunity for you to find out more about a possible career path you may be considering or the scope of using your language in business and industry, you may wish to carry out further academic research on a topic related to languages and cultures or undertake a more practical project in the application of your language skills. Your guided project will consolidate skills and knowledge you have acquired elsewhere on the course and possible categories include: translation revision and post-editing; investigating freelance subtitling; pedagogical practice with school liaison linking theory and practice; business projects and academic research essays. The module allows you greater independence and choice in your final year and further develops transferable and employable skills.

In this module students will learn about the challenges that changes to the global climate brought about by human activity presents. Students will examine policy responses to climate change and political barriers to implementing climate action. Students will also analyse major issues and debates in the theory and practice of environmental sustainability. You will be asked to consider key questions such as: Is infinite growth on a finite planet possible? How can we create a more just and sustainable future for humanity? How are politics, society and the economy necessarily linked to sustainability?

Indicative content may include: The Anthropocene (the era of humankind); The impacts of human-induced climate change; Strategies of climate mitigation and adaptation; Definitions and practices of sustainability; The three pillars of sustainability (social, economic, environmental); Green Theories (e.g. Ecosocialism, Ecofeminism, Ecofascism); Green Concepts (e.g. Green Pragmatism, Green Growth, Green Parties); Key Debates (e.g. Decoupling vs Degrowth, Sufficiency vs. Efficiency)

Through this module students will gain knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a society which reduces the impact of human activity on the environment (Green Skills, UK Parliament).