1. How does the Biological Sciences Department claim to convey global knowledge?

Keywords: Curriculum structure, Intercalated year, seminar series

The Biological Sciences department claims to convey global knowledge to undergraduates in its curriculum structure, intercalated year programme and the seminar series it organizes.

Curriculum Structure:

All undergraduate entrants in the Biological Sciences department with A level Chemistry may take an option from a language module in their first year as a core module.

Biological Sciences: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/depta2z/biology/c100

Intercalated Year:

This is a year of salaried employment for students who apply following successful completion of year 2. The Department claims to have excellent links with work places in the UK and worldwide and opportunities are available for students to work in industry both in the UK and abroad.

Recent placements include: Astra-Zeneca, GSK, GE Healthcare, Pfizer, Novartis, Jannsen-Cilag, Abbott, Improvision, Advanced Technologies Cambridge, DEFRA, Kew Gardens, Health Protection Agency, hospitals in London.

Intercalated Year: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/bio/ug/courses/intercal/ & http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/bio/ug/faqs/intercalated

Seminar Series:

The university also organizes seminars where it invites international world-leading researchers to present their work.

An example is a recent seminar series held in the spring term 2009 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species. Invited speakers included researchers from Oxford, Paris, New York, Dusseldorf, Basle and Sheffield.

Welcome to the Department of Biological Sciences: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/bio

The Darwin Seminars: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/bio/darwin/

Conclusions:

The department claims to convey global knowledge in its curriculum by allowing some first year students to select an optional language module. The department also provides an intercalated year programme where students have an opportunity to work in industry abroad for a year. The department also holds seminars where world-leading researchers present their work.

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DISCOURSE ANALYSIS:

 

Reference: How does the Biological Sciences department claim to convey global knowledge?

From the list of first year modules of the biological sciences degree, it seems that the department intentionally lists languages as one of two possible external options (psychology being the other one) that students can take. This shows that the department tries to convey global knowledge in its curriculum by highlighting the opportunities for students to learn foreign languages as part of their course. However, it is notable as well that there aren’t any clear indications of global knowledge being conveyed in the modules taken using any other discourse apart from languages.

Biological Sciences: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/depta2z/biology/c100

 

The website description of the intercalated year program tries to convey a global aspect by listing global companies students have been placed with on the program. It also states that the department has established links with worldwide industry as a means to try and convey that global knowledge is imparted to students on the intercalated year program.

‘The Department has excellent links with work places in the UK and worldwide.’

‘Recent placements include: Astra-Zeneca, GSK, GE Healthcare, Pfizer, Novartis, Jannsen-Cilag, Abbott’.

Intercalated Year: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/bio/ug/courses/intercal& http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/bio/ug/faqs/intercalated