west european studies at the new university of ulster, coleraine

WEST EUROPEAN STUDIES AT THE NEW UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER,

COLERAINE BY GWYNETH E. EDWARDS

New University of Ulster, Coleraine

BACKGROUND

THE New University of Ulster was opened in October 1968 at Coleraine and at the same time Magee University College, London- derry severed its links with Trinity College, Dublin, and was integrated into the New University. Over the years, Magee had offered a limited number of courses, mainly in humanities, and had also had two small departments of French and German which concentrated on language, literature and philology, on the traditional pattern of language studies. After two years of study at Magee, students used to transfer to Trinity College where they com leted their degree course.

continue at Ma ee but that students woul take their whole course

and German language and literature would continue to be taught at Magee but that French and German would also be offered on the Coleraine campus in the form of an area studies programme, to be called West European Studies. This programme was to be one of a number, including East European Studies, Irish Studies, Asian Studies and American Studies and each would involve, where ap- propriate, one or two languages, history, social sciences and geography. In fact, neither Asian nor American Studies have developed as distinct programmes although individual courses in Asian history and American history and literature are available.

Since 1968 there have been discussions between the boards of West European Studies, East European Studies and Irish Studies on the creation of a single European Studies programme which would either replace the three existing programmes or operate

arallel to them and use elements from them. It soon became clear, K owever, that each board had its own ideas of what constitutes an

f T K e New University decided that under raduate teaching should

there and woul i not transfer to Coleraine. It was agreed that French

9'

92 JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES

area study and in the last seven years the content and structure of the rogrammes have developed along different lines and it seems

The university uses a unit system for undergraduate teaching and this has proved particularly useful in constructing multi-disciplinary programmes such as area studies. Each student takes six units per session for three or four years, depending on his course. Both Irish and East European Studies offer a four year course for students with no knowledge of Irish or Russian respectively and a three year course for students with Advanced Level GCE or the equivalent in the lan uage concerned. In the four year course students concen-

join the &ee year course. West European Studies is a four year honours B.A. course which includes the third session abroad. Stu- dents entering the programme must have a good Advanced Level GCE or equivalent in French or German or, preferably, in both languages. They should also have Ordinary Level mathematics for admission to most of the options in the programme. For those who have no knowledge of the second language or who have achieved only Ordinary Level GCE, special intensive language courses are provided in the first year of study. Successful completion admits to the normal post-Advanced Level courses during the student’s second year of study. For the exceptionally gifted student the possibility exists of makin the language which he begins learning at Coleraine

As has already been mentioned, Irish and East European Studies are developing along different lines from West European Studies but it will suffice here to give a brief outline of the two courses to show the divergence.

Of the eighteen units in Irish Studies, three are language units, taken at the rate of one per session, one is on the human geography of Ireland, four are on Irish and Anglo-Irish literature and four on Irish history. A further two units must be taken from Irish literature or history. Students have four optional units and can chose from further units of Irish literature or history and from one unit each on the social geography of Ireland and social and public administration in Ireland. The slant of the programme is thus strongly towards language, literature and history.

East European Studies only allows three optional units. Students take three units of Russian language, one unit of Serbo-Croat or Polish (intensive course), one unit of Russian literature, four units on Russian and East European history, two units on the geography of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, three units on political

unli R ely that they will converge again.

trate soel P on language work in their first year and subsequently

into his major P anguage.

W.E.S. AT THE NEW UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER, COLERAINE 93

thou ht, with emphasis on Marxism-Leninism, and two units of sociaf studies.

In the case of West European Studies it was decided that the programme should be based on two West European languages, initially French and German, but with the possibility of later including Italian, Dutch and Swedish. The programme wished to break new ground as far as the Irish universities are concerned and also did not wish to compete with the language and literature courses offered at Magee Colle e. It was thus decided that there

the compulsory core units. This would also provide the link with the student’s optional units in those disciplines. On the other hand, it was felt that the ‘cultural’ aspects of France and Germany should not be ignored since philosophy, political ideas and literature have contributed directly or indirectly in some measure to the development of these countries and of Western Europe as a whole. There were practical reasons, too, for the inclusion of the cultural aspects. As a result of the political unrest in Northern Ireland from about 1971 onwards the majority of students in West European Studies come from within Northern Ireland and although they state quite clearly that they do not want a traditional langua e/literature

be included. At the same time, a number of the students wish to teach at secondary school level and they want some knowledge of French and German literature. Thus the history, politics, social development and culture of France and Germany during the 19th and 20th centuries are examined in detail in the core units, with the emphasis strongly on the 20th century. Since there was to be a social science bias in the programme, however, it was felt that in addition each student should also have the opportunity of gaining a good grounding in another discipline from the range economics, social administration, social organization/sociology, history, geography and education.

It was recognized that there is a danger of superficiality in a composite area studies programme which ranges over a number of disciplines and it was agreed that students should take one main language throughout their course and the second language for the first two years. In addition, they should acquire a deep, yet broad, understanding of the country where their main language is spoken and at least a reasonable acquaintance with the country of their second language. To this end there would be a tightly integrated core of language/institutions/history/politics/culture/society units offered by staff specially recruited for the purpose. These core units

would be a strong slant towar c f s the social sciences and history in

course, they definitely want some history of ideas and F iterature to

94 JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES would re uire the creation of radically new courses and would be

and German sides of t e programme would be approximately the same so that parallels could be drawn where possible between the two countries. Further, the staff appointed to the core of the programme would help to create in the students a feeling of identifica- tion with a subject and they would further reinforce the unity of the programme.

It was also decided that ‘integrated’ units should be created which would examine Western Europe as a whole. These would strengthen the Western Euro an dimension which exists in some of the optional units in Estory , economics, social administration, geography and education. Western Europe would include for this purpose, in addition to France and Germany, the Benelux countries, Italy and Scandinavia. There would also be a compulsory unit on aspects of the European Economic Community.

K in themse 7 ves interdisci linary. The material covered on the French

STRUCTURE OF THE WEST EUROPEAN STUDIES COURSE

Out of the ei hteen units, students take six, at the rate of two per session, s ci cally linked with France or Germany. Three of the

and politics and three on the culture, society and further political studies, with the divisions between the various disci lines being

language, again with all the work based on institutions/history/ politics and with the student attending the same classes as students majoring in that language. In the first year an integrated unit ‘Introduction to West European Studies’ analyses post-war develop- ments in Western Europe and provides a framework to the programme. This is followed in the second year by the unit on the EEC. These ten units form the compulsory core.

Students have to chose eight units from a wide range of options which are offered to the programme by other boards of study. Where possible, students are advised to take a group of units in one discip line such as economics, history or social administration. There is flexibility, however, and some students prefer to take as many comparative units as possible from the various disciplines so as to build up a composite picture of Western Europe. Others choose to take the maximum number of options connected with the country of either their first or their second language.

All students have to spend a year in France or Germany and they

units are r g ased on language work, institutions and aspects of history

interpreted broadly. Two units are devoted to the stu c f ent’s second


attend a university vacation course in the country of their second language.

TYPES OF UNITS

I. Language/institutions/history units Due to the composite nature of West European Studies and the fact that students have only six compulsory units and the year abroad in connection with their main language and yet are expected to achieve high linguistic standards, equivalent to a single honours in French or German, language work is radically different from the pattern in most British universities.

Language units have a dual role-to develop linguistic skills quickly and efficiently and to impart substantial knowledge about France and Germany. Language work is thus linked very closely to historical and political studies both in the core and the optional units. It is recognized that high motivation in the learning of a language is important and that interesting, useful material, variety of teaching methods, extensive use of the language wherever possible and in the most unconstrained manner, all help to increase motivation.

All classes are taken in the language. The academic year is divided into sections with a set number of hours or weeks being devoted to each topic. All material used has a bearing on the given subject. Each section has a similar structure: I. A number of lectures are given by a member of staff or a language assistant so as to provide a basis of knowledge for that section. 2. A number of texts (e.g. from historical, political, educational or sociological journals, political brochures, news apers, laws) are

French or German. Examination of the content is of prime im- portance and often in discussion comparisons are made between the system in France and Germany or even in Britain and Ireland. Naturally, in the course of discussion, attention is drawn to linguistic errors made by the students, to differences in the patterns of speech between the language and English, to idioms and to particularly useful phrases but all this is done in such a way that the student does not become inhibited. Use is often made of paraphrase exercises to ensure that the students have understood the content and also to broaden their linguistic range. 3. Students present seminar papers, lasting about twenty-five minutes, on a given aspect of the topic for that section and then

examined in detail by the group, again throug R the medium of


answer questions put by others in the group and by the member of staf€ concerned. In many instances a student leads the seminar and thus is expected to have familiarized himself with the material which is being presented by his fellow student. 4. Students make an oral or written summary of a text read out in the language to them. 5. Where tapes are available in connection with the topic, students are expected to listen to them in the private practice section of the language laboratory and to make notes on them in French or Ger- man. These notes are submitted for a continuous assessment mark. 6. Written exercises in French and German concentrate on prdcis of texts, essays and summaries of long articles. A few translations from the language into English are made during the course of the year and in the final year three or four translations from English into French or German are made. 7. Three or four works are prescribed as set texts for the unit and are studied in depth. Thus, for instance, the final year unit on aspects of German politics and society in the 19th century includes a detailed examination of Franz Schnabel’s works Die moderne Technit und die deutsche Industrie and Die katholische Kirche in Deutschland, W. Baumgart’s Deutschland im Zeitalter des Im- perialismus and a collection of essays on education in 19th century Germany entitled Schule und Staat im 18. und 19. Jalzrhundert and edited by Ursula Aumuller. 8. At the end of the topic students are expected to record on tape a ‘lecturette’ lasting about twenty minutes and constructed from very short written notes which they have been able to prepare before the recording.

Examples of topics chosen cover the following areas on both the French and the German sides of the programme: aspects of historical development, foreign policy and institutions since the first world war (including examination of constitutions, systems of government), policies of the major political parties, social security systems, Church-State relations in the 19th and 20th centuries. Additionally, in German, an important part of the work is centred on the development of educational theory and practice in the 19th and 20th centuries and in the final year course on the development of liberalism, capitalism and imperialism in Germany up to 1914.

These courses consist of three hours teaching each week throughout the session and probably involve the student in a minimum of two hours private work per week in addition.


11. Culture and society units These units integrate closely with the language/institutions units, and in the second and fourth years of study most of the lectures and seminars are in French or German. The units are intended to give a rounded picture of a wide range of aspects of French or German society during a given period. Each unit contains elements of history, social and political studies and the development of ideas and of the culture of the country in the modern period. The main emphasis lies on the late 19th and on the 20th centuries. Material is taken from a wide range of sources and includes the use of film and sound recordings, microfilms, slides and newspapers. There are differences between the French and German units in each year but taken Over the full three year period the main areas under examination correspond.

The first year French unit includes an examination of trade unionism and the French ‘Left’, the chan n position of the peasantry, social problems and the role of t e our eoisie in the 20th century. Three or four literary texts are examinegin depth for their social/political overtones. The second year unit analyses educational theory and practice since the French revolution. A number cf texts on education and society are included. The final year unit examines the main texts of the French Enlightenment and their connection with politics and society at that time.

On the German side the first year unit investigates the historical, social and cultural develo ment of East and West Germany since

looked at in detail and also because the system there has been created at least in part upon a ‘leftist’ tradition which goes back to the middle of the last century in Germany. The second year unit covers the history of the Weimar and National Socialist periods, the roots of National Socialism and its ideology and social and cultural changes. The final year unit deals with German culture and society from 1848 to 1918 and may be used to exemplify the interdisciplinary nature of the core units as a whole. Its main areas are the history of the period (including a brief introduction to the state of German politics and society from 1815 to 1848), industrialization and its impact on rural and urban life, development of the working-class movement, development of political theories, impact of science and technology on German society, introduction to the ideas of Friedrich Nietzsche and Max Weber, changing attitudes to morality, sex and religion and changing social relationships between aristocracy, bourgeoisie, ‘new nch’ and working class. A number of works of literature are studied for their reflection of

1945. East Germany is inc P uded so that the German question can be


some of the aforementioned topics. In each case some of the author’s letters, essays and speeches on social and political roblems are also

Gerhart Hauptmann, Frank Wedekind, Thomas and Heinrich Mann.

examined. The main authors chosen include T \ eodor Fontane,

111. Zntegrated units These units were only introduced two years ago and are still in the ex rimental stage. The idea was to together about four

and West European Studies to roduce units which a good basis for co 7 leagues from economics,

further stu B y of contemporary Western Europe. The units would

demographic changes, social structure, prob r ems confrontin agri-

be taught in English and, although compulsory for students of West European Studies, they would provide useful options on Europe for students from the social sciences, economics, history and geography.

The unit ‘Introduction to West European Studies’ involves, among other things, an examination of West Euro an political systems,

culture and industry, trade unionism, the role of the Churck The countries covered are France, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia and the Benelux group. Care is, of course, taken to ensure that there is no great overlap with material on France and Germany here and in the main units on those countries.

The unit entitled ‘The European Communities’ surveys the origins and functions of the European communities, with particular con- sideration of French and German involvement in European integration, regional policy and the workings of the European agencies such as the Euro an Coal and Steel Community and Euratom. An

political problems of minorities in Western Europe. The New University of Ulster is a European Documentation

Centre and, additionally, is involved at present in extending the university library holdings of works on Western European integration.

optional fina r year unit is to be offered on the economic, social and

IV. Optional units All of the disciplines involved in the optional units lay down what are judged to be an essential range of courses to equi the student with the basic concepts of the discipline and to give Ri m material specifically directed towards his western Euro an interests. Thus,

economic analysis and policy, two units on micro- and macro- economics and two units on the economic structure and behaviour

in economics, for example, a student woul f take two units on


of Western European institutions. In sociology, introductory units on social organization, sociology and political sociology can be followed by two units of comparative social institutions and two units on the social structure of modern France and Germany. Similarly, in social administration, history, geography and philosophy basic units and units on Western Europe are rovided by specialists in those disciplines. All the boards involvecf in the programme offer from six to eight units.

The options on Western Europe as a whole provide a wide ran e

economics board begins with the theories of the development of capitalist economies, including works by Schumpeter, Rostow and M m , and using historical evidence from Western Europe. The structural characteristics of the post-war Western European economies are examined, together with the political economy of advanced capitalist societies, the modern corporation and the role of the State. The unit looks at neo-classical, Galbraithan and neo- Marxian explanations and investigates some problems of modern European capitalism involved in growth, distribution, price stability, organizational efficiency and economic democracy. The second unit examines inter-European economic relations, the inter-war experi- ence, the institutions of post-war reconstruction and the evolution of the European Economic Community. An assessment is made of the gains from European economic integration and of European monetary union and the theory of the optional currency area. Western Europe is examined within the international economic scene and in relation to world economic institutions. The relations of the EEC with other advanced capitalist economies, with Eastern Europe and with the less-developed countries are analysed.

In Social Administration there is a comparative unit on the health services in industrialized societies and a critical survey is made of the different approaches to finance, organization of medical care and administration. There is also a comparative course on social security, the different methods of defining and measuring poverty and the arrangements made to meet maintenance problems. Ex- amples are used in both courses from the EEC countries, the United States and the Soviet Union.

Of the history units, two are on general modern history and include sections on Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries, two are on France and Germany and two form an area study of Western Europe. These latter two units provide a detailed study of the historical problems facing Western Europe since the French Revolu- tion, the relationship between Western Europe and the rest of the

of material. The first of the units on Western Europe offered by t R e

I 0 0 JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES

world and Western European efforts since 1945 to establish itself as a third force between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Geography units on rural habitat studies and on industrial geography have a European dimension. It is hoped that further units on the human and economic geography of Western Europe will be added to the range.

The philosophy board which offers seven units, including ones on Descartes, Leibniz and Kant, to West European Studies also provides an option on modern continental philosophy which concen- trates on Husserl, Heidegger and Sartre.

In 1972 the staff involved in teaching the language and literature programmes at Magee College moved to the Coleraine campus and continued to teach their programmes there. They now are offering three courses each in French and German to West European Studies. They provide separate units on press and broadcasting in France and Germany and on French and German 19th century novels. French offers a course on the revolutionary tradition in French literature and German one on 19th century drama.

It is envisaged that from 1976 options will be added in business studies, accountancy and education. The latter options will make it possible for a student to graduate with a degree in West European Studies concurrently with a teacher training diploma.

INTERCALARY YEAR

The intercalary year forms a very important part of the rogramme,

the programme as a whole. A number of possibilities are open to students :

particularly since every attempt is made to integrate t R e year into

(a) Study at a foreign university: West European Studies has estab- lished links with Freiburg and Bonn universities, West Germany and with Dijon and Nanterre universities in France. Whilst abroad, students continue to study their second discipline, thus they mi ht

also take courses related to their French or German studies and many continue with language work in their second language, tak- ing courses in French language at a German university or vice versa.

(b) Teaching as u language assistant: Students who take options in education or who express a strong wish to teach during their intercalary year are found posts as assistants in French or German schools.

study economics or history at Freiburg or politics at Nanterre. T i ey

W.E.S. AT THE NEW UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER, COLERAINE IOI

(c) Wort in industry or commerce: Links exist with firms in France and Germany and these will be further strengthened as the business studies options are developed.

(d) Work in the social serzices: Students who have a major interest in Social Administration may be placed for ten months in a branch of the social services in France or Germany.

Every student writes a 10,000 word dissertation in French or German during the intercalary year. The dissertation normally examines a contemporary social, economic, political or educational problem and where possible is linked with the student’s options at Coleraine.

SUMMARY

By their very nature, area studies are not easy to devise or to carry out in practice. They are still experimental and developing and the need the full support of the institution where they are taught

European Studies in Coleraine has been fortunate in many respects. The university appointed staff specifically for the core units and en- couraged them to experiment. The staff appointed, although them- selves products of language and literary courses, were eager to extend their range of interest into history and the social sciences and to experiment with new teaching methods. All subjects con- tributing options have made at least one staff appointment who has a strong interest in Western Europe and wishes to contribute to the programme. A number of those appointed have a good knowledge of French or German and have spent long periods in Western Europe. The staff from the optional and the core units are working closely together and some joint seminars and lectures are given so that there can be cross-fertilization between the disciplines and, in particular, rhrou h t h s the West European staff can seriously learn

is further strengthened by staff from different disciplines working together on common research projects. Staff involved in West Euro- pean Studies, whether in the core or the options, seem to feel in- creasingly that they represent a new ‘discipline’, albeit one which is not yet ready for formal definition, but which is as real to them as a social science, history or literature discipline. Similarly, the students identify strongly with West European Studies rather than with its individual components.

Some of the most positive aspects are the enthusiasm expressed

an Y that of the subjects which contribute to the programme. West

the techniques o f the social sciences and history. This latter aspect

I02 JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES

by the students for the programme, the high level of linguistic attainment aclueved, even in the second language, and the high standards attained in the history, economics and social science options where the students are in direct com tition with students whose main studies are in those disciplines. T r e flexibility given by the student having eight o tional units allows him to plan a CD.

show that the West Euro an Studies degree is a good qualification

services, teaching and post-graduate research work.

herent, inte rated course w K ich meets his individual interests and needs. Fina B ly, the experiences of the first four years of graduates

for posts in industry an r commerce, the Civil Service, the social

west european studies at the new university of ulster, coleraine

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