Good broad curriculum modules to choose for JS?

dahorseboy · 05-06-2014 04:37PM #1

Currently going into JS and have to make broad curriculum choices, anyone have any recommended modules to choose?

nommm · 05-06-2014 05:38PM

Seems like most people got good grades in the environmental one this year. Also has no exam which is a plus. I can't remember the name of it - something to do with sustainability anyway. Film Studies is also supposed to be interesting and doesn't require that much work, just an essay on one of the films.

I'd advise people to avoid modules with exams as you'll only end up regretting it at the end of the year - I know most people in my year did.

05-06-2014 06:00PM

I chose both of the linguistics courses—one for each half of my TSM. Has anyone any experiences with either?

Lawliet · 05-06-2014 07:03PM

Don't do a language module.
The classes are 2 hours long starting at six or half seven in the evening, they run for both semesters, involve lots of group projects and presentations, and they give you an in class exam at the end. Its pretty much everything you don't want rounded it up into one 5 credit module.

anothernight · 06-06-2014 07:02PM

If Understanding Literature is an available choice, do that! There's no exam, so it is assessed by means of two short quizzes and an exam. The quizzes are 20% each, and are meant to encourage you to actually read the texts covered (a selection of poems, short stories, and two novels). But they're seriously easy and you can do well in them by just reading summaries of the texts online (not that I'm recommending this. Most of them were genuinely interesting texts that I'd never have considered reading otherwise). The rest of the marks are for an essay, for which you are given a whole bunch of topics to choose from, and you only need to write about one text. You're given sooo much time to write the essay too. Many people got firsts.

The lectures are given by guest speakers, and the discussions can be quite interesting. Attendance wasn't very high, but that's probably because the lectures were at lunchtime.

I would definitely recommend that module.

http://www.tcd.ie/Broad_Curriculum/assets/pdf/BCENG%202014.pdf

bscm · 06-06-2014 10:59PM

Geology is grand too. I did it as part of JF Science, but the BC students were with us. Material isn't difficult. It's in Hilary term and around 3 lectures a week I think. You do an essay for BC as far as I remember around Reading Week and possibly some MCQs during the term. I don't think BC students sit the annual exam, or at least they didn't when I sat the module.

If the same lecturer is still taking it then you're in for an experience when he whacks on his 90s BBC documentaries for a couple of lectures. He does seem strangely comfortable with showing 200 students some of his more questionable fashion choices in the past.

Umbreal · 07-06-2014 01:32AM

I did a language module (Spanish) and would recommend it. I did not speak any Spanish before I did this so my experience is different from if you are interested in doing a language you already speak. I had some friends who did B1/B2 and they did not find the language easy at all. My experience is also only relevant to Spanish. I had a friend who did French and her experience was nothing like mine and her lecturer was not as helpful as mine.

It's on at the end of the day so you don't have to worry about lunch breaks being taken up if you've got a long day.
I much preferred doing the role plays and small exam to essays. We had our literature review and lab reports to hand up for Christmas and I know that my friends who did non-language modules had long essays to hand up at the exact same time other course work was due and not much sleep was had. It's a pain in the ass to have to hand up an irrelevant to your degree paper on say English literature when you have an extremely important and relevant essay which is worth an entire module to also do.
This is more related to my course (science course) but I know friends had a hard time with the more artsy modules because they were used to writing more scientific essays and it was hard to change to an abstract opinionated essay writing method.
The exam at the end is not really something you can study that well for. This might or might not appeal to you. Unless you learn the whole language there are just going to be words you have never encountered in the gap test that you have to guess the ending of.
My lecturer was extremely helpful when it came to the roleplays. She was just so lovely and made sure all your Spanish was perfect so the roleplays were something extremely easy to do well in as long as you learned your lines.
Only downside to me that attendance is mandatory for language modules.

I heard some good things about the Environmental module also.

Ash_M · 07-06-2014 06:42PM

Film Studies is very interesting if you want to engage with it, and if you want to just skim through with minimal work, that's also an option. It's just one essay on one of weeks (they're organised sort of thematically and there's one mandatory and one recommended film for each) - also if you take an essay-subject like English or History etc anyway you'll be already ahead of the curve as it is one often taken by science students who (this year anyway) seem to find the whole essay business a bit challenging. The lecturers Conor and Ciara are great craic and pretty generous markers - I ended up writing on a week that I actually hadn't been to the lecture for and was very happy with my grade.

08-06-2014 11:30AM

If I wanted to sit schols, would it be a bad idea to take a BC module? How does that work? Would the examination include the course module that's being replaced, or would it include the Broad Curriculum module?

ashfg · 09-06-2014 10:36AM

gvn wrote: »

I chose both of the linguistics courses—one for each half of my TSM. Has anyone any experiences with either?

I did Language, the Individual and Society as a normal module in first year, in with another class and BC students. Denise, the head lecturer, is fair and appreciates a hard-working attitude. She often likes to finish up her lectures after 30/40 mins. Guest lecturers often take different topics which will be outlined at the start of the course.

As far as I remember, BC students do a 4,000 word essay from one of the topics covered. No exam, lucky for you! Choose your essays wisely! Some topics are a lot easier than others (*cough* language acquisition *cough*) and some lecturers seemed to mark nicer than others! Generally, the longer the essay title, the easier it is to do. Get the required readings out quickly as they tend to disappear, but tbh the ones for my topic were useless and I used basic child psychology books.

Two lectures a week, marked with a tick beside your name. Some lectures are v interesting, others will put you to sleep. Module is enjoyable enough as a whole. Put in a good effort in your essay and you'll do grand. Don't know much about the other module but I'd guess it's along the same route.

Good broad curriculum modules to choose for JS?

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