Module Information

Module Identifier
GS01120
Module Title
Information in a Post-Truth World
Academic Year
2022/2023
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1
Co-Requisite
Other Staff

Course Delivery

 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Essay  Students will write a 1,500 word response to their chosen question  60%
Semester Exam 2 Hours   Short Answer Test  Students will answer a series of short questions based on module content in a live online exam  40%
Supplementary Assessment Essay  Students will write a 1,500 word response to their chosen question  60%
Supplementary Exam 2 Hours   Short Answer Test  40%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

1. Read critically from multiple sources.

2. Understand the difference between good and poor arguments.

3. Critically analyse texts.

4. Assess credibility of sources and evidence.

5. Construct effective arguments using appropriate sources.

Understand basic tenets of epistemology and quantitative/qualitative methods

Brief description

This module is designed to give Foundation Students an in-depth introduction to the resources available to them at Aberystwyth, with a particular focus on the National Library of Wales. The students will be introduced to abstract concepts , and learn the fundamental philosophical ideas that conceptualise ‘knowledge’. The module aims to equip students with an understanding of themselves as producers of knowledge. They will actively engage with texts and develop their interpretation skills. Students will be introduced to different types of text and will learn how to critically analyse and interpret them. Beginning from an assumption that we are in a ‘post-truth’ era, students will learn how to determine the source and the factualness of different texts. This will equip them with the ability to determine appropriate sources, to critically analyse texts, and to understand the political context that shapes the production of knowledge. They will learn key research skills and will be able to use both primary and secondary data sources.

Content

Students will attend lectures that introduce relevant concepts to them on a weekly basis. They will participate in seminars that provide examples and discussion on relevant topics. They will learn the differences between different types of data and how they are acquired. They will be introduced to key philosophical ideas discussing the production of knowledge. They will learn that knowledge production is a political and social act. These lectures will take place from Weeks 1-10, with seminars using current events to give practical examples of the concepts introduced in the lecture. The theme can, as required, link to content of other foundation modules to provide further opportunity for learning and reflection.

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number N/A
Communication Students will use a range of software packages, online research tools, and develop presentation skills involving information and data.
Improving own Learning and Performance Students will learn from different case studies and examples each week, drawing from different subject areas and political and social events.
Information Technology Students will be making use of Microsoft software packages.
Personal Development and Career planning Students will develop awareness of their personal skills, beliefs and qualities in relation to course progression. They will draw links between current political and social events and the academic concepts we use to explain them. Students will reflect on the relationship between abstract concepts of knowledge production, data acquisition and the content they come across in Learning Experience I. They will reflect on their own capacity to interpret and shape knowledge.
Problem solving Students will identify factors and issues relating to their chosen subjects. They will need to engage with a number of social issues and imagine creative solutions to them.
Research skills Students will undertake an analysis of academic and non-academic sources and produce academically appropriate reports. They will learn how to critically analyse and verify different texts and sources. They will learn to develop an argument and interpret diverse perspectives on a chosen theme.
Subject Specific Skills Students will develop awareness of issues relating to the topic in the student’s chosen subject area and how issues relating to the topic in other academic areas may be relevant to their problem solving approach.
Team work Students will develop an understanding of group dynamics, contribute to the setting of group goals, contribute effectively to the planning of group activities and play an active part in group activities.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 3