Erasmus And International Exchange Placements

ERASMUS AND INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PLACEMENTS Faculty of Arts, Creative Industries and Education: Schools of Art and Design, Film and Journalism

BRIEFING NOTES FOR STUDENTS: 2015-2016

Dear Reader, The following information is necessarily a little dry and detailed. Please don’t be put off by this. If you are reading this with a view to applying for exchange, the main point to note is this: that the exchange programme represents one of the most exciting opportunies for personal, cultural and academic development that you will encounter during your studies. Its benefits and positive ramifications will extend well beyond the immediate context of your level 2 studies at UWE. For most participants, it is not an exaggeration to call it a life-changing experience. Student feedback in various forms, available through the exchange coordinators, is testimony to the enduring value and success of the European and International programmes.

The Schools of Art and Design, and Film and Journalism have engaged in a successful European exchange programmes for over thirty years. In recent years a significant number of global partnerships have further augmented our portfolio. We currently have 27 partners, worldwide.

Students going on exchange during semester two of level two will usually spend between three and five months at one of the following partner schools and universities:

Sint Lucas, Antwerpen (Belgium) www.kdg.be UB Barcelona (Spain) www.ub.es K I Bergen (Norway) www.khib.no Berlin UDK (Germany) www.udk-berlin.de Berlin Weissensee (Germany) www.kh-berlin.de UPV Bilbao (Spain) www.ehu.es Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna (Italy) www.ababo.it/ Artez Enschede (Holland) www.artez.nl Sint Lucas, Gent (Belgium) www. kunst.sintlucas.wenk.be Hong-Kong Polytechnic University (China) www.polyu.edu.hk Hong-Kong Baptist University (China) www.hkbu.edu.hk Kunstuniversitat Linz (Austria) www.ufg.ac.at ESADMM Marseille (France) www.esadmm.fr HEAR, Strasbourg (France) www.hear.fr Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam (Holland) www.wdka.hro.nl Tokyo Zokei University (Japan) www.zokei.ac.jp IUAV, Venice (Italy) www.iuav.it ZHDK, Zurich (Switzerland) www.zhdk.ch Pearl Academy of Fashion, New Delhi, (India) www.pearlacademy.com Kun Shan University for Filmmaking and Animation (Taiwan) www.ksu.edu.tw Tainan University of Technology (Taiwan) www.tut.edu.tw National Taiwan Normal University (Taiwan) www.ntnu.edu.tw Virginia Commonwealth University (USA) www.vcu.edu MOME Budapest (Hungary) www.mome.hu PXL University College (MAD -faculty), Hasselt (Belgium) www.mad-fac.be Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (Italy) www.unibz.it KASK School of Arts, Gent (Belgium) www.kask.be

1 There is no additional tuition fee for any of the above placements and for those within Europe an Erasmus grant is awarded. A UWE Study Abroad bursary of £500 is awarded to successful applicants for international exchange outside Europe. Tuition fees remain payable to UWE during the exchange period.

APPLICATION

Application for exchange is made through completion of the Schools’ Erasmus/International Exchange Application Form available from the Study Abroad pages of the UWE website: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/whatcanistudy/studyabroad.aspx

Select ‘Study Abroad resources’ from the left hand menu (direct link to page: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/whatcanistudy/studyabroad/studyabroadresources.aspx) and scroll down to ‘Schools of Art and Design, Filmaking and Journalism Erasmus Resources’: Here you will find the Application Form, Exchange Partner School Information and these Briefing Notes.

If you have difficulty in completing the application form via these links then please contact [email protected] or the two Bower Ashton based coordinators: the Erasmus European exchange coordinator, Julian Gregg : [email protected] or International exchange coordinator, Mian Ng: [email protected].

Both Julian and Mian are based in Room 1F5, F Block, Bower Ashton Campus. Appointments can be made with them via email or the appointment sheet outside 1F5.

Completed application forms must be type-written and returned via email to [email protected] no later than, Friday 2nd October 2015 for International exchange and Wednesday 14th October 2015 for European exchange. Late submissions will not be considered.

Completed forms are then forwarded by the Study Abroad team to Programme Leaders who will consider, then approve or decline the application. Students will be notified of the result of this process no later than Monday 26th October 2015. Coordinators at partner schools will also be notified of successful applicants by this date.

The approval of Programme leaders is not a guarantee of acceptance by the host school. After Programme Leader approval, applicants will be invited to complete a host school application form usually comprising :

 application form  a portfolio of work (online, pdf, CD or paper-based depending on host stipulation).  a full Curriculum Vitae  a Statement of Intent

Deadlines for this vary but are typically during the first two weeks of November. Host school forms will usually be available either via the contacts above or from host university websites. The Exchange Partner Schools’ Profiles, available online here, and also from the departmental coordinators or Study Abroad team give more information on course availability, application requirements and deadlines.

Unless we advise otherwise, applications will usually be made to one school only. In the event of the refusal of an application by the host school it may be possible to chose an alternatative destination (from late November) depending on availability of places.

2 Upon acceptance by the host school (usually during November and December), successful applicants will be issued with a Learning Agreement on which the proposed host course modules should be indicated and number of credits verified. This document represents final confirmation of participation in the programme and is signed by the applicant, the faculty coordinator (in consultation with course tutors) the university coordinator and host school coordinators. Copies are retained by all the above. Subsequent changes to the details of modules to be followed may be made upon arrival at the host school, provided these are agreed by the above signatories in writing.

Upon successful completion of host school modules, students will be issued with a Transcript of Records indicating credit attainment from which a transfer to UWE credit will be calculated.

ASSESSMENT AND CREDIT

Students will be enrolled on host school studio-based modules for the duration of the exchange and credit gained abroad will be recognised as Accredited Learning (AL) equivalent to 45 UWE credits under the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) or International equivalent. Credit achieved will contribute to the 360 credits needed to achieve a UWE honours degree.

Students travelling to Europe will be expected to achieve a minimum total of 20 ECTS credits on studio-based courses. Credit requirement from international partners outside Europe varies and will be confirmed to students by the departmental International Exchange Coordinatior prior to departure.

Students should be aware that in order to receive credit and credit transfer, host school assessments must be passed. Since the university is not able to accept grades awarded externally, marks received from partner schools will not therefore form a component of final degree classification, which will be calculated by an aggregate mark achieved over 200 credits attained within levels 2 and 3 UWE modules excluding the exchange module.

Final Degree classification is calculated on a student’s best 100 credits at level 3 (75% of final mark) and next best 100 credits at levels 2 and 3 (25% of final mark). In the case of an exchange student assessed abroad all 120 credits at level 3 and 80 (non-exchange) credits at level 2 will contribute towards final classification.

In the event of failure to gain sufficient credit at the host school the International Exchange module UA1APR- 45-2 exists as a default for assessment upon return. Students with recognized ‘extenuating circumstances’ would receive an ‘uncapped’ grade for their work while those without ‘extenuating circumstances’ would receive a grade capped at the pass mark of 40%.

In addition to the rare eventuality of default to UWE assessment described above, we have also agreed to assess our students attending Tokyo Zokei University. These, and students ‘defaulting’ onto the module will have their exchange marks included within the final aggregate for degree classification purposes.

Although partner schools will, as outlined, have overall responsibility for assessment of studio work, it is very important that students should remain in regular contact with their own tutors here in Bristol throughout the exchange and regularly check their UWE email account.

While on exchange, students will additionally be enrolled on the following UWE modules:

 Creative Anaysis : UA1APS-15-2 (15 UWE Credits) Essays for Creative Analysis are to be submitted electronically for a deadline typically in early or mid-March. Further information on Visual Culture for exchange students can be obtained from Clare Johnson: [email protected]

3  Negotiated Presentation 2 : UA1A5D-5-2 (5 UWE credits). This comprises one of the following projects: a critical reflection upon the work of a creative practioner within the host environment or an analysis of the host school’s pedagogic environment (for students of filmmaking only) or the creation of a personal/academic blog as chronicle of the exchange experience (for all non-filmmaking students). Julian Gregg is the module leader for this: [email protected]

 Students should also be aware of any deadlines regarding Professional Practice Level 2 Modules which may fall while they are away. If this is the case, the options for submitting electronically should be discussed before departure with subject tutors.

STUDENT EXCHANGE AGREEMENTS AND ERASMUS GRANT AGREEMENTS

Erasmus Grant Agreements are issued by the Study Abroad team: [email protected]

Students travelling outside of Europe will agree to accept exchange agreements in place between UWE and their host school. This includes recognition of individual responsibility for health, life and property insurance. Furthur information and advice can be obtained from the Studyabroad office.

Those students taking part in the Erasmus Programme will be sent an Information pack containing their Erasmus Grant Agreement, Certificate of Arrival, Learning Agreement and a copy of the Erasmus Student Charter. This will be sent by email to students’ UWE email address. Students should closely follow the instructions in the information pack to ensure they receive their Erasmus grant in good time.

A pre-departure briefing session, including information on funding, contracts, grant agreements, insurance, personal safety, home sickness and culture shock will be held in early December.

Questions regarding contracts and grants and bursaries should usually be sent by email to [email protected]

Erasmus Grant rates for 2015-16: 250 Euros per month: Belgium, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Spain 300 Euros per month: France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands

International UWE Bursary (outside Europe): £500 per exchange

ACCOMMODATION

Many of our exchange partners provide support with finding accommodation – some offer University accommodation or accommodation through student housing associations.

Other options for accommodation include a direct swap of rooms with a student from the host school or a sub- letting agreement with an incoming student from elsewhere. Sites like www.expatriates.com www.housinganywhere.com and http://eurasmus.com/en/ offer accommodation listings. Where a direct exchange of accommodation is not possible, students are encouraged to access the list of incoming students searching for accommodation, circulated in late October and through a sub-letting agreement with one of these aim to cover the cost of renting accommodation in their host city. If you choose to swap or sub-let your accommodation, please make sure this is in line with your tenancy agreement, approved by your landlord and that any housemates are aware.

4 TIMING

The majority of exchanges coincide with our second semester. Students will therefore typically depart during January and early February and return in early or mid June. Exceptions to this include the Berlin schools whose semesters run from early April until the end of July; Bologna and Linz, whose semesters start in early March and Tokyo with whom we exchange from mid April.

Please note that assessment for semester 1 modules must be completed before the commencement of exchange.

LANGUAGE

Although all of our exchange partners teach in English, language preparation is essential for those not already fluent. It is recommended that students either access evening classes within Bristol or seek more informal support through student-led classes from native speakers at Bower Ashton. A number of such classes usually run each autumn term.

Some host institutions offer either language classes to fit around your studies or provide a buddy system where students can sign up for student-led classes with native speakers. Regardless of what is provided in- country, language preparation in the UK is an essential part of preparing to study overseas

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further information on any of the above is available from Julian Gregg and Mian Ng (Room 1F5).

University websites are a generally useful source of information on course options, while partner school coordinators will be able to answer more specific questions. We additionally possess a collection of catalogues and prospectuses as well as student reports, which together with personal recommendations from staff and former exchange students will enable prospective applicants to identify the most suitable destinations and courses available to them. In the past year the exchange blogs created for Negotiated Presntation 2 have formed an invaluable additional overview of the exchange experience.

More generally those interested are encouraged to explore the Lonely Planet and Rough Guides as well as the Culture Smart series of books prior to application.

USEFUL STAFF CONTACTS:

At Bower Ashton: Julian Gregg : Erasmus European exchange coordinator [email protected] Mian Ng: International exchange coordinator [email protected] At Frenchay: Study Abroad Team (2P1) [email protected] Pete Campion-Spall: Study Abroad manager [email protected] Sarah Unsworth: Study Abroad Administrator [email protected] Zuzana Mrvanova: Study Abroad Administrator [email protected]

N.B. These briefing notes, exchange partner school information and application form are additionally available here: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/whatcanistudy/studyabroad/studyabroadresources.aspx

Julian Gregg, February 2015