Product Design

Academic English Skills aims to provide thorough training in the language and related academic skills which will enable international students to best achieve their academic potential at university. Our Academic English programme is validated by UK ENIC, the UK government agency responsible for providing information and expert opinion on qualifications and skills worldwide.

You will develop awareness and competency in a range of language-related academic skills, including the processes of academic writing, effective and extensive reading strategies, effective participation in seminars and delivery of presentations, and listening to and recording information effectively from lectures. You will also develop the accuracy and range of written and spoken language required to use language effectively and appropriately, with clarity and confidence in an academic context.

Alongside your classes, your studies will be supported by an online learning platform, providing you with a range of tasks and activities specifically designed to develop and extend your language and academic skills outside the classroom and to give you more control over your own learning.

This module develops your understanding of the role that media plays in shaping today’s social, cultural, business and political world. Throughout the module you will explore a range of contexts where media is used, whilst developing core transferable skills, which are useful in other modules, future study, career and beyond. In the final weeks of the module you will apply your knowledge and practise these skills for a final group assessment.

This module introduces you to the atomic structure and properties of engineering materials, and how this knowledge helps with the design of various engineering components. This information will be used to design and analyse components using a 3D parametric Computer-Aided Design (CAD) modelling system.

This module will equip you with a basic understanding and awareness of visual media and how to convey meaning through the moving image. You’ll be introduced to many of the technical skills required in filmmaking practices. You will develop your team-working and independent working skills across different types of tasks. You will regularly be expected to present and critically review your work in front of the class. You will also learn how to provide constructive criticism to others and apply it to yourself.

This module will introduce you to the basic theory and concepts of photography as a medium and develop your appreciation of the possible meanings generated by the still image when placed within different contexts and modes of practice. You will produce a portfolio of photographic work, and experience the creative potential of photography, and some of the historical and critical aspects of photographic practice.

In this module you will develop your understanding of representations of social groups, issues, events and places in a wide range of media texts including advertising, film, cartoons and news media, through case studies and regular activities designed to practice and improve analytical and evaluative skills. In doing so, you will deepen your awareness of how media products reflect and shape the social, cultural, historical and political contexts in which they are produced.

This module introduces you to the main concepts behind databases and their use in a variety of applications. You will develop an understanding of relational databases and the use of SQL (structured query language) which is used to extract and manipulate data. The use of databases and cloud computing is also examined in this module.

The aim of this module is to provide you with opportunities to develop, practice and demonstrate core mathematical skills relevant to a range of undergraduate degree courses at the University of Sussex. Through seminars and independent study, the module will enable you to apply these concepts and skills, including the use of spreadsheets, to real-life situations.