The cosmological dynamics of a brane world scenario where the bulk action is taken as a generic function of the Ricci scalar is considered in a framework where the use of the Z2 symmetry and Israel junction conditions are relaxed. The corresponding cosmological solutions for some specific forms of f(R) are obtained and shown to be in the form of exponential as well as power law for a vacuum brane space-time. It is shown that the existence of matter dominated epoch for a bulk action in the form of a power law for R can only be obtained in the presence of ordinary matter. Using phase space analysis, we show that the universe must start from an unstable matter dominated epoch and eventually falls into a stable accelerated expanding phase.