PGTStudentHandbook
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DEPARTMENT OF CLASSICS AND PHILOSOPHY
POSTGRADUATE TAUGHT
STUDENT HANDBOOK
2010/2011
Disclaimer
This document was published in September 2010 and was correct at that time. The Department reserves the right to modify any statement if necessary, make variations to the content or methods of delivery of programs of study, to discontinue programmes, or merge or combine programmess if such actions are reasonably considered to be necessary by the College. Every effort will be made to keep disruption to a minimum, and to give as much notice as possible.
Introduction to the Department
1 Welcome
2 How to find us: The Department
3 Map of the Egham Campus
4 How to find us: The Staff
5 How to find us: The Departmental Office
6 Staff Research Interests
Communication
1 Email
2 Post
3 Telephone and postal address
4 Notice Boards
5 Personal Advisers
6 Questionnaires
7 Space
Teaching
1 Dates of Term
2 Reading Weeks
3 Attendance requirements
Degree structure
Facilities
1 Libraries
2 Photocopying, Printing and Computing
Coursework Essays and Dissertation
1 Coursework essays
2 The Dissertation
3 Choice of Dissertation Topic
4 The Dissertation Supervisor
5 Content of Dissertation
6 Presentation
7 Referencing
8 Footnotes
9 Bibliography
10 Referencing style
11 Illustrations
12 Appendices
13 Word count
14 Marking criteria
Assessment Information
1 Illness or other extenuating circumstances
2 Submission of written work
3 Extensions to deadlines
4 Penalties for late submission of work
5 Anonymous marking and cover sheets
6 Penalties for over-length work
7 Return of written coursework
8 Plagiarism
9 Assessment Offences
10 Marking of illegible scripts
11 Academic discipline and monitoring of progress including the Formal Warning Procedure
12 Progression and award requirements (see Programme Specification)
7.13 Examination Results
Student Support
1 Students in need of Support (including students with special needs)
2 Student-Staff Committee
3 Students’ Union
4 Learning Resources: Library, IT, Photocopying and printing
5 Careers Information
6 Non-Academic Policies
7 Complaints and academic Appeals procedure
Health and safety Information
1 Harassment policy
2 Lone working policy and procedures
Equal Opportunities Statement and College Codes of Practice
1 Equal Opportunities
2 College Codes of Practice
Introduction to the Department
3 Welcome
Welcome to the programmes in Ancient Studies offered by the Department of Classics and Philosophy and the Department of History. We are delighted that you have chosen to pursue your academic careers with us, and hope that we can guide you successfully and enjoyably towards achieving your academic goals. With this in mind, this Handbook is to help you through the course and to provide you with a reference point and essential information about the Departments’ MA programmes (MA Classics, MA Ancient History, MA Classical Art and Archaeology, MA Late Antique and Byzantine Studies (LABS)). It includes: details of the location of buildings and the facilities and support available to you; rules and regulations concerning assessment and attendance; and help and advice on writing essays and avoiding plagiarism. It is essential that you read this handbook carefully, retain it, and refer to it regularly over the year. Not all the information provided here will necessarily apply to you, but it is very important that you make sure that you are aware of the ground rules on which the MA operates. The MA LABS is run in conjunction with the Hellenic Institute and administered by the History Department, and therefore students studying for this MA must also make themselves aware of the ground rules on which the History Department operates.
The Student Handbook is one way of providing information. The information in it is updated annually, and aims to provide accurate information about the Programmes and their rules and procedures. We will always inform you of any changes, most often via the notice boards in the Department.
If there are issues on which you have questions which are not addressed here, you will have an opportunity to raise them either at the Departmental briefing for postgraduate students at the beginning of the academic year or at your individual meeting with the Director of the MA Programmes in Classics and Philosophy, Dr Efi Spentzou, or the Programme Director for the MA in Late Antique and Byzantine (LABS), Dr Charalambos Dendrinos. You are also at liberty to raise questions at any time with your tutors, the Programme Directors or the Heads of Classics and Philosophy or History Departments.
4 How to find us: The Department
The administrative offices for the Department of Classics and Philosophy and the Hellenic Institute are located on the main campus in Egham. All departmental and College administrative business is done here.
Department of Classics and Philosophy: Teaching staff and administrative offices can be found in the southern part of the ground floor corridor of the west wing of the Founder’s Building, next to the Main Lecture Theatre. Access is from the west side of Founder’s Building, or from the South Quadrangle.
Hellenic Institute: The Institute is housed on level 2 of the International Building, Rooms IB236 and IB237.
Department of History: Teaching staff and administrative offices are located on level 3 of the McCrea Building.
5 Map of the Egham Campus
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7 How to find us: The Staff
The lists below show the Departmental roles which are most likely to be relevant to your concerns. A full listing of academic staff is given in section 1.5 Members of academic staff either keep two Consultation Hours per week, which are posted on staff office doors and on the notice board, or run an appointment system using email. For urgent issues which cannot wait for Consultation Hours, the Programme Director will arrange to see you as soon as possible at a mutually convenient time. Any student may make an appointment to see the Head of Classics and Philosophy by contacting the Senior Faculty Administrator, either by email: m.scrivner@rhul.ac.uk or tel. 01784 443203.
Administrative staff
The departmental administrative staff will often be your first point of contact, and they are available during the advertised office hours to answer any queries.
| |Room |Telephone |Email |
|Margaret Scrivner |Founders |01784 443203 |m.scrivner@rhul.ac.uk |
|Senior Faculty Administrator (Classics |West 18 (FW18) | | |
|and Philsophy) | | | |
|Sharon Shellock |Founders |01784 443417 |sharon.shellock@rhul.ac.uk |
|Faculty Administrator (Classics and |West 16 (FW16) | | |
|Philosophy) | | | |
|Marie-Christine Ockenden |McCrea319 |01784 443311 |m.ockenden@rhul.ac.uk |
|Faculty Administrator (Postgraduate) | | | |
|(History) | | | |
Academic Staff
| |Room |Telephone |Email |
|Dr Anne Sheppard |FW20 |01784 443203 |a.sheppard@rhul.ac.uk |
|Head of Classics and Philosophy | | | |
|Department | | | |
|Dr Efi Spentzou |FW29 |01784 443206 |e.spentzou@rhul.ac.uk |
|Director of MA Programmes | | | |
|(Classics and Philosophy) | | | |
|Prof Helen Graham |McCrea314 |01784 443318 |h.graham@rhul.ac.uk |
|Director of MA Programmes | | | |
|(History) | | | |
|Dr Charalambos Dendrinos |International Building |01784 443791 |ch.dendrinos@rhul.ac.uk |
|Programme Director (MA Late |236 (IB236) | | |
|Antique and Byzantine Studies) | | | |
|Professor Richard Alston |FW33 | | r.alston@rhul.ac.uk |
|Professor. Amanda J. Claridge |FW14 | |a.claridge@rhul.ac.uk |
|Professor Edith M. Hall |FW31 | |edith.hall@rhul.ac.uk |
|Dr Richard G. Hawley |FW26 | |richard.hawley@rhul.ac.uk |
|Professor Ahuvia Kahane |FW17 | |ahuvia.kahane@rhul.ac.uk |
|Dr Christos Kremmydas |FW9 | |christos.kremmydas@rhul.ac.uk |
|Dr Nick J. Lowe |FW29 | |n.lowe@rhul.ac.uk |
|Dr Janett Morgan |FW15 | |janett.morgan@rhul.ac.uk |
|Dr Jari Pakkanen |FW10 | |j.pakkanen@rhul.ac.uk |
|Professor Jonathan G. F. Powell |FW30 | |j.powell@rhul.ac.uk |
|Professor N. Boris Rankov |FW28 | |b.rankov@rhul.ac.uk |
|Professor Lene Rubinstein |FW11 | |l.rubinstein@rhul.ac.uk |
8 Staff Research Interests
ANCIENT HISTORY
Professor Richard Alston BA (Leeds), PhD (Lond.) Professor of Roman History, (on leave 2010-11)
Roman history, especially Later Roman Empire; Economic history, urbanism in the ancient world.
Professor N. Boris Rankov MA, DPhil (Oxon.) Professor of Ancient History
Roman History, especially Roman Britain; Roman army; epigraphy and archaeology of the Roman empire; ancient shipping and shipsheds.
Professor Lene Rubinstein MA (Copenhagen), PhD (Cantab.) Professor of Ancient History, (Sabbatical leave Spring 2011)
Greek history, especially history of Greek law; epigraphy; papyrology.
Dr Christos Kremmydas BA (Athens), MA, PhD (Lond.) Lecturer in Greek History,
Athenian political and social history; Greek rhetoric and oratory; papyrology.
CLASSICAL ARCHAEOLOGY
Professor. Amanda J. Claridge BA (Lond.), FSA Professor of Roman Archaeology,
Roman archaeology, especially ancient marble trade; Roman sculpture; city of Rome.
Dr Jari Pakkanen MA, DrPhil (Helsinki) Senior Lecturer in Classical Archaeology
Greek archaeology, especially Greek architecture; archaeological reconstruction; quantitative methods in archaeology. (Sabbatical leave Autumn 2010)
Dr Janett Morgan BSc, BA, MA, PhD (Wales) Teaching Fellow in Greek History and Archaeology.
Greek archaeology,ancient urbanism, domesticity and religion.
GREEK AND LATIN LANGUAGES, LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY
Professor Jonathan G. F. Powell MA, DPhil (Oxon.) Professor of Latin and Director of Graduate Studies (Research), Latin language; Latin literature, esp. Cicero, satire; ancient rhetoric, oratory and advocacy.
Professor Ahuvia Kahane BA (Tel-Aviv), DPhil (Oxon.) Professor of Greek, Director of the Humanities and Arts Research Centre
Greek and Latin literature, Homer, epic tradition, the ancient novel, and the classical tradition. (Sabbatical leave Spring 2011).
Professor Edith M. Hall MA, DPhil (Oxon.) Research Professor in Classics and Drama (joint appointment with the Department of Drama & Theatre Studies), Director of the Centre for the Reception of Greece and Rome.
Greek literature, cultural history, theatre, reception.
Dr Nick J. Lowe MA, PhD (Cantab.) Reader in Classical Literature
Greek and Latin literature, especially comedy; Greek religion.
Dr Richard G. Hawley, MA, DPhil (Oxon.) Senior Lecturer, Deputy HoD,
Greek literature, especially Greek drama; Greek social history; later Greek literature.
Dr Anne D. R. Sheppard MA, DPhil (Oxon.) Reader in Ancient Philosophy, Head of Department,
Greek philosophy, especially Neoplatonism; ancient literary criticism.
Dr Efi Spentzou BA (Thessaloniki), MSt, DPhil (Oxon.) Director of Graduate Studies (MA), Senior Lecturer
Latin literature, especially epic and elegy; literary theory and criticism; gender; classical reception; myth.
HELLENIC STUDIES
Dr Charalambos Dendrinos MA, PhD (London) Lecturer in Byzantine Literature and Greek Paleography,
Byzantine Greek language and literature; Byzantine sources; Greek palaeography
Dr Jonathan Harris MA, PhD (London) Reader in Byzantine History
Later period of Byzantine history (1100-1453), interaction between Byzantium and Western Europe, especially during the Crusades and the Italian Renaissance
Communication
It is vitally important that you keep in touch with us and we keep in touch with you. Members of staff will often need to be able to contact you to inform you about changes to teaching arrangements, special preparations you may have to do for a class, meetings you might be required to attend, and so on. You will need to be able to contact members of the department for example, if you are unable to attend a class, or wish to arrange a meeting with a tutor or the Programme Director.
Email to your College email address is routinely used and you should check regularly (at least daily) if any official communication has been sent to your email address. Do not ignore the email as it will be assumed that it will have been received by you within 48 hours, excluding Saturdays and Sundays.
You should also make a habit of checking the student pigeon holes in the department.
❖ On occasions it may be necessary to contact you by telephone or send a written communication. This information is held on your student record and it is your responsibility to keep all your contact details up to date via your student portal.
1 Email
The College provides an e-mail address for all students free of charge and stores the address in a College E-mail Directory. Your account is easily accessed, both on and off campus, via Campus Connect or via Outlook Web Access (OWA). E-mail to this address will be used routinely for all communication with students. E-mail may be used for urgent communication and by course tutors to give or confirm instructions or information related to teaching so it is important that you build into your routine that you check your emails once a day. E-mail communications from staff and all the Faculty Administrators should be treated as important and read carefully.
The College provides a large number of computer terminals for student use so the Department expects you to check your e-mail regularly. It is also important that you regularly clear your college account of unwanted messages or your account will be clogged and unable to accept messages. Just deleting messages is not sufficient; you must clear the sent and delete folders regularly. It is your responsibility to make sure your College email account is kept in working order. If you have any problems contact the IT help desk
The Classics and Philosophy and History Departments will only use the address in the College Directory and do not use private or commercial email addresses, such as Hotmail, GMail etc. Students who prefer to use commercial e-mail services are responsible for making sure that their College e-mail is diverted to the appropriate commercial address. Detailed instructions on how to forward mail are available from the Computer Centre and on the web in the FAQs .This process is very easy, but you do have to maintain your College account. When you delete a forwarded message from, say, hotmail, it will not be deleted from the RHUL account. You must log on to your College account occasionally and conduct some account maintenance or your account will be clogged and will not forward messages.
If you send an e-mail to a member of staff in the department during term time you should normally receive a reply within 3-4 working days of its receipt. Please remember that there are times when members of staff are away from College at conferences or undertaking research.
2 Post
All post addressed to MA students in Classics & Philosophy is delivered to the student pigeonholes (alphabetical by surname) in the main corridor outside FW09. Post addressed to MA LABS students will be placed in the History postgraduate pigeon holes opposite McCrea319. At the end of each term student pigeonholes are cleared of accumulated mail which is then destroyed. Important information from Registry is often sent by internal post and tutors sometimes return work to you via the pigeon holes so you are advised to check them regularly.
3 Telephone and postal address
It is your responsibility to ensure that your telephone number (mobile and landline) and postal address (term time and forwarding) is kept up to date on your Campus Connect portal There are occasions when the department needs to contact you urgently by telephone or send you a letter by post.
The department does not disclose students’ addresses and telephone numbers to anybody else (including relatives and fellow students) without the student’s specific permission to do so.
4 Notice Boards
The official student notice boards are on the walls in the Classics corridor of the Founder’s Building and the corridor outside the Hellenic Institute (IB236/7). You should check these notice boards each time you come into the Department or visit the Hellenic Institute.
5 Personal Advisers
The Director of the MA programmes acts as personal adviser to all MA students in the Classics and Philosophy Department and the MA LABS Programme Director to those on the MA LABS programme. He/she is available to assist with the process of course choice, to deal with problems which interfere with academic progress, and to mediate between students and course tutors or the dissertation supervisor where necessary.
You will have formal meetings with him/her at the start and end of the first term and at the start of the second term at times to be arranged. You are expected to attend these meetings as they are part of the monitoring process. These meetings will provide an opportunity for students to discuss any matters of concern, whether relating to their academic progress or to other aspects of their life and work in the department. Personal Advisers have a duty of confidentiality about issues raised by their advisees but also a duty of care. This means that staff have a duty to raise concerns about students who they feel may require additional support and are therefore obliged to contact the Educational Support Office. They will not need to disclose details of the student’s condition, but would simply indicate that some form of assistance may be appropriate. The student will have the option to refuse any assistance when s/he is contacted by the ESO.
6 Questionnaires
Questionnaires relating to the Royal Holloway courses you are taking will be distributed to students at the end of each course. These evaluations provide valuable feedback to the staff and the time you put into filling them out is much appreciated.
7 Space
The History Department has a resources room available to postgraduates in McCrea (McCrea323). The College has a postgraduate common room open to all postgraduates in Founders (FE241) and other areas specifically for postgraduates .
Teaching
1 Dates of Term
Autumn Term: Monday 20 September to Friday 10 December 2010
(12 weeks)
(4-week Christmas break)
Spring Term: Monday 10 January to Friday 25 March 2011 (11 weeks)
(4-week break: Easter Sunday: 24 April 2011)
Summer Term: (examinations): Tuesday 26 April to Friday 10 June 2011
(7 weeks)
Term dates will vary between UCL, KCL and RHUL. It is essential that you make allowances for this variety in your various courses.
2 Reading Weeks
Please consult the tutors of your individual courses as to whether there is a reading week on your course.
3 Attendance requirements
Attendance is a compulsory and carefully monitored requirement of the programme. However, we do realise that emergencies may occur at anytime throughout the year and therefore make some allowance for that. Students must attend at least 80% of all the compulsory lectures, seminars, classes or other teaching sessions provided for each course. If you are unable to attend classes because of illness or for any other good cause, you MUST notify your course tutor and the Departmental Office by telephone (01784 443417) or email (m.scrivner@rhul.ac.uk) in advance of the class. A record of attendance is kept for each class. If students are in excess of the allotted absences they will receive a formal warning unless evidence of extenuating circumstances is provided and deemed acceptable by the Centre. If a student receives two formal warnings this may lead to their registration being terminated from the course and/or programme. Please see the college postgraduate regulations.
Degree structure
The MA in Classics, MA in Ancient History, MA in Classical Art and Archaeology and MA in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies (LABS) are intercollegiate degree-programmes of the University of London, taught by the Departments of Classics and Philosophy and History, Royal Holloway University of London, Classics and Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, King’s College, and Greek and Latin and History, University College London. Teaching is shared between the individual colleges and the Institute of Classical Studies.
The MA may be pursued
• as an end in itself, for those who wish to pursue their interest in Classics /Ancient History /Classical Art and Archaeology /Late Antique and Byzantine Studies beyond the undergraduate level; or
• as a preparation for further postgraduate study and research in the same or a closely related field.
Within the MA a diverse range of courses is offered, providing enhancement of both range and depth as compared with undergraduate courses in similar areas. There are ample opportunities to acquire or improve knowledge of the ancient languages and of technical disciplines such as papyrology, epigraphy, palaeography and textual criticism, or historical linguistics. Research skills are developed by the explicit research training elements, by means of work in individual courses, and above all by the independent study and research that is needed to complete a successful dissertation.
4.1 Degree structure
The programme is delivered over one year of full-time study (50 weeks) or two years of part-time study (102 weeks). On successful completion of the programme a student should have an understanding of the area of the MA at a level appropriate for a postgraduate qualification.
The MA programmes are taught on an intercollegiate basis; that is, all three London centres (Royal Holloway, UCL and King's) contribute courses, and a postgraduate student registered at any of the centres can attend any of the courses subject to the requirements of their MA programme. All new MA students should attend a MA Induction session on Thursday 30th September 2010 at 1.00pm at Senate House, Room G22/26 which will explain what courses are on offer and how to register for those courses, and will provide a tour of the Institute of Classical Studies Library. The Programme Director will be happy to assist with course choices. Students also have an induction meeting in the Department of Classics and Philosophy (or History for MA LABS) during Induction Week ( Classics & Philosophy students – Thursday 23rd Sept from 12.00 in Arts Building 024, History students Friday 24th at 2.30 with Prof Helen Graham, in the History Department). Students must register their choice of courses on the enrolment form provided by the department by the end of the second week of the first term.
Each student taking a MA programme must take the equivalent of 180 credits comprised of three taught courses and a dissertation of 10,000 to 12,000 words. The taught courses will normally be completed by the end of the second term, with the dissertation occupying the summer. The MA programmes in Classics, Classical Art and Archaeology, and LABS include an additional research training course which is compulsory but not assessed.
The requirements for each MA programme are listed below. Where weightings are indicated in brackets, these refer to weightings within the MA. The programme structure for the PgDip is as below, with the exception that students will not undertake the dissertation. Weightings for courses within the PgDip are proportionate, but exclude the dissertation.
A full list of available courses is set out in detail in the intercollegiate MA Handbook (the ‘Red Book’) available in the department at the beginning of term; its contents are also available on the KCL website at:
MA in Classics
Students must take:
(i) at least one course chosen from the current list of available MA courses (25%)
(ii) at least one course which tests knowledge of Greek or Latin in the original language, or one language-acquisition course (25%)
(iii) one further course (25%)
(iv) CL5000: Dissertation in the field of classical language, literature or thought, or the classical tradition (25%)
(v) M950: Undertaking Research in Classics: MA Colloquium (not weighted)
MA in Ancient History
Students must take:
(i) CL5300 Sources and Methods in Ancient History (25%)
(ii) one course chosen from the current list of available MA Ancient History courses (25%)
(iii) a course of any type from a list of available MA courses (25%)
(iv) CL5000: Dissertation in the field of Ancient History (25%)
MA in Classical Art and Archaeology
Students must take:
(i) and (ii) two courses on a classical archaeological or art-historical subject chosen from the current list of available MA courses (25% each)
(iii) a course of any type from a list of available MA courses (25%)
(iv) CL5000: Dissertation in the field of classical archaeology or art-history (25%)
(v) M700: Undertaking Research in Classical Archaeology: Materials and Methods (not weighted)
MA in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies
Students must take:
(i) one course chosen from the current list of available MA courses (25%)
(ii) one course in Greek or Latin at an appropriate level (25%)
(iii) one course in Greek Paleography at the appropriate level (25%)
(iv) HS5125: Dissertation in the field of Late and Antique Byzantine Studies (25%)
(v) MB03: Methods and Techniques Seminar (not weighted)
Part time students will take two taught courses in their first year, and a third taught course plus dissertation in their second year. Each of these elements will normally be examined in the year in which it is taken.
Facilities
1 Libraries
Broadly speaking, the collections at Egham are divided up into two libraries:
• Bedford - science, social science and history (including ancient and Byzantine history and philosophy)
• Founders - arts, literature and humanities (including classical and medieval language and literature)
Once you have registered with the College you will have access to and be able to borrow from both libraries. The opening hours of the Library, together with a whole range of discipline specific information and links can be found on their web pages at
. You can also use Campus Connect to view the library catalogue and manage your library account. You will also benefit from the Library’s subject focused information skills training arranged to suit the needs of the department.
Electronic information is becoming more important for all of us. The Library now has 9,000 journal titles in electronic, full-text format and a virtual library of texts and images. In order to use some of these information sources you will require your College Barcode and PIN. (you can obtain this from the Library).
There are other libraries and archives in London which you are entitled to use. A few are listed below. It is important that you speak with the Information Consultants (Russell Burke – Faculty of Arts, Paul Johnson – Faculty of History and Social Sciences) or staff at the enquiry desk to check whether you need prior authorisation to gain access to other collections.
Senate House Library, Senate House, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HU (020 7862 8462) .
Institute of Classical Studies, Senate House, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HU (020 7862 8709). .
All postgraduate students are eligible to join the library at the Institute of Classical Studies but if you wish to borrow books you will need to join the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies or the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies; please note that there is a reduced rate for students (which includes subscription to the Journal of Hellenic Studies/Journal of Roman Studies/Britannia as appropriate).
Institute of Historical Research, Senate House, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HU (020 7862 8740) .
King's College London Library, Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1LR (020 7873 2424)
The Warburg Institute, Woburn Square, London, WC1H 0AB (020 7862 8949). ..
The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB (020 7412 7000) .
2 Photocopying, Printing and Computing
Photocopying and faxing may be done in the Egham and Senate House libraries. Printing is done in the Computer Centre and in other locations on the Egham Campus, details of which can be found in the Computer Centre. There is also a computer room with printing facilities at Bedford Square (the London teaching facility for Royal Holloway). The Thesaurus Linguae Graecae and the PHI Latin texts databases are available on CD-ROM in the Classics departmental office.
The Information Services Department offers a wide range of IT and information management training, designed to equip you with effective transferable skills for use whilst at University and beyond. You can learn how to enhance your skills and produce high quality academic work through sessions covering topics such as Microsoft Office XP and 2007, web editing, and information retrieval. Most sessions are available at a number of levels and for many you are offered a certificate to prove your skills by submitting the relevant course work. More information about the training programme can be found in the On Course! booklet, which can be obtained from the Computer Centre Reception Desk. Alternatively, for more details visit the Computer Centre’s Website at:
Coursework Essays and Dissertation
The following important rules apply to all coursework essays and dissertations submitted for the MA:
▪ Each copy of the cover sheet (see also 7.5) carries a declaration that the essay is the student’s own work and that all source materials have been properly acknowledged. By submitting the essay and cover sheet you agree to this declaration and you are presumed to be aware of the consequences of failure to comply with it. (see avoiding plagiarism
7.8)
▪ A word count should be entered on the cover sheet. This should include the whole of your text including any footnotes or endnotes and including quotations. Please remember that in some word-processing programmes you have to do a separate word count for the footnotes and add it in to the word count for the main text. The word count does not include the title sheet, bibliography and appendices.
▪ It is very important to pay attention to spelling, grammar, layout and presentation. Most word-processing programmes offer a spelling and grammar check facility (but beware of errors introduced by the spell check; the result of applying a spell check to classical names or a Latin text can often be comic or unintelligible). Regard your essays, and especially major pieces of work such as dissertations, as an opportunity to display and get credit for your presentation skills.
▪ Essays or dissertations which fail in any way to comply with the rules set out here (e.g. lacking an electronic copy, lacking a second hard copy, lacking a cover sheet, submitted more than 24 hours after the deadline without permission, or significantly failing to follow the presentation guidelines) are liable to be returned unmarked.
1 Coursework essays
The aim of assessed MA essays is not just to recount facts or tell a story. Since they are not written under examination conditions, you will not gain many marks just for getting your facts right, though you will certainly be penalised for getting them wrong. The aim is to present a cogent thesis or argument in answer to the question and the mark awarded will largely reflect your success in doing that.
An important point to remember is that your references to books and articles in footnotes and in the bibliography at the end should be consistent (see section 6.7).
The number of essays required, the word count and the submission dates vary depending upon the course studied. It is the student’s responsibility to submit their work in the correct format and by the advertised deadline.
Although requirements vary by course, many courses require a final submission of all coursework by June 1st. These essays should be submitted to the Departmental office of the home College and not to the office of the College where the course is taught. The essays will be distributed to markers by the Departmental administrator.
2 The Dissertation
This is a piece of original work of 10,000 – 12,000 words, usually researched and written in the months following the submission of other coursework essays although you should have undertaken some preliminary work earlier in the year.
3 Choice of Dissertation Topic
Dissertations must be pieces of independent research, using original sources wherever possible. In particular, sources should not be quoted ‘second-hand’ from secondary authorities, which may err, but should be checked in the original, if possible.
It is vital that the dissertation topic is clarified early in the academic year. Where you already have a clear idea of the broad area of interest, it may be appropriate to approach a potential supervisor directly (a list of research interests of all members of staff is given above); otherwise you should approach the appropriate programme director who will offer guidance. The process of exploring topics should begin in December and continue through January. The dissertation title must be registered with the Departmental office on the form provided by the Department by the end of January 2011.
Part-time students normally complete the Dissertation in the second year, but are strongly advised to arrange a supervisor and make initial plans for their research during the summer of the first year.
4 The Dissertation Supervisor
The initial role of the dissertation supervisor is to assist you in the formulation of an appropriate topic. Your supervisor will expect to see some initial progress on the dissertation by early June. In practice this means that you should have read some of the central literature and established the issues to be addressed. Your supervisor will be available for fortnightly consultation (subject to holiday arrangements and research projects) as necessary. In the case of supervisors who are absent on research projects for the greater part of the summer, arrangements will be made for intensive contact before the supervisor’s departure and on his/her return, and for postal or email contact during the period of absence. Your supervisor will also read first draft material and offer advice on content, structure and style, but is not obliged to read second or subsequent drafts.
5 Content of Dissertation
A dissertation should begin with a brief explanation of the topic chosen and the problem(s) which the dissertation addresses. The main body of the dissertation should consist of a structured argument or survey which discusses the relevant primary material and main scholarly views. There should be a conclusion summarizing the candidate’s own response to the problem(s) raised. To aid clarity it often helps to divide a dissertation into a number of sections (and, sometimes, subsections), each clearly marked off with a typographically distinct heading. Sections may also be numbered consecutively.
6 Presentation
All work should be presented to a professional standard. All MA examiners value professional presentation.
Text layout
Coursework essays and dissertations should be word processed in double line or 1.5 line spacing, with good left hand margin (allow 4cm/1.5inches for binding). Pages may be printed on both sides. Greek, Latin and foreign terminology (but not full quotations) should be italicised.
Each chapter of the dissertation should start on a new page. Within chapters, you may use numbered or named sub-sections at your discretion and as appropriate, but they should normally be used sparingly; please ensure that you do not use them as an alternative to properly structuring the essay/dissertation. This will be immediately apparent to the examiners.
Pagination
All items should be numbered consecutively. In the dissertation you should number the title page as page 1 and include appendices and bibliography within the same consecutive enumeration.
Binding
Essays must not be bound and should be kept together by a secure method, e.g. staples (rather than paper clips).
Dissertations must be securely bound using a clear plastic cover and either a spiral binding or rigid plastic grip along the left margin.
7 Referencing
All submitted work must give clear references to all original material and modern views discussed, so that readers (and the examiners) can locate them easily. The Harvard system for referencing is recommended.
References to ancient authors can normally be incorporated in the main text (e.g. ‘Tacitus (Hist. 2.13) tells us’) but references to modern works are best given in consecutively numbered footnotes or endnotes (i.e. notes at the bottom of the page of main text to which they relate, or notes given together at the end of the main text).
A full bibliography of original texts and modern works cited must be given at the end of essays and dissertations.
8 Footnotes
In footnotes the full details of books and articles do not have to be given, as long as clear reference is made in an acceptable form to the full entry in the bibliography. The Harvard system (e.g. Herrin 2001; and adding specific page numbers where appropriate, Herrin 2001: 55-6) is recommended.
Footnotes should be in single line spacing - clearly demarcated from text - and numbered sequentially throughout each essay or chapter. Footnotes rather than endnotes are strongly preferred, if your word processing package permits.
Note: All notes must be clear and internally consistent, for ease of checking.
9 Bibliography
The bibliography should list works in alphabetical order of author/editor, and should give the name of the author(s)/editor(s), the title of the work, and - for books - place and year of publication, or - for articles in journals - the title of the journal, its volume number and year, and the precise pages of the whole article.
The sequence of citation is usually:
(1) Primary Sources
(a) manuscript
(b) printed – e.g. Newspapers; printed texts
(2) Secondary Studies
(a) printed - can be sub-divided into books and articles if you prefer
(b) unpublished – e.g. unpublished theses
10 Referencing style
For books
Herrin J. (2001), Women in Purple, London, 41-73.
Avoid unnecessary repetition of numbers - so don't duplicate decade; or century (i.e. 1921-5). The exception = the ’teens, where to avoid confusion with single numbers, the ‘1’ is repeated (so 1914-18).
For essays
Shepard, J. (2003), ‘The Ruler as Instructor, Pastor and Wise: Leo VI of Byzantium and Symeon of Bulgaria’, in Alfred the Great: Papers from the Eleventh Centenary Conference, ed. T. Reuter, Aldershot, 339-58.
For journals
Harris, E. (1991), ‘Did the Athenians consider seduction a worse crime than rape?’, Classical Quarterly 40, 370-7
For documents
Name the archive first, then the documents, followed by the numerical ref. and pagination: eg. British Library (subsequently BL) Place Papers, Add. Ms. 35,505, f. 45. [f.= folio; ff.=folios]. Same sequence for other archives: eg. Local Record Office (subsequently LRO), Corporation Minutes, Box 350, f. 23. If folios are unnumbered, give date or details of document: e.g. Box 351, letter dated 31.1.1781. The former Public Record Office, now known as The National Archives, uses the abbreviation TNA: PRO.
For websites
Give the website address in full first, then references to any internal page or section within the site. Because websites are not stable sources and are liable to frequent updating, it is good practice also to indicate the date of the website edition that you consulted (the date of compilation or updating is often displayed on the first page). But if the date of compilation/updating is not given, then please indicate the date on which you consulted it. In the case of several site visits, indicate the succession of editions or visits. Health warning: Websites may contain erroneous information and the source should be checked carefully before citing as authoritative, as opposed to indicative.
Various permutations of detail are in current use and acceptable but you should consult your supervisor. In all this, the golden rules are clarity and consistency: any reasonably standard system which is consistent and clear will be acceptable.
11 Illustrations
Illustrations may be included if appropriate. Please ensure that they are given proper titles and numbers, and that the source is indicated. The illustrations must be integrated into the argument i.e. not just ‘extras’.
12 Appendices
Statistical, documentary, or other appendices should follow the main text, but only if needed and if fully discussed within the substantive text.
13 Word count
A word count should be entered on the cover sheet. This should include the whole of your text including any footnotes or endnotes and including quotations. Please remember that in some word-processing programmes you have to do a separate word count for the footnotes and add it in to the word count for the main text. The word count does not include the title sheet, bibliography, illustrations (with brief identifying captions), tables of data (not including discussion) and appendices. All over-length work will be penalised as indicated in section 7.6.
If a dissertation involves extensive detailed discussion of particular passages of text or manuscript, or sites, monuments or objects, or sets of data, these should be presented in the dissertation as quotations, illustrations or tables.
14 Marking criteria
85.00-100% Work of Distinction standard displaying many of the following features, depending on the nature of the assignment or task:
• publishable quality
• the ability to plan, organise and execute independently a research project to the highest professional standards
• highest professional standards of accuracy, expression and presentation
• the ability to analyse and evaluate primary and secondary sources critically and formulate questions which lead to original lines of enquiry
• an exceptional degree of creativity, originality and independence of thought
70.00-84.99% Work of Distinction standard, displaying many of the following features
(marks of 80%+ may be awarded to work of publishable quality):
1. excellent research potential
2. ability to organise and to execute independently a research project to very high professional standards of accuracy, expression and presentation
3. ability to analyse primary and secondary sources critically and to formulate questions which may lead to productive lines of enquiry
4. a high degree of creativity, originality, and independence of thought
60.00-69.99% Work of good Pass standard, displaying many of the following features
(marks above 65% = Merit standard):
5. showing potential for original research, with appropriate guidance
6. a very good standard of accuracy, expression and presentation
7. some ability to analyse and evaluate primary and/or secondary sources critically
8. the ability to solve complex, if not entirely original, problems
9. evidence of some creativity, originality and independence of thought
50.00-59.99% Work of Pass standard, displaying many of the following features:
10. the ability to engage in research involving a moderate degree of originality, when provided with close supervision and support
11. a competent standard of organisation, expression and accuracy
12. sound knowledge and understanding of key sources of information
13. the ability to construct coherent and relevant answers to questions
40.00-49.99% Work of marginal Fail standard, displaying many of the following features:
14. incomplete argumentation
15. poor levels of clarity and accuracy in written or oral presentation
16. little evidence of originality or independent thought
17. work that is just below an acceptable basic standard
20.00-39.99% Work of complete Fail standard displaying some or all of the following features,
depending on the nature of the assignment or task:
18. fragmentary knowledge and understanding of essential sources of information
19. little grasp of the problem or topic
20. a lack of clarity and accuracy in written or oral presentation
21. work that is clearly below an acceptable basic standard
0.00-19.99% Work of complete Fail standard displaying some or all of the following features, depending on the nature of the assignment or task:
• no evidence of knowledge and understanding of the essential sources of information
• only the most rudimentary understanding of the question
• almost no insight into the problem or topic
• confused and incoherent written or oral presentation
• work that is far below an acceptable basic standard
Assessment Information
1 Illness or other extenuating circumstances
These should be read in conjunction with the “Instructions to Candidates” issued by the Examination Office.
If you are taken ill or there are other extenuating circumstances that you believe have adversely affected your performance at any point during the academic year, you must inform your department(s)/school(s) in writing, and provide the appropriate evidence. Additionally, if you feel you need to make a further statement on how you consider your circumstances have had an impact on your work, you should submit this to the Programme Director in your department(s)/school(s), irrespective of where you are taking courses. The Sub-board of Examiners will review all evidence of extenuating circumstances submitted during the year; however, it is at the Sub-board’s discretion whether to take any circumstances into account. There is no guarantee that any allowance will be made. The main points to note are:
(a) It is your responsibility to notify your department(s)/school(s) and the Programme Director, if appropriate, in writing of any extenuating circumstances. Do not assume that if you have discussed your circumstances with the College Health Centre or Counselling Service, or informally with a member of staff in your department/school, that the information will be passed on to the Sub-board of Examiners on your behalf. Members of staff are not permitted to divulge personal information about students in this way; you must inform your department in writing if you wish your circumstances to be considered.
(b) It is your responsibility to submit the supporting evidence of your circumstances (see below). For medical or psychological circumstances, this will need to be a note from a suitably qualified medical practitioner (normally a GP or hospital specialist), psychologist or educational psychiatrist as appropriate who has seen you during the period of the condition and is not a close friend or relative and can attest to the impact of your circumstances on your studies. For other personal circumstances (e.g. divorce, or the death of a family member), a written statement of the circumstances from you should be sufficient.
(c) You should notify your department by the date set by the department, which must be before the Sub-board of Examiners meets to agree marks.
(d) It is recommended that you submit your request and evidence as soon as possible, even if you are unsure whether your circumstances have affected your performance, or you feel that your circumstances are very private or confidential (see below). Do not wait until you receive your marks. Requests for special consideration will not be considered retrospectively and the private or confidential nature of circumstances will not later be accepted as grounds for appeal.
You should submit your statement and relevant supporting evidence to the Senior Faculty Administrator in your department, in a sealed envelope marked ‘Confidential’ and addressed to your Programme Director (Dr Efi Spentzou or Dr Charalambos Dendrinos). Dr Dendrinos will then forward any evidence submitted to him to the Chair of the Sub-Board of the MA Examiners (i.e. Dr Efi Spentzou, the Director of the MA Programmes for Classics and Philosophy). The request must state clearly how you consider your circumstances have affected your academic performance whether this relates to absence from classes, non-submission of work, and/or the impact on your ability to study and on the quality of your work. If you have circumstances with long-term implications and have submitted a request together with supporting evidence for these to be taken into account in a particular year of study, this information will be carried forward to the following year by the Sub-board. You should therefore only submit a further statement with updated information should there be a change to your circumstances of which the Sub-board needs to be aware.
Please note that it is not possible for Sub-boards of examiners to make accurate and consistent assumptions about the standard of work which a student may have achieved and therefore examiners will not raise individual marks on the grounds of extenuating circumstances. Furthermore, please note the statement that it is at the academic judgment of the examiners whether to take any circumstances into account.
All evidence must be written in English, or as an official translation obtained by you. Blank forms for completion by medical practitioners can be obtained from the Examinations and Research Degree Office in Registry or downloaded and printed off from:
All evidence must include the following information:
(a) your name;
(b) the name, position and official stamp of the person providing the evidence;
(c) the date on which the document is produced;
(d) a description of the nature and severity of the circumstances [NB Please note that if you have a condition which is under investigation, it is not necessary to have this diagnosed before submitting details. The supporting evidence should stipulate the effect of the condition on your work and performance and the relevant information must be submitted before the deadline];
(e) an exact indication of the period during which you were affected by the circumstances;
(f) an assessment of the effect, if any, which the condition may have had on your work and performance.
If you are an Undergraduate or Postgraduate Taught student, your statement and relevant supporting evidence will be considered by only a small panel of examiners, including the Chair of the Sub-board of Examiners, the Head of Department/School and at least one of the Visiting Examiners, in a closed meeting to protect your privacy.
ABSENCE FROM AN EXAMINATION / FAILURE TO SUBMIT COURSEWORK
If you miss an examination or fail to submit a piece of assessed coursework without acceptable cause, this will normally result in an outcome of ‘Incomplete’ for your course unit.
If you miss an examination or fail to submit a piece of assessed coursework through illness, or other acceptable cause for which adequate documentation is provided in accordance with section 7.1 above, the Sub-board of Examiners may take this into account when considering your results.
Please also note the guidance given above in (a), (b) and (d) and about disclosure of extenuating circumstances ,
Special Arrangements for Examinations for Students with Special Needs
For students with special needs there is a process to apply for special arrangements for your examinations and other forms of assessment. Such requests should be made to the Educational Support Office who will carry out an assessment of your needs. Please see the section on “Students with Special Needs” (8.1) for further guidance on registering with the Educational Support Office.
2 Submission of written work
The following paper copies are required:
Coursework essays: Two copies
Dissertation:
MA in Classics: Two copies
MA Ancient History: Two copies
MA in Classical Art and Archaeology: Two copies
MA in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies: Three copies
Coursework essays submitted during the year must be submitted by the advertised deadlines. For most courses this is Wednesday 1 June 2011 but you must check with your course tutor. Coursework for the MA Classics, MA Ancient History and MA Classical Art and Archaeology should be submitted to the Classics Departmental Office (FW16) and coursework for the MA LABS to the History Postgraduate office (McCrea319) by 12 noon on Wednesday 1 June 2011.
Dissertations for the MA Classics, MA Ancient History and MA Classical Art and Archaeology must be submitted to the Classics and Philosophy Departmental Office (FW16) and for the MA LABS to the History Postgraduate Office (McCrea319) by 12 noon on 15 September 2011.
3 Extensions to deadlines
These will be given only for bona fide medical reasons (which must be documented) or for genuinely exceptional and serious personal reasons (e.g. death of a close relative). For all extensions, a special application must be made to the Programme Director.
Alleged unavailability of library books, computer failure, pressure of other work, sporting or social engagements, etc., confusion as to the deadline, transport delays, or unavailability of copies of the cover sheet, will NOT be entertained as reasons for granting an extension or as excuses for submitting work late. It is your responsibility to organise your work so that you submit your essays and other written work before the deadlines. One of the important learning outcomes of our degrees is the ability to keep to deadlines. Remember that you can submit your work in advance of the deadline. If you live away from Egham, always give yourself enough time to travel in to submit work.
4 Penalties for late submission of work
The following College policy applies to all students on taught programmes of study.
All coursework should be submitted by the specified deadline. Please ensure that you are aware of the deadlines set by your department(s). Work that is submitted after the deadline will be penalised as follows:
• For work submitted up to 24 hours late, the mark will be reduced by ten percentage marks* subject to a minimum mark of a minimum pass;
• For work submitted more than 24 hours late, the maximum mark will be zero.
*eg: a mark of 65% awarded would be reduced to 55%
If you have had extenuating circumstances which have affected your ability to submit work by the deadline these should be submitted in writing, accompanied by any relevant documentary evidence, as stated above.
5 Anonymous marking and cover sheets
From 2007, the College requires that all work submitted for the final assessment of any course must be marked anonymously, i.e. identified by candidate number, not name. This rule applies to all assessed essays and to language tests, but it does not apply to formative essays, i.e. essays which are done for practice only and do not contribute to the mark for the course. UCL and KCL do not operate anonymous marking and you should check with course tutors how you should identify your work. If you are unsure whether an essay is assessed or formative, please check with the course tutor. Course tutors will tell you how they want formative essays to be submitted.
The Department has adopted a standard cover sheet which MUST be used for all essays submitted for anonymous marking. You will be provided with an electronic copy and should print off as many as you need.
Please make sure that the cover sheet for each of your essays is properly filled in. You must find out your CANDIDATE NUMBER at the beginning of the year, before you submit your first piece of written work, and make sure it is correctly entered on the cover sheet.
Please write your name in the top right-hand corner of the cover sheet; then fold over and staple the corner as directed, so that the name cannot be seen. The tutor who marks your work will not unfold the corner until the marking has been completed.
Please make sure that your name does not appear anywhere in your essay (including headers and footers).
Cover sheets are available from the Departmental Office.
1. Penalties for over-length work
The following College policy applies to all students on taught programmes of study:
All over-length work submitted on undergraduate and taught programmes will be penalized as follows:
• For work which exceeds the upper word limit by at least 10% and by less than 20%, the mark will b e reduced by ten percentage marks*, subject to a minimum mark of a minimum pass.
• For work which exceeds the upper limit by 20% or more, the maximum mark will be zero
*eg: a mark of 65% awarded would be reduced to 55%
In addition to the text the word count should include quotations and
footnotes. Please note that the following are excluded from the word count: candidate number, title, course title, preliminary pages, bibliography and appendices.
There is no penalty for under-length work. What matters is the quality of the argument and concision is almost always a virtue. However, seriously short weight work is unlikely to have dealt adequately with the topic/question, so students are advised to aim to produce assessed work which is not less than the stipulated minimum.
6 Return of written coursework
One copy of the coursework will, after marking, be returned to the candidate. Candidates will be notified of collection arrangements.
It should be noted that any mark shown is provisional and is subject to moderation by internal and external examiners. The mark may go up or down, and this mark should therefore only be taken as a guide.
7 Plagiarism
You will successfully avoid plagiarism if you always observe this simple rule: Whenever you quote or summarise the words of a modern author, you should (a) use quotation marks to show the extent of your quotation, and (b) name your source clearly each time.
You need to be careful to avoid plagiarising unintentionally. This can happen, for example, when a student
(a) quotes from a source listed in the bibliography at the end of the essay, without also referring to it in the appropriate places in the text or in footnotes;
(b) quotes directly from a source referred to in footnotes without making it clear, through the use of inverted commas or other devices, where the quotation begins and ends;
(c) relies on his or her own notes made from a book or article, and inadvertently uses words copied verbatim from a modern author without acknowledgement.
The College rules on plagiarism are laid out in the College's Regulations on Assessment Offences. All cases of alleged plagiarism will be referred to the Head of Department who will investigate the matter. If the case is proved, the Head of Department will impose a penalty from among those set out in the regulations. The most usual penalty is a mark of zero. More serious cases, or repeat offences, may be referred to the Vice-Principal and the offender may be excluded from further study in the College.
Definition of plagiarism
'Plagiarism' means the presentation of another person's work in any quantity without adequately identifying it and citing its source in a way which is consistent with good scholarly practice in the discipline and commensurate with the level of professional conduct expected from the student. The source which is plagiarised may take any form (including words, graphs and images, musical texts, data, source code, ideas or judgements) and may exist in any published or unpublished medium, including the internet.
Plagiarism may occur in any piece of work presented by a student, including examination scripts, although standards for citation of sources may vary dependent on the method of assessment. Group working would constitute plagiarism where the discipline or the method of assessment emphasises independent study and collective ideas are presented as uniquely those of the individual submitting the work.
To identify plagiarism is a matter of expert academic judgement, based on a comparison across the student’s work and on knowledge of sources, practices and expectations for professional conduct in the discipline. Therefore it is possible to determine that an offence has occurred from an assessment of the student’s work alone, without reference to further evidence.
8 Assessment Offences
The College has regulations governing assessment offences which can found on the following website:
.
Offences include plagiarism, duplication of work, falsification, collusion, failure to comply with the rules governing assessment (including those set out in the ‘Instructions to candidates’). The regulations set out the procedures for investigation into allegations of an offence and the penalties for such offences.
9 Marking of illegible scripts
It is College policy not to mark scripts which are illegible. If you anticipate that you may have difficulty in handwriting scripts which would lead to your scripts being illegible you should contact the Educational Support Office
10 Academic discipline and monitoring of progress including the Formal Warning Procedure
Where an allegation of unsatisfactory attendance or progress is made, the Head of Department will summon the student for an interview to determine the nature and extent of the problem. Many such problems will be resolved by tutorial advice. However, in cases of persistent non-participation, especially when this affects several courses, the Head of
Department will issue a formal warning which will lead to termination of registration unless certain conditions are met. The formal warning procedure is set out in the Postgraduate Regulations.
11 Progression and award requirements (for full details, see Programme Specification)
The regulations governing progression and award requirements are set out in your Programme Specification and also more generally in the Postgraduate Regulations.
If you do not pass a course unit at a first attempt you may be given an opportunity to resit or repeat the course unit.
Resit of failed unit - Normally the opportunity to resit any failed parts of a course unit not passed will be during the following academic session.
Repeat – If you are given the opportunity to repeat a course unit you will need to register for the course unit for the next academic session and satisfy afresh the coursework and attendance requirements.
Outcomes of course assessment
The Postgraduate Regulations require that for a student to qualify for final consideration in a course by the Sub-board of Examiners, a candidate must first:
(a) have satisfied the attendance requirements specified for the course;
(b) have completed and presented for assessment all work specified for the course within specified deadlines.
The Sub-board of Examiners will determine an outcome for each candidate who qualifies for final consideration, as follows:
(a) save for the provisions of (b) below, an outcome of Pass (P) with a percentage mark recorded as an integer in the range 50–100% inclusive will be returned where the candidate has achieved a mark of at least 50% overall and in all elements of the assessment which carry an individual pass requirement;
(b) where special provision is made in the regulations for the individual programme (please see the Programme Specification), an outcome of Distinction (D) with a percentage mark recorded as an integer in the range 70–100% inclusive will be returned where the candidate has achieved a mark of at least 70% overall, and a mark of at least 50% in all elements of the assessment which carry an individual pass requirement;
(c) an outcome of Fail (F) with a percentage mark recorded as an integer in the range 0–49% inclusive will be returned where the candidate has achieved a mark of 49% or below overall, or in any element of the assessment which carries an individual pass requirement.
The assessment of a candidate who does not qualify for final consideration will be marked Incomplete (IN) without a percentage mark.
The Masters degree with Merit may be awarded if a student achieves an overall weighted average of 65.00% or above, with no mark in any element which counts towards the final assessment falling below 50%.
The Postgraduate Diploma may be awarded if a student achieves an overall weighted average of at least 50.00%, with no mark in any taught element which counts towards the final assessment falling below 50% and has either chosen not to proceed to the dissertation, or has failed the dissertation on either the first or second attempt. Failure marks in the region 40-49% are not usually condoned for the award of a Postgraduate Diploma, but if they are, such condoned fails would be in courses which do not constitute more than 25% of the final assessment.
The Postgraduate Diploma with Merit may be awarded if a student achieves an overall weighted average of 65.00% or above, with no mark in any element which counts towards the final assessment falling below 50%.
The Postgraduate Diploma with Distinction may be awarded if a student achieves an overall weighted average of 70.00% or above, with no mark in any element which counts towards the final assessment falling below 60%. A Distinction will not normally be awarded if a student re-sits or re-takes any element of the programme. In exceptional circumstances a viva may be held for a student at the request of the Examiners
For details on the requirements governing the level of award please see the section on the Consideration and Classification of Candidates for the Award in the Postgraduate Regulations.
The Programme Specification is the definitive record of the programme regulations.
2. Examination Results
Please see the Examinations and Timetabling Office website for details of how you will be issued with your results.
The Examinations website is the place where you can access the “Instructions to Candidates” and details of the examinations appeals procedures.
Student Support
1 Students in need of Support (including students with special needs)
Your first point of reference for advice within the Department is the Programme Director. Inevitably, problems will sometimes arise that the Programme Director is not qualified to deal with. The College offers a high level of Student Welfare Support which includes a comprehensive Health Centre, a highly regarded Counselling Service, dedicated educational and disability support, as well as a wealth of financial, career and other advice. Further details of each service can be found on the College web on the Student Support page.
Students with Special Needs
If you have a disability or special educational need, it is important that you bring it to our attention as soon as possible. The departmental Education Support Office (ESO) Classics & Philosophy representative is Mrs Margaret Scrivner, the History Department ESO representative is Dr Weipin Tsai, McCrea 334. You must also contact the ESO (Founders East 151; tel: 01784 443966; email: educational-support@rhul.ac.uk) who will arrange for an assessment of needs to be carried out and will advise on appropriate sources of help. Further information is available in the Handbook for Students with Special Needs that can be found on the website.
2 Student-Staff Committee
There is a Student-Staff committee on which both taught and research students are represented. The committee meets three times each year and plays an important role in the Department as a forum for airing student views. You can use the committee to raise any issues which concern postgraduate students Notices will appear on Departmental notice boards giving details of forthcoming elections or the names of current representatives.
8.3 Travel reimbursement
Assistance is provided with intercollegiate travel incurred in attending taught courses in London, up to a normal limit of £200 per student (Classics & Philosophy Dept): receipts must be kept and forwarded to the Departmental office. All other applications for financial assistance from Departmental funds should be made in writing or by email to the Director of the MA Programmes in Classics and Philosophy, or the Programme Director of LABS, as appropriate.
8.4 The Graduate School
The Graduate School at Royal Holloway () is an academic community which prides itself on an outstanding reputation for teaching and research. All postgraduate students, as well as those involved in teaching and supporting postgraduates, are members of the Graduate School. The Graduate School aims to help foster intellectual and social links between postgraduate students and researchers from different disciplines and continually to improve the postgraduate experience at Royal Holloway.
8.5 Students’ Union.
8.6 Learning Resources: Library, IT, Photocopying and printing
See 5.1 and 5.2 above.
8.7 Careers Information
The College has a careers advisory service, housed in the Horton Building, which is open to any student during normal College hours.
8.8 Non-Academic Policies
Please see the On-line Student Handbook which includes information on non-academic policies, regulations, and codes of practice as well as the Student Charter.
8.9 Complaints and academic Appeals procedure
If you have a complaint relating to any aspect of the Department or its staff or to any academic or College matter, you should first discuss it informally with your Personal Advisor or with another member of staff in the Department. We would hope that the majority of issues of this kind can be resolved by informal discussion. There are, however, procedures that can be invoked in serious cases. These are set out in the College Complaints Procedures for Students. You should raise your complaint as soon as possible. This enables the matter to be dealt with in a timely manner and allows for any steps to be taken if felt to be necessary. The College Complaints Procedures for Students requires that any complaint be raised within 3 months of the matter occurring.
▪ If the complaint concerns the behaviour of a member of staff in the Department, you should go to the Head of Department either directly or through your Advisor or another member of staff. The HoD will (a) discuss the matter with you to establish the nature of the problem and may ask you to provide evidence; (b) if the complaint appears to be well grounded, attempt in the first instance to resolve the matter with the member of staff concerned; (c) if this proves unsuccessful or the problem persists, pursue the matter through a formal College procedure.
▪ If the complaint concerns an academic decision, there is an academic appeals process. Please note that an academic appeal can only be submitted once you have received your results and your complaint must fall within the grounds for appeal to be considered. Details of the academic appeals procedures can be found on the Examinations Website.
▪ If the complaint concerns a disciplinary allegation or decision, you should consult your Advisor or the Head of Department who will refer you to the appropriate branch of the College administration
▪ If, in the last resort, the circumstances are such as to justify a formal written complaint, a form is available for the purpose on the College website. The complaint will come to the Head of Department who will acknowledge it in writing, inform the College authorities, and conduct whatever investigations are appropriate including, if necessary, a formal hearing. If the Head of Department is concerned personally in the issue, the matter will be referred to another member of staff, normally the Dean of the Faculty, who will follow the same procedure.
Health and safety Information
1 Harassment policy
Any incidents of personal harassment will be regarded as extremely serious and can be grounds for disciplinary action that may include dismissal or suspension.
2 Lone working policy and procedures
The College has a Lone Working Policy and Procedure that can be found on the Health and Safety Web pages. Lone working is defined as working during either normal working hours at an isolated location within the normal workplace or when working outside of normal hours. Classics and Philosophy and History and the type of work conducted by Classics and Philosophy and History students is classified as a low risk activity and as such the following advice is relevant:
• Lone working is permitted, but it is good practice to ensure that a second person is aware of the first person’s location and that they have access to means of communication.
• It is recommended that the second person could be a relative/friend who knows where the first person is located and approximate time of return. Relevant details should be exchanged (e.g. campus number and security telephone number).
• Inspections/risk assessments of the work area are by the Departmental Health and Safety Co-ordinator to ensure that hazards have been identified, risks controlled and provisions for emergencies are in place (e.g. escape routes open, firefighting equipment, first aid etc.).
Any health and safety concerns should be brought to the attention of the departmental co-ordinator or the college Health and Safety office.
It is likely that most activities will take place on College premises. However, the principles contained in the above section will apply to students undertaking duties outside of campus.
Equal Opportunities Statement and College Codes of Practice
1 Equal Opportunities
The College is committed to an equal opportunities policy in line with current legislation, and the Department adheres to this in all aspects of Departmental life. The Department does not discriminate against any person on the grounds of race, ethnic origin, gender, age, marital status, details of dependants, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, religion, political beliefs or social origins.
2 College Codes of Practice
These are available on the College internet.
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