Frequently Asked Questions
General
What
are my responsibilities as a student?
Where can I get advice about my degree?
Where can I get information about a course?
How do I contact my lecturer or tutor?
I missed a lecture. Where can I get the handout?
Who can stamp my course change form?
When is the office open?
What is the Staff/Student Liaison Committee (SSLC)?
What do I do if I have a dispute with my tutor or lecturer?
Assessment
What
is plagiarism?
How must essays submitted for assessment in all English
Programme courses be presented?
Where is the Essay Writing Guide?
I’m having trouble with my essay. Who can
I ask for help?
Where do I hand in my essay?
What about my project? Or my take-home test? Or my assignment?
Do I need a cover sheet?
What is the latest time I can submit my essay?
I need an extension. Who should I ask?
Where do I get my essay back from?
How do I know whether my essay is available?
When and where is the exam for my course?
Tutorials
How do I get into a tutorial group?
Can I change my tutorial group?
How can I check when and where my tutorial is?
How can I find out my tutor’s name?
General
Where can I get advice about my degree?
Contact the Undergraduate Coordinator with any general questions you have about course planning and selection. Copies of the Undergraduate Handbook can be requested from the administrator.
Where can I get information about a course?
All of the courses in English have web pages and many lecturers post notes on these as the semester progresses. On the course page you will find a description of the course’s aims and approach, who is teaching the course, what prerequisites there are, when the class meets, what texts are required, and what assessment is planned. Please feel free to contact the course convenor or any of the lecturers in the course if you have questions about it.
How do I contact my lecturer or tutor?
Contact details for all English staff are available on the staff pages. During term time, all staff hold regular office hours when they may be consulted by students. Outside of office hours you can email, leave a voice-mail message, or leave a message with the secretary.
I missed a lecture. Where can I get the handout?
There may be electronic copies of handouts available on Learn. If you can’t find the handout you want, check with the lecturer concerned.
Who can stamp my course change form?
See the administrator, who will direct you to the appropriate person to sign and stamp your form.
When is the office open?
The office is normally open 8.30 am – 5.00 pm Monday to Friday, including vacation time. The office may be closed at certain times while the secretary is at lunch or in a meeting.
What is the Staff/Student Liaison Committee (SSLC)?
Every year the members of each English course elect representatives to sit on this committee. It meets three or four times per year. Student representatives bring concerns, advice, and recommendations about the conduct of courses in English. Elections are held early in each course, and course representatives then gather informal responses through the year from their courses to take to the meetings. In past years this committee has made a number of important recommendations which have subsequently been acted upon. When matters concern a single course, the Chair of the committee and the Programme Coordinator will speak to the course convenor on the committee’s behalf. When matters are more obviously of importance to the Programme as a whole, the committee’s recommendations are presented to a staff meeting and debated in that forum.
What do I do if I have a dispute with my tutor or lecturer?
If at all possible the dispute should be dealt with first by a consultation between the student and the tutor or lecturer. If this is not successful, then the student should consult the course convenor, unless the convenor is the lecturer originally involved. In that case the student should consult the Programme Coordinator or Head of School. The Programme Coordinator or Head of School should always be consulted if a dispute is not resolved after consultation with the course convenor.
In the extremely rare case where a satisfactory resolution cannot be achieved at the School level, a student is entitled to bring a specific case before the Academic Administration Committee of the University or the Joint Academic Grievance Committee.
Assessment
Where do I hand in my essay?
Essays should be deposited in the essay box, which is a clearly marked slot in the wall beside the English office (3rd floor, English/Education building). Take care not to put your essay in the mailbox by mistake. Your essay must have your name, the course code, and your tutor’s name written clearly on the front. (See How can I find out my tutor’s name?) Please staple the pages of your essay together (there is a stapler available on the reception counter) - don't use paperclips or folders.
What about my project? Or my take-home test? Or my assignment?
They all go in the essay box too. (See Where do I hand in my essay?)
Do I need a cover sheet?
Attach a standard Humanties cover sheet to the front of your essay. Make sure you have written your name, the course code, and your tutor’s name clearly on the front. (See How can I find out my tutor’s name?)
What is the latest time I can submit my essay?
If your tutor has not given you a specific time to hand your essay in by, then the deadline is the end of the day. In practical terms, this means before the building is locked for the night (usually around 5.30 pm).
I need an extension. Who should I ask?
See your tutor in the first instance, or if they are not available, see the course convenor. You should be aware of the policy on extensions: "Essay extensions can be granted only in exceptional circumstances. These include bereavement, illness, injury, or emotional difficulties. You are reminded to get an official note from a doctor or the Student Health Service, as appropriate. Extensions cannot be given on the essay due date, and should be asked for as early as possible".
Where do I get my essay back from?
Your tutor will hand essays back in class time or during their office hour. Uncollected essays are available from the English office (3rd floor, English/Education building). Please bring your student ID card.
How do I know whether my essay is available?
A list of essays available from the office is posted on the front counter. If your essay is not listed there, then it is not available and the secretary has no information about it. If you have a question about when your essay will be marked, please see your tutor.
When and where is the exam for my course?
Most English courses have final examinations, and these range in value from 40 to 60 percent of the final mark. The schedule for these examinations is published on the web in late February. Here the dates of final examinations are listed both day-by-day and under each separate course in the English section. The place of each examination is not decided until later in the year, and lists are posted in the ground-floor north windows of the Registry and in the foyers of the Lecture Theatre complexes just before and during the examination period.
Some of these examinations are conducted as ‘open-book’ and some as ‘closed-book’. ‘Open-book’ means that you may take any text or notes into the examination to assist you in writing it. ‘Closed-book’ means that you may take no sources into the examination room. Sometimes lecturers will specify a ‘restricted open-book’ examination in which students are allowed only texts specified by the examiner. In all cases, course convenors are required to inform students in advance whether the examination is ‘open-book’ or ‘closed-book’.
The English programme advises students that it is their own responsibility to obtain copies of the set texts for use in ‘open-book’ final examinations.
Tutorials
How do I get into a tutorial group?
In your first lecture you will be told how to sign up for a tutorial
group. Normally this involves coming to the office during the first
week of term and selecting a tutorial group to sign up for. Note
that tutorial groups are limited in size, and the popular times fill
quickly, so if you want to be sure of getting your first choice,
you should sign up early in the week.
If you don’t come and sign up during the first week of term, you will
be assigned to a group at random, and it may be difficult to change. (See Can
I change my tutorial group?)
Can I change my tutorial group?
Most tutorial groups fill up quickly, so there is limited room for movement. For this reason, it is very important to choose your tutorial group carefully. However, if you have a genuine reason for needing to change, then see the administrator.
How can I check when and where my tutorial is?
Tutorial times and rooms are listed on the notice board outside the English office (3rd floor, English/Education building). Note that in some courses, tutorials are not held every week. Check your course outline for the tutorial timetable.
How can I find out my tutor’s name?
Check the tutorial lists posted on the notice board outside the English office (3rd floor, English/Education building), the photo board in the 3rd floor foyer, or the staff pages.