School etiquette: how should we behave together?

The QMUL Charter contains a list of expectations for both staff and students to help create a community which is mutually supportive and works to further knowledge creation and dissemination. The charter was created by Queen Mary staff and students together. You can find the full document on the website here: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/ourcommunity/ 

The QMUL Charter states that our work shall be carried out in a spirit of tolerance, freedom of opinion, mutual concern and community service, and undertakes to avoid discrimination against any person on the grounds of religion, race, sex, disability or politics. The University's equal opportunities policy further guarantees the rights of all students and staff to attend the university free from harassment, discrimination or other form of abuse. Any person behaving in breach of this policy will be subject to the University's disciplinary procedures.

IMPORTANT: any student who is in serious breach of, or repeatedly disregards, any aspect of this code of behaviour will be reported to the Academic Secretary and may be suspended from the university. A copy of Queen Mary's Code of Student Discipline is available here www.qmul.ac.uk/governance-and-legal-services/student-appeals/misconduct

Consent matters

Please complete the Consent Matters online course to ensure you understand how to give and receive consent in relationships.

In class

The School of the Arts expects that all students will undertake their studies conscientiously and collegially, both inside and outside the classroom.  The School expects that you will:  

• Attend your classes. Let your instructor know, via email, if you are unwell or unable to attend class for any reason. The same applies if you are working on a group project with other students. If you are unable to attend a session scheduled with other students, let them know ahead of time whenever possible. 
• Arrive to class prepared. Complete any assigned activities in advance (readings, viewings, exercises, fieldwork, projects, etc.). 
  
• Punctuality: Students are expected to arrive punctually (by no later than 5 minutes past the hour) for all timetabled lectures, tutorials and other classes. It is disruptive for other students and the lecturer if you arrive after the session has begun. Students who arrive late may not be permitted to enter the classroom and/or may be recorded as being "absent" from the lecture.
• Engage with others’ work respectfully. Debate and disagreement are important elements of part of academic inquiry, but the classroom should always be a collegial space.  
• Treat others the way you wish to be treated. When working collaboratively, be a person other students want to work with: join in project planning; take on your share of the workload; observe the agreed schedule; communicate clearly and considerately; show up to scheduled sessions; and participate fully.  
  
• Noise:  Some lectures are given to quite large numbers of students in large classrooms or lecture theatres, where it can quite difficult to hear the lecturer clearly if there is other noise in the room. If any students are talking while the lecturer is speaking, this can make the lecture inaudible to the rest of the class; it is also very disrespectful to the lecturer. Students who persist in talking out of turn during a lecture will be asked to leave.
• Mobile phones/tablets/laptops, etc.: Mobile phones and other electronic devices must be switched off in lecture theatres or classrooms unless they are being used for note-taking, in which case they must be switched to 'silent' mode.