SPIR handbook
Dear Student,
Welcome to the School of Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary, University of London.
Whether you are studying a single honours programme of Politics or International Relations, taking the Politics and International Relations joint degree, or taking Politics modules as part of a joint degree with another subject, you are an integral part of our School during your undergraduate studies at Queen Mary.
In terms of the quality of our teaching, we have been officially recognised as delivering 'excellent' teaching in a friendly and supportive environment. Our modules cover a broad range of topics in politics and international relations: political theory, government, public policy, processes of democratisation, global development, globalisation, international security, US foreign policy and conflict management. We hope that you will find them informative, stimulating and enjoyable.
In the School of Politics and International Relations you will be part of a multicultural group of students, working alongside academic staff who are enthusiastic and innovative teachers, as well as active researchers. We will do our best to give you appropriate support and guidance throughout your undergraduate degree; it is also up to you to work hard to secure the maximum benefit from your time in the School.
Please take time to read through this Handbook which provides information relevant to your studies.
We hope that you will enjoy your time studying Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary.
Professor David Williams
Head of School
This handbook should be used together with the Academic Regulations. It provides information specific to the School of Politics and International Relations, while http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/ gives information common to all students at Queen Mary. The Academic Regulations provide detailed information on progression, award and classification requirements.
Nothing in this handbook overrides the Academic Regulations, which always take precedence.
You need to refer to the relevant Academic Regulations which are applicable to the year you started your undergraduate studies at Queen Mary. Additionally, the Assessment Handbook also provides important information on Queen Mary's assessment regulations.
The relevant Academic Regulations and Assessment Handbook can be assessed via the following link:
http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/policy/
The information in this SPIR Student Handbook is correct as of September 2020. In the unlikely event of substantial amendments to the material, the School will inform you of the changes.
QM cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy or reliability of information given in third party publications or websites referred to in this handbook.
SOME SECTIONS OF THIS HANDBOOK ARE SUBJECT TO FINAL REVISIONS, WHERE THIS IS THE CASE, IT IS INDICATED.
Special | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | ALL
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Lost PropertyIf you have lost something at Queen Mary, please
contact the Security Control Room at your campus. If the item has not been
handed in, the Security Service will assist you in completing a lost property
report that can be referred to by your insurance company if you need to make a
claim. We will keep your contact details and a description of the lost property
on file in case the item is handed in later. Please see www.security.qmul.ac.uk
for more details | ||
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Marking criteria, grading and feedbackAll assessed work within the School, both coursework and exams, is moderated or double marked by internal markers; Moderation means that a second marker with appropriate subject knowledge reads a representative sample of marked work from across the marking range to ensure the marking is fair, consistent and accurate. The moderator may recommend some rescaling of marks (raising or lowering all the marks across the board or within a specific range) to ensure fairness and consistency. Double marking means that a second marker reads and marks all the work for an assessment. In the case of any difference the two markers meet to agree marks. Which of these two methods is used depends on the type of assessment and the number of students on a module. The final year dissertation is always double marked. In addition to our internal procedures for ensuring fairness and consistency in marking, we also use external examiners. External examiners are experts from another UK university whose role includes reviewing a sample of assessed work (both coursework and exams) from each module. This normally takes place at the end of the academic year. Please note that, to be placed in a given class or range of marks, the work need not have all the required characteristics, AND work with some of the characteristics of a given class will not necessarily be located in that class. Our full marking criteria is attached below. To view your marks for assessment, log-in to MySIS (your personal area of SIS) with your usual computer log-in, where they will be listed. These are marks are provisional and subject to change until they are agreed by the appropriate subject examination board. MySIS will indicate whether the results are provisional or confirmed. Guides on checking your results on MySis are available on the Student Enquiry website (http://www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/mysis-record/provisional-results/index.html). Additionally,
provisional marks for assignments with feedback (see below) are
available via the relevant assignment link on the QMPlus module page.
Please note that any mark shown on QMPlus is subject to change and also
does not include any late penalty deductions. Late penalty deductions
are only made after marks are loaded into MySIS and are identified by a
code of 'PL' - pass late or 'FL' - fail late. FeedbackFeedback is fundamentally important to improving your academic skills and the quality of your work. Feedback is much more than written feedback on your essays, and, depending on the module, you will get different forms of feedback:
Help is very much available to you. You are also very welcome to come and see us after the module has completed to discuss your work as a way to continue to improve in your other modules. | ||
Module RegistrationTo register for your modules you will log-in to MySIS (your personal area of SIS) with your usual computer log-in, and make preliminary choices from a list using the descriptions to tell you what the modules are about. Any core or compulsory modules will be preselected and you cannot change these. Once you are happy with your choices, these will automatically be sent to your school for approval (e.g. they will make sure there aren’t any timetable clashes and you have a balance of modules in each semester) – you can send comments to them with the selection if you wish. All of your selections must be confirmed and approved by the specified deadline. The final outcome of your choices will be confirmed to you by email. Module registration has to be completed by the specified deadline (normally mid October within the first two weeks of teaching). All modules have a limited number of places, and priority is given to students who are required to take them for their programmes. Therefore it is important that you choose your electives and complete module registration as soon as possible. Please note, new students register for modules in September whereas continuing students will register for modules before they come back to university in September i.e. continuing students will register in March 2020 for modules for the academic year beginning September 2020. | ||
Music at QMULMusic is central to cultural provision at QMUL. Music at QMUL
can help if you are interested in applying for music scholarships,
joining an ensemble, taking up tuition or simply attending one of the
many musical events organised by Dr Paul Edlin, Director of Music.
Please, visit Music at QMUL for further information. | ||
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Parking On CampusThere are no parking facilities available for
students unless you have special circumstances. Please contact Security
Services if you think you have circumstances which require a permit at: http://security.qmul.ac.uk/parking/ or at France
House Reception. | ||
Projects/DissertationThe School of Politics and International Relations offers a 45 credit dissertation module, POL318 taken by all final year students on the following programmes: BA Politics BA Politics with a Year Abroad BA International Relations BA International Relations with a Year Abroad BA Politics and International Relations BA Politics and International Relations with a Year Abroad BA Politics with Business Management BA Politics with Business Management with a Year Abroad If you are taking a joint programmes you should refer to the module directory (see attachment below) as to whether you can take the module. SPIR will contact students in semester B of their second year regarding preparation which includes an initial proposal and summer preparatory work. Under QMUL academic regulations all final year students must pass at least 90 credits at level 6 (final year level), therefore if you are taking the dissertation, you pass this module in order to graduate. | ||
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QMUL CharterThe 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 | |
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Referencing and PlagiarismReferencing and Plagiarism Plagiarism is an instance of academic misconduct, which we take very seriously here at SPIR. QMUL defines plagiarism as “presenting someone else’s work as one’s own irrespective of intention. Any of the following might constitute a case of plagiarism or academic misconduct:
Note that you can therefore be guilty of plagiarism even if you do these things by mistake. Essentially, all the words and ideas in your essays must either be:
All coursework is submitted electronically and automatically screened through anti-plagiarism software, Turnitin. Academic staff also have a variety of other means to detect cheating. Queen Mary takes all assessment offences extremely seriously, with penalties including the award of zero marks for entire modules or entire years of study, suspension or permanent expulsion from the University, and the revocation of your degree if it has already been awarded. Offences will also be recorded in references written for your employers and future places of study. It is therefore crucial that you understand plagiarism and how to avoid it. Please note that Extenuating Circumstances (ECs) are rarely considered to be a mitigating factor for assessment offences. Students with genuine ECs should always follow the procedure outlined in this handbook. The recognition of ECs does not in any way sanction or excuse engaging in Academic Misconduct. In short, do not consider cheating, no matter how desperate you may feel; the penalties will often be far worse than simply doing your best. Assessment Offences Procedures Allegations of plagiarism and other assessment offences are dealt with under Queen Mary’s Academic Regulations. Please make sure that you familiarise yourself with the regulations and the procedures. This is your responsibility. Details about the QMUL Academic Misconduct regulations and processes at university and School level can be accessed here. For any questions about this process at SPIR contact the current Academic Misconduct Officer – Dr Elke Schwarz (e.schwarz@qmul.ac.uk). The general process for Academic Misconduct allegations is as follows:
How to Avoid Plagiarism Plagiarism can easily be avoided with some care and consideration. Most cases of plagiarism are accidental, due to poor scholarly practices. Remember: intention is irrelevant and an offence can still be committed unintentionally. Therefore, the best approach is a preventive one, and you can do a lot to prevent accidental plagiarism or misconduct: plan ahead, have a good note-taking system and develop your referencing practice as a key communications skill. Plan ahead Most cases of plagiarism and other academic misconduct happen because students simply run out of time. Make sure that you make a schedule of when assignments are due and make a plan when and how you are going to work toward the deadlines. You might face multiple deadlines at the same time, so have a good plan to hand how you are going to handle it. You might, for example consider your deadlines two months in advance and start compiling and organising notes, think about what you need to read and organise these readings and your notes on the readings. One month in advance, make a rough plan or outline for your essay. Start writing so that you are finished with your essay before the deadline. You should leave enough time to be able to properly format your essay, all your references and proof read one last time before submitting the essay. Planning is everything, don’t leave the essay to the last minute – it always takes longer than you think. Note-taking The second biggest problem for academic misconduct allegations is flawed note taking. When taking notes during your research for assessments, rather than copying and pasting chunks of text, reflect on what you read, write summaries of arguments in your own words, and your thoughts on their merits. This takes longer, but you will have engaged with texts more deeply (enabling you to write more intelligently), and avoided the risk of unattributed pasting of text. Only copy whole chunks of text if you think a direct quotation will be particularly useful or powerful in your essay. Whether you are writing
down your own thoughts, or paraphrasing (using your own words) or quoting
directly, always ensure that these different sources are clearly identified,
with the sources and page numbers where appropriate. You should aim to produce
notes which, if you returned to them many weeks later when your mind has moved
onto other things, would still clearly tell you which words/ideas are yours;
which are someone else’s; which words are paraphrases and which are quotations;
and where each set of ideas/ words came from. Plan your argument beforehand, and construct your essay from that plan. Try to avoid simply cutting and pasting parts of your notes – and even more so, from cutting and pasting from original sources. This approach risks making your essay a very choppy series of unrelated chunks of information, rather than a sustained argument based on your own response to the question. If your essay merely mirrors the structure of a source – whether academic books, lecture notes, or your own notes or previous work – this is extremely unlikely to be the more effective way of responding to an essay question and this approach heightens the risk of accidentally pasting someone else’s ideas or words and failing to cite them properly, resulting in plagiarism. Ensure that, whenever you rely on the ideas, information or words from an original source, you cite this source. Refer to the style guide (referencing section) of this handbook and carefully follow the style guide there. Providing references is essential to avoid plagiarism. Ensure that your bibliography also contains all of the sources cited in the essay. Again, consult the style guide for guidance on the correct formatting of a bibliography and follow it carefully. Learn how to reference – it’s a good skill to have! A very good source and resource to help you with your referencing practice can be found here at citethemrightonline.com. The site helps you practice your referencing skills and offers a comprehensive guide for referencing a wide range of sources. Use this resource to practice your referencing skills and learn how to reference new media of all kinds. Once you get into the habit of proper referencing, you will find it makes writing an essay much easier. A good referencing practice shows you have read and understood the relevant academic literature, and that you can use a range of sources to support your own argument. This is a crucial element of the criteria against which your work is assessed. For more advice on proper referencing and the avoidance of plagiarism, see http://www.citethemrightonline.com/. You can also visit https://www.umuc.edu/writingcenter/plagiarism/index.cfm. Students unfamiliar with academic essay writing may wish to enroll on the module “Structuring Arguments and Avoiding Plagiarism”, with the Language Centre. Students found guilty of an assessment offence should definitely enrol to avoid a repeat offence, with the more serious penalties involved. Other Assessment Offences Plagiarism is not the only assessment offence, merely the most common one. The offences most applicable to undergraduate students are as follows. All of them are subject to the same process and serious penalties identified above, i.e. up to and including the failure of entire modules, whole years of study, and suspension or expulsion from QMUL. Offences in an Invigilated Examination This includes access to exam papers before the exam; forging exam timetables; removing exam materials from the hall; disturbing exams; failing to cooperate with invigilators; possessing unauthorised materials, whether in hard copy (including writing on your body) or via electronic devices, telephones, third parties, etc; communicating with other candidates; attempting to copy from others. Collusion in the Preparation or Production of Submitted Work Where assessments require you to work in groups, e.g. for a group presentation or written assignment, this cooperation is obviously legitimate. In all other cases, it is not. Students are allowed and encouraged to discuss their ideas with each other. But they must prepare their own coursework in isolation. Planning essays together, or copying essays from previous students, for example, are prohibited. Allowing another student access to your work to facilitate their cheating is also an assessment offence. Use or Attempted Use of Ghost-Writing Services Although very few QMUL students ever resort to them, an increasing number of websites now offer essays for sale, even offering to write essays to your specifications. They often issue disclaimers that their essays are meant as study aids, not for cheating. But students who either crib from purchased essays or submit them as their own work are nonetheless committing a serious assessment offence. It is far easier for academics to detect than students imagine, and the offence is so clearly deliberate and egregious that the harshest penalties are typically applied. A final-year student who used a ghost writer in 2014/15 was expelled from QMUL and failed her entire degree. Never even consider doing this, no matter how desperate you may be! Help with Study Skills and Essay Writing Queen Mary offers various workshops for all students to help with essay writing, study skills and examination preparation. These workshops are delivered by Queen Mary’s Language Centre. Details of their workshops will be posted in the department foyer, but you should familiarise yourself with their website for full details - http://www.sllf.qmul.ac.uk/languagecentre/ Based in the Mile End Library, this includes:
To find out more details, go to: www.learningdevelopment.qmul.ac.uk
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Religious Observance and StudyQMUL is a diverse community of over 25,000 students and staff. With a variety of faiths and beliefs represented on campus, we are committed to tolerance, understanding and co-operation, as well as to ensuring as far as possible that our policies are consistent across all needs. Many religions and beliefs require their members to pray at specific times during the day, or have special festivals or spiritual observance days. We recognise therefore that students at QMUL often strike a balance between their educational and religious commitments. One of QMUL’s fundamental aims is to provide an education that is judged internationally to be of the highest quality. It would be both impractical and inconsistent with our aims as a university to suspend teaching for reasons of religious observance, but we will accommodate students’ religious commitments where we reasonably can do so. This may include providing learning materials (potentially including QReview recordings) online and permitting students to attend classes at different times where there is availability. Students are expected to stay engaged and up-to-date with their studies throughout their time at QMUL. Schools and institutes should make their expectations for attendance and submission of coursework clear to students at the beginning of their studies, and students should inform themselves beforehand about the potential implications of missing learning and teaching activities. Students must also inform their school or institute beforehand if they intend to miss any teaching. We will take religious commitments into reasonable account when reviewing students’ attendance, but we expect students to plan their studies so that they can submit coursework on time. The following procedures apply in the event that a special festival or spiritual observance day would result in absence from a scheduled assessment.
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