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.
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EngagementSTUDENT ENGAGEMENT POLICY FRAMEWORK – School of Politics and International Relations INTRODUCTION For the timely and effective administration of support, the School wishes to use the following markers of student engagement. This is to ensure that students are well supported and given every opportunity to progress with their studies and to achieve to their fullest potential whilst here. 1. MARKERS OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT 1.1 Attendance: All
undergraduate students are expected to attend scheduled taught sessions
including lectures, practical classes, group work, workshops, tutorials,
seminars, field work, computer lab sessions, problem-solving classes,
exercise classes, lab sessions, project meetings, and other events which
are associated with the modules for which they are registered as part
of their programme of study. If you miss 3 seminars in the same
semester on a single module, you will be sent a warning email and asked
to meet with your Personal Adviser to explain the reasons for your
absences. If
your absences persist and you miss 5
seminars in one semester, on a single
module you will be sent a final
warning and given one last chance to
make a case to your Personal Adviser. You may be required to submit evidence of your
circumstances in order to support your claim. 1.2 Coursework Submission: All undergraduate students are expected to submit reports, exercises essays, and other pieces of coursework associated with each module for which they are registered as part of their programme of study, by the individually advertised deadlines and method of submission. 1.3 Participation in Formative Assessments: All
undergraduate students are expected to participate in a range of
activities (with or without the allocation of marks) that help to inform
teaching and learning during the learning process. Examples of such
activities are subject related quizzes, or exercises linked to module
materials on QMPlus. 1.4 Marks from Summative Assessments: All
undergraduate students are expected to participate in a range of
activities assessing the outcomes of a learning process. Provisional
and/or confirmed marks allocated from such summative assessments e.g
weekly tests, coursework,and Examinations, often contribute to the
overall module grade and programme degree classification. 1.5 Other Student Engagement Activities: All
undergraduate students are expected to participate in a range of formal
or informal activities that signify continued engagement with their
programme of study. Examples of such activities are scheduled meetings
with Personal Tutors/Academic Advisors, and group work 2 ACTION FOLLOWING IDENTIFICATION OF STUDENTS WHO MAY REQUIRE SUPPORT 2.1 Actions by Schools are designed to support students to engage or re-engage with their study programme. The underpinning principles are that the School, once it has admitted a student to a programme of study, has a duty of care to that student, whilst in turn the student has a responsibility to engage with the available support. In such cases, support will be designed by the School around the needs of the individual student. 2.2 A student identified as approaching or falling below the minimum requirements of engagement set by their School will be contacted alerting them to this, outlining support mechanisms to deal with the issues that may be contributing to this. 2.3 Once a student is identified as in need of support in order to re-engage with their studies, they will be invited to a meeting with their Personal Tutor/Academic Advisor to discuss issues that might be affecting their studies, and for the provision of encouragement/advice (with possible referral to QMUL support services if necessary). The first port of call is the Personal Tutor/Academic Advisor, who in turn may liaise with the Senior Tutor and the School’s Student Support/Experience Manager. In exceptional circumstances, a senior member of the School team, such as the Head of Department or the Head of School, may be involved in this process. 2.4 The School will always try to help students who are experiencing problems, but we cannot do so if we are not kept informed of them. If there are factors making a student’s engagement with their programme difficult, it is essential that the student discusses these with their Personal Tutor/Academic Advisor, or an appropriate person in the School, at an early stage. This will give us the opportunity to intervene and provide the necessary support. | ||
Examinations FeedbackYou may request feedback on your examination performance. In order to do this, please complete the attached form and email it to spir-assessments@qmul.ac.uk. Your examination script will be passed to the module convenor and you will need meet with them during their offer hours, or if outside term time, make an appointment to meet them, in order to recieve the feedback. | ||
Extenuating CircumstancesExtenuating circumstances - commonly referred to as ECs - are "circumstances that are outside a student's control which may have a negative impact on a student's ability to undertake or complete any assessment so as to cast doubt on the likely validity of the assessment as a measure of the student's achievement," (Academic Regulations 2020/21, 3.49). Students are strongly advised to read the Advice and Counselling Extenuating Circumstances Guide. https://www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk/guides/extenuating-circumstances/ Extenuating circumstances may include medical and personal circumstances such as bereavement, but do not include events such as holidays, mis-reading timetables, workload (academic work, and formal employment), computer problems, or not being aware of rules, regulations or procedures. Please note IT issues and submitting the wrong version of an assignment, are not acceptable grounds for applying for ECs. The core principle behind the extenuating circumstances policy is the 'fit to sit' rule. By taking an assessment, a student declares themselves fit to take it; any claim for extenuating circumstances relating to that assessment shall not normally be considered. The Extenuating Circumstances policy is to help students where circumstances are beyond their control. It is a short term measure and claims for extenuating circumstances are not automatically approved. Students need to explain the reason for the claim and provide appropriate documentary evidence. If you are experiencing any difficulties, you must tell someone at the time in order to get the appropriate advice and assistance. Normally this would be the student support officer or your academic advisor, however there are other sources of advice and support available to you which can be accessed through the Advice and Counselling Service. Anything that a student tells a member of staff will be treated as confidential. Please note: Unless students report their extenuating circumstances formally at the time then it is very difficult for QMUL to help them in terms of their studying. QMUL does not accept retrospective claims for extenuating circumstances so students need to tell someone about their problems as soon as possible.
How do I make an Extenuating Circumstances claim? The Extenuating Circumstances task on MySIS allows you to register extenuating circumstance claims against summative assessment elements/modules where it is felt that illness or other circumstances led to non-attendance or non-submission. The task can be found on MySIS under its own section entitled Extenuating Circumstances. Any student registered for assessments will automatically have access. To add a claim, log in to your MySIS account and click on Extenuating Circumstances in the menu bar at the top of the screen. This will bring up a summary showing your personal details, details of your programme and various headings denoting different stages of the claim process. To add a new claim, click on the New Claim button. To help you navigate the claim process there is a PDF 'Extenuating Circumstances Student Guide'. You can find this via the MySIS extenuating circumstances home page. QMUL requires students to submit appropriate documentary evidence to support claims for extenuating circumstances. The evidence must support the claim and the requested length of extension e.g. ‘fitness to work’ note, letter from a doctor or counsellor, copy of a death certificate, letter from a solicitor. QMUL will allow students to ‘self certify’ on three occasions during the academic year. This means that students are not required to submit evidence. However, the Senior Tutor will decide whether the claim is approved. 'Self certified' claims cannot be granted for a period longer than 7 days.
EC Coursework Applications: Students are expected to submit assignments by the stated deadlines. If you are experiencing difficulties, you should contact the Student Support Officer. If you miss a deadline, SPIR advises students to submit claims as soon as possible after the submission deadlines. This will allow SPIR to support students who are experiencing difficulties and minimise the risk to students falling behind with their studies and their assignments. All Coursework-related EC applications are considered by the Student Support Team and you will receive a decision notification email when your form has been processed. You should hear a decision within 1-2 weeks of submitting your application, this time may vary depending on the volume of applications received. We cannot grant immediate decisions, therefore you are advised to inform us immediately once you are aware of any problems outside of your control that will affect your ability to submit work on time. You must CONTINUE TO WORK on your coursework while you are awaiting a decision and submit your work as soon as it is complete to QMplus or via email to spir-assessments@qmul.ac.uk if you cannot submit via QMplus. Therefore any delays you experience in the EC application process cannot be used as a justification for further EC claims.
If you submitted your coursework late while awaiting a decision and your application becomes approved, then some or all of any late penalty you incurred may be removed.
It is possible to claim retrospectively for extenuating circumstances, where it was not possible for you to have submitted the claim at the time, and if your applications is received within the EC deadline (before the end of the relevant semester). If approved, some or all of any late penalty you incurred may be removed Exam related EC applications.
Exam related applications will be considered before the final meeting of the Subject Examination Board by the Extenuating Circumstances Sub-committee. All discussions on this committee are strictly confidential and student names are not used. You will receive a decision notification email from the Student Support Manager shortly after the Examination Board has met to consider your application. If you have taken any examination/s, Queen Mary considers you to have been fit to do so. Please note that we cannot accept any applications or additional documentation after examination boards have met. NOTE EC deadlines for
2021- 2022:
Joint Honours Students MUST refer to the Student Handbooks of their other School for guidance on policies and procedures. If you are unsure of any procedures speak to either School Office. | ||
Extra-curricular opportunitiesAt QMUL we have designed our courses, as well as many of the offerings provided to students through our Careers and Enterprise team, to broaden opportunities for you as a Queen Mary undergraduate, within and beyond higher education, so that you will be supported in planning and managing your ongoing professional development. Our approach is firmly grounded in the core Queen Mary values of respect for, and engagement with, the local area and communities, with a distinctive focus on enabling you to make a genuine societal impact through leadership in your chosen field. We have organised various modules and opportunities around the key themes of networking, multi- and inter-disciplinarity, international perspectives, and enterprising perspectives to assist you with fully realising your potential. There will be a menu of such modules available for you to choose from, together with a range of extra opportunities available to you through Careers and Enterprise (normally offered on Wednesday afternoons). All have been designed to offer you a wide range of experiences, and many can be included in the Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR). This allows you to demonstrate to employers the learning gained from your involvement in extra-curricular activities. Your academic adviser will work with you to support an
individualised approach, to assist you realise your ambition and full
potential. Additionally, within SPIR there is the Politics and International Relations Society: https://www.qmsu.org/groups/politics/ Regular 'Coffee and Politics' events are organised; students will be notifed of these events in advance of the date. | ||
