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School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures

Postgraduate Taught Handbook

2009 - 2010

Postgraduate Taught Director:

Dr Ricardo Bermúdez-Otero (Semester 1) Dr Núria Triana Toribio (Semester 2)

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First Edition, August 2009

Please note, some information is subject to change. For updates, please check our webpage: http://www.llc.manchester.ac.uk/intranet/pg/ma-students

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Welcome to the Faculty of Humanities As Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all students in the University of Manchester. The Faculty of Humanities is one of four faculties in the University and consists of seven Schools that offer an unprecedented range of innovative programmes at undergraduate and graduate level, embracing disciplines as diverse as business and management, social sciences, law, education, languages, arts and environment and development. We are confident that this rich mix of opportunities will make study in the University of Manchester an exciting and stimulating experience, where you will benefit from the experience of leading scholars in your field and also from being part of a large and diverse postgraduate student community. The Faculty of Humanities is committed to providing a student experience of the highest standard, and during this year we will be seeking your opinion on how well we have succeeded in the objective. I urge you to participate in this process, and use all the chances we make available to you to let us know how we can improve the quality education we provide. This Handbook contains material specific to the programme of study or the discipline area in which your studies will be based. Alistair Ulph Dean and Vice-President, Faculty of Humanities September, 2009

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Finding your way around the Handbook This Handbook aims to serve as a guide through the various stages of your postgraduate programme at the University of Manchester, either at Masters or Diploma level. Although there are a large number of regulations and other policy documents included, we’ve tried to make it as easy as possible to find the information you need. This Handbook is also available on the web (http://www.llc.manchester.ac.uk/intranet/pg/) as are many of the regulations and policy documents relevant to PGT students. N.B. The web-based version of the Handbook and the regulations and policy documents are always the most recent and authoritative version, and supersede the printed version where they differ. Section Signposts Pages

1 How the University Works: Subject areas; the Postgraduate Office; MA programmes; the Faculty of Humanities

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2 Getting Started - Registration and Induction: Policies and procedures; registration; choosing course units; induction; the academic year

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3 Skills and Experience Review Questionnaire (SERQ) and Personal Development Plans (PDPs): SERQs; PDPs; transferable Skills

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4 Assessment: Including: Different types of assessment; coursework deadlines and penalties for late submission; School policy on word limits and penalties for coursework and dissertations; applications to extend deadlines; examinations; assessment criteria; feedback policy; marks and results; pass marks, resits, compensation; classifications; progression from Diploma to MA; final results and graduation; exit awards; appeals and complaints

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5 Dissertation: Including: Deciding dissertation title and notice of submission; ethical approval; guidelines on supervision; restrictions on dissertations; word limits; submission; resubmission

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6 Plagiarism and Other Forms of Academic Malpractice: Including: plagiarism, collusion, fabrication and falsification

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7 Making Changes – the Postgraduate Committee: Including: interruptions, extensions, withdrawals

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8 Life After Manchester: Alumni – Staying in Touch

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9 Facilities and Services for Students – an A-Z Guide: Including: Accommodation; The Career Service; Disability Support; Information Systems; International Students; Library; Medical Services; Sport; Students’ Union; Transcripts

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10 University Policies and Regulations: Summaries and links to the full text of key documents

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11 Appendices: 1. University Ordinances and Regulations for the Degree of Master,

Diploma and Postgraduate Certificate 2. Guidance Notes for the Presentation of Taught Master’s Dissertations

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1 How the University Works

Your Programme of Study and your Subject Area Here’s a quick introduction to some of the terms you’ll come across during your time at Manchester. Taught Postgraduate (PGT) students are registered to study for the Degree of Master of Arts (MA) or the Postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip). Degrees and Diplomas are awarded after successful completion of a Programme of study e.g. the MA in Latin American Cultural Studies, the PG Dip in Translation and Interpreting Studies. These Programmes are grouped into Subject Areas – some of which often have a great deal in common in terms of structure, core and optional course units, and administration. There is a single Programme Director for each Subject Area. The School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures has six Subject Areas at Postgraduate Taught level. The organization of the School at PGT level is similar, but not identical, to its structure at Undergraduate level (where programmes are grouped into Discipline Areas) and for research, where an important role is played by Research Centres, such as the Centre for Translation and Intercultural Studies, the Centre for Latin American Cultural Studies, the Centre for Russian and Eurasian Studies and the Centre for Chinese Studies. The School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures is one of seven Schools that form the Faculty of Humanities, and the Faculty of Humanities is one of four Faculties that make up the University of Manchester.

Faculty Level

School Level

PGT Subject Area Level

The Postgraduate Office for the School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures

The School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures brings together all language-based disciplines on the campus, underpinned by excellent facilities such as the University Language Centre, John Rylands University Library and the School's Centre for Graduate Studies, to create one of the largest concentrations of high-quality research and teaching in the UK. We are proud of the disciplinary depth and achievement which makes the School an exciting one in which to study and work.

Faculty

of Humanities

School of Languages, Linguistics and

Cultures Postgraduate Office

European Languages

and Cultures (ELC)

Latin American Cultural Studies

(LACS)

Translation & Interpreting Studies(TIS)

Middle Eastern Studies (MES)

Linguistics and English

Language (LEL)

East Asian Studies (EAS)

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The Postgraduate Office establishes and co-ordinates the institutional framework through which the School’s PGT programmes are managed and developed. You will come into contact with the Postgraduate Office in a number of ways, but particularly when you first start your programme of study, when you hand in assessed coursework and your dissertation (for MA students), if you need to put in an application for special circumstances, or apply to make changes to your registration eg. interrupt your programme [see Section 7 for further information] or change your mode of attendance. If the Postgraduate Office wishes to contact you it will use one or more of the following means of communication: email, letter to your term-time address, letter to your home address, telephone. It is your responsibility to keep the Office informed of any changes to your address and telephone number (though you may make these changes yourself via the Self-Service facility of the Student Records System). The Office will generally use email for most routine communication with you. It will send email messages to your University email address (the one that ends @postgrad.manchester.ac.uk), not to any other email address. For information on accessing your university email address and setting it up to forward messages to another email address, see http://www.its.manchester.ac.uk/ or contact IS support [see Section 9]. Postgraduate Office: Location and Opening Hours: The Postgraduate Office for the School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures is located in Room S3.11, Samuel Alexander Building [Campus Map – Building 67]. http://www.manchester.ac.uk/visitors/travel/maps/numerical/ The Postgraduate Office is normally open between 9.00am and 5.00pm, Monday to Friday.

Postgraduate Office Personnel

Academic

Postgraduate Taught Director

Dr Ricardo Bermúdez-Otero (Semester 1)

[email protected]

Dr Núria Triana Toribio (Semester 2)

[email protected]

0161 275 8377

0161 275 3689

Administration

Postgraduate Manager

Ms Amanda Mathews

[email protected]

0161 275 3602

Postgraduate Support Officer

Miss Rachel Corbishley

[email protected]

0161 275 8050

Postgraduate Admissions Officer

Mrs Michelle Fenlon

[email protected]

0161 275 3559

For PGT matters, the Postgraduate Office works through the School PGT Committee whose members are staff and student representatives from the different Subject Areas. A PGT Student Representative for each of the six Subject Areas is elected early in the academic year. If you are interested in being a student representative, please let your Personal Tutor, Programme Director or the Postgraduate Office know as soon as possible. See the following link for the Student Representation Policy and Guidelines: http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/policies/?letter=S

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The School PGT Committee is directly responsible for admission procedures, regulations, and student progress and acts as the Examination Board for all taught postgraduate programmes.

Programmes for 2009 - 2010 The following postgraduate taught programmes will be offered in 2009 - 2010:

Programme of Study Degree / Diploma Programme Director Subject

Area Contemporary China MA Dr Sam Liang EAS European Languages & Cultures MA Dr Encarnacion Gutiérrez-Rodríguez ELC French Studies MA Dr Encarnacion Gutiérrez-Rodríguez ELC German Studies MA Dr Encarnacion Gutiérrez-Rodríguez ELC Italian Studies MA Dr Encarnacion Gutiérrez-Rodríguez ELC

Russian and East European Cultures and Societies

MA Dr Encarnacion Gutiérrez-Rodríguez ELC

Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies


Literature and Ideas in the 18th and 19th Centuries


Sexuality and Gender Studies MA Dr Encarnacion Gutiérrez-Rodríguez ELC

Cultures of Migration, Diaspora and Exile


Medieval and Renaissance Studies MA Dr Encarnacion Gutiérrez-Rodríguez ELC

Culture and Dictatorship MA Dr Encarnacion Gutiérrez-Rodríguez ELC

Holocaust Studies MA Dr Encarnacion Gutiérrez-Rodríguez ELC Visual Cultures of the French Speaking World


Latin American Cultural Studies MA Dr Patience Schell LACS

Linguistics MA Dip Dr Ricardo Bermúdez-Otero LEL

Applied Linguistics MA Dip Dr Ricardo Bermúdez-Otero LEL

Languages and Linguistics MA Dip Dr Ricardo Bermúdez-Otero LEL

English Language MA Dr Ricardo Bermúdez-Otero LEL Arabic Studies MA Dip Dr Philip Sadgrove MES Arab World Studies MA Dr Philip Sadgrove MES Hebrew Studies MA Dip Dr Philip Sadgrove MES Islamic Studies MA Dip Dr Philip Sadgrove MES Middle Eastern History MA Dip Dr Philip Sadgrove MES Middle Eastern Studies MA Dip Dr Philip Sadgrove MES Persian Studies MA Dip Dr Philip Sadgrove MES Pre-Islamic Middle Eastern Studies MA Dip Dr Philip Sadgrove MES Turkish Studies MA Dip Dr Philip Sadgrove MES Translation & Interpreting Studies MA Dip Dr Luis Pérez-González TIS

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The Faculty of Humanities What is the Faculty of Humanities? Universities all over the world have traditionally divided their academic activities into faculties. Faculties consist of academic units based on a particular discipline or on a grouping of disciplines employing similar methodologies. This is the approach that has been followed in the University of Manchester, and these sub-faculty disciplinary units are known as Schools. The Faculty plays an important role within the University, since it is the Faculty which is responsible, on behalf of the Senate, for the regulation of the degree programmes offered, and it is through the Faculty that academic qualifications are awarded. The designation Humanities distinguishes this Faculty from the other three science-based faculties – Engineering and Physical Sciences; Medical and Human Sciences; and Life Sciences. The Faculty of Humanities encompasses academic areas as diverse as Arts, Education, Social Sciences and Business & Management and is the largest Faculty in the University. With a total income approaching £190m per year over 16,000 students and some 1200 academic staff, it is equivalent to a medium-sized university in the UK. The vast majority of the disciplines in the Faculty already have international reputations and is proof of the University’s commitment to, and ambitions for, these areas. Based on any analysis of the results of the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), Manchester is amongst the country’s top four or five major research universities and is proving competitive with University College London and Imperial College and just behind Oxford and Cambridge. 65% of research staff (amounting to 1,193 full time equivalent staff) at the university are judged to be carrying out research which is ‘world leading’ (4*) or ‘internationally excellent’ (3*). For the Faculty of Humanities as a whole, 22% of activity was classed as world leading and further 40% as internally excellent. The Faculty has seven Schools: Arts, Histories and Cultures; Education; Environment and Development; Languages, Linguistics and Cultures; Law; Social Sciences; and Manchester Business School. The formation of these schools has provided opportunity for increased collaboration throughout the Faculty and for regional, national and international engagement. The Faculty of Humanities will enter its sixth year of operation, along with the University, on 1 October 2009 and is strongly committed to the ambitious vision of our first President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alan Gilbert, which aims to see Manchester highly placed among the select group of world class institutions by 2015, with respect to both teaching and research. What does the Faculty Do? The Faculty is the interface between the discipline-based Schools and the University. The Faculty is headed by a Dean, who also holds the title of Vice-President of the University and as such is a member of the University Senior Executive Team. The Dean is supported in the Faculty by a team of Associate Deans, all of whom hold a particular portfolio, and these are listed below. The Dean and Associate Deans constitute the academic management of the Faculty. They are supported in their work by a Faculty administrative team, organised along functional lines (e.g. academic administration, planning, and estates matters). The administrative team is answerable to the Head of Faculty Administration, while working on a day-to-day basis with the Associate Deans and other administrative colleagues in the Faculty and in the Schools. The emphasis is on team-working across school and faculty boundaries.

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The Faculty Officers are: Dean & Vice-President Professor Alistair Ulph, MA, BPhil Associate Deans Research Professor Luke Georghiou, PhD, BSc Postgraduate Education Professor Bertrand Taithe, PhD, MA Teaching & Learning Dr Chris Davies, PhD, MSc, BSc, C.Eng, C.Geog,

CITP, FRGS, MBCS Head of Faculty Administration Russell Ashworth, BA The work of the Faculty, through its administrative team involves the following: • preparing and implementing Faculty policies, strategies, procedures and regulations within a

University framework; • planning and resource allocation; • co-ordinating and developing activities to respond effectively to institutional or external

initiatives or activities, encouraging best practice across Schools and facilitating the seamless operation of processes across School, Faculty and University boundaries;

• monitoring and evaluating the performance of Schools; • quality assurance and enhancement; • facilitating inter- and multidisciplinary activities; • the delivery of operational services that are best undertaken centrally. How is the Faculty Run? In common with other faculties, the Faculty of Humanities is governed through a combination of bodies representing schools, staff and students. There are two bodies on which staff from all areas of the Faculty, academic and support staff, are represented. These are the Faculty Assembly, held at least once a year for all staff in the Faculty, and the Faculty Committee. The Faculty Assembly is consultative and involves all staff, whereas the Faculty Committee is advisory and has members by virtue of the office they hold (e.g. Associate Deans and Heads of Schools) as well as an elected element. The Faculty Policy and Resources Committee, consisting of the Faculty Officers (Dean, Associate Deans, Head of Faculty Administration and Heads of Schools) assists the Dean on issues of policy and resourcing. The Dean also has an Advisory Group comprising the Associate Deans and the Head of Faculty Administration, which meets at the Dean’s request. There are a number of Faculty committees, whose purpose is to co-ordinate essential academic functions and formulate policy and regulatory frameworks for approval within the Faculty. These cover Undergraduate and Postgraduate matters (taught as well as research programmes), Teaching & Learning, and Research. Membership of these Committees is normally on the basis of a position held within the School, e.g. all School Postgraduate Research Directors are members of the Postgraduate Research Committee. The Faculty also has a Library Committee to consider issues that affect relations between the Schools and the University Library. Student Representation There is provision for student membership of all of the above except the Faculty Assembly, the Policy and Resources Committee, the Dean’s Advisory Group and the Research Committee. Students normally participate in full in the business of committees unless an item of business is reserved, e.g. when it involves discussion of a named individual. On such occasions student members will be asked to withdraw. There is also student representation on key bodies within schools and there are separate Student Representatives’ Committees at Faculty level.

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What will the Faculty mean to you as a Student? Most students spend their time at university blissfully unaware of the Faculty and what it does. This is because for students, the focus of their involvement is the disciplinary grouping, i.e. the School within which their studies are based, or in the case of students on interdisciplinary programmes, the office which is responsible for administering their programme. Students may have contact with the Faculty if they have a problem that cannot be resolved at a local level within the School or Programme Office, e.g. breach of regulations, appeals or disciplinary matters. Otherwise it is entirely possible to complete a course of study without ever interacting directly with the Faculty. As a student, you need to know that the Faculty has a monitoring and co-ordinating role vis à vis the Schools and is the body with which the University interacts on a formal level. In addition, as has been stated above, students are represented on the Faculty bodies which make decisions about its activities. Faculty role in Academic Appeals, Conduct and Discipline of Students and Student Complaints University regulations allow for students to appeal against a number of decisions that may affect their academic progression. There are also regulations governing student misconduct and procedures for complaints from students. These regulations and procedures can be found in full on the University website http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/policies/?letter=C The regulations XVII, XVIII and XIX approved in June 2004 apply to all students with effect from October 2005. The following paragraphs describe how these matters will be handled by the Faculty. Academic Appeals University General Regulation XIX (http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/policies/?letter=A) defines a number of decisions affecting a student’s academic progression against which students might wish to appeal. These include expulsion from the University, exclusion from a programme of study, or the result of assessment or award of a particular degree classification. There are specific grounds on the basis of which an appeal may be made and these are listed in Regulation XIX. Before proceeding to formal appeals, students are strongly advised to try to resolve the matter with an appropriate person in their School. If this fails, then the formal appeals procedure may be invoked by completing the relevant ‘Appeals Form’ which is available on the website. Completed Appeals Forms should be submitted to Mr Neil Ferguson, Head of Faculty Academic Services, Faculty of Humanities, Room G4, Devonshire House, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL (telephone 0161 306 1105, email [email protected]). Conduct and Disciplinary Matters University General Regulation XVII (http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/policies/?letter=C) defines types of behaviour which may lead to disciplinary action being taken against students who are in breach of the regulation. Misconduct can be defined as the improper interference, in the broadest sense, with the proper functioning or activities of the University or of those who work and study in the University or action which otherwise damages the University or its reputation. The most common form of disciplinary action is in respect of academic malpractice e.g. plagiarism, collusion or other forms of cheating. The Regulation on Conduct and Discipline of Students does not cover action against students following failure in examinations or failure to meet other academic requirements. Any student found guilty of misconduct has the right of appeal both against the finding itself, and any penalty imposed, provided that there is: evidence of procedural irregularity on the part of the University; availability of new evidence which could not reasonably have been expected to be presented at the original hearing; or the disproportionate nature of the penalty. Any enquiries about issues relating to student misconduct in the Faculty of Humanities should be referred to the Head of Faculty Academic Services in the Faculty of Humanities Office (telephone: 0161 306 1105, email: [email protected]).

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Student Complaints University General Regulation XVIII (http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/policies/?letter=S) sets out a procedure for handling complaints by students. A complaint is defined as ‘an expression of dissatisfaction which merits a response’ and covers complaints about the provision of programmes or parts of programmes, services or facilities by the University, or the actions or lack of actions by University staff. The Student Complaints Procedure does not cover matters relating to assessment and progression, nor complaints involving allegations of misconduct or harassment, as these are covered by separate procedures. The Procedure allows for the complaint to be handled informally at School level, however, if that approach is unsuccessful, formal procedures can be invoked by completing a Complaints Form. Any enquiries about issues relating to student complaints in the Faculty of Humanities should be referred to the Head of Faculty Academic Services in the Faculty of Humanities Office (telephone: 0161 306 1105, email: [email protected]) to whom completed Complaints Forms should also be submitted. Dates of Semesters 2009-2010 First Semester Attendance 21 September 2009 – 18 December 2009 Christmas Vacation 19 December 2009 – 17 January 2010 Attendance 18 January 2010 – 31 January 2010 Second Semester Attendance 1 February 2010 – 26 March 2010 Easter Vacation 27 March 2010 – 18 April 2010 Attendance 19 April 2010 – 11 June 2010 IS Services within the Faculty of Humanities Students at the University of Manchester enjoy access to a wide range of high quality IS services provided across campus. Within Humanities itself there are in excess of 500 computers located within Faculty buildings available for student use complementing the 900+ seats provided by the University in public clusters – including a public cluster at Owens Park. All cluster computers are configured in the same way and provide access to services offered by schools, faculties and central service providers such as Humanities ICT Office (http://ict.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/), IT Services (http://www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk) and the John Rylands University Library (http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/) Full details of software available on clusters can be found at http://www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/clustersoftware/ Full details of library services and other electronic resources can be found at http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/ In addition to cluster computers wireless networking is being installed across campus enabling students with wireless equipped laptops to access IS services on campus. Full details of the services offered, including a list of available locations, can be found at http://www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/wireless/ Help and advice is available from our Service Desk which can be contacted by phone, via the web, email or in person. Physical Service desk support is available at John Rylands and the Joule Library. Details of opening hours and other contact details can be found at http://www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/contacts/ Undergraduate and Postgraduate taught students have access to a variety of online resources and courses from the IT Services

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http://www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/trainingcourses/coursesforstudents/ and online resources through the Faculty, see http://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/ictsupport/training/ The University Language Centre The University Language Centre provides courses and language learning resources for students from a wide variety of disciplines wishing to include a modern languages element within their studies. It also offers a wide range of courses and services for international students for whom English is not a first language. Foreign language courses - Offered as part of the Language Centre’s Language Experience for All Programme (LEAP) – These courses are available to students from across the University and may be studied on a credit or on a non-credit basis. Currently there are 18 languages, ranging from the main international languages (e.g. French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese) to a number of lesser taught languages (e.g. Japanese, Urdu, Persian, Turkish, Greek), offered at various levels. For more information on the full range of languages and levels that are available, please consult the University Language Centre website (link below). English Language Programmes - If English is not your native language, you may wish to enquire about the wide range of credit bearing and non-credit bearing English courses available through the University Language Centre. International students who would like advice on how they can improve their academic writing may also make use of the one-to-one writing consultation service (link below). Face to Face - This is a reciprocal language learning scheme, in which students can meet with native speakers of the language they are learning. International students find that this is a good way to meet home students and to become more integrated into the University. Home students can prepare themselves for study abroad by finding out about their partners’ home universities and cultures. Tandem Programme - This programme is similar to Face to Face, but is more formal and provides credits within the Language Experience for All Programme (LEAP), which counts towards a University degree. It is fully monitored, assessed and supported via practical workshops. Open Learning Facilities - The University Language Centre’s open learning facilities, situated in the Samuel Alexander Building, offer: • A well stocked library of materials in text, audio, video, DVD and CD-ROM formats • Materials in some 60 languages • A suite of TV/VCR presenters fed by a range of satellite and terrestrial channels • A suite of dedicated multimedia PCs for computer aided language learning. • Support and advice for learners from expert staff and through on-line resources A full guide to the University Language Centre’s courses, services and its language learning resources is available at: http://www.langcent.manchester.ac.uk The University of Manchester Alumni Association The University of Manchester Alumni Association if the main point of contact for the University’s global network of over 225,000 active former students. We keep in touch with our members through our annual alumni magazine Your Manchester, our Your Manchester Insights events programme and our alumni community website, Your Manchester Online. We are also able to help our graduates in various other ways such through networking opportunities.

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You automatically become a member of the Alumni Association once you have graduated – however to become an active member (and benefit most from all the services offered) you will need to register with Your Manchester Online: www.manchester.ac.uk/yourmanchester - the University’s interactive alumni community website and update your contact details online. The Alumni Association offers benefits and services to current students too. You will be invited to the Your Manchester Insights events programme - an exciting lecture series designed to showcase the excellence, relevance and topicality of research going on at the University. Many of our graduates make a difference to thousands of Manchester students by providing generous financial support to help them during their time. This is done via five key funds: Opportunity Manchester, Global Outreach, Research Impact, Bridging Hardship and Learning Enrichment. A significant number of our graduates are particularly loyal to the University and enjoy helping current students. For example the Managing Director of Goldman Sachs International, Manchester graduate David Buckley (BSc Hons Electrical Engineering and Electronic Engineering 1984) frequently advises students at mentoring sessions on subjects such as leadership and business ethics and the Chief Executive of Tesco plc Sir Terry Leahy (BSc Hons Management Science 1977) delivered a session to students on ‘Building a Business of Leaders’. Manchester graduates can be found in all walks of life and include some very famous and senior names such as: Mathew Horne (know for his role as Gavin in the BBC3 comedy Gavin and Stacey); Ed Simmons and Tom Rowland (musicians – The Chemical Brothers); Ben Elton (comedian and writer), Alex Garland (writer), Meera Syal (writer/actor); Sophie Raworth (Newscaster/Journalist); Anna Ford (Broadcaster); Dame Betty Kershaw (President of the Royal College of Nursing); George Maxwell Richards (President of Trinidad and Tobago) and Jennifer Vel (youngest member of the Seychelles National Assembly). Contact the Alumni Association : Development and Alumni Relations The University of Manchester G9, Christie Building Oxford Road Manchester M13 9PL, UK Tel: +44 (0)161 306 3066 Email: [email protected] www.manchester.ac.uk/yourmanchester

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2 Getting Started: Registration and Induction

Policies and Procedures for Taught Postgraduate Students The University Regulations for your degree provide the University-wide framework within which the School operates. See Section 11 for full details of the University’s Masters, Diploma and Certificate Regulations. In this section of the Handbook we highlight some issues from the regulations that are likely to concern students during their period of registration.

Registration Taught postgraduate students commence their programme at the start of the academic year in September. Arrangements for registration are circulated to all students, existing and prospective, several weeks in advance. Students are required to register each year for their programme of study. Details of your registration will have been specified in the offer letter approving your application for admission to your programme. Changes to your registration, e.g. switching your mode of attendance from full-time to part-time, are subject to the approval of the School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures [see Section 7]. Masters Degree: Length of the programme The period of registration is 12 months for full-time MA programmes and 24 months for part-time programmes. The period of registration for full-time Masters students runs from 21 September 2009 to 17 September 2010; for new part-time Masters students the registration period runs from 21 September 2009 to 16 September 2011. Postgraduate Diploma: Length of the programme The Diploma has a shorter period of prescribed study. In some circumstances, candidates for the Postgraduate Diploma who achieve the required standard of performance may be permitted to upgrade to MA status on the completion of the examination and assessment requirements. For details, contact your Programme Director and see Section 4.

Choosing your Course Units Each of the School’s Subject Areas publishes a Programme Handbook which details the structure of the programme and the course units which are required or available as options in 2009-2010. Your Programme Director will be available to offer advice throughout the period of your programme, and you are also welcome to call at the Postgraduate Office with any queries. The MA degree and Postgraduate Diploma programmes both comprise course units totalling 120 credits, generally made up of multiples of 15 and 30 credit units. These course units are usually divided equally between two semesters. Compulsory requirements and optional choices are set out in the Programme Handbooks.

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Students registered for the MA must also submit a dissertation, which is normally 12-15,000 words [see Section 5]. The dissertation counts for 60 credits. The 60 credits for the dissertation combines with the 120 credits earned through programme units to give a total credit value of 180 credits for the MA degree. During the registration process you will be given a form on which to list the course units you will take during the academic session. This form needs to be approved and signed by your Programme Director and returned to the Postgraduate Office, no later than 4pm, Friday 25 September 2009. Making Changes to Your Course Units It is important to check that your choice of course units is recorded correctly, you will be able to do this by logging into the Self Service facility of the Student Records System. Please inform the Postgraduate Office immediately if any of this information is incorrect. In the first semester, you may make changes to your choice of course units until the end of the second teaching week, i.e. by Friday 9 October 2009. In the second semester, you may make course unit changes during the first and second weeks of teaching, i.e. by Friday 12 February 2010. Any such changes must be notified to the Postgraduate Office and must be approved by the course unit tutor and Programme Director. Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) The Blackboard VLE is a web-based virtual learning environment that can support a range of online teaching, learning and assessment styles and add value to students learning. It has an easy-to-use interface and many different tools that facilitate course development, syllabus management, management of students and their assessments, interactive discussions for and with students, class surveys, recording of grades and much more. It works with the central University authentication system and the University portal. This means that you log into Blackboard via the University portal (http://www.manchester.ac.uk/portal) using your University username and password.

Induction: Monday 21 September 2009 There will be a School induction programme on Monday 21 September 2009, which all students are required to attend. Sessions will be provided by the School PGT Director and personnel from the John Rylands Library and the Careers Service and there will also be an opportunity to meet your Programme Director, your fellow students and academic and administrative staff at a welcome reception. Full details are included in your registration pack.

The Academic Year 2009 - 2010 Semester One Attendance: 21 September 2009 - 18 December 2009 Christmas vacation: 19 December 2009 - 17 January 2010 Attendance: 18 January 2010 – 31 January 2010

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Semester Two Attendance: 1 February 2010 – 26 March 2010 Easter vacation: 27 March 2010 - 18 April 2010 Attendance: 19 April 2010 – 11 June 2010 2010 - 2011 Semester One Attendance: 20 September 2010 - 17 December 2010 Christmas vacation: 17 December 2010 - 16 January 2011 Attendance: 17 January 2011 – 30 January 2011 Semester Two Attendance: 31 January 2011 – 8 April 2011 Easter vacation: 9 April 2011 – 1 May 2011 Attendance: 2 May 2011 – 10 June 2011

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3 Skills and Experience Review Questionnaire (SERQ) and Personal Development Plans (PDPs)

Skills and Experience Review Questionnaire (SERQ) During your postgraduate studies at Manchester you will acquire a great deal of knowledge specific to your particular subject area. You will also, however, acquire many new skills and enhance many of your existing ones. Although these skills are important to you (and will be important to your future career, whether academic or not), they are all too often taken for granted as happy by-products of your study. But the expertise you acquire in, for example, conducting a literature search, evaluating and interpreting texts, or writing analytically, may turn out to be just as important to you in your future career as your knowledge in the subject area of your PGT programme. The end result of a postgraduate programme, taught or research, isn't just a dissertation or a transcript of marks from programme units: it's also an individual with abilities and skills that can now be applied or extended to new areas, academic or professional. Although you can certainly acquire and hone skills without really thinking about it, we believe you’ll have a more productive and enjoyable postgraduate career if you think about research skills in a more self-aware and reflective manner. If you are aware of the skills you have and the skills you need, you'll be able to focus on getting training in the skills you need and on perfecting the skills that are most important to you. Excellent research skills mean you will not only have a more enjoyable and rewarding time as a student, but also be more able as a researcher and an individual when you leave. One of the ways in which we promote skills awareness and focus skills training is to require new postgraduate students to complete a Postgraduate Skills and Experience Review Questionnaire (SERQ), which will form the basis of your Personal Development Plan (PDP) meetings with your tutor and guide your completion of the PDP documents. The SERQ is designed to complement your work and experience during your postgraduate programme . After completing the SERQ, you will meet with your tutor or Programme Director to discuss the result and agree on an action plan for the first semester (see Personal Development Plan, below). This plan should be referred to throughout the year when the time comes to review your progress. At the end of the semester you should have carried out the action plan for semester 1. At the start of the second semester you will hold a second meeting with your tutor or Programme Director to review your progress and agree on an action plan for the second semester. At the end of your programme, we would like you to think back over your time in Manchester and consider what you have gained and how your programme might further your Career Development. If you wish to hold a further meeting with your tutor or Programme Director at this stage, please contact them.

Personal Development Plan (PDP) The Personal Development Plan (PDP) is closely connected with the Postgraduate Skills and Experience Review Questionnaire and incorporates the action plan that is one of the questionnaire’s outcomes, but is broader in scope. It aims to enhance your self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses, of what you learn as a postgraduate student, and of directions for development. The PDP encourages reflection on your learning and skills and how to relate these to a wider context beyond the university. A second intended outcome of the PDP process is a record of your learning experiences and achievement, your reflections on these, and your plans for future development.

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Your responses to the SERQ, your action plan, and the other evidence of skills development that you choose to store, form the basis for your Personal Development Plan (PDP). You choose what evidence to keep – from the printed responses to the SERQ, to the notes you have made during research work, to bibliographies, examples of written work, notes or handouts for presentations, certificates of programme attendance, CD-ROMs and disks, feedback sheets from your tutors and supervisor, thoughts about your research, and so on. It is important to include and store as wide a range of evidence as possible. You should keep all the evidence in one place and make sure it is not lost. The only criteria for inclusion are that the evidence:

demonstrates that you have used particular skills highlights progress made indicates to you what further development is necessary

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School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures Postgraduate Taught

Personal Development Plan Purpose of this form: To record and reflect on academic and personal development Who completes it? Student in consultation with tutor or programme director When is it completed? When is it reviewed?

Sections 1 and 2 at the start of the programme, following the student’s completion of the Postgraduate Skills and Experience Review Questionnaire Sections 3 and 4 at the start of the second semester, following the student’s review of the Questionnaire and Action Plan Section 5 at the end of the second semester, and sections 6 at the end of the programme

Who keeps it? Student Student Name: Programme Director/Tutor: 1. Strengths identified in the SERQ

Identified Strength

Example Evidence

2. Planning – Priority areas for development at outset

Priority area identified for Development

Proposed activity to support development

Target completion date

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3. Reflections on semester 1 development


How far did you achieve your goals for development? What evidence do

you have for this?

Is further development needed?

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4. Planning – Priority areas for development in Semester 2


Proposed activity to support development

Target completion date

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5. Reflections on semester 2 development


How far did you achieve your goals for development? What evidence do

you have for this?

Is further development needed?

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6. Reflections on completion of the programme

Skills and areas for Development

How did your experience as a Postgraduate Student help you to develop these skills and areas? What evidence do you have for this? Do you have further development goals in these areas?

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* This document is available to download from the following web page:

http://www.llc.manchester.ac.uk/intranet/pg/ma-students/

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Transferable Skills The following are major providers of a variety of skills training programmes and activities: Manchester Computing Manchester Computing provides a range of programmes to develop IT skills: http://www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/trainingcourses/coursesforstudents/ Study Skills The Faculty of Humanities website includes Study Skills resources at http://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/studyskills/ The Language Centre The University Language Centre provides courses and language learning resources for students from a wide variety of disciplines wishing to include a modern languages element within their studies. It also offers a wide range of courses and services for international students for whom English is not a first language. Foreign language courses - Offered as part of the Language Centre’s Language Experience for All Programme (LEAP) – These courses are available to students from across the University and may be studied on a credit or on a non-credit basis. Currently there are 18 languages, ranging from the main international languages (e.g. French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese) to a number of lesser taught languages (e.g. Japanese, Urdu, Persian, Turkish, Greek), offered at various levels. For more information on the full range of languages and levels that are available, please consult the University Language Centre website (link below). English Language Programmes - If English is not your native language, you may wish to enquire about the wide range of credit bearing and non-credit bearing English courses available through the University Language Centre. International students who would like advice on how they can improve their academic writing may also make use of the one-to-one writing consultation service (link below). Face to Face - This is a reciprocal language learning scheme, in which students can meet with native speakers of the language they are learning. International students find that this is a good way to meet home students and to become more integrated into the University. Home students can prepare themselves for study abroad by finding out about their partners’ home universities and cultures. Tandem Programme - This programme is similar to Face to Face, but is more formal and provides credits within the Language Experience for All Programme (LEAP), which counts towards a University degree. It is fully monitored, assessed and supported via practical workshops. Open Learning Facilities - The University Language Centre’s open learning facilities, situated in the Samuel Alexander Building, offer: • A well stocked library of materials in text, audio, video, DVD and CD-ROM formats • Materials in some 60 languages • A suite of TV/VCR presenters fed by a range of satellite and terrestrial channels • A suite of dedicated multimedia PCs for computer aided language learning. • Support and advice for learners from expert staff and through on-line resources

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A full guide to the University Language Centre’s courses, services and its language learning resources is available at: http://www.langcent.manchester.ac.uk The Careers Service The University of Manchester Careers Service has consistently been voted the best in the UK, and offers a specialist service for postgraduates. See: http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/careers

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Skills and Experience Review Questionnaire Name ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… University ID No. …………………………………………… Date of Birth …………………... Discipline …………………………………………………... Full or Part time Study (please delete as appropriate) Did you apply for AHRC funding? Yes No If yes, was your application successful? Yes No If it was not successful, did support for your application have any bearing on your coming to Manchester to complete your MA programme? Yes No What is the main reason you decided to do a Masters degree?

I intend to do a PhD I need an MA for my chosen career I’m simply interested in the subject I didn’t want to get a job I didn’t know what else to do I don’t know

What do you intend to do after you complete your MA?

A PhD Employment Retire or Homemaker I’m not sure yet

Are you considering: All of the above PhD or Employment PhD or Retire or Homemaker Employment or Retire or Homemaker Other (please state) ………………………………………………… If you are plan to work after your MA programme, do you have

Firm plans for what you will do, i.e. a job offer or a job to return to / continue with Some plans and ideas, though nothing confirmed yet A good idea of what you want to do but you haven’t made any real plans No clear idea of what you will do yet

Do you have any work experience (paid or voluntary)? Yes No Choose the statement that most closely matches your circumstances:

I have no experience of work at all I am new to this career path (i.e. you have some work experience but it is unrelated to the work you will be doing / plan to do)

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I am progressing in my chosen career path (i.e. you have some experience directly related to the work you intend to do and will return to this / you are still doing this) I am changing career (i.e. you have significant work experience but this is not directly related to your new career) I have come to the end of my career

Do you have any experience related to your MA or research field? Yes No What year did you complete your Bachelors Degree? ……………………………………………………………... Consider the list of skill areas below and rate yourself based on your perceived level of expertise and whether you consider each one to be a priority for your development: 1: No experience 2: Limited experience 3: Working knowledge 4: Proficient 5: Expert Academic Skills Identifying and locating research materials 1 2 3 4 5 Priority area Academic writing 1 2 3 4 5 Priority area Formulating research questions 1 2 3 4 5 Priority area Literature Review 1 2 3 4 5 Priority area Bibliographic skills 1 2 3 4 5 Priority area IT Skills Endnote 1 2 3 4 5 Priority area Word 1 2 3 4 5 Priority area Excel 1 2 3 4 5 Priority area PowerPoint 1 2 3 4 5 Priority area Access 1 2 3 4 5 Priority area Building and maintaining web pages 1 2 3 4 5 Priority area

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Careers CV writing 1 2 3 4 5 Priority area Application Forms 1 2 3 4 5 Priority area Interviews 1 2 3 4 5 Priority area Searching for jobs in your chosen career 1 2 3 4 5 Priority area Networking 1 2 3 4 5 Priority area Personal and career development 1 2 3 4 5 Priority area Other Please make a note here of other areas in which you consider you have relevant skills or experience and/or need further development.

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4 Assessment

Different Types of Assessment Assessment takes several different forms. Some course units are examined through unseen examinations in January and/or May/June; in others the assessment is based on essays or other coursework assignments submitted to meet a published deadline; and MA students also complete a dissertation. All these assessments are governed by rules and procedures, and all students should read this section, which explains some of the basic rules, and consult the course unit descriptions and Programme Handbooks which contain more specific information.

Assessed coursework deadlines and penalties for late submission If your course unit requires you to submit assessed essays or other assignments, you must observe the deadlines set by the School. The School has two standard deadlines in each semester (see below), though some course units have other deadlines. If you fail to submit any piece of assessed coursework by the deadline, you will be deemed by the Examination Board to have failed that piece of coursework with a mark of zero. Any student who submits a piece of assessed coursework after the submission deadline, without being granted an extension, will receive a mark of zero. Where the final dissertation (or equivalent) is submitted after the deadline, at the discretion of the Board of Examiners it may be treated in the same manner as a resubmission following failure with the mark capped at 50% (or (40% for programmes with a pass mark of 40%) with no further opportunity for resubmission. All assessed coursework must be handed in to the Postgraduate Office by 4pm on the day of the appropriate deadline. All essays and assignments must be submitted in two hard (i.e. paper) copies to the Postgraduate Office. The two copies must be accompanied by one completed ‘Coursework Coversheet’ available on the wall outside the Postgraduate Office. Please note, the top right-hand corner of the Coversheet must be folded and sealed before being submitted to the Postgraduate Office. The School reserves the right to request an electronic copy (on floppy or compact disc) of any piece of coursework, should it be deemed necessary to do so.

The School reserves the right to submit any work handed in by students for assessment to electronic systems for detecting plagiarism or other forms of academic malpractice. This includes the JISC plagiarism detection service, details of which can be found at: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/services/pas.aspx The School Deadlines for assessed coursework for 2009 - 10 are:

Monday 9 November 2009 Monday 25 January 2010 Monday 15 March 2010 Friday 14 May 2010

Please note, some course units may have other deadlines; these will be published in the relevant course unit description and/or Programme Handbook.

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School policy on word limits and penalties for coursework and dissertations

Coursework exercises and dissertations for all PGT programmes in the School have firm upper word limits. In all cases, the word limit includes not only the main body of the text, but also footnotes and endnotes. It does not include bibliographies or appendices; nor does it include the preliminary pages required for MA dissertations. It is sometimes assumed that a ‘10% tolerance principle’ exists, in other words that it is acceptable to exceed the stated word limit by no more than 10%. This is entirely untrue. Word limits mean what they say, and work that exceeds the stated limit is penalized. The following sliding scale of penalties applies: Extent to which limit is exceeded Penalty to be

applied Up to and including 10% over the limit* 5 marks Each additional 5% (or part of) over the limit 5 marks * Where the limit is exceeded by no more than 2%, the penalty may be

waived MA dissertations must indicate the word count at the bottom of the contents page (see Guidance notes for the presentation of taught master’s dissertations, 3(b)). All other coursework exercises must indicate the word count at the end of the main body of the text. Students must remember, when calculating word counts using word-processing software, to include footnotes and endnotes in the calculation. Failure to indicate the word count, or the provision of a false word count, may lead to disciplinary action. The School reserves the right to request an electronic copy of any work submitted, so that word counts may be checked by examiners. When work exceeding the word limit is marked, the mark given on the feedback form will include the appropriate penalty. The examiners’ feedback form will indicate how the penalty has been calculated. http://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/tandl/policyandprocedure/guidelinesandpolicydocuments/index.html

Applications to Extend the Deadlines for Submission of Coursework Extensions to the submission dates for submitted coursework (assessed essays and dissertations) may be sought where circumstances, outside of students’ control, will delay the completion and submission by the published date. Circumstances that might be considered as grounds for applying for an extension include: • Significant illness or injury which either prevents the student from working altogether or

considerably affects his/her ability to work effectively. • Serious personal problems such as relationship problems; family crises; illness/death of close

relatives including attendance at funerals; being a victim of crime; accommodation crises; court cases; accident or sports injury.

• Jury service, or absence for maternity, paternity or adoption leave. • Delays in obtaining ethical approval, where approval has been sought in good time.

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The following will not be regarded as grounds for applying for an extension to submission dates: • any event that could have reasonably been expected or anticipated e.g. weddings, holidays,

moving house. • inadequate planning and time management. • pressures of paid work (In exceptional circumstances extension requests will be considered

where there has been a temporary but substantial increase in workload which was imposed at short notice and which could not have reasonably been foreseen. This will require written confirmation from the student’s employer).

• having more than one examination, or other compulsory assessment (e.g. presentation etc.), on the same day.

• computer or printer failure or theft, resulting in loss of data, except where data is lost through the failure of Manchester University systems confirmed by Manchester Computing staff (students should back up work regularly and not leave completion so late that another computer/printer cannot be found).

• failure to submit specified items of coursework through misreading of a published submission date, or misunderstanding the requirements of an assessment or difficulties with English language (including delays in proof reading).

• travel delays. • exam stress or panic attacks not diagnosed as illness. • normal pregnancy. Applications for extension to the submission date must be made in advance of the published submission date by completing a ‘Special Circumstances’ form and submitting it with the appropriate supporting documentation, e.g. a letter from a GP/medical practitioner/police report. Please note, a letter from the Counselling Service may not always constitute sufficient supporting evidence. Extension requests received on the day of the actual deadline, without the appropriate supporting documentation, will only be granted in truly exceptional circumstances. Extension requests submitted after the published deadline or examination date will not be considered without a compelling and credible explanation as to why the circumstances were not known or could not have been shown beforehand. Please note, individual course unit tutors cannot grant extensions to deadlines. All extension requests must be submitted to the Postgraduate Office on the Special Circumstances Form (available on the wall outside the Postgraduate Office). If a student takes optional course units in other Schools, s/he will need to apply for an extension through the procedure specified in the regulations of that School

Examinations Some course units are assessed by examination. Examinations will be held in the examination periods in January and May/June, at the end of the semester in which you have taken the course unit. You must check to ensure that you have no timetable clashes and you are then responsible for attending all examinations. The provisional examination periods for 2009 - 10 are: Semester 1 Examinations: 18 - 29 January 2010 Semester 2 Examinations: 20 May - 9 June 2010 Re-examinations: 23 August - 3 September 2010

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Assessment Criteria for coursework and dissertations During your programme you will receive feedback on your progress. Feedback can take many forms, it may be diagnostic to inform the lecturer or seminar leader of your level of knowledge when beginning a course unit, or it may be formative, given during a course unit to enable you to improve your performance in further assessments, for example the way you structure or reference an essay. This is the type of feedback that you will probably come across most often. Summative feedback would occur at the end of a course unit to inform you of your performance over the whole course unit. You may come across all or some of these examples. Feedback does not just come from your tutor or lecturer in a formal way, for instance when you have a piece of coursework returned with a feedback sheet attached. Feedback can also be informal, provided during a class; it can come from your peers as well as from a member of staff; it can also take place during self-assessment exercises online, or when a member of staff responds to your questions by email. You will be asked to evaluate feedback as part of the Student Survey in each semester.

Assessed Coursework Marks below 30% The work fails to provide a competent description of the topic, and falls far short of a competent discussion. It is poorly structured and has no coherent argument. The style and presentation are so poor as to seriously impair communication and there is no evidence that the principles applicable to academic writing in the Humanities have been understood. The candidate may be permitted to resubmit (once only) and attempt to rectify faults identified if they wish to achieve a pass at Diploma or Master’s level. Marks 30-39% The work is almost wholly descriptive. It displays no awareness at all of theoretical or critical ideas such as those learned on the core course units. It displays some potential to move from description to discussion of the topic and to structure a basic argument derived from this descriptive approach but it fails to achieve this in clearly identifiable respects. The style and presentation are poor. There is little evidence that the principles applicable to academic writing in Humanities have been understood, but communication is maintained. The candidate may be permitted to resubmit (once only) and attempt to rectify faults identified if they wish to achieve a pass at Diploma or Master’s level. Marks 40-49% The work provides a superficial discussion of the topic but remains predominantly descriptive. It demonstrates a basic grasp of the topic but is lacking in critical or analytical insight in general. It reveals a very limited awareness of theoretical or critical ideas such as those learned on the core course units, and no attempt is made to use such ideas in practice. An identifiable argument is discernible but this is poorly and inconsistently sustained. The style and presentation exhibit a large number of errors but there is some evidence that the principles applicable to academic writing in the Humanities have been understood. The candidate may be permitted to resubmit (once only) and attempt to rectify faults identified if they wish to achieve a pass at Master’s level. Marks 50-59% The work demonstrates a reasonable understanding of the topic and can discuss it competently even if it is not able to develop complex ideas in relation to this topic. There is an awareness of critical or theoretical ideas such as those learned on the core course units accompanied by limited attempts to use them in practice. The approach is generally unambitious, but a coherently structured argument is in place and there is an awareness of relevant secondary literature. The work exhibits a certain number of errors of style and presentation but an adherence to the principles applicable to academic writing in Humanities is predominant.

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Marks 60-69% The work demonstrates thorough understanding of the topic, and provides a good discussion of it with appropriate examples. The work shows an awareness of critical or theoretical ideas such as those learned on the core course units, supported by a sustained ability to use these ideas relevantly in critical practice. The argument will be clearly structured and the student has begun to develop new ideas on the texts or objects of study, revealing an ability to critically evaluate existing research in the area. There are few errors in style and presentation and the work demonstrates that the principles applicable to academic writing in the Humanities have been fully understood. Marks 70-79% The work demonstrates a sophisticated grasp of the topic supporting critical analysis with pertinent examples. An in depth awareness of critical or theoretical ideas such as those learned on the core course units is relevantly applied in critical practice. The work is based on wide reading in a range of source materials and shows clear originality. The work goes well beyond the mere exposition of ideas, providing a consistently sustained and lucid argument. It demonstrates the ability to critically evaluation existing research on the object of study in a confident, directed manner giving evidence of very strong potential to complete a research degree successfully. There are no substantial or recurrent errors in style and presentation and the work demonstrates that the principles applicable to academic writing in the Humanities have been fully understood and internalised as good practice. Marks above 80% The work shows extensive knowledge of both the topic and the academic context(s) in which it is applied, such that it begins to make a significant contribution at the forefront of scholarship in the given field. A complex, original and relevant application of critical or theoretical ideas such as those learned on the core course unit is demonstrated in critical practice. There is clear evidence of an ability to critically evaluate existing research on the object of study as the basis for identifying and defining new fields of research. The work demonstrates considerable originality and is of publishable or near-publishable quality. The style and presentation are virtually faultless. MA Dissertation Marks Below 30% The work fails to provide a competent description of the topic, and falls far short of a competent discussion. It is poorly structured and has no coherent argument. It displays no awareness at all of theoretical or critical ideas such as those learned on the core course units. The style and presentation are so poor as to seriously impair communication and there is no evidence that the principles applicable to academic writing in the Humanities have been understood. No resubmission is permitted. Marks 30-39% The work is almost wholly descriptive. It reveals little awareness of theoretical or critical ideas such as those learned on the core course units and makes no sustained or developed attempt to apply them in practice. The work displays some potential to move from description to discussion of the topic and to structure a basic argument derived from this descriptive approach but it fails to achieve this in clearly identifiable respects. The style and presentation are poor. There is little evidence that the principles applicable to academic writing in the Humanities have been understood, but communication is maintained. No resubmission is permitted. Marks 40-49% The work provides a superficial discussion of the topic but remains predominantly descriptive. It demonstrates a basic grasp of the topic but is lacking in critical or analytical insight in general. It reveals some awareness of theoretical or critical ideas such as those learned on the core course units, but attempts to apply them in practice are inappropriate or confused. An identifiable argument is discernible but this is poorly and inconsistently sustained. The style and presentation

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exhibit a large number of errors but there is some evidence that the principles applicable to academic writing in the Humanities have been understood. The candidate may be permitted to resubmit (once only) and attempt to rectify faults identified if they wish to achieve a pass at Master’s level. Marks 50-59% The work demonstrates a reasonable understanding of the topic and the discussion provides some evidence of analytical thought. The work also shows comprehension of critical or theoretical ideas such as those learned on the core course units, but attempts to use these ideas relevantly in practice are limited in scope. The approach is generally unambitious, but a coherent argument is in place. There is an awareness of relevant secondary literature and an ability to evidence assertions by reference to relevant literature/research. The work exhibits a certain number of errors of style and presentation but an adherence to the principles applicable to academic writing in the Humanities is predominant. Marks 60-69% The work demonstrates a thorough understanding of the topic, and provides a good discussion of it with appropriate examples. The work shows an awareness of critical or theoretical ideas such as those learned on the core course units, supported by an ability to use these ideas relevantly in critical practice. The argument is clearly structured and the students have begun to develop new ideas on the texts or objects of study, revealing an ability to critically evaluate existing research in the area. There is some evidence of potential for conducting research at a higher level, but this may not be wholly consistent. There are few errors in style and presentation and the work demonstrates that the principles applicable to academic writing in the Humanities have been fully understood. Marks 70-79% The work is focused and comprehensive, demonstrating a through and sophisticated grasp of the topic. The work is based on wide reading in a range of source materials and shows clear originality. The work goes well beyond the mere exposition of ideas, providing a sustained and lucid argument. An in depth awareness of critical or theoretical ideas, such as those learned on the core course units, is demonstrated through relevant and consistent application in critical practice. The work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate existing research on the object of study in a confident, directed manner, giving clear evidence of the candidate’s ability to complete a research degree successfully. There are no substantial or recurrent errors in style and presentation and the work demonstrates that the principles applicable to academic writing in the Humanities have been fully understood and internalised as good practice. Marks above 80% The work is excellent in every respect. It shows extensive knowledge of both the topic and the academic context(s) in which it is applied. A complex, original and relevant application of critical or theoretical ideas such as those learned on the core course units is demonstrated in critical practice. There is clear evidence of an ability to critically evaluate existing research on the object of study as the basis for identifying and defining new fields of research. The work demonstrates considerable originality and is of publishable or near-publishable quality making a significant contribution at the forefront of the discipline. The style and presentation are virtually faultless.

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Special Circumstances that may affect your performance If a medical or personal problem or some other circumstance (such as being the victim of a crime) affects your work, you should seek professional assistance as soon as possible (requesting and keeping any written evidence, such as a doctor’s note or police report form) and should inform your course unit tutor and/or Programme Director. See Section 9 for information on medical, counselling and other services. You should always consult your GP if illness keeps you absent from the University for more than 7 days including weekends. If you do consult a GP and they consider that you are not fit for attendance at the University, then you should obtain a note from the doctor to that effect or ask them to complete Part III of the University Form ‘Certification of Student Ill Health’, copies of which are available at local GP surgeries. You should hand this certificate to the Postgraduate Office at the earliest opportunity. If your condition is not sufficiently serious to cause you to seek medical help, then the University will not require you to supply a doctor’s medical certificate unless you are absent from the University due to illness for more than 7 days (see above). You must, however, contact your Discipline Area as soon as possible and self-certify your illness (by completing and signing the “Certification of Student Ill Health” form to state that you have been ill) as soon as you are able to attend. You should do this if your illness means you are absent from the University for any period up to 7 days (see section i) or if you are able to attend the University but your illness is affecting your studies (see sections ii and iii).

The following sub-paragraphs explain what you should do if illness or some other special circumstance affects your attendance at compulsory classes, prevents you from submitting assessed work in time for the deadline, or if you consider that your performance in your studies/examinations has been impaired.

i) If illness or some other special circumstance means that your are unable to attend the University to take a compulsory class, assessment (e.g. to submit a piece of assessed coursework on time for a deadline for submission) or examination, then you must seek advice by contacting your course unit tutor and/or Programme Director immediately, either in person or through a friend or family member, by telephone or by email. This is to ensure that you understand the implications of absence and the consequences for your academic progress, which might be quite serious. You must do this as soon as possible so that all options can be considered and certainly no later than the assessment deadline or examination date. If you do not do this then you will normally be considered have been absent from the class without good reason, or to have missed the assessment deadline or examination, in which case you will be given a mark of zero. You must complete and hand in a Special Circumstance form (available from outside the Postgraduate Office) on your return.

ii) If in spite of illness or other special circumstance you proceed with an assessment or

examination, yet you feel that your performance will have been impaired and wish this to be taken into account by the examiners, you must inform your course unit tutor and/or Programme Director about this on the day of the assessment or examination and hand in to the Postgraduate Office a completed Special Circumstance Form. If you leave this until later it will not normally be possible to take your illness into account when assessing your performance.

iii) If, as a consequence of medical or other special circumstance, you wish to seek an

extension to a deadline for submitting assessed coursework, you must complete a Special Circumstances Form and discuss the situation with your course unit tutor and/or Programme Director. The application for extension must be made BEFORE the deadline and not retrospectively.

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You may have an occasional and ongoing medical condition that affects your studies. If so, you should obtain a letter from your doctor. This should be given to the Postgraduate Office together with a Special Circumstances Form before the end of the January, May/June or August/September examination period, as appropriate, if you wish your condition to be taken into account as an extenuating circumstance. Please note that it is most important that you inform the Postgraduate Office and your course unit tutor and/or Programme Director of any illness or other major personal difficulty that may affect your academic performance. If you do not inform the Postgraduate Office and your course unit tutor and/or Programme Director of any illness or difficulty before work has to be submitted, or before the examiners meet and examination results are published, medical or other special circumstances cannot be taken into account afterwards. Special Circumstance Forms are available on the wall outside the Postgraduate Office. Your course unit tutor and/or Programme Director will give you guidance on the effect of any absence from your studies or if you consider your illness has affected your studies. If repeated episodes of ill health are affecting your studies, your course unit tutor and/or Programme Director may refer you to the Student Health Centre. If you are found to have been deceitful or dishonest in completing the Certification of Student Ill Health or Special Circumstances form you could be liable to disciplinary action under the University’s General Regulation XVII: Conduct and Discipline of Students. The use of the Certification of Student Ill Health forms by GPs as described above has been agreed by the Manchester Local Medical Committee. A GP may make a charge for completing the form. It is most important that you inform your Postgraduate Office and your Programme Director of any illness or other personal difficulty, such as bereavement or family crisis, which may affect your academic performance. If you do not inform your Postgraduate Office and your Programme Director of any illness or difficulty before work has to be submitted, or before the Examination Board meets and examination results are published, the examining Board will normally refuse to take such evidence into account afterwards.

School Feedback Policy Feedback is an important part of the learning process. It can take many forms but it is central to the relationship between tutor and student. This document recognises that good practice exists in many areas of the School. It does not seek to impose a single model, but sets out the general principles on which feedback should be based.

Manage student expectations a) Some time should be spent explaining the importance, form and availability of

feedback to students. Returning students may also require updates and reminders. b) Information should be provided in handbooks, unit outlines and course materials to

inform students of the mechanisms and timing by which they will receive feedback and the forms it will take (see SLLC PGT Handbook, Section 4: Assessment).

c) Reminders should then be included in materials when setting assessment. d) Students should have an understanding of the assessment process and the marking

and grading criteria applied to each assessment.

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Whether or not an assessment counts towards the overall mark for the unit, feedback should be provided in a timely manner, allowing students to enhance their performance in subsequent assessments.

a) Where there is further assessment to be completed for the unit, feedback should be

provided no later than 4 weeks after the submission date and before completion of the next assessment.

b) Programme Directors and course unit convenors should give consideration to

submission dates for coursework to ensure that the schedule for submission and feedback fits with the relevant dates for future assessment.

c) Where an assessment comes at the end of a semester it will not always be possible to receive feedback directly from the course tutor. In such cases, marked work and feedback forms should be collected from the Postgraduate Office.

Feedback on assessed coursework should be delivered in such a way that it is as personal

as possible. Each student must feel that appropriate consideration has been given to their piece of work and their personal development as a learner. If students do not understand the feedback given, or require more personal assistance, they can request de-anonymised feedback once a provisional mark has been agreed. Generic one-line comments are not helpful to a student and to this end, feedback provided on assessed coursework should contain:

a) Brief comments on how students can improve their work to achieve a mark in the

next ‘mark banding’ and/or the next classification, including any recommendations for further reading where appropriate.

b) Responses to points well made within the work as well as areas for improvement. c) Reference to marking and grading criteria. d) A mark (often provisional and to be agreed by the External Examiner) alongside

formative comments.

Feedback should be clear, legible and understandable, and linked to the learning outcomes of the unit.

Comments should be factual and helpful in tone. Critical comments are necessary too, but

should be ‘sandwiched’ by more encouraging ones. Students particularly value being told how they can improve their marks to the next marking band or classification.

The School has developed a number of forms for different types of assessment which can

be used as a template for providing feedback. Subject to consultation, they may be adapted to allow for staff to tailor the categories and criteria for their units.

Generic feedback to a class can be used to supplement the individual written feedback

given to a student on their work. It can be provided either in an open, face-to-face forum or posted on a course unit’s Blackboard presence and, where appropriate, can be useful in addressing common mistakes or misunderstandings.

Staff office hours provide students with the opportunity to raise questions about academic

difficulties they may be having. Students should also have the opportunity to make appointments with tutors outside of office hours to facilitate feedback on assessed coursework. Students should be reminded however, that they must agree to de-anonymise themselves before feedback can be given on assessments submitted anonymously.

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The School’s PGT Committee will monitor the quality of feedback and effectiveness of feedback mechanisms. Feedback will also be considered as part of the School’s Peer Review process.

Marks and results Confirmed marks and results will be published as soon as possible (usually within one week) after meetings of the Examination Board. Marks and results will be posted anonymously on the Postgraduate notice board for the relevant programme, and sent to each student. Provisional marks for assessed coursework will usually be given to students once the work has been marked by two internal examiners. Confirmed marks will not be made available to students until after the relevant meeting of the Examination Board. Students are advised that:

provisional marks may be raised or lowered by the external examiners

once marks have been agreed by the internal examiners and issued to students, they can be changed only by the external examiners

if the mark for a particular exam is both ‘marginal’ (i.e. falls close to one of the grading

boundaries) and ‘critical’ (ie may affect the classification of the overall degree awarded) to the overall result, the exam paper/assessed coursework will always be referred to the appropriate external examiner

questions of compensation will be dealt with in June, when the full range of results is

available

the University does not allow student appeals against the academic judgement of Examiners

Pass marks The pass mark for all MA programmes is 50%. The pass mark for the Postgraduate Diploma is 40%. The maximum mark to be awarded for resubmitted coursework or retaken examinations will normally be 50% for the MA degree and 40% for the Postgraduate Diploma.

Resits Candidates who fail course units up to a maximum of 45 credits may, with permission of the Examination Board, resit on one subsequent occasion. Resit assessments will be set according to the syllabus of the relevant course unit(s) as delivered in the year of registration for that course unit. Only one resit of any course unit is permissible.

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Compensation Students may be awarded a compensated pass for a Masters degree when they fail no more than 30 credits and receive a mark between 40 and 49% for those failed credits. The student must also have gained an overall average for all taught credits of 50% or more in order to be granted the compensated pass. Marks below 40% cannot be compensated. Students may be awarded a compensated pass for a Postgraduate Diploma programme when they fail no more than 30 credits and receive a mark between 30 and 39% for those failed credits. The student must also have gained an overall average for all taught credits of 40% or more in order to be granted the compensated pass. Marks below 30% cannot be compensated.

MA Distinction A distinction will normally be awarded if all four of the following criteria are met: i) A weighted average at first assessment of 70% or more in the taught component of the

programme with no mark below 50% in any course unit. ii) A mark of 70% or more for the dissertation. iii) A Pass at first assessment in components of the programme where only a Pass/Fail is

recorded. Students who have had to resit any unit(s), or individual components of any unit(s) or have been granted a compensated pass, will not be eligible for the award of distinction.

MA Merit A Merit will normally be awarded if all three of the following criteria are met: i) A weighted average at first assessment of 60% or more in the taught component of the

programme with no mark below 50% in any course units. ii) A mark of 60% or more on the dissertation. iii) A Pass at first assessment in components of the programme where a Pass/Fail is recorded. Students who have had to resit any unit(s), or individual components of any unit(s) or have been granted a compensated pass, will not be eligible for the award of merit.

Progression from Postgraduate Diploma to MA Eligible students registered on Diploma programmes which offer the possibility of progressing to the MA degree programme (often referred to as “upgrading to Masters”), must normally attain the MA pass mark of 50% to progress. Where Diploma students have failed to attain the 50% mark, they can benefit from compensation as explained previously. Please note, students progressing from the Diploma to the MA must pay the difference between the Diploma and MA programme fees at the Student Services Centre in advance of submitting their dissertation. Eligible Diploma students who decide not to upgrade to the MA programme should notify the Postgraduate Office, so that the Postgraduate Diploma can be awarded.

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Final Results and Graduation Results for full-time Masters students who start the programme in September 2009 and submit by the 6 September 2010 deadline will be announced towards the end of November 2010. Successful students will be able to graduate at the ceremonies held in December. Results for part-time Masters students who start the programme in September 2009 and submit by the 5 September 2011 deadline will be announced towards the end of November 2011. Successful students will be able to graduate at the ceremonies held in December. The Student Services Centre deals with all matters relating to graduation, degree certificates and official transcripts of marks. They will provide graduation information to students in advance of the ceremonies. Once you have received notification of a successful result, you will be informed how to confirm your place at the Graduation Ceremony. If you are unable to attend graduation then you are still required to let the Student Services Centre know in order that your certificate can be mailed directly to you. See http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/ssc/graduation

Postgraduate Diploma and Certificate as Exit Awards The Postgraduate Diploma will normally be awarded where a student has successfully passed at Diploma level, (i.e. achieving 40% or above) 120 credits of postgraduate course units and does not wish, or is not eligible, to continue with the MA programme/dissertation. The Postgraduate Certificate will normally be awarded where a student has successfully passed 60 credits of postgraduate course units and does not wish, or is not eligible, to continue with either the Postgraduate Diploma or MA programme.

Making an Appeal Students have the right to appeal against the decision of the examiners if they believe that there were exceptional circumstances affecting their performance of which the examiners were not made aware; or that there were procedural irregularities in the conduct of the examination; or that there was evidence of prejudice or bias or of inadequate assessment on the part of one or more examiners; or that the supervision or training of the student in respect of research for a dissertation or thesis or equivalent was unsatisfactory to the point that his or her performance was seriously affected. Before initiating an appeal, a student is strongly advised to discuss the matter with his or her Personal Tutor, Supervisor, Programme Director or other appropriate person in the School. If the matter remains unresolved, the student may invoke the formal appeal procedure. For further details, including the Appeals Form, access Regulation XIX – Academic Appeals at: http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/policies

Academic Appeals, Discipline of Students and Student Complaints Further information on academic appeals, discipline of students and student complaints is available in Section 1, pages 9-10.

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5 Dissertation

Deciding your Dissertation Title and Notice of Submission Postgraduate taught programmes prepare Masters students for the dissertation research process through specific course units and training sessions. These will be outlined in your Programme Handbook. Every student will be allocated a dissertation Supervisor. Full-time students must confirm with their dissertation Supervisor the title of the proposed dissertation not later than April 2010, though students intending to apply for an AHRC Doctoral Studentship should begin defining their dissertation topic in February 2009. They will then be asked to complete a Notice of Submission Form, which will be sent via the Postgraduate Office. They must return the completed Notice of Submission form to the Postgraduate Office no later than 1 June 2010. Late submission of this form will result in a penalty of £20. Part-time students entering year one of their programme in September 2009 must confirm with their dissertation supervisor the title of the proposed dissertation not later than the April 2011. They will then be asked to complete a Notice of Submission Form, which will be sent via the Postgraduate Office. They must return the completed Notice of Submission form to the Postgraduate Office by 1 June 2011. Late submission of this form will result in a penalty of £20.

Ethical Approval Guidelines and Proformas In carrying out their work researchers inevitably face ethical dilemmas which arise out of competing obligations and conflicts of interest. All research proposals involving data collection involving human participants normally requires prior ethical approval to ensure the safety, rights, dignity and well-being of the participant and those of the researcher. This is why you are required to declare whether or not this applies to your dissertation/project topic and, if so, how these ethical issues are to be addressed. In doing so, you are providing assurance that you have read the guidelines http://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/tandl/policyandprocedure/guidelinesandpolicydocuments/index.html; see also http://www.llc.manchester.ac.uk/intranet/pg/ for School guidelines and considered whether your proposed dissertation/project research raises ethical issues which require the attention of the School’s ethical committee and/or the University’s Senate Committee on the Ethics of Research on Human Beings. Ethical approval should not be considered as a bureaucratic obstacle; it is a mechanism for ensuring and demonstrating that the design of your research respects the rights of those who are the participants of the research. Examples of activities for which approval is required include questionnaire and interview-based research involving sensitive or confidential issues, telephone interviewing or recording by audio or video tape, and contact with participants who are children or considered as potentially vulnerable adults. Detailed guidelines can be found on the Faculty’s Intranet at: http://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/tandl/policyandprocedure/guidelinesandpolicydocuments/index.html. See also the School’s website: http://www.llc.manchester.ac.uk/intranet/pg/

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The Approval Procedure in Languages, Linguistics and Cultures The ethical approval process may take up to three stages:

1. MA students will be issued with a ‘Masters’ Dissertation Title & Ethics Statement’ form. If you expect that your research will raise ethical issues, this should be indicated on the form. You should also complete a ‘Research Ethics Declaration Form’ to outline why your research raises these issues, and provide a supporting statement which gives an account of the way in which ethical issues are addressed. This statement should include, if appropriate, a copy of the ‘Participant Information Sheet’ which will explain your research to anyone whom you may approach to participate in it. (Where participants in your project cannot read English, this sheet and any other forms given to them must be provided in translation into the appropriate language.) The ‘Masters’ Dissertation Title & Ethics Statement’ Form, and the supporting statement if applicable, should be countersigned by your dissertation supervisor. All documents should be submitted to the School’s Postgraduate Office, Samuel Alexander Building, Room S.3.11.

2. All declarations are assessed by the School’s PGT Committee, as appropriate, acting in ‘ethics committee mode’. PGT Directors are authorized to approve declarations by chair’s action between Committee meetings, if necessary. Students who do not receive further communication from the School should assume that their declaration has been accepted and that they are free to proceed with their research. Some students may be contacted after their declarations have been assessed, for further information and/or clarification.

3. If further information and/or clarification does not permit the relevant School committee to take a decision, the declaration will be forwarded to the University Ethics Committee for consideration.

Further guidance and ethical approval forms can be found on the University’s Policy website: http://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/tandl/policyandprocedure/guidelinesandpolicydocuments/index.html

Guidelines on the Supervision of Dissertations This can be found on the University’s Policy website: http://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/tandl/policyandprocedure/guidelinesandpolicydocuments/index.html In the School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures, students may normally expect a minimum of two formal supervisions in addition to an initial planning meeting. Further interaction between student and supervisor may take place via correspondence. Students may normally expect to receive feedback on some written work during the dissertation period. To ensure that this can happen in a timely manner, students and supervisors should set any submission deadlines and feedback mechanisms well in advance, taking account of planned periods of absence, annual leave, research activities etc.

Guidance on the Presentation of your MA Dissertation You should be familiar with the University’s Guidance Notes for the Presentation of Taught Master’s Dissertations [see Section 11, Appendix 2]. Failure to observe the presentation requirements may result in the rejection of the dissertation by the Postgraduate Office/examiners.

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Dissertation Restriction Form The guidance notes for the 'Presentation of Taught Masters' Dissertations' published in July 2005 state that students can restrict access to their dissertation by completing and submitting a 'Dissertation Restriction Form' when the dissertation is submitted. The 'Dissertation Restriction Form' is available on the Faculty of Humanities intranet at: http://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/tandl/policyandprocedure/guidelinesandpolicydocuments/index.html

Word Limits The word limit for MA dissertations in the School is 12,000 -15,000 words, including footnotes and citations but not counting bibliographies, appendices and addenda, or the required pages (see Appendix 2). Prior permission must be sought, in writing, from the School Postgraduate Taught Director for dissertations which exceed the standard word limit. See also ‘School policy on word limits and penalties for PGT coursework and dissertations’ (page 27). For Translation and Interpreting Studies students only: The upper word limit for translation dissertations is 7,500 words for the translation and 7,500 words for the accompanying critical analysis. The length of the translation may be calculated on the basis either of the source text or of the target text. A translation or critical analysis in excess of 7,500 words is acceptable provided that a) the translation (or source text) and critical analysis together fall between overall upper and lower word limits of 15,000 and 12,000 words, b) each component falls between upper and lower word limits of 6,000 and 8,000 words. For some translation dissertations, e.g. subtitling of films or interpretation of speeches, a word count can be supplied only for the critical analysis. In such cases, the critical analysis should be between 6,000 and 8,000 words. In all cases, please note that the upper word limit means what it says. Penalties are imposed for exceeding the word limit, as laid down in the PGT Handbook (page 27).

Submitting your Dissertation Dissertations must be submitted to the Postgraduate Office and not to your supervisor. Failure to do this could mean that your degree result will not come before the Examination Board at the appropriate time. Final Deadline Full-time students who first register for the degree of MA in September 2009 must submit their dissertation by Monday 6 September 2010, except by special permission of the Postgraduate Taught Director. Part-time students who first register for the degree of MA in September 2009 must submit their dissertation by Monday 5 September 2011, except by special permission of the Postgraduate Taught Director. Part-time students who commenced their programme in September 2007 can submit by 10 January 2010, as this information was published in previous literature. Please note, however, part-time students can elect to submit by the September submission date in the second year of the programme, though you must ensure that you have informed the Postgraduate Office, and have the support of your dissertation supervisor.

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Electronic Thesis and Dissertation (ETD) Submission It is a University requirement (from 1 November 2009) that all students registered for a Masters level programme are required to submit an electronic version of their dissertation (or equivalent) in addition to the bound paper copies. All the rules and guidelines on the formatting etc must be adhered to (http://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/documents/?letter=G) The bound paper copies of the dissertation (or equivalent) must be printed from the submitted electronic version and include an automatically generated cover page. It is your responsibility to ensure that the paper copies are a true and accurate representation of the electronic submission. You will need to submit an electronic copy of your dissertation (or equivalent) in pdf format via the University’s Student Portal; there is a dedicated ETD Submission portlet. Full details of how to do this, along with a set of frequently asked questions can be found at: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/escholar/etd If use: It is essential that you complete and submit the Notice of Submission Form by 1 June 2010 for full-time students, and 1 June 2011 for part-time students; this triggers the administrative process that ensures that your dissertation (or equivalent) can be submitted electronically; you will not be able to submit electronically until after this time. It is important that you check your University email account regularly as you will be automatically sent an email notifying you when you can submit your dissertation electronically. If your dissertation (or equivalent) contains elements which are non digital (e.g. large hand drawn maps, performances etc) you are required to submit the text based elements electronically, as above, with a full description of the non digital elements of the submission. Multi-media files that form part of your dissertation (or equivalent) should be submitted in a suitable format (i.e. CD Rom) and placed in a pocket inside the back cover of the paper version of your dissertation (or equivalent) You are required to submit both the electronic and paper copies by the submission deadline 6 September 2010 for full-time students, and 5 September 2011 for part-time students otherwise the late submission penalty will be applied. The bound paper copies should be submitted to (insert info) In line with the University’s PGT Regulations students will normally be allowed one resubmission of a failed dissertation (or equivalent) providing that certain criteria has been met. If it has been approved that your failed dissertation (or equivalent) can be resubmitted then you will be required to submit this electronically as well as bound paper copies as above. Upon submission of the electronic dissertation you will be asked to give permission for your dissertation to be made freely available to anybody with access to the World Wide Web i.e. to be made open access. If we consider that your dissertation is suitable to be made open access (not all dissertations will), and you have given permission, then your dissertation will be added to the library catalogue to be made available on the World Wide Web. Further information on open access can be found on the FAQs webpage at: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/escholar/etd If you have problems logging-in to the Student Portal you should contact: Virtual IT Service Desk Tel: 0161 306 5544 Email: [email protected] Web: https://helpdesk.man.ac.uk/onlineform.cgi

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Minor Corrections Exceptionally, examiners may decide that a dissertation should be awarded a pass, subject to minor corrections being made. Usually these minor corrections relate to the format and presentation of the dissertation, and must be completed within 4 weeks. Failure to complete the changes to the satisfaction of the examiners within this time can result in the dissertation being failed and the Postgraduate Diploma being awarded.

Failed Dissertations Fail, With Permission to Resubmit Dissertations that do not achieve the 50% pass mark will be failed. Examiners may recommend that the student be given permission to resubmit the dissertation. In this case, feedback will be provided by the dissertation Supervisor, and a new deadline for the resubmission set. Please note, a fee is charged for resubmission, for the 2009 -10 academic session this is £150. Students are required to complete a Notice of Submission Form (available from the Postgraduate Office) prior to the resubmission of the thesis. The Form, and payment of the resubmission fee (either cash or cheque, payable to ‘The University of Manchester’) should be taken to the Cashier’s Office on the ground floor of the John Owen’s Building [No. XX on the campus map]. A copy of the Form, and a receipt to show payment of the resubmission fee should be submitted to the Postgraduate Office. Failure to submit a revised dissertation that satisfies the examiners within the required period will result in the Postgraduate Diploma being awarded. Fail, Without Permission to Resubmit Exceptionally, the examiners may recommend that the dissertation be failed, without permission to resubmit. In this case, students will be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma.

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6 Plagiarism and Other Forms of Academic Malpractice – How to Avoid Them

Guidance to students Further information can be found on the University’s Policy website: http://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/documents/?letter=P Introduction As a student, you are expected to cooperate in the learning process throughout your programme of study by completing assignments of various kinds that are the product of your own study or research. For most students this does not present a problem, but occasionally, whether unwittingly or otherwise, a student may commit what is known as plagiarism or some other form of academic malpractice when carrying out an assignment. This may come about because students have been used to different conventions in their prior educational experience or through general ignorance of what is expected of them. This guidance is designed to help you understand what we regard as academic malpractice and hence to help you to avoid committing it. You should read it carefully, because academic malpractice is regarded as a serious offence and students found to have committed it will be penalized. At the very least a mark of only 30% would be awarded for the piece of work in question, but it could be worse; you could be awarded zero (with or without loss of credits), fail the whole unit, be demoted to a lower class of degree, or be excluded from the programme. Academic malpractice includes plagiarism, collusion, fabrication or falsification of results and anything else intended by those committing it to achieve credit that they do not properly deserve. In addition to the advice that follows, your School will give you advice on how to avoid academic malpractice in the context of your discipline. It will also design assessments so as to help you avoid the temptation to commit academic malpractice. Finally, you should take note that work you submit may be screened electronically to check against other material on the web and in other submitted work.

Plagiarism Plagiarism is presenting the ideas, work or words of other people without proper, clear and unambiguous acknowledgement. It also includes ‘self-plagiarism’ (which occurs where, for example, you submit work that you have presented for assessment on a previous occasion), and the submission of material from ‘essay banks’ (even if the authors of such material appear to be giving you permission to use it in this way). Obviously, the most blatant example of plagiarism would be to copy another student’s work. Hence it is essential to make clear in your assignments the distinction between:

the ideas and work of other people that you may have quite legitimately exploited and developed, and

the ideas or material that you have personally contributed.

To assist you, here are a few important do’s and don’ts:

Do get lots of background information on subjects you are writing about to help you form your own view of the subject. The information could be from electronic journals, technical

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reports, unpublished dissertations, etc. Make a note of the source of every piece of information at the time you record it, even if it is just one sentence.

Don’t construct a piece of work by cutting and pasting or copying material written by other

people, or by you for any other purpose, into something you are submitting as your own work. Sometimes you may need to quote someone else’s exact form of words in order to analyse or criticize them, in which case the quotation must be enclosed in quotation marks to show that it is a direct quote, and it must have the source properly acknowledged at that point. Any omissions from a quotation must be indicated by an ellipsis (…) and any additions for clarity must be enclosed in square brackets, e.g. “[These] results suggest… that the hypothesis is correct.” It may also be appropriate to reproduce a diagram from someone else’s work, but again the source must be explicitly and fully acknowledged there. However, constructing large chunks of documents from a string of quotes, even if they are acknowledged, is another form of plagiarism.

Do attribute all ideas to their original authors. Written ‘ideas’ are the product that authors produce. You would not appreciate it if other people passed off your ideas as their own, and that is what plagiarism rules are intended to prevent. A good rule of thumb is that each idea or statement that you write should be attributed to a source unless it is your personal idea or it is common knowledge. (If you are unsure if something is common knowledge, ask other students: if they don’t know what you are talking about, then it is not common knowledge!)

As you can see, it is most important that you understand what is expected of you when you prepare and produce assignments and that you always observe proper academic conventions for referencing and acknowledgement, whether working by yourself or as part of a team. In practice, there are a number of acceptable styles of referencing depending, for example, on the particular discipline you are studying, so if you are not certain what is appropriate, ask your course unit tutor for advice! This should ensure that you do not lay yourself open to a charge of plagiarism inadvertently, or through ignorance of what is expected. It is also important to remember that you do not absolve yourself from a charge of plagiarism simply by including a reference to a source in a bibliography that you have included with your assignment; you should always be scrupulous about indicating precisely where and to what extent you have made use of such a source. So far, plagiarism has been described as using the words or work of someone else (without proper attribution), but it could also include a close paraphrase of their words, or a minimally adapted version of a computer program, a diagram, a graph, an illustration, etc taken from a variety of sources without proper acknowledgement. These could be lectures, printed material, the Internet or other electronic/AV sources. Remember: no matter what pressure you may be under to complete an assignment, you should never give in to the temptation to take a ‘short cut’ and use someone else’s material inappropriately. No amount of mitigating circumstances will get you off the hook, and if you persuade other students to let you copy their work, they risk being disciplined as well (see below). The School reserves the right to submit any work handed in by students for assessment to electronic systems for detecting plagiarism or other forms of academic malpractice. This includes the JISC plagiarism detection service (TurnitinUK)

Collusion Collusion is any agreement to hide someone else’s individual input to collaborative work with the intention of securing a mark higher than either you or another student might deserve. Where proved, it will be subject to penalties similar to those for plagiarism. Similarly, it is also collusion to

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allow someone to copy your work when you know that they intend to submit it as though it were their own and that will lay both you and the other student open to a charge of academic malpractice. On the other hand, collaboration is a perfectly legitimate academic activity in which students are required to work in groups as part of their programme of research or in the preparation of projects and similar assignments. If you are asked to carry out such group work and to collaborate in specified activities, it will always be made clear how your individual input to the joint work is to be assessed and graded. Sometimes, for example, all members of a team may receive the same mark for a joint piece of work, whereas on other occasions team members will receive individual marks that reflect their individual input. If it is not clear on what basis your work is to be assessed, to avoid any risk of unwitting collusion you should always ask for clarification before submitting any assignment.

Fabrication or falsification of results For many students, a major part of their studies involves laboratory or other forms of practical work, and they often find themselves undertaking such activity without close academic supervision. If you are in this situation, you are expected to behave in a responsible manner, as in other aspects of your academic life, and to show proper integrity in the reporting of results or other data. Hence you should ensure that you always document clearly and fully any research programme or survey that you undertake, whether working by yourself or as part of a group. Results or data that you or your group submit must be capable of verification, so that those assessing the work can follow the processes by which you obtained them. Under no circumstances should you seek to present results or data that were not properly obtained and documented as part of your practical learning experience. Otherwise, you lay yourself open to the charge of fabrication or falsification of results. Finally… If you commit any form of academic malpractice, teaching staff will not be able to assess your individual abilities objectively or accurately. Any short-term gain you might have hoped to achieve will be cancelled out by the loss of proper feedback you might have received, and in the long run such behaviour is likely to damage your overall intellectual development, to say nothing of your self-esteem. You are the one who loses.

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7 Making Changes: the Role of the Postgraduate Committee

The School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures Postgraduate Taught Committee is responsible for the administration of the Masters, Diploma and Certificate regulations within the School. Some changes to the details of your registration may need to be made during your time at Manchester. These changes might involve switching to part-time study, or interrupting your programme through ill health. The following matters must be brought to the Postgraduate Office for approval:

Applications to interrupt the programme A student may be permitted to interrupt the programme for good cause, such as illness, family crisis or bereavement. The provision for interruption is important because it effectively ‘stops the clock’ and postpones the programme. It is therefore very much in the student’s interest to seek formal interruption where the progress of study has been disrupted by any unforeseen circumstance. In such cases, your Personal Tutor and/or Programme Director and the Postgraduate Office should be informed of the reasons for the request and a medical certificate should be provided if an interruption is sought on health grounds. Where appropriate, students are also advised to consult their funding body before making such an application. During your period of interruption you will not be a registered student of the University and your right to be on University premises will be that of a member of the public. You may not undertake work on the University premises as your are not covered by our insurance agreements. You should also note that you will lose onsite IT and student library access; however, you can retain remote email access to your student email account. You do need to ensure, however, that, if necessary, you save work and provide alternative forwarding contact email details to your School. Interruptions can only occur during a student’s formal registration period. If the student is outside the period of registration, it is an extension that needs to be applied for. Further details can be obtained at: http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/medialibrary/tlao/MAP/interruptions-students-guide08.pdf

Applications to Extend the Deadline for Submission of the Dissertation Extensions to the submission date for dissertations may be sought where circumstances, outside of students’ control, will delay the completion and submission by the published date. The procedure is the same as that outlined in ‘Applications to Extend the Deadlines for Submission of Coursework’ (page 27).

Withdrawing from a Programme If, after consultation with your Personal Tutor or Programme Director, you decide, for whatever reason, to withdraw from your programme of study you must inform the Postgraduate Office. Write to Amanda Mathews ([email protected]), specifying the date of your withdrawal and the reasons behind your decision.

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The Postgraduate Office will then update your record, which will prompt the Student Services Centre to authorise any refund that may be due.

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8 Life After Manchester

Staying in Touch As a graduate you automatically become a member of The University of Manchester Alumni Association. Membership is free and for life. “We are currently in touch with over 180,000 alumni members worldwide and are keen to encourage our graduates, wherever they are in the world, to maintain links with one another and with the University, sustaining the bonds they have made during their time here. We are always delighted to hear news of our alumni so would be pleased if you tell us whenever you change your job or reach a milestone in your life. We will send you regular information about our activities, events and publications so do please keep us informed of your current contact details (you can use the Personal Update Form on our website for this).” Annette Babchuk, Head of Alumni Relations Development and Alumni Relations Room G9 Christie Building The University of Manchester Oxford Road Manchester M13 9PL Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/alumni/ Telephone: 0161 306 3066 Fax: 0161 306 8066

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9 Facilities and Services for Students: An A - Z Guide

Access to buildings and computer rooms outside normal working hours

The desirability of giving students maximum access to the buildings in which they are based has to be balanced against the need to provide adequate security in an area where theft of equipment and personal belongings is unfortunately not uncommon. The position is complicated by the fact that the subject areas which make up the Schools in the Faculty of Humanities are, in some cases, spread over many separate buildings, and that shortages of building attendants may not make it possible to operate a uniform system of opening across each one of them. Students are advised to consult the Postgraduate Office or School Office for information.

Accommodation The University Accommodation Office will help students to obtain suitable accommodation. The office is open from 9.00am to 5.00pm and on Saturday mornings during September and in the evening during the first few days of the academic year. Accommodation Office University Place Manchester M13 9PL Telephone: 0161 275 2888 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/accommodation/

Addresses & Contact Details It is essential that the Postgraduate Office has your local address (and telephone number if you have one) and an emergency contact name and address. If you were unable to give a local address at registration, please remember to let us have this information as soon as you have a fixed address. Students can update their addresses and telephone numbers via the Self-Service facility of the Student Records System, though we would appreciate it if you would inform the Postgraduate Office of any changes in order that we can keep your records up to date. Make sure that you set up a University email account at the start of your programme, and ensure you check it regularly. Important information will be sent to your University email account, including distribution lists for PGR students used by the School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures. The Postgraduate Office will send email messages to your university email address (the one that ends @postgrad.manchester.ac.uk), not to any other email address. For information on accessing your university email address and setting it up to forward messages to another email address, see http://www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/studentemail/ or contact IS support.

Bindery Service The Library Bindery has been relocated to the Joule Library, on E floor of the Sackville Street Building (along with the Cataloguing and Acquisitions Departments). [Campus Map – Building 1] Full details are on the library web pages at: http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/usingthelibrary/binding/

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The Burlington Society A Society for postgraduate and mature students. The Society aims to provide not only a social focus for postgraduate and mature students but also to offer information, advice and support, particularly to those students new to Manchester. Burlington Rooms Burlington Street Manchester M13 9PL Telephone: 0161 275 2392 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.burlington.manchester.ac.uk/

The Careers Service The award-winning Careers Service provides information, advice and guidance to current students and staff of The University of Manchester and recent graduates. The Careers Service can help you to research your career options, find out about employers, look for work experience and much more. The Careers Service Crawford House Booth Street East Manchester M13 9QS Telephone: 0161 275 2829 Opening hours: 9am-5pm Monday to Friday Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/careers

Council Tax Exemption Information Council Tax Exemption Information is available from the Student Services Centre: Student Services Centre (SSC) Burlington Street Manchester M13 9PL Telephone: 0161 275 5000 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/ssc Or from the following link: http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/ssc/officialdocuments/

Disability Support Office 2nd Floor University Place Telephone: 0161 275 7512 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/disability/

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The Disability Support Office offers help and advise for students with additional support needs as a result of a disability, medical condition or specific learning difficulty, e.g. dyslexia. Students with additional needs are encouraged to contact the Disability Support Office to discuss any requirements they may have relating to their studies or other needs.

Email When you register as a student at the University of Manchester you will receive a library card. You will then be able to register for a computer account that includes your e-mail address. This can be arranged by pressing F2 at the computer login screen and following the instructions.

Financial Advice Financial advice is available in the Student Services Centre: Student Services Centre (SSC) Burlington Street Manchester M13 9PL Telephone: 0161 275 5000 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/ssc

Fire Alarm Testing in the Samuel Alexander Building The fire alarm is tested every Thursday at approximately 2pm in the Samuel Alexander Building.

Graduate Studies Centre The Centre for Graduate Studies is a custom-designed facility specifically for postgraduate students in the School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures. It houses computer and printing facilities, designed to aid students with their research and coursework. The Centre is located on the 4th Floor of the Samuel Alexander Building, and access to the Centre is via a keycode lock, the code to which can be obtained on proof of identity from the Postgraduate Office, Room S3.11. Lockers are available for students to store their belongings in a secure location if they need to leave items in the Centre. Keys can be obtained from the Postgraduate Office and require a returnable deposit of £5.

Graduation The graduation ceremonies are organised by the Student Services Centre: Student Services Centre (SSC) Burlington Street Manchester M13 9PL Telephone: 0161 275 5000 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/ssc or visit: http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/ssc/graduation/

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Harassment The University seeks to create a studying environment which is free of harassment, and which protects the dignity of female and male students irrespective of their sexual orientation, racial or ethnic background, religion or disabled status. Personal harassment takes many forms. It is uninvited and unwanted actions which cause offence and/or embarrassment, fear, stress or tension. It can be an isolated act such as a comment or wilful gesture, or it can take the form of inappropriate behaviour towards a person. Examples of sexual, racial and other forms of harassment are outlined in the University Policy Statement on Harassment (see web: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/policies/?letter=H) For further information about the University’s Policy on Harassment or if you have been a victim of some sort of harassment contact: The Equality and Diversity Office on 0161 306 5857 or the Students’ Union Advice Centre on 0161 275 2946. The University’s Equality and Diversity policy can be found here: http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/equalityanddiversity/policies/

Health and Safety A range of occupational health services are available to students. Further information is available at http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/healthandsafety/index.htm including links to a range of policies. With respect to Display Screen Equipment (including computer monitor screens), we offer the following general advice:

If you have any problems with your eyes when using a VDU, please arrange an appointment for an eye test.

If using a display screen for a long period, you are advised to take a five minute break from

the machine once every hour, moving away from the screen and walking around the room, relaxing your arms and shoulders, as well as your eyes.

Information Systems Students at the University of Manchester enjoy access to a wide range of high quality IS services provided across campus. Within the Faculty of Humanities itself, there are in excess of 900 computers located within Faculty buildings available for student use, complementing the 500+ seats provided by the University in public clusters – including a public cluster at Owens Park. All cluster computers are configured in the same way and provide access to services offered by schools, faculties and central service providers such as IT services http://www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk and the John Rylands University Library http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/ Full details of software available on clusters can be found at http://www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/pcclusters/ Full details of library services and other electronic resources can be found at: http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/eresources/

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In addition to cluster computers, wireless networking is available across campus enabling students with wireless-equipped laptops to access IS services on campus. Full details of the services offered, including a list of available locations, can be found at: http://www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/wireless/ Help and advice is available at a number of points across campus. In addition to the support desks in public clusters, the Faculty of Humanities provides a number of Service Desks: details of opening hours and other contact details can be found at http://ict.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/ Training is also open to postgraduate students. Programmes are provided centrally by IS Services, see http://www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/trainingcourses/coursesforstudents/ IT Support: Faculty of Humanities - http://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/ictsupport/ Location: John Rylands Library, in the Blue Area and The Joule Library in the Sackville Street Building Tel: 0161 306 5544 Email: [email protected]

International Society The International Society is a busy centre for international students based in the Greater Manchester area. Manchester has more students from abroad than anywhere else in Britain, other than London, and International Society members come from all over the world. In fact, there were students from more than 130 different countries last year - so it's a good place to make friends and contacts during your stay here. The International Society organises: • A Welcome Scheme for international students arriving at Manchester Airport • Cultural nights, social meetings and theatre visits • Visits to places like The Lake District, North Wales, Stratford, York, Chester, Lincoln and

Edinburgh • Cheap lunches • A Hospitality Scheme to link up international students with local people • A reception each term for members to meet socially • A Women and Families' Group for spouses of international students to meet together - with

talks, cookery demonstrations and visits. Children are welcome • English and other language classes • Regular world quiz nights, tai chi, juggling, belly dancing classes All these activities provide a great opportunity for you to get to know other students and staff. International Society William Kay House 327 Oxford Road Manchester M13 9PG Telephone: 0161 275 4959 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.internationalsociety.org.uk

International Advice Team The University prides itself on being a truly international institution. International students are guaranteed a warm welcome and the opportunity to meet, work and socialise with people from all parts of the UK and overseas.

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The International Advice Team is a team of advisers who can provide free individual advice to international students relating to immigration, work permits and financial, legal, study and personal matters. Please contact them to make an appointment. The International Advice Team Student Services Centre Burlington Street Telephone: 0161 275 5000 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/ssc/internationalteam International Student Welfare Officer: Mrs Gerry Bell

Library The John Rylands University Library is the University of Manchester's library and information service. It is the largest non-legal-deposit academic library in the United Kingdom and supports all subject areas taught by the University. The JRUL provides its members with a large number of services and resources, including the most extensive range of electronic resources of any UK Higher Education library. For further information visit the library website at http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk

Medical Services and Student Health The Student Health Centre for the University provides an accessible occupational health service for all students. A doctor and nursing staff offer advice and support on health problem affecting studies. It is a requirement of your registration with the University of Manchester that you register with a local general practitioner. A list of GP practices can be obtained from the Student Health Centre, any University hall of residence or a local Pharmacy. According to guidance issued by the General Medical Council it would not be regarded as good practice for a family member to be the registered GP or to offer treatment except in the case of an emergency. Student Health Centre 184 Waterloo Place Oxford Road Manchester M13 9PG Telephone: 0161 275 2858 Web: http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/healthandsafety/studentOH.htm

Online Dictionaries The John Rylands University Library (JRUL) makes a number of reference works available online via: http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/eresources/reference/ Dictionaries (including language dictionaries) are accessible online via: http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/eresources/reference/#d.en.48634 Both the Oxford Reference Online and Blackwell Reference Online links are featured and accessible online owing to a subscription handled by the JRULM (either on-campus, or off-campus with an ATHENS username/password).

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Pastoral Care and General Advice If you have problems of a personal nature which may affect your academic performance, please talk to your Personal Tutor/Programme Director. In some circumstances, he/she may suggest that you make an appointment at the Student Health Centre, Counselling Service or Academic Advisory Service. If you need any general information, particularly in relation to your registration or the regulations governing your programme, please arrange to talk to Amanda Mathews, the Postgraduate Manager for the School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures, either by calling in at the Postgraduate Office during normal opening hours for students or by making a prior appointment by emailing [email protected] Academic Advisory Service

The Academic Advisory Service is a confidential service of information and advice on matters relating to your academic work and progress. It is part of the network of student support services, and consists of a small team of part-time Advisers.

The Advisers all combine their post in the Service with a post in an academic department and are able to draw on their experience as University teachers, and on their specialist knowledge of the University's academic systems and support services.

The content of discussions is very varied including thoughts about changing programme, anxiety about coping with studies, time management, examination problems or the impact of outside events on a student's studies.

To make an appointment to see an adviser, call into reception, (First Floor, University Place), or telephone 0161 275 3033.

Reception is open throughout the year: Monday to Thursday 10.00am – 4.00pm, Friday 10.00am – 1.30pm (reduced hours during vacations). Email: [email protected] (for general enquiries, not appointments) http://www.manchester.ac.uk/academicadvisoryservice Counselling Service The University’s Counselling Service provides confidential individual counselling for all students who are seeking help with personal problems affecting their work or general well-being. You can make an appointment to see a counsellor, and there are also times in the week when you can drop in without an appointment. 5th Floor, Crawford House Precinct Centre Manchester M13 9QS Telephone: 0161 275 2864 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/counselling Manchester Nightline The service is available from 8pm to 8am seven nights a week during term time. (If you are short of cash, Manchester Nightline can phone you back as long as you are within the '0161' area.) Nightline is a non-directive, non-judgemental listening and information service run by students for students. If you want the opportunity to talk things through or get something off your chest, they are

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fully trained and well-prepared for anything you want to throw at them. Or if there's something you need to know, they offer practical, impartial information on virtually everything. Telephone: 0161 275 2983/4 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.nightline.man.ac.uk/

Personal Tutor The allocation of Personal Tutors differs across the academic disciplines. Please consult your Programme Director for further details.

Photocopying Facilities There are photocopying facilities available in the John Rylands Library. The library facilities are often convenient, but remember the charge per copy may well be lower in the Students’ Union or private copy shops. Whenever you make copies, you should be aware of the copyright regulations, which are displayed on all University photocopying equipment.

Sports, Health and Fitness The Directorate of Sport offers health and fitness facilities for all, with pay-as-you-go fitness classes, enrolment courses, campus walks and a jogging club. If you want to get fit or maintain your fitness, are a complete beginner or an experienced exerciser, there is something for you. The Armitage and Sugden Sports Centres organise a range of fitness classes and enrolment courses. The fitness classes are pay-as-you-go and the weekly courses, for which you must pre-book, are for 7 or 8 weeks during the first and second semester and between 5 and 7 weeks during the summer term, depending on the course. A full list of the classes and courses can be accessed by visiting: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/sport The Campus Sport programme runs various leagues and a range of fun tournaments throughout the year. Manchester University’s Athletic Union is home to over forty different clubs varying from the traditional to the unconventional with something for everyone’s sporting taste and ability. Visit http://www.sport.manchester.ac.uk/au/ for more information.

Student Mail Student files, where post can be collected, are available on the south wing, third floor of the Samuel Alexander Building, just past the Postgraduate Office. Any mail for current students will be placed in the files for collection. Please make sure that you check your file for mail and any other important information on a regular basis.

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Student Portal The Student Portal brings all your online services together in one place. Your Portal username and password are the same ones that you use to login in to the campus computer clusters. (The username is letters, e.g. mfbxiskv).

Student Services Centre (SSC) The SSC is a single point of contact for most of the administrative tasks you need to carry out as a student, including financial registration, documentation, loans and grants, and graduation. The Centre is open Monday - Friday, 10am to 4pm and its mission is to provide you with the highest possible 'one-stop-shop' level of service. Matters of a financial nature, such as late payment of fees or payment by instalment, should be discussed with the Student Services Centre. The Student Services Centre offers advice to students on general funding opportunities, and is responsible for the distribution of quarterly maintenance payments from University, Research Council and external funding bodies. The SSC can also provide confirmation of your attendance, award or provide a Council Tax Exemption certificate. Burlington Street Manchester M13 9PL Telephone: 0161 275 5000 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/ssc/

Students’ Union Steve Biko Building University of Manchester Students’ Union Oxford Road Manchester M13 9PR Telephone: 0161 275 2930 Web: http://www.umsu.manchester.ac.uk/ Students’ Union Advice and Information Centre The Students' Union exists to represent all students at the University of Manchester. It is autonomous from the University and is democratically controlled by students at all levels. All University of Manchester students are automatically members. The Union Executive runs the Union on a day-to-day basis. Each officer has his or her own remit and together they cover all aspects of student life. Their role is to represent students to the University and on a local, national and international level.

Office Email

Welfare Officer [email protected]

Academic Affairs Officer [email protected]

Postgraduate Students Officer [email protected]

International Students Officer [email protected]

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Women’s Officer [email protected]

Humanities Faculty Officer [email protected]

Other useful contact telephone numbers University Organisations Security Control (0161) 275 2728 St Peter’s Chaplaincy (0161) 275 2894 Dryden Street Nursery (0161) 272 7121 Sugden Sports Centre (0161) 306 4026 Organisations outside the University NHS Direct 0845 46 47 National Aids Line 0800 567123 George House Trust (Aids Helpline) (0161) 274 4499 Alcoholics Anonymous (0161) 236 6569 Life Line (Drugs Advice) (0161) 839 2054 Rape Crisis Line (0161) 273 4500 Samaritans 08457 90 90 90 or 0161 236 8000 Manchester City Council (0161) 234 5000 Citizens Advice Bureau 0870 126 4094 Victim Support Central Manchester 0845 456 8810 Victim Support South Manchester (0161) 727 0240 Manchester Brook Advisory Centre (0161) 237 3001 (contraception and abortion advice) Care Confidential 0800 028 2228 (pregnancy and post-abortion counselling) Manchester Gay and Lesbian Helpline (0161) 235 8035 Additional advice is available at http://www.umsu.manchester.ac.uk/advice/

Transcripts Transcripts are available from the Student Services Centre. Please note that, due to demand at certain times in the academic year, it may take up to six weeks to produce a transcript. The University is implementing a secure online document service, called Digitary. This system will allow graduates to access their documents online and allows employers to verify the authenticity of these electronic documents via a secure website hosted at University of Manchester. It will allow you to manage the release of your documents to a third party i.e., a prospective employer, electronically, effectively allowing them to verify the information via the University’s secure website. You will be sent more information via email about your login for the system and how you can manage your documents and share them with prospective employers etc. when the system is available. Student Services Centre (SSC) Burlington Street Manchester M13 9PL Telephone: 0161 275 5000 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/ssc or visit: http://www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/ssc/officialdocuments/

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The information in this Handbook is correct at the time of publication. The Postgraduate Office will post updates to the following website: http://www.llc.manchester.ac.uk/intranet/pg/ma-students Web link no longer working? Useful information to add? Let us have your feedback! Email: [email protected]

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10 University Policies and Regulations

There are a number of University policies and regulations which apply to you during your period of registration. We have included two important documents as Appendices to in Section 11 of this Handbook. The other most relevant policies are listed below with a brief summary and a link to the full-text of each document on the University website. Please note, these documents may undergo changes during your period of registration. Document: The University Of Manchester Intellectual Property Policy Full-text available on the University website at: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/policies/?letter=I Summary: Introduction Ownership Intellectual Property: Protection & Commercialisation Revenue Sharing Document: Regulation XVII - Conduct and Discipline of Students Full-text available on the University website at: http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/policies/?letter=C Summary: The essence of misconduct under this Regulation is the improper interference, in the broadest sense, with the proper functioning or activities of the University or of those who work or study in the University, or action which otherwise damages the University or its reputation. The provisions of this Regulation define that behaviour which constitutes misconduct as it relates to students studying or registered at the University and the consequences of that misconduct.

Document: Plagiarism Full-text available on the University website at: http://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/documents/?letter=P Summary: This document details information regarding plagiarism, collusion and other forms of academic malpractice.

Document: Regulation XVIII - Student Complaints Procedure Full-text available on the University website at: http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/policies Complaint Form available at: http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/policies/?letter=S Summary: As part of its commitment to ensuring the standard and quality of its programmes of study, services, and facilities, the University has established this Procedure to deal with complaints from students.

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Document: Regulation XIX – Academic Appeals Full-text available on the University website at: http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/policies Appeals form available on the University website at: http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/policies/?letter=A Summary: This defines a number of decisions affecting a student’s academic progression against which students might wish to appeal. These include expulsion from the University, exclusion from a programme of study, or the result of assessment or award of a particular degree classification.

Document: Regulation XX - Work and Attendance of Students Full-text available on the University website at: http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/policies/?letter=W Summary: This regulation aims to determine whether or not a student is working on and attending a programme satisfactorily and to set out the penalties for failure to work and attend satisfactorily. Document: Health and Safety Policy Full-text available on the University website at: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/policies/?letter=H Summary: It is the policy of the University of Manchester to pursue high standards, beyond minimum compliance with legal requirements, and progressive improvement in the health, safety and welfare of its staff, students, visitors and all others who may be affected by its work activities.

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11 Appendices

Appendix 1

This can be found on the University’s Policy website: http://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/documents/?letter=O Ordinances and Regulations: Degree of Master, Postgraduate Diploma and Postgraduate Certificate

A. Ordinances B. Regulations

1. Admission to the Programme 2. Duration of the Programme 3. Credits 4. Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning (AP(E)L) 5. Progression and Assessment 6. Dissertation 7. Recommendation for Award

A. ORDINANCES 1. The University may award the taught degrees of Master, Postgraduate Diplomas and

Postgraduate Certificates in accordance with the General Regulation XI.

2. Regulations for the degrees of Master of Enterprise (MEnt), Master of Philosophy (MPhil), Master of Research (MRes), Master of Science (MSc) by Research and Master of Surgery (ChM) are published separately.

3. Regulations for integrated Degree of Master are published with the Regulations for Undergraduate programmes.

4. Students for the above degrees, postgraduate diplomas and postgraduate certificates will pursue satisfactorily an approved programme of advanced study, as either a full or part-time student.

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5. These ordinances and regulations provide a general framework for all taught postgraduate degrees, diplomas and certificates, and should be read in conjunction with detailed notes for guidance and programme specific regulations.

6. Regulations for Conduct and Discipline of Students, Student Complaints Procedures,

Academic Appeals, and Work and Attendance of Students are provided in the University’s General Regulations, XVII, XVIII, XIX and XX respectively.

B. REGULATIONS

1. Admission to the Programme a. Applicants for admission to the Degree of Master and Postgraduate Diploma will normally

have:

• a first degree (equivalent to a UK Honours Bachelors degree) or equivalent qualification from a recognised institution;

or

• evidence of previous advanced study, research or professional experience, which

the University accepts as qualifying the applicant for entry.

b. Applicants for admission to the Postgraduate Certificate will normally have:

• evidence of academic qualifications or work experience which meets the approval of the University and allows them to be registered onto a Certificate programme or individual postgraduate course units.

c. All applicants must meet the minimum English language requirements of their chosen

programme, as described by the University’s Postgraduate Admissions Policy. d. Students may be registered initially for the Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate

Certificate. After successfully completing the required assessment, they may be permitted to progress to the Degree of Master or Postgraduate Diploma respectively.

e. A student awarded the Postgraduate Certificate may subsequently be permitted to use the

credits awarded to count towards an appropriate Postgraduate Diploma or a Degree of Master, but only on condition that:

• the student achieved a pass mark of 40% or more to proceed with the Postgraduate

Diploma, or 50% or more to proceed with the Degree of Master; • all other requirements for progression as stated in section 5 have been met;

• the student has not previously been examined for the dissertation (or equivalent)

element of the programme;

• the award of the Postgraduate Certificate is rescinded. In these circumstances, for a Postgraduate Diploma, students will normally be required to complete the programme no more than four academic years after initial registration, or for a Degree of Master, no more than five academic years after initial registration.

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f. A student awarded the Postgraduate Diploma may subsequently be permitted to use the credits awarded to count towards an appropriate Degree of Master, but only on condition that:

the student achieved a pass mark of 50% or;

all other requirements for progression as stated in section 5 have been met;

the student has not previously been examined for the dissertation (or

equivalent) element of the programme;

the award of the Postgraduate Diploma is rescinded.

In these circumstances students will normally be required to complete the programme no more than five academic years after initial registration

2. Duration of Programme

a. A Degree of Master will normally be a one-year programme equating to 45 teaching weeks within a 51 week period and the date for the end of the programme and submission of the dissertation (or equivalent) will be published in the Programme Handbook.

b. A part-time Degree of Master student will complete the programme over a more extended

period of time which will be published in the Programme Handbook, but will not exceed five academic years.

c. A Postgraduate Diploma will be a full-time or part-time programme that will normally extend

over not less than two academic semesters and will not exceed four academic years.

d. A Postgraduate Certificate will be a full-time or part-time programme that will normally extend over not less than one academic semester and will not exceed two academic years.

e. Programmes may be of longer full-time duration where there is an increase in the credit

requirements (see 3d). 3. Credits

a. A Degree of Master of one year full-time (or equivalent part time) duration will consist of a minimum of 180 credits, of which at least 150 will be at level 4 (M level) with the remainder at level 3.

b. A Postgraduate Diploma will consist of a minimum of 120 credits, of which at least 90 will

be at level 4 (M level) with the remainder at level 3. c. A Postgraduate Certificate will consist of a minimum of 60 credits at level 4 (M level). d. For longer programmes, the total credit requirements for each award are increased pro rata

to the length of the programme. e. All course units will normally be of 15 credits, or multiples thereof. A Degree of Master will

normally include a dissertation or equivalent of at least 60 credits and a Postgraduate Diploma may include a project or extended essay of no more than 30 credits. The Postgraduate Certificate will not normally include a dissertation or project element.

4. Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL)

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a. A student may be permitted to receive an award of credits on the basis of demonstrated learning that has occurred at some point in the past and is appropriate to the programme both in content and currency. The award of credits can be based upon learning for which certification has been awarded by an educational institution or another education/training provider or uncertificated learning gained from experience.

b. All APL applications will be approved in line with the University’s overall policy on the award

of APL, as follows:

A Degree of Master will normally allow a maximum of 60 APL credits. APL credits will not count towards the dissertation (or equivalent) or project components.

A Postgraduate Diploma will normally allow a maximum of 30 APL credits.

APL credits will not count towards the dissertation (or equivalent) or project components.

A Postgraduate Certificate will normally not allow any APL credit.

c. Any unit thus exempted will not be awarded a mark but will be graded pass and hence excluded from the calculation of the overall mark.

5. Progression and Assessment

a. Regulations for work and attendance are outlined in the University’s General Regulations, XX.

b. Students for the Degree of Master, Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate will

present themselves for assessment of their progress as required in the Programme Handbook.

c. Students will normally successfully complete the taught component of the Degree of Master

before they can progress to the dissertation (or equivalent), and must successfully complete the taught component before submission of the dissertation (or equivalent).

d. The pass mark for a Degree of Master will be 50%.

e. The pass mark for a Postgraduate Certificate and a Postgraduate Diploma will be 40%. A

pass mark of 50% may be approved by the Faculty where required on discipline-specific grounds or for some professionally accredited programmes.

f. A student who fails to satisfy the Examiners in any assessment of taught units may be

permitted to resubmit the assessment or retake the examination on one further occasion, up to a maximum of 45 credits. The student will take this opportunity during the next available University examination period or within a period as published in the Programme Handbook.

g. The maximum mark to be awarded for resubmitted coursework or retaken examination will

normally be 50% for the Degree of Master and 40% for the Postgraduate Diploma (or 50% where the higher pass mark has been approved). This mark will be used in computing the overall mark for the course unit.

h. All Degrees of Master will normally have exit points for the award of a Postgraduate

Certificate and a Postgraduate Diploma. These will be clearly defined in terms of level of achievement and will correspond to 60 and 120 credits respectively. Students who do not

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achieve the required pass mark in the taught element for the Degree of Master, but who do achieve the required pass mark for a Postgraduate Diploma or Certificate, may be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma or Certificate, as appropriate, provided they have successfully completed the requisite number of credits including no more than the maximum number of credits allowed as APL for the exit award under 4b.

i. Students may, in exceptional mitigating circumstances, and with prior permission of the

Faculty, be allowed to re-take the entire programme subject to all outstanding fees being paid.

j. Students may be awarded a compensated pass for a Degree of Master when they fail in

units of the taught component totalling no more than 30 credits and receive a mark of at least 40% but less than 50% for those failed units. The student must also have gained an overall mark, calculated as an average of the numerical marks awarded for each unit weighted by the credits for that unit (referred to subsequently as “weighted average”), for all taught units of 50% or more in order to be granted the compensated pass.

k. Students may be awarded a compensated pass for a Postgraduate Diploma programme

when they fail in units totalling no more than 30 credits and receive a mark of at least 30% but less than 40% for those failed units. The student must also have gained an overall weighted average for all taught units of 40% or more in order to be granted the compensated pass. Where the pass mark is set at 50% the compensatable units must receive a mark of at least 40% but less than 50% .

l. Students may be awarded a compensated pass for a Postgraduate Certificate programme

when they fail in units totalling no more than 15 credits and receive a mark of at least 30% but less than 40% for those failed units. The student must also have gained an overall weighted average for all taught units of 40% or more in order to be granted the compensated pass.

m. The maximum allowable cumulative failure of course units in a Masters programme at the

first attempt is 45 credits of the taught component of the programme. A student whose failures in units at the first attempt exceed 45 credits will be deemed to have failed the programme.

n. Students who fail in units totalling more than 45 credits at Masters level will be judged

against the requirements for a pass on the Postgraduate Diploma programme. If this results in their failing units totalling fewer than or equal to 45 credits at Postgraduate Diploma level, the student may resit those units failed at Postgraduate Diploma level to obtain the award of a Postgraduate Diploma.

o. Faculties may allow Schools on discipline-specific grounds to adopt more stringent

requirements, including (but not restricted to):

specifying core units for which no compensatable fail mark will be available; increasing the proportion of the total credit that must reach the pass mark

(ultimately to the total credits available, thus allowing no compensatable fails);

setting a higher pass mark overall. 6. Dissertation (or equivalent)

a. Dissertations should be submitted in accordance with the information set out in the University’s Guidance Notes for the Presentation of Dissertations.

b. Dissertation (or equivalent) submission dates will normally be 51 weeks after the start of the

programme and will be published in Programme Handbooks. Submission dates for part-

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time students will reflect the length of the programme (pro-rata compared to a full-time programme).

c. At the recommendation of the Board of Examiners, students will normally be allowed one

resubmission of a failed dissertation (or equivalent), project or extended essay and this will normally be within four months of the date of the publication of the result. Resubmission will not be allowed if the mark is below 40% (where the pass mark is 50%), or 30% (where the pass mark is 40%).

d. Students who achieve a dissertation (or equivalent) mark of at least 40% but less than 50%

may accept the award of Postgraduate Diploma with no further work required or resubmit the dissertation (or equivalent) on one occasion, at the discretion of the Board of Examiners, for the award of the Degree of Master. A student achieving a mark below 50% for a resubmitted dissertation (or equivalent) will be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma.

e. The maximum mark to be awarded for resubmitted dissertation (or equivalent), project or

extended essay will normally be 50% for the Degree of Master and 40% (or 50% where the pass mark is 50%) for the Postgraduate Diploma.

f. A student may exceptionally be required to attend an examination, orally or otherwise, in

the subject of their dissertation (or equivalent), project or extended essay, or a related matter.

7. Recommendation for Award

a. Pass Marks • To obtain a pass for a Degree of Master, the student is required to obtain both a

weighted average of 50% or more on the taught element (after compensation or reassessment as necessary), and 50% or more on the dissertation (or equivalent) (after reassessment as necessary).

• To obtain a pass for a Postgraduate Diploma or Certificate, the student is required

to obtain a weighted average of 40% or more on the taught element (after compensation or reassessment as necessary). If there is a project or extended essay a mark of 40% or more (after reassessment as necessary) on this element is also required to pass. A pass mark of 50% for a Postgraduate Diploma may be approved by the Faculty where required on discipline-specific grounds or for some professionally accredited programmes

• The Faculty will, on report from the Examiners, recommend to Senate the award

of the Degree of Master or Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate for those students who have completed all requirements of the regulations and satisfied the Examiners. The awarding certificate will include the title of the programme.

b. Distinction

• A student on a Degree of Master or Postgraduate Diploma programme who has

satisfied all the following criteria will be awarded a distinction:

A. A weighted average at first assessment of 70% or more in the taught component of the programme with no mark below 50% in any course unit.

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B. A mark of 70% or more for the dissertation (or equivalent), project or extended essay where this is part of the programme.

C. A Pass at first assessment in components of the programme where only a Pass/Fail is recorded.

• Please note, students who have been reassessed in any unit(s), or individual

components of any unit(s), or have been granted a compensated pass will not be eligible for the award of distinction.

• Students on Postgraduate Certificate programmes will not be eligible for the award of distinction.

c. Merit

A student on a Degree of Master or Postgraduate Diploma programme who has satisfied all the following criteria will be awarded a merit:

A. A weighted average at first assessment of 60% or more in the taught component

of the programme with no mark below 50% in any course units.

B. A mark of 60% or more on the dissertation (or equivalent), project or extended essay where this is part of the programme.

C. A Pass at first assessment in components of the programme where a Pass/Fail is recorded.

• Students who have been reassessed in any unit(s), or individual components of

any unit(s), or have been granted a compensated pass, will not be eligible for the award of merit

• Please note, students on Postgraduate Certificate programmes will not be eligible

for the award of merit.

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Appendix 2 This can be found on the University’s Policy website: http://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/documents/?letter=G Guidance for the Presentation of Taught Masters Dissertations CONTENTS 1. Introduction 2. General Information 3. Formatting 4. Required Pages 5. Binding and Presentation 6. Library Access/Restriction 7. Appendix 1: List of Faculty and School Titles 8. Appendix 2: List of Degree Titles 9. Appendix 3: Sample Title Page 10. Dissertation Submission Checklist 1. INTRODUCTION These Guidance Notes have been produced for The University of Manchester. Candidates are advised NOT to follow the format of any dissertations previously submitted to the founding institutions (UMIST or The Victoria University of Manchester), as these may have been produced under earlier rules for presentation which are no longer acceptable. If any part of what follows is not clear, or if anything in particular is not covered, please contact the appropriate Graduate Office* for advice before the dissertation is bound. * Detailed arrangements vary across the University and this will be either a School or Faculty Office. Candidates are advised to check the administrative processes for their degree with their Programme Director. Please note that this document can be provided in a range of alternative formats (e.g. large print) on request from the appropriate Graduate Office. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW MAY RESULT IN THE DISSERTATION BEING REJECTED BY THE EXAMINERS. Candidates are also advised that examiners can and will reject a dissertation if the quantity of typographical errors indicates careless proof-reading.

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2. GENERAL INFORMATION 2.1. All dissertations must be written in English; quotations, however, may be given in the

language in which they were written. In exceptional circumstances variation of this requirement may be approved by the University for candidates to submit a dissertation predominantly in their language of research. Two identical copies must be submitted in typewritten or printed form on paper of international standard size A4 (210 x 297mm). No other paper size is acceptable for the main text of a dissertation. Paper of a larger size may be used for maps, plans, diagrams or other illustrations forming part of the dissertation if the supervisor agrees that this is required. Where such large sheets are used, or non-paper materials are submitted as part of a dissertation, they must be placed in a pocket inside the back cover of the dissertation or, if substantial, in a separate volume or folder bound and lettered as described in section 4: supplementary items cannot be accepted in any other form.

2.2. A dissertation may include reprints of material published by the candidate as sole or joint

author. If reprints are to be bound into the dissertation, they must be included in the dissertation pagination, according to the instructions below, or placed in a pocket inside the back cover of the dissertation.

2.3. Candidates must consult their programme director for guidance on the length of the

dissertation and for information on submission deadlines. 3. FORMATTING 3.1. Double or 1.5 spacing with a minimum font size of 12 must be used for the main text; single-

spacing may be used for quotations, footnotes and references. Pages may be single or double-sided.

3.2. General guidance on bibliographic citations and references can be obtained from the

programme director, and must be consistent throughout the dissertation. 3.3. To allow for binding, the margin at the binding edge of any page must be not less than 40mm;

other margins must be not less than 15mm. 3.4. Page numbering must consist of one single sequence of Arabic numerals (ie 1, 2, 3 … )

throughout the dissertation. Page numbers must be displayed on all pages EXCEPT the title page though this is counted as page one of the dissertation. The pagination sequence will include not only the text of the dissertation but also the preliminary pages, diagrams, tables, figures, illustrations, appendices, references etc, and will extend to cover all volumes in a multi-volume dissertation. Roman numerals must not be used for page numbering.

4. REQUIRED PAGES 4.1. The following items (a-f) must be included as preliminary pages of the dissertation in the order given. a. TITLE PAGE A title page giving:

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i. the full title of the dissertation; ii. a statement as follows: ‘A dissertation submitted to the University of Manchester for the degree

of xxx in the Faculty of xxx’ (please see Appendix 1 for a list of correct degree titles); iii. the year of submission (not including the month); iv. the candidate’s name (the same as the name under which he or she is currently registered, or

was last registered, at the University); and v. the name of the candidate’s School (except for the Faculty of Life Sciences). Please refer to Appendix 3 to see a sample title page. Where a dissertation consists of more than one volume each volume must contain a title page in the form set out above but including also the appropriate volume number, and the total number of volumes eg Volume I of III. A dissertation which is referred for re-examination must bear the year of resubmission on both the spine and the title-page and not the year of the original submission; a new Notice of Submission Form and the appropriate fee are always required (see Notice of Submission Form for dates and fees). b. LIST OF CONTENTS A list of contents, giving all relevant sub-divisions of the dissertation and a page number for each item. In a multi-volume dissertation the contents page in the first volume must show the complete contents of the dissertation, volume-by-volume, and each subsequent volume must have a contents page giving the contents of that volume. The final word count, including footnotes and endnotes, must be inserted at the bottom of the contents page. c. OTHER LISTS Lists of tables, figures, diagrams, photographs, abbreviations etc. If a dissertation contains tables it is recommended that a separate list of each item, as appropriate, is provided immediately after the contents page(s). Such lists must give the page number of each item on the list. d. ABSTRACT i. All programmes EXCEPT MRes: A short abstract describing the contents of the dissertation. This must be short (not more than 300 words), with emphasis on major observations and deductions rather than on methods. It must be designed to be read independently of the rest of the dissertation and references to the dissertation and other literature will not normally be included. ii. MRes: This must be a short summary of the research presented in the dissertation, including a brief rationale for the study, details of the methods employed, a summary of the results, and an indication of the wider implications of the research.

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e. DECLARATION A declaration stating: EITHER: that no portion of the work referred to in the dissertation has been submitted in support of an application for another degree or qualification of this or any other university or other institute of learning; OR: what portion of the work referred to in the dissertation has been submitted in support of an application for another degree or qualification of this or any other university or other institute of learning. f. COPYRIGHT STATEMENT The following three notes on copyright and the ownership of intellectual property rights: i. Copyright in text of this dissertation rests with the author. Copies (by any process) either in full,

or of extracts, may be made only in accordance with instructions given by the author. Details may be obtained from the appropriate Graduate Office. This page must form part of any such copies made. Further copies (by any process) of copies made in accordance with such instructions may not be made without the permission (in writing) of the author.

ii. The ownership of any intellectual property rights which may be described in this dissertation is

vested in the University of Manchester, subject to any prior agreement to the contrary, and may not be made available for use by third parties without the written permission of the University, which will prescribe the terms and conditions of any such agreement.

iii. Further information on the conditions under which disclosures and exploitation may take place

is available from the Head of the School of [insert name of your School here] (or the Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences for Faculty of Life Sciences’ candidates.)

4.2 OTHER PAGES (not compulsory) The preliminary pages may also include the following: a. Dedication, acknowledgement, list of abbreviations and similar: these will normally appear after

the compulsory pages listed in section 3 above. Short items may be combined on the same page.

b. It is helpful, particularly to external examiners, if a brief statement is included giving the

candidate’s degree(s) and research experience, even if the latter consists only of the work done for this dissertation. This may be untitled or it may be headed ‘Preface’ or ‘The Author’ or similar.

5. BINDING AND PRESENTATION 5.1. The University will accept for examination taught Master’s dissertations in two different types

of binding. 5.2. The two approved binding options are listed below. Dissertations in ring binding, spiral

binding or any other non-approved bindings will NOT BE ACCEPTED.

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a. Standard hard-binding: sewn, with gold lettering on the spine. b. Soft-Binding: acetate or plain card front cover, soft plain card rear cover, glued spine, or channel bound, with gold lettering on the spine Candidates are advised to consult their programme director as to the preferred option for their programme. 5.3 The spine must be inscribed in gold lettering with: a. the degree for which the dissertation is submitted; b. the name of the candidate; c. the year of submission (or resubmission); and d. if the dissertation is in two or more volumes, the volume number and the total number of

volumes (please note that it is not recommended that any single volume of a dissertation is thicker than approximately 6cm - if it is greater than this, it is recommended that the dissertation is split into two (or more) volumes)

These must run from the top of the spine as follows. Please note writing on the spine with a gold pen is NOT acceptable: Example of spine:

Front Cover

MSc (OR:

MSc Dissertation) (at top)

GILBERT K CHESTERTON

(centred)

Vol I of II (as and if

appropriate)

2005 (at bottom)

Back Cover

The forename(s) and surname/family name on the spine and title-page must be the same as those under which the candidate is currently registered, or was last registered, at the University. Give first forename in full, other forenames (if any) as initials, then surname. 5.4. In all cases, all other instructions on the presentation of dissertations (information

required on the title page, preliminary pages, etc) contained in these Guidance Notes must be observed, and identical binding must be used for both copies of the dissertation.

5.5. Once examination of the dissertation has been completed and the examiners’

recommendation has been approved by the appropriate School or Faculty Board, candidates will receive a communication from the appropriate Graduate Office informing them of the outcome of their examination. If the result is not published as successful then the communication will explain the next step to be taken by the candidate.

5.6. The appropriate Graduate Office must be in receipt of two correctly bound copies of

the final dissertation before a result can be published. 6. LIBRARY ACCESS/RESTRICTION

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6.1. Both copies of successful dissertations submitted by candidates on taught Master’s programmes will be forwarded to the programme director or Graduate Office, as applicable, for lodging in the appropriate Library once examination has been completed.

6.2. Normally the author of the dissertation is not expected to place any restriction on access to

his or her work, and, in signing the Declaration on the Notice of Submission form, a candidate authorises access to the dissertation.

6.3. If, however, it is considered that because of some exceptional circumstances access to the

dissertation should be restricted in some way, the candidate must: a. sign the Declaration and submit the Notice of Submission form to enable arrangements for the

examination to be made; b. ask at the appropriate Graduate Office for a Dissertation Restriction Form; c. consult the Supervisor about the need for, and nature of, a restriction (the supervisor’s

signature will be required on any completed Restriction form); d. if a restriction is to be applied, complete the Dissertation Restriction Form as appropriate and

submit it with the dissertation; this form will then supersede that part of the Declaration on the Notice of Submission Form in which the candidate authorised unrestricted access to the dissertation.

7. APPENDIX 1: LIST OF FACULTY AND SCHOOL TITLES Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences School of Chemistry School of Computer Science School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering School of Chemical and Analytical Science School of Materials School of Mathematics School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering School of Physics and Astronomy Faculty of Humanities

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Manchester Business School School of Arts, Histories and Cultures School of Education School of Environment and Development School of Informatics School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures School of Law School of Social Sciences Faculty of Life Sciences Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences School of Dentistry School of Medicine School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science School of Psychological Sciences 8. APPENDIX 2: LIST OF DEGREE TITLES MA Master of Arts MBus Master of Business MBA Master of Business Administration MDSc Master of Dental Science MEd Master of Education MEnt Master of Enterprise LLM Master of Laws MusM (Comp) Master of Music in Composition MusM (Perf) Master of Music in Performance MPlan Master of Planning MPHe Master of Population Health Evidence MPsy Master of Psychology MRes Master of Research MSc Master of Science MTheol Master of Theology MTPl Master of Town Planning

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9. APPENDIX 3 SAMPLE TITLE PAGE

TITLE OF DISSERTATION

A dissertation submitted to The University of Manchester for the degree of ............

in the Faculty of xxx

YEAR OF SUBMISSION (OR YEAR OF RESUBMISSION)

CANDIDATE’S NAME

CANDIDATE’S SCHOOL (except Faculty of Life Sciences’ candidates)

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10. DISSERTATION SUBMISSION CHECKLIST PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING: The staff in the Graduate Office will use the following checklist to ensure all instructions detailed in these Guidance Notes have been adhered to when accepting dissertations. If any section is missing, out of order or not correct the dissertation will be rejected. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure that the instructions are followed exactly. If a candidate is unsure about any aspect of binding or the preliminary pages he or she must contact the appropriate Graduate Office for advice.

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Correct Binding Two identical copies (including binding) to be submitted with correct gold lettering on the spine

Preface pages should be in the following order: Title Page – see appendix 3 All of these should be included: Title of dissertation

Official Wording – see section 3 (a) Correct Faculty – see appendix 1 Year of Submission Candidate’s Name School (except Faculty of Life Sciences)

Contents Page (including any list of tables/figures etc)

Page numbers given for each listing

Abstract Declaration Copyright (this may go on the same page as the Declaration)

Pagination All pages must be numbered; page numbers must be

displayed on all pages, except the title page

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