[ Introduction and Description | Schedule and Readings | Assessment and Policies | Related Resources ]
If you are a Ph.D. student considering an academic career upon graduation, or an M.A. student looking to enter a Ph.D. programme in the future, you will find that you are increasingly judged on your ability to share your research in an environment beyond the classroom. Two common forums in which such research is commonly shared and evaluated are international conferences and refereed journals.
The modes of assessment in the module are designed to stimulate thought and reflection in the context of the learning community of the seminar, but also to enable you to gain practice in both of these modes of expression. Thus the two in-class presentations will require brevity and depth similar to those required in a conference paper, while the research paper provides practice in writing a paper for submission to a refereed journal in the field of literary and cultural studies. I hope that many of you will attempt to work on your research paper further for presentation and publication: even if you do not, the experience of a "dry run" will hopefully be useful to you when you come to write on another topic.
| Mode | Percentage | Description |
| "Found Objects" Presentation and Report | 20% |
Please follow the link here to a description of the presentation and report |
| Class Participation | 15% |
Please follow the link here to a description of the various elements to be assessed |
| Research Paper Proposal | 15% |
Please follow the link here to a description of the whole project, including both proposal and final paper |
| Research Paper | 50% |
Since the module will be conducted as a seminar, it is important that you attend regularly, are on time, prepared, and have something to say.
Time management is an important skill to master at university level. You will have ample time to complete assignments in the module, but you will need to plan ahead and use your time productively. Extensions will not normally be given unless you have a real difficulty which has resulted in your approaching an external party (for instance a doctor or a counsellor) for help, and for which you can produce documentary evidence. If any factor in your life is affecting your participation in class it is always best to approach me early on and keep me informed: I can be more flexible if I'm in the loop, and we can work together to overcome difficulties you may face.
As a graduate student, you should have a clear understanding of the nature of plagiarism. Plagiarised work will, at the very least, result in the assignment submitted receiving a failing grade, and more serious penalties are possible.
Last updated: 9 July, 2008