The Staff and Structure of The School: Modern - Languages@durham - Ac.uk

THE STAFF AND STRUCTURE OF THE SCHOOL
The School is a unitary Board of Studies, comprising the Departments of Arabic, French, German, Hispanic Studies, Italian, Russian
and the Centre for Foreign Language Studies which includes the new Department of Chinese Studies. Altogether, well over 800
students are taking a substantial part of their course in Modern Languages and a further 300 take a Modern Language as a subsidiary
subject.
The School is the official budget centre and is responsible for the administration of the BA in Modern Languages (admissions,
registration, regulations, and examinations). However, the Departments are responsible, in the first instance, for the planning and
delivery of teaching. For enquiries about specific modules, you should contact the relevant Module Co-ordinator or Head of
Department; for advice about study abroad, you should see the relevant advisor (listed below) in each Department; for problems
concerning your whole programme of study, you may need to see the Head of School or the School Manager.
Address: Durham University

School of Modern Languages and Cultures
Elvet Riverside
New Elvet
Durham
DH1 3JT
Tel: 0191 334 3420

Fax: 0191 334 3421
e-mail: modern.languages@durham.ac.uk
Web address: http://www.dur.ac.uk/MLAC
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ADMINISTRATION
Chairman of the Board of Studies/

Head of School: Dr Alastair Renfrew
School Manager: Mrs Denise Gustard
School Administrator: Mrs Heather Fenwick
Admissions Tutors: Dr Catherine Dousteyssier-Khoze/Dr Marie-Claire Barnet ;

Dr Jane Walling; Dr Andy Byford
Heads of Department: Professor Paul Starkey (Arabic)

Professor Chris Lloyd (French)
Dr Peter Macardle (German)
Professor Carlo Caruso (Italian)
Dr A Harrington (Russian)
Dr Andy Beresford (Hispanic Studies)
Dr Mark Ogden (Centre for Foreign Language Study)
Chairs of Boards of Examiners: Dr Jane Walling (Preliminary)

Dr Michael Thompson (Part I & Part II)
Combined Honours, Joint Honours Dr Jane Walling

and ‘with’ Programmes Adviser:
Year Abroad Advisors: Professor Paul Starkey (Arabic)

Mr Roger Ravanelli (French)
Dr Petra Bauer (German)
Mrs Lucina Stuart (Italian)
Mrs Marianna Taimanova (Russian)
Dr Santiago Fouz-Hernández (Hispanic Studies)/
Dr P Johnson (Hispanic Studies)
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DIRECTORY OF SUPPORT STAFF:
Mrs Denise Gustard

School Manager
A 58; tel. 43449
denise.gustard@durham.ac.uk
Mrs Heather Fenwick Mr Roger Ravanelli

Research & Finance Administrator School Year Abroad Co-ordinator
A 33; tel. 43427 215; tel. 41015
h.a.fenwick@durham.ac.uk roger.ravenelli@durham.ac.uk
Mrs Karen Ambrosini Mrs Angie Burn

Examinations Secretary Finance Secretary
A 57; tel. 43423 A 33; tel: 43466
karen.ambrosini@durham.ac.uk a.f.burn@durham.ac.uk
Miss Lucy Cawson Mr Adam Lowe

Advanced Apprentice Technical Secretary
A58; tel. 43630 A 58; tel. 43420
lucy.cawson@durham.ac.uk a.p.lowe@durham.ac.uk
Mrs Kathleen Lowson Mrs Lucia Luck

Year Abroad Administrator Postgraduate Secretary
A 35; tel. 43437 A 32; tel. 42238
kathleen.lowson@durham.ac.uk lucia.luck@durham.ac.uk
Mrs Chermaine Patey/ Ms Linda Clark Mrs Karen Shepherd

Web YA Secretary (part-time) UG Admissions Secretary
A 57; tel. 43423 A 32; tel. 43441
chermaine.patey@durham.ac.uk / linda.clark@durham.ac.uk karen.shepherd@durham.ac.uk
The School Office and reception area is located in room A58. Hours for the office are as follows:
Open: Monday 10:00am – 1:00pm

2:00pm – 5:00pm
Tuesday- Friday 9:00am – 1:00pm
2:00pm – 5:00pm
Please note that the office is closed every day between 1.00 pm – 2.00 pm
NOTICE BOARDS
Each Department has its own notice board(s), used to display information about the modules taken in
that department, as well as general programme and University information. Their locations have been
indicated beneath the staff lists opposite the main doors onto the Modern Languages corridors in Elvet
Riverside 1, as have the additional notice boards dealing with the year abroad and employment
opportunities. Many notices will also be sent by your lecturers and School support staff via your
Durham e-mail address
PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOARD(S) AND

CHECK YOUR DURHAM E-MAIL ACCOUNT ON A REGULAR BASIS
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DIRECTORY OF ACADEMIC STAFF
The following list of members of staff gives details of how to contact them, and also their main teaching and research
interests. (Almost all staff do some language teaching.)
DEPARTMENT OF ARABIC
Dr Khaled Al-Shehari Professor Daniel Newman *

Teaching Fellow Professor
[language; translation] [Arabic phonology/phonetics; translation/linguistics]
214; tel. 43454 A 8; tel. 43412
khaled.al-shehari@durham.ac.uk daniel.newman@durham.ac.uk
Professor Paul Starkey Dr Aziza Zaher

Professor, Head of Arabic Department Teaching Fellow
[modern Arabic literature] [language]
A 14; tel: 43417 211; tel: 43463
p.g.starkey@durham.ac.uk aziza.zaher@durham.ac.uk
Part-Time Teachers: Ms S Jaljule, Mr L McLoughlin, Ms M Masheyekhi Ghoyonloo, Mrs J Starkey
* Research Leave Michaelmas Term 2011
DEPARTMENT OF FRENCH
Dr Kathryn Banks Dr Marie-Claire Barnet *

Senior Lecturer; Director of PGT (T1) Senior Lecturer; Admissions Tutor
[16th-century studies] [20th-century literature; women‘s writing]
A 40; tel. 43434 A 44; tel. 43433
kathryn.banks2@durham.ac.uk marie-claire.barnet@durham.ac.uk
Professor Lucille Cairns Professor Jan Clarke **

Professor; Dir Postgraduate Studies Professor
[20th-century studies] [17th-century literature; theatre]
A 37; tel. 434326 A 47; tel. 43430
lucille.cairns @durham.ac.uk jan.clarke@durham,.ac.uk
Professor David Cowling **** Dr Catherine Dousteyssier-Khoze

Professor Senior Lecturer; Admissions Tutor; Research Seminar
[15th- & 16th-century studies] Coordinator
A 17; tel. 43424 [19th- & 20th-century literature]
d.j.cowling@durham.ac.uk A 41; tel. 43416
catherine.dousteyssier@durham.ac.uk
Professor Christopher Lloyd Professor Richard Maber

Professor; Head of French Department Emeritus Professor
[19th- & 20th-century literature and culture] [17th-century literature]
A 45; tel. 43418 212; tel. 43431
c.d.lloyd@durham.ac.uk r.g.maber@durham.ac.uk
Dr Simon McKinnon Mr Roger Ravanelli

Teaching Fellow Teaching Fellow
[language] [language]
A 23; tel. 43464 215; tel: 41015
s.g.mckinnon@durham.ac.uk roger.ravanelli@durham.ac.uk
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Dr Luke Sunderland Dr Sally Wagstaffe
Lecturer Teaching Fellow
[Medieval studies] [language; translation]
Room: A50; tel: 43431 A36; tel. 43448
luke.sunderland@durham.ac.uk sally.wagstaffe@durham.ac.uk
Dr Jane Walling Dr Edward Welch*

Teaching Fellow; Academic Admissions Coordinator Senior Lecturer; Director of Research (T2/3)
[20th-century literature] [20th-century literature]
A 46; tel. 43444 A 38; tel. 43450
j.c.walling@durham.ac.uk e.j.welch@durham.ac.uk
Dr Tom Wynn***
Senior Lecturer; Training Coordinator; Director of Research (T1)
[18th-century studies]
A53; tel: 43465
thomas.wynne@durham.ac.uk
* Research Leave Michaelmas Term 2011-2012 *** Research Leave Easter Term 2011-2012
** Research Leave Epiphany Term 2011-2012 **** Research Leave Academic Year 2011-2012
Language Assistants: Ms Charlton, Ms Crépet, Ms Descotes ; Mme V Piette, Mr Pranchère

Part-Time Teachers: Dr L Campbell, Ms Crepet, Mrs L MacMullen, Mrs C Tucker, Ms A Wiglesworth
DEPARTMENT OF GERMAN
Dr Petra Bauer Mr Philip Bolton

Teaching Fellow Teaching Fellow
[language] [language]
A7; tel: 44350 A7; tel. 44350
petra.bauer@durham.ac.uk p.j.bolton@durham.ac.uk
Professor Jonathan Long** Dr Peter Macardle

Professor Lecturer, Head of German Department
[photography; contemporary literature; theory] [16th to 20th Century literature and culture]
2**; tel: 43439 A 12; tel.43445
j.j.long@durham.ac.uk p.g.macardle@durham.ac.uk
D’Áine McMurtry Dr Caitríona Ní Dhuíll*

Lecturer Lecturer; Director of PGT (T2/3)
[Modern German and Austrian Literature] [19th & 20th century lit, utopian theory
A42; tel: 43439 & fiction, theory of biography, gender studies]
aine.mcmurtry@durham.ac.uk A9; tel. 43456
caitriona.nidhuill@durham.ac.uk
Dr Claudia Nitschke Dr Tracy Reimann-Dawe

[18/19th century literature, film studies, literary theory] [language]
A26 ; tel. 44351 A7; tel. 44350
claudia.nitschke@durham.ac.uk tracy.reimann-dawe@durham.ac.uk
Professor Nicholas Saul* Mrs Eva Schumacher-Reid***

Professor Teaching Fellow (Part-Time)
[19th & 20th Century Literature] [language]
A43; tel. 43457
n.d.b.saul@durham.ac.uk eva.schumacher-reid@durham.ac.uk
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* Research Leave Michaelmas Term 2011-2012 *** Leave Academic Year 2011-2012
** Faculty Secondment 2010-2013
Language Assistant: Ms Portsch
DEPARTMENT OF HISPANIC STUDIES
Dr Andrew Beresford* Dr Santiago Fouz-Hernández

Senior Lecturer; Head of Hispanic Studies Department Senior Lecturer
[medieval and renaissance literature] [film studies]
A 39; tel. 43414 A11; tel. 43455
a.m.beresford@durham.ac.uk santiago.fouz@durham.ac.uk
Dr Marcela Goeta Dr Francisco Hernández Adrián

Teaching Fellow; Head of Hispanic Studies Lecturer
Department (T2) [modern Latin American & Caribbean literature and film]
[language] A27; tel: 43413
A19; tel. 43453 f.j.adrian@durham.ac.uk
m.a.goeta@durham.ac.uk
Dr Manuel Hijano** Dr Penélope Johnson

[medieval studies] [language]
A 49; tel: 43467 216; tel: 43438
manuel.hijano@durham.ac.uk penelope.johnson@durham.ac.uk
Professor Andrea Noble *** Dr Kerstin Oloff

Professor Lecturer
[Latin American visual culture and theory] [Latin American literature]
A51; tel: 43447
andrea.noble@durham.ac.uk k.d.oloff@durham.ac.uk
Dr Yarí Pérez Marín Dr Nicholas Roberts

Lecturer Lecturer
[Colonial Latin American literature & culture] [Latin American literature]
A22 ; Tel : 44350 A 20, tel. 43010
yari.perez-marin@durham.ac.uk n.d.t.roberts@durham.ac.uk
Dr Michael Thompson
Senior Lecturer; Communications & Statistics Officer
[modern drama; linguistics]
A 10; tel. 43436
m.p.thompson@durham.ac.uk
* Research Leave Epiphany Term 2011-2012

** Research Leave Easter Term 2011-2012
*** Faculty Secondment 2009-2012
Language Assistant: Mr J Cru Talaveron, Ms MV Hedley

Part-Time Teachers: Dr S Buxton, Mr A Gras Velázquez, Dr N Hoogesteger, Ms M Reyes-Otaiza, Mr H Ríos, Dr
N Watkinson
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DEPARTMENT OF ITALIAN
Professor Carlo Caruso Dr Annalisa Cipollone

Professor; Head of Italian Department; Lecturer
[16th – 19th century literature] [Medieval & 20th-century literature]
A 52; tel. 43419 A16; tel: 43458
carlo.caruso@durham.ac.uk annalisa.cipollone@durham.ac.uk
Dr Stefano Cracolici Dr Federico Federici

Reader Senior Lecturer
[15th – 19th century literature; visual arts] [translation; 20th-century literature]
A6; tel: 43429 A13 ; tel: 43425
stefano.cracolici@durham.ac.uk f.m.federici@durham.ac.uk
Mrs Lucina Stuart Dr Dario Tessicini*

Teaching Fellow Senior Lecturer
[language] [16th & 20th century literature; history of science]
A21; tel.43468 A16; tel. 43458
lucina.stuart@durham.ac.uk dario.tessicini@durham.ac.uk
* Research Leave Academic Year 2011-2012
Language Assistant: Mrs R Peressini

Part-Time Teachers: Ms C Coco , Ms P Meuti
DEPARTMENT OF RUSSIAN
Dr Andy Byford Mrs Branka Grundy

Lecturer; Admissions Tutor Teaching Fellow
[Russian literacy & cultural history of 19th/20th Century] [language: Russian and Croatian with Serbian]
A24; tel. 43432 A28; tel. 43460
andy.byford@durham.ac.uk branka.grundy@durham.ac.uk
Dr Alexandra Harrington Dr Alastair Renfrew

Senior Lecturer; Head of Russian Department Reader, Head of School; Director of Education
[19th & 20th century literature] [20th century Russian Literature; Literary theory;
A18; tel. 43452 Russian and Soviet Cinema]
a.k.harrington@durham.ac.uk A34; tel. 43446
alastair.renfrew@durham.ac.uk
Mrs Marianna Taimanova

Teaching Fellow
[language, 20th-century literature; translation]
A15; tel. 43446
marianna.taymanova@durham.ac.uk
* Research Leave Easter Term 2011-2012
Language Assistant: Dr T Timofeeva

Part-Time Teachers: Mr M Anley; Ms A Hurina, Ms P Kliuchnikova, Ms M Price
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CENTRE FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDY
ADMINISTRATION
Dr Mark Ogden Mrs Mary Fender

Director LFA Coordinator & Resources Officer
A 25; tel. 43455 219; tel. 42241
mark.ogden@durham.ac.uk m.j.s.fender@durham.ac.uk
Mr Roger Ravenelli Mr Don Starr

Deputy Director Chinese Studies Coordinator
215; tel. 41015 A25; tel. 43455
roger.ravanelli@durham.ac.uk d.f.starr@durham.ac.uk
TEACHING STAFF
Mrs Christine Bohlander Ms Judith Collins

Teaching Fellow [German] Teaching Fellow [BSL]
[Language] [Language]
218; tel: 42248 279; tel: 43014
christine.bohlander@durham.ac.uk j.m.collins@durham.ac.uk
Mr David Tual Mrs Maria Wimpory

Teaching Fellow [French] Teaching Fellow [Spanish]
[Language] [Language]
218; tel: 42248 217; tel: 43415
david.tual@durham.ac.uk maria.wimpory@durham.ac.uk
Dr Binghan Zheng
Lecturer [Chinese]
[Language]
A55; tel: 43455
binghan.zheng@durham.ac.uk
Part-Time Teachers: Ms K Aeboudoullah, Ms M Correas, Ms Y Chen, Ms V Chu, Ms G Huang, Ms R Koso, Dr G

Wright
OFFICE HOURS
All MLAC staff are expected to publish consultation hours, which are times during the week when they may be seen
by students without an appointment. The purpose of these consultation hours is to offer additional academic support,
not to provide additional teaching beyond that set out in the Faculty Handbook. The following guidelines are intended
to spell out what you can and can‘t expect from consultations with your tutors during their office hours:
You may:
Talk to your tutor about general academic matters arising from your programme or from specific modules
(including the dissertation).
Talk to your tutor about specific texts/ images/ films and your responses to these.
Request advice on study skills and the resources available to support your learning.
Ask for advice on further reading.
Request advice on the content and delivery of presentations.
Inform yourself about how to catch up on any work you may have missed.
In exceptional cases, receive feedback on summative and formative assessed work that goes beyond the feedback
that has already been given in written form or as part of the oral feedback to the whole group. In particular, you
may seek clarification on specific points. However, you should not expect a line-by-line discussion of the piece of
work concerned.
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You may not:
Receive comments on drafts of written work in whatever form. This is particularly important in the case of
dissertations.
Treat consultation hours as additional individual feedback tutorials or supervisions.
Request a remark of a piece of work or question the mark that has already been awarded.
Expect tutors to mark additional work that is not part of the formative/ summative requirements of the module
concerned.
ACADEMIC REFERENCES
Throughout your academic career, and particularly as you approach graduation and begin to seek employment, you
will almost certainly need to request academic references from members of staff. Sometimes you may be unsure about
the best person to ask. There are no hard-and-fast rules, but the most sensible thing is to approach the members of
staff who have the most extensive and/ or most recent knowledge of your academic performance. You may also wish
to tailor your request to the kind of course or post for which you are applying. For example, if you are applying for a
place on an MA in interpreting, it would be wise to request a reference from someone who has taught you on a
similar module at Durham.
Please remember that you MUST obtain the permission of a member of staff before naming them as a referee.
TEACHING AND LEARNING
MODES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING
The courses you study for your degree will be delivered through a wide variety of modes of teaching and learning.
You are likely to experience all the following:
Classes in written language: They normally take place weekly and there are usually between fifteen and twenty students.
These classes involve a routine of written exercises, handed in and marked.
Classes in oral language: Discussion of a range of pre-prepared topics, usually with a native speaker, and practice in oral
presentations. We try to keep these classes as small as possible, but this is not always ideal.
Language Laboratory classes: For practising aural comprehension.
Lectures: A fifty-minute talk to all the students doing the relevant course. This is not a recipe for passive learning! The
topic to be covered in the lecture will have been advertised beforehand, and you will only get the most out of it if you
have done the relevant reading. Over the first year you will acquire a technique for taking notes that will remind you
of the important points that the lecturer has made. You need to retain key facts and arguments; you do not want a
verbatim transcript. Everyone takes notes in an individual way: your friend‘s notes probably won‘t be as helpful as
your own, though they may be a useful check.
Seminars: Groups of fifteen to twenty students, in which pre-prepared topics are discussed. The main purpose of the
seminar is for everyone to participate in the discussion. It is usual for one or more students to be asked to prepare
and present short papers that outline the topic(s) on which the seminar will focus, but everyone will be expected to
have done the relevant reading and thought about the topics for themselves. The teacher will sometimes use the
opportunity to impart information, and will then help the discussion along and answer questions, but the main input
will be from students. This is the best way of developing your own ideas, by debating them with your fellow learners.
Tutorials: Normally small groups of students, tutorials are used in some courses as the vehicle for providing feedback
on written work done in connection with the courses on literature, history, culture, etc. They are an opportunity to
discuss the comments the teacher has made about your written work, and set targets together for improving it.
Feedback. It is School policy to issue written or (archivable) spoken feedback on all formative and summative work
within four weeks of its receipt by staff in Michaelmas and Epiphany Term, or by the end of the second week of the
following term, whichever is the later. Feedback may take the form of a set of comments on a marksheet, an mp3 or
mp4 file linked with the piece of work, blog or wiki contributions on duo, or of a collective feedback session within
the module meeting sequence.
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ACQUIRING SKILLS
Precise objectives and methods of teaching will vary from one department to another, and from one teacher to
another, but they will all share the assumption that courses in modern languages are as much to do with the
development of key skills as with simple accumulation of information. While preparing for essays and oral
presentations, you will be using a wide diversity of resources (see below), and learning how to do independent
research and how to digest information. Oral classes and seminars will develop your communication and
debating skills, and you will be exploring how to direct group discussions and learn from them. Analytical skills
are a crucial part of the programme. In lectures, seminars and tutorials, you will be analysing structures of linguistic
and visual communication, and looking critically at the ways language and the visual media generate meanings of
particular kinds.
In language classes you will be expected to develop a wide range of linguistic skills. The aim is to be able to
communicate effectively with native speakers of the target language in speaking and in writing. That means being
able to handle everyday social transactions and friendly chatter, but also being capable of producing well-argued, well-
structured written and oral discourse, often about complex ideas. You will become increasingly sensitive to the way
native speakers use their language, and will learn to vary tone and register according to circumstances. Make the most
of the opportunities on offer: read newspapers, magazines and literary texts (even if you are not taking any literature
modules); watch satellite TV and explore the Internet; talk to language assistants and ERASMUS guest students outside
classes; use the Language Centre. At the same time as learning languages, you are learning about languages. You
will acquire an ability to analyse their structures and, especially through translation, you will analyse the differences
between languages and learn how to mediate between them.
In courses on cultural, political, social and intellectual history (whatever the period, from strictly contemporary to
medieval), you will be exploring the culture, the intellectual traditions and the social values of the countries you are
interested in. Right from the start, especially in oral classes, your courses will involve some engagement with socio-
cultural and political issues, since you need to acquire an understanding of how languages work in context. These
aspects of your study will give you intercultural awareness and intercultural skills, enabling you to behave and
think like people of different linguistic communities, not just speak their language. But they will not turn you into a
native speaker. The key knowledge you will gain will be the ability to make critical comparisons between the cultures
of the societies that produce your target languages and your own view of the world.
In courses on literature you will be combining verbally-based analytical skills with cultural history that will enable
you to share the cultural memory of the nations whose language you are studying. Lecturers will not assume that all
students have undertaken some literary study at school. There are first-year literature courses designed to introduce
you to critical reading, and throughout your programme you will develop your reading skills to a high degree of
sophistication.
Other skills will also be part of the outcome of your learning programme. ICT skills will be acquired by information
retrieval in the library and on the Internet; by managing the messaging systems used to disseminate information about
courses; and by word-processing written work (this is normally obligatory for all except language exercises). Time-
management may be the hardest, but certainly one of the most valuable skills you will aim to acquire. It is obligatory
for students to attend classes, seminars and tutorials, and to hand in all set work on time. This will require planning
and discipline. Remember that you are a full-time student. A full-time professional must expect to do a minimum of
35-40 hours a week at work. That should be your aim. Those hours should include time spent at classes, searching for
information, reading, and writing. Outside compulsory classroom hours, it is up to you to decide how you wish to
organise your studies — you are on flexi-time!
See the Study Skills section of this handbook for further details on learning and teaching.
MODULES
The courses within a Durham degree programme are called modules. You choose six modules a year (of which one
or more will be the compulsory language course for each language you are studying that year). For each of the
modules you study, you will receive at the beginning of the year, a detailed module guide that explains the aims and
objectives of the module and tells you how it is assessed. Accompanying the module guide will be a dossier (in
printed or electronic form) containing the schedule for the year, and required and recommended reading. You will
also be given written and oral advice about the assignments required in the module: essays, commentaries, résumés,
translations, and so on.
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The module guides also tell you who the co-ordinator is for each of your modules. If you have any learning and
teaching problems in respect of any module, or any problem with class arrangements, that is the person you should
contact in the first instance. During the course of the year, you will be able to keep in touch outside classes with your
co-ordinator and your teacher (if different), both by direct communication and, in many instances, electronically by a
system called ‘duo’ (Durham University Online). This is an interactive messaging system, whereby your teacher
will be able to communicate with the class as a whole, and you will be able to communicate with your fellow-students
on the module.
MODULE ASSESSMENT
Written work and, in some instances, oral presentations, will be assessed (marked) either formatively or summatively.
Formative assessment means work marked and handed back with comments for you to learn from and improve
your technique. The mark awarded will not count towards your total for the module.
Summative assessment means that the mark awarded will count towards the total for the module, which, in turn,
will determine whether you progress from your first to second year or, in your second and final years, will count
towards your final degree classification.
There is a wide variety of ways in which your module total is attained. Some modules are summatively assessed solely
by an end-of-year examination; others by course-work done during the year; and others by a combination of course-
work and examination (the details for each module are in the module guide). In non-language modules, all work submitted
is summative. Written feedback and provisional marks will be given for all summative coursework submitted before
the end of the Epiphany Term.
LEVEL DESCRIPTORS AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:

A STUDENT’S GUIDE
The following pages of this handbook set out the level descriptors and the assessment criteria for the BA in Modern
Languages. Level descriptors detail the skills and attributes that you should possess on completing the relevant year of
study, the outcomes you should achieve, and your responsibilities within this process. Assessment criteria determine
the mark you are awarded for each piece of work you produce. They set out the expectations that markers have
when assessing your academic performance.
The assessment criteria are formulated in quite abstract terms. Given the diversity of the modern languages
programme, this is inevitable. But that does not mean that the assessment criteria are of no use to you, both in your
production of pieces of work and in helping you to understand the feedback you receive on formative and summative
assessments.
First of all, assessment criteria make much more sense when they are read in terms of the learning outcomes of
individual modules. These can be found in the module descriptions in the Faculty Handbook. They will also make
more sense when read in conjunction with the mark proformas used by markers to provide feedback on your
work. Although the criteria are the same for modules of the same type (i.e. language or literature/culture/history), the
weighting given to various elements will vary depending on the exercise. So, for example, in a commentary, evidence
of extensive reading might be less crucial than sensitivity to textual detail, while in a historical essay, the opposite may
be the case. Mark proformas will give you a clear idea of how a particular exercise will be assessed. Copies of the
relevant mark proforma are available on each module duo site.
Secondly, there are some general principles that you might bear in mind when reading the assessment criteria. Here
are some things to consider:
For literary/historical/cultural modules:
Knowledge and understanding of the subject

The more comprehensive your knowledge and understanding of the subject (in terms of both the topic/ text
under discussion and the wider context), the higher the mark you are likely to attract. This knowledge and
understanding will in turn depend on the amount and kind of research you carry out. While all modules will have
reading lists, to achieve a mark in the higher ranges, you will need to demonstrate independent research, i.e.
your ability to identify relevant sources beyond what your lecturer recommends, and to mobilise this reading
effectively in your answer to a particular question or exercise.
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Structure and Argumentation
It is clearly not sufficient to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the subject; you also have to do so in a
coherent and logically structured way that addresses the terms of the question or exercise. So you
need to make sure that your argument is transparently structured, clearly argued, and as comprehensive as
possible while remaining at all times relevant.
Conceptual sophistication: This refers to your grasp of the conceptual or theoretical framework underpinning
your analysis (e.g. gender, gaze theory, theory of urbanism, narrative theory, etc.), and your ability to apply this
knowledge to the study of a particular text, film, image or other object. To what extent do you have an in-depth
grasp of the key conceptual or theoretical issues addressed in your module? Does your understanding of these
issues rely on seminar notes, or have you developed your understanding by reading widely outside your weekly
contact hours?
Analytic power: This refers to the quality of your insights into the relevant text, film, images, or other
object of study. The more powerful an analysis, the greater its ability to account for textual details, ambiguities,
complexity, and multiple layers of meaning. In particular, your mark will depend on your ability to analyse the
formal and rhetorical aspects of a text, film, image, or other object. This means not just noting that a particular
textual feature is present, but explaining its effect in terms of the overall text, extract, etc.
Presentation: This encompasses your ability to write in the appropriate scholarly idiom, in English and or in
the target language. It also includes your referencing and bibliography, for which detailed guidelines are
provided in this Handbook. Meticulous referencing, a comprehensive bibliography, flawless spelling and a highly
sophisticated critical idiom that remains lucid throughout would attract a high mark. The more inaccuracies in
your references, omissions from your bibliography, spelling errors, and poor linguistic expression contained in
your text, the more likely you are to attract a poor score in this area.
A note on teaching and assessment in the target language

Many modules in the School, particularly at final-year level, are taught and assessed at least partially in the target
language. The School‘s marking criteria do not differentiate between assessments written in the target language and
those written in English. ‗Presentation‘ covers the same issues in all modules, and your mark will reflect this.
For language modules
Comprehension: Your ability to understand the target language – in written and spoken forms – and your
ability to formulate appropriate responses.
Accuracy: This concerns things such as grammar and syntax (i.e. your ability to produce sentences that hang
together correctly and make sense). The obvious things that count here are (depending on the language):
adjective endings, gender, cases, prepositions, conjugation of verbs, word-order, mood (subjunctive, etc.), and
similar. The fewer errors you make in these areas, the better your mark will be.
Range of lexis and grammatical structures: The wider your vocabulary and the greater the variety of
grammatical structures you have at your command, the better the mark you will attract.
Idiom and register: Idiom refers to the mode of expression that is characteristic of a particular
language. Your marks will depend to an extent on your ability to internalise and reproduce these modes of
expression rather than relying on anglicisms (unidiomatic direct ‗translations‘ out of English). Register refers to
the form of language employed in specific situations. Clearly, a text message will use a different register
from a literary essay, which will in turn differ from an oral presentation or a newspaper article. Register
encompasses a variety of things, including the appropriate vocabulary and syntactic structures, and your ability to
adjust your register to fit the communicative situation will have an effect on your mark.
Cultural transfer: In translation, you will be tested not only on your purely linguistic skills, but on your ability to
judge the knowledge of your target audience, and modify your translation accordingly. This may involve
adding or omitting certain pieces of information, providing glosses and additional explanations, changing
abbreviations, and so on. Your mark will depend to an extent on your ability to perform this kind of cultural
transfer.
11
Level descriptors and assessment criteria: level 1
Level descriptors
LEVEL 1
Overview
Students will acquire and be able to demonstrate sufficient linguistic competence to understand a range of
cultural products (history, literature, film, media) originating from within one or more of the language
communities studied in the School. In addition, they will have acquired and be able to demonstrate a factual
and conceptual knowledge-base relevant to the study of their chosen target culture(s), together with an
understanding of and ability to use the terminology appropriate to the varied fields of study with which they
may engage. In modules devoted to both language and cultural history, level 1 provides the basis for more
advanced work in terms of the acquisition of language and the study of culture.
Skills and Attributes
Language
An enhanced understanding of essential elements of grammar
Increased oral proficiency
Increased fluency and accuracy in the use of written language
An expanded range of lexis and syntactic structures
Ability to express reasoned opinions
An understanding of selected aspects of the society/ societies in which the chosen language(s) is/ are
spoken
Language (ab initio)

A-level competence in terms of both grammatical knowledge and communicative competence
An understanding of selected aspects of the society/ societies in which the chosen language is spoken
Cultural History
An overall acquaintance with the cultural history of the chosen target cultures
Specific knowledge of selected key visual and/or written texts of the target culture(s)
Basic knowledge of a range of analytic methodologies and the relevant technical language that can be used
to interrogate diverse cultural products
Ability to use a variety of resources in order to build up subject-specific knowledge
Ability to read critically and analytically
Ability to produce well-informed, clearly-structured written work (essays and commentaries)
Outcomes and responsibilities
Ability to manage own learning, taking responsibility for the quality of outputs in order to meet specific
standards, and completing assignments (whether formally assessed or not) by agreed deadlines
Intellectual flexibility, allowing students to operate effectively across a range of sub-disciplines within the
programme and to change discipline or activity regularly within the course of a normal day‘s activities.
12
Assessment Criteria
Your marks will depend on how well you know the relevant material, how convincingly you can analyse it in the light
of the question asked, and, more generally, in essays, on how well you are able to make a case for your point of view
in answer to the question. A good answer will be well structured, so that the line of argument is clear and cogent; it
will be accurate and clearly expressed; and it will not merely reproduce lecture notes, but show signs of independent
thinking and research.
86-100 (First Class): Exemplary. Highly sophisticated work, conceptually ambitious, with evidence of independent
research. Demonstrates extensive reading and a comprehensive understanding of the topic in its wider contexts.
Shows exceptional sensitivity to all formal and rhetorical aspects of the text or artefact under consideration, be they
linguistic, visual, narratological, dramatic, or a combination of these. Shows subtle critical awareness and outstanding
powers of analysis. Manages complex critical or theoretical argument, the force, coherence, and relevance of which is
sustained at a very high level throughout. Abundant excellent evidence to show that all learning outcomes appropriate
to the level are fully satisfied. Presentation (bibliography, referencing, scholarly style, etc.) to the highest professional
standards.
76-85 (First Class): Outstanding. Sophisticated and thoroughly convincing work, with some evidence of independent
research. Demonstrates broad reading and a wide-ranging understanding of the topic in its wider contexts. Shows
sensitivity to formal and rhetorical aspects of the text or artefact under consideration, be they linguistic, visual,
narratological, dramatic, or a combination of these. Shows considerable critical awareness and powers of analysis.
Answer illuminates the terms of the question and is thorough, relevant, cogent, and closely-argued throughout.
Excellent evidence to show that all learning outcomes appropriate to the level are fully satisfied. Presentation
(bibliography, referencing, scholarly style, etc.) to professional standards.
70-75 (First Class): Excellent. Lucid and persuasive work. Brings substantial relevant reading and a clear understanding
of the topic in its wider contexts to bear on the question, and may demonstrate independent research. Shows
narratological, dramatic, or a combination of these. Shows critical awareness, scholarly rigour, and powers of analysis,
and integrates critical concepts and examples fully into the flow of the discussion. Clear, relevant, and focussed
structure, though some lapses in argumentation may be acceptable if compensated by sustained excellence in other
areas. Very good evidence to show that all learning outcomes appropriate to the level are fully satisfied. Presentation
(bibliography, referencing, scholarly style, etc.) to a very high standard.
.
65-69 (Upper Second Class): Very Good. Well-focussed work. Demonstrates appropriate reading that may go beyond
standard examples and sources, and a clear understanding of the topic, but need not demonstrate independent
research. Some answers at this level will demonstrate independent research, but would require further reading and/or
attention to expression, argumentation, and presentation in order to attract a first-class mark. Shows some sensitivity
to formal and rhetorical aspects of the text or artefact under consideration, be they linguistic, visual, narratological,
dramatic, or a combination of these. Argument is generally clear and relevant, though lapses may be compensated by
very good elements elsewhere. Good evidence to show that all learning outcomes appropriate to the level are fully
satisfied. Presentation (bibliography, referencing, scholarly style, etc.) to a very high standard.
60-64 (Upper Second Class): Good. Generally well-informed work. Demonstrates evidence of relevant reading and
understanding of the topic. Shows sensitivity to some formal and rhetorical aspects of the text or artefact under
consideration, be they linguistic, visual, narratological, dramatic, or a combination of these. Answer displays ability to
structure reasoned arguments and to substantiate these with appropriate evidence, but may be characterised by an
insufficient development of good ideas, structural defects, infelicities of expression, or occasional redundancy/
irrelevance. Evidence to show that all learning outcomes appropriate to the level are fully satisfied. Presentation
(bibliography, referencing, scholarly style, etc.) to a high standard.
55-59 (Lower Second Class): Sound. Conscientious and satisfactory work. Shows adequate reading and knowledge of
topic, without going beyond basic examples and sources. While there may be some sensitivity to isolated formal and
rhetorical aspects of the text or artefact under consideration, answer will tend towards description rather than
analysis, and/or seek to simplify complex critical issues. Answer presents the general outline of an appropriate
argument, but may lack clear structure and focus. May not always be relevant, and potentially good observations may
remain undeveloped. Generally sufficient evidence to show that all learning outcomes appropriate to the level are fully
satisfied. Presentation (bibliography, referencing, scholarly style, etc.) to an acceptable standard.
50-54 (Lower Second Class): Fair. Broadly relevant but sometimes unreflective or unfocused work. Shows some
evidence of relevant reading and knowledge of topic, but relies on a limited number of basic examples and sources.
13
Shows little sensitivity to formal and rhetorical aspects of the text or artefact under consideration. Answer largely
descriptive rather than analytical, with superficial grasp of critical issues. May offer potentially sound ideas and
arguments, but without integrating these into a clear overall argument, or backing them up with sufficient supporting
evidence. Answer may remain thin, short, or sketchy, diffuse in structure, or unclear in expression, and may present
significant quantities of material that is unrelated to the argument. Sound but limited evidence that all the learning
outcomes appropriate to the level are satisfied. Presentation (bibliography, referencing, scholarly style, etc.) to a
barely acceptable standard.
45-49 (Third Class): Weak. Limited work, demonstrating restricted sense of relevance and understanding of the topic.
Answer demonstrates no sensitivity to formal and rhetorical aspects of the text or artefact under consideration.
Argumentation is unclear, and claims may be factually inaccurate, crude simplifications, or unsubstantiated by
supporting evidence. Answer may be very short, barely relevant, and suffer from poor expression. Acceptable but
significantly restricted evidence that all the learning outcomes appropriate to the level are satisfied. Presentation
(bibliography, referencing, scholarly style, etc.) may be poor or partially incomplete.
40-44 (Third Class): Very Weak. Barely acceptable work, demonstrating severely restricted sense of relevance and
sketchy understanding of the topic. Answer will typically demonstrate more than one of the following: barely any
evidence of relevant reading; total lack of sensitivity to formal and rhetorical aspects of the text or artefact under
consideration; no clear line of argument or interpretation; serious errors of fact or understanding; muddled thinking;
inability to offer supporting evidence for the claims made. Answer may be very short, largely irrelevant, and suffer
from poor expression. Barely sufficient evidence that all the learning outcomes appropriate to the level are satisfied.
Presentation (bibliography, referencing, scholarly style, etc.) generally poor and/or partially incomplete.
35-39 (Fail): Unacceptable work, narrowly but clearly failing to reach acceptable standard. May make a moderate
number of points broadly connected to the topic, but generally fails to relate them to one another. Knowledge and
understanding of the topic are partial. Also suffers from one or more of the defects listed for the band above, without
compensatory elements to make the work acceptable. Offers evidence that most learning outcomes appropriate to
the level are satisfied. Presentation (bibliography, referencing, scholarly style, etc.) poor and partially incomplete.
30-34 (Fail): Unacceptable work, offering a few points on the topic, but failing repeatedly to relate them to one
another. Additionally suffers from the failings listed in the above bands, without compensatory strengths. Offers some
evidence that many learning outcomes appropriate to the level are satisfied. Presentation (bibliography, referencing,
scholarly style, etc.) very poor with numerous omissions
20-29 (Fail): Unacceptable work, offering few points on the topic, fails entirely to relate statement to one another, and
demonstrates little evidence of the knowledge, understanding, and skills appropriate to this level. Offers evidence that
only a few learning outcomes appropriate to the level are satisfied. Presentation (bibliography, referencing, scholarly
style, etc.) very poor in every respect.
10-19 (Fail): Extremely poor work. Answer likely to be of extreme brevity, with little knowledge or relevance. Offers
negligible evidence of the knowledge, understanding, and skills appropriate to this level, and shows that very few
learning outcomes appropriate to the level are satisfied. Presentation (bibliography, referencing, scholarly style, etc.)
exceptionally poor.
0-9 (Fail): Exceptionally poor work, almost totally irrelevant, incoherent, and ignorant of the subject. Fails to
demonstrate that any of the learning outcomes are satisfied. Presentation (bibliography, referencing, scholarly style,
etc.) outstandingly bad.
For language modules:
86-100 (First Class): Written. Exemplary, with near-perfect comprehension, accuracy and fluency, exemplary
judgement of register, an extensive range of lexis and grammatical structures, and a commanding grasp of
contemporary usage and relevant linguistic skills; translation technique of the very highest standard in terms of
accuracy, idiom, and cultural transfer.
Oral. An exemplary standard of accuracy, range of expression, idiom, comprehension, presentation and general
communication skills.
76-85 (First Class): Written. Outstanding, with an extremely high level of grammatical accuracy, evidence of very
wide range of lexis and grammatical structures; highly developed sense of register and grasp of relevant linguistic skills;
translation technique attaining exceptionally high standards in terms of accuracy, idiom, and cultural transfer.
14
Oral. Outstanding expression, fluency and accuracy, excellent comprehension, presentation and general
In written and oral language, errors of a very minor nature may be compensated by demonstrably outstanding
performance overall.
70-75 (First Class): Written. Excellent, with a very high level of grammatical accuracy, evidence of wide range of
lexis and grammatical structures; well developed sense of register and grasp of relevant linguistic skills; translation
technique attaining very high standards in terms of accuracy, idiom, and cultural transfer.
Oral. Excellent expression, fluency and accuracy, excellent comprehension, presentation and general communication
skills.
In written and oral language, minor errors may be compensated by demonstrable excellence in other areas.
65-69 (Upper Second Class): Written. Very good level of comprehension, fluency, and grammatical accuracy; very
good range of vocabulary, very good sense of register and grasp of relevant linguistic skills. Translation technique is
very good in all areas. Work may contain minor lapses in one or more areas, but without compromising overall
comprehensibility and communication.
Oral. Very good expression, fluency and accuracy; good comprehension, presentation and communication skills. May
make minor errors, but without compromising fluency, expressive capacity, comprehensibility, or communication.
60-64 (Upper Second Class): Written. Good level of comprehension, fluency, and grammatical accuracy; reasonably
wide range of vocabulary; shows sense of register and solid grasp of relevant linguistic skills. Occasional lapses are
present, but do not impede comprehensibility or communication. Translation technique good overall, but may
demonstrate lapses in one area that are compensated by good performance in other areas.
Oral. Reasonably good expression, fluency and accuracy; fairly good comprehension, presentation and communication
skills. Though minor errors are made, they do not significantly compromise fluency, expressive capacity,
comprehensibility, or communication.
55-59 (Lower Second Class): Written. Competent level of comprehension, fluency, and grammatical accuracy;
adequate range of vocabulary and grasp of relevant linguistic skills; There may be relatively frequent errors whose
effect on overall comprehensibility and communication are, however, minimal. Translation technique generally sound,
but with some lapses in one or more areas.
Oral. Adequate expression, fluency, and accuracy; satisfactory comprehension, presentation and communication skills.
Fluency, expressive capacity, comprehensibility, and communication are largely maintained, despite frequent minor
errors.
50-54 (Lower Second Class): Written. Competent level of comprehension, fluency, and grammatical accuracy, limited
but acceptable range of vocabulary and grasp of relevant linguistic skills. Comprehensibility and communication are
maintained, despite frequent errors, some of which may be serious. Translation technique generally satisfactory, but
with lapses in one or more areas.
Oral. Adequate expression, fluency, and accuracy; acceptable comprehension, presentation and communication skills.
Frequent errors, some of which may be serious, may begin to impede comprehensibility and communication, though
in general it is possible to sustain a fluent exchange.
45-49 (Third Class): Written. Basic level of comprehension, fluency, and grammatical accuracy, with frequent errors;
limited range of vocabulary and grasp of relevant linguistic skills, but enough to allow comprehensibility and
communication. Translation technique basic, with errors and/or misinterpretations in one or more areas.
Oral. Limited expression, fluency and accuracy; basic comprehension, presentation and communication skills.
Frequent errors, many of them major, are an obstacle to fluent and clear communication.
40-44 (Third Class): Written. Very basic level of grammatical accuracy, with many errors, very limited range of
vocabulary and grasp of relevant linguistic skills; very basic translation technique, fluency and comprehension, with
significant errors, misinterpretations and omissions.
Oral. Very limited expression, fluency and accuracy; very basic comprehension, presentation and communication
skills. Communication still takes place, but is seriously impeded by frequent major errors.
35-39 (Fail): Written. Inadequate level of grammatical accuracy, with repeated, elementary errors; inadequate range
of vocabulary and grasp of relevant linguistic skills ; unsatisfactory translation technique; repeated errors,
misinterpretations and omissions may make work unintelligible in places.
Oral. Inaccurate and inauthentic expression, with little fluency and repeated errors; inadequate comprehension,
presentation and communication skills. May be unintelligible at times.
15
30-34 (Fail): Written. Completely inadequate level of grammatical accuracy, with repeated, elementary errors;
impoverished range of vocabulary and very poor grasp of relevant linguistic skill; repeated errors, misinterpretations
and omissions may make large amounts of the work unintelligible. Very unsatisfactory translation technique with a
large amount of misinterpretation and serious errors in all areas. Oral. Completely inaccurate and inauthentic
expression, lacking fluency and with repeated errors; inadequate comprehension, presentation and communication
skills. May often be unintelligible.
20-29 (Fail): Written. Little grammatical accuracy, with a profusion of basic errors unacceptable range of vocabulary
and no real grasp of relevant linguistic skills or translation technique. Omissions and inaccuracies may make much of
work unintelligible.
Oral. Expression largely inaccurate and inauthentic; unacceptable comprehension, presentation and communication
skills. May be frequently unintelligible and inarticulate.
10-19 (Fail): Written. Very little grammatical accuracy, with a profusion of basic errors; unacceptable range of
vocabulary and no real grasp of relevant linguistic skills or translation technique. Omissions and inaccuracies may make
nearly all of work unintelligible.
Oral. Expression totally inaccurate and inauthentic; unacceptable comprehension, presentation and communication
skills. May be unintelligible and inarticulate most of the time.
0-9 (Fail): Written. Very little grammatical accuracy, with a profusion of basic errors ; unacceptable range of
all of work unintelligible.
skills. May be unintelligible and inarticulate nearly all the time. Or else remain utterly silent.
16
Level descriptors and assessment criteria, level 2
Level descriptors
LEVEL 2
Overview
Students will acquire and be able to demonstrate a level of linguistic competence that will allow
them access to a broader range of cultural products, and an ability to analyse these products in
greater depth. They will be able to demonstrate broader overall knowledge of the target culture(s),
with some areas of in-depth specialisation in one or more of the following areas: literature, film,
politics, history, media. Additionally, they will have an enhanced awareness (in terms of both breadth
and depth) of the methodologies and conceptual frameworks that can be used to understand
relevant aspects of the target culture(s).
Language
Increased fluency and confidence in both oral and written expression
Greater command of and ability to judge register and idiom
Ability to express reasoned opinions cogently and persuasively
Expanded range of lexis and syntactic structures, often relating to:
detailed knowledge of broad areas of the target society/ societies, including a range of current
debates and topical issues; and
practical knowledge of daily life in the target society/ societies in preparation for the year abroad
Cultural History
An acquaintance with the dominant theoretical paradigms within the chosen sub-discipline
An acquaintance with a wide range of cultural products relevant to the chosen language(s)
Ability to subject these to conceptually sophisticated analysis, selecting appropriate critical
approaches from among competing methodologies
Improved facility in critical reading
Greater self-reliance in the identification of relevant resources
Improved ability to produce well-informed, clearly-structured written work (essays and
commentaries)
Outcomes and responsibilities
Increased acceptance of responsibility and accountability within broad parameters for
determining and achieving personal learning outcomes
Ability to operate independently across a broad but defined range of contexts
17
Assessment criteria
86-100 (First Class): Exemplary. Exceptionally sophisticated work, conceptually ambitious, with substantial evidence of
independent research. Demonstrates very extensive reading and a comprehensive understanding of the topic in its
wider contexts. Shows exceptional sensitivity to all formal and rhetorical aspects of the text or artefact under
consideration, be they linguistic, visual, narratological, dramatic, or a combination of these. Shows subtle critical
awareness, scholarly rigour, and outstanding powers of analysis. Manages complex critical or theoretical argument, the
force, coherence, and relevance of which is sustained at a very high level throughout. Abundant excellent evidence to
show that all learning outcomes appropriate to the level are fully satisfied. Presentation (bibliography, referencing,
scholarly style, etc.) to the highest professional standards.
76-85 (First Class): Outstanding. Sophisticated and thoroughly convincing work, with evidence of independent
research. Demonstrates broad reading and a wide-ranging understanding of the topic in its wider contexts. Shows
narratological, dramatic, or a combination of these. Shows considerable critical awareness, scholarly rigour, and
powers of analysis. Answer illuminates the terms of the question and is thorough, relevant, cogent, and closely-argued
throughout. Excellent evidence to show that all learning outcomes appropriate to the level are fully satisfied.
Presentation (bibliography, referencing, scholarly style, etc.) to professional standards.
of the topic in its wider contexts to bear on the question, and may demonstrate independent research. Shows
narratological, dramatic, or a combination of these. Shows critical awareness, scholarly rigour, and powers of analysis,
and integrates critical concepts and examples fully into the flow of the discussion. Clear, relevant, and focussed
structure, though some lapses in argumentation may be acceptable if compensated by sustained excellence in other
areas. Very good evidence to show that all learning outcomes appropriate to the level are fully satisfied. Presentation
(bibliography, referencing, scholarly style, etc.) to a very high standard.
65-69 (Upper Second Class): Very Good. Well-focussed work. Demonstrates appropriate reading that goes beyond
research. Some answers at this level will demonstrate research, but would require further reading and/or attention to
expression, argumentation, and presentation in order to attract a first-class mark. Shows some sensitivity to formal
and rhetorical aspects of the text or artefact under consideration, be they linguistic, visual, narratological, dramatic, or
a combination of these. Argument is generally clear and relevant, though lapses may be compensated by very good
elements elsewhere. Good evidence to show that all learning outcomes appropriate to the level are fully satisfied.
Presentation (bibliography, referencing, scholarly style, etc.) to a very high standard.
18
exceptionally poor.
86-100 (First Class): Written. Exemplary, with near-perfect comprehension, accuracy and fluency, exemplary
judgement of register, an extensive range of lexis and grammatical structures, and a commanding grasp of
contemporary usage and relevant linguistic skills; translation technique of the very highest standard in terms of
19
76-85 (First Class): Written. Outstanding, with an extremely high level of grammatical accuracy, evidence of very
wide range of lexis and grammatical structures; highly developed sense of register and grasp of relevant linguistic skills;
translation technique attaining exceptionally high standards in terms of accuracy, idiom, and cultural transfer.
Oral. Outstanding expression, fluency and accuracy, excellent comprehension, presentation and general
In written and oral language, errors of a very minor nature may be compensated by demonstrably outstanding
performance overall.
70-75 (First Class): Written. Excellent, with a very high level of grammatical accuracy, evidence of wide range of
lexis and grammatical structures; well developed sense of register and grasp of relevant linguistic skills; translation
technique attaining very high standards in terms of accuracy, idiom, and cultural transfer.
Oral. Excellent expression, fluency and accuracy, excellent comprehension, presentation and general communication
skills.
In written and oral language, minor errors may be compensated by demonstrable excellence in other areas.
Oral. Very good expression, fluency and accuracy; good comprehension, presentation and communication skills. May
make minor errors, but without compromising fluency, expressive capacity, comprehensibility, or communication.
adequate range of vocabulary and grasp of relevant linguistic skills; There may be relatively frequent minor errors
whose effect on overall comprehensibility and communication are, however, minimal. Translation technique generally
sound, but with some lapses in one or more areas.
errors.
40-44 (Third Class): Written. Very basic level of grammatical accuracy, with many errors very limited range of
35-39 (Fail): Written. Inadequate level of grammatical accuracy, with repeated, elementary errors ; inadequate range
20
21
Level descriptors and assessment criteria, Level 3
Level Descriptors
LEVEL 3
Overview
Students will acquire and be able to demonstrate have a high level of linguistic expertise, allowing them to
access and extensive range of cultural products in the target language(s). They will be able to demonstrate
comprehensive and detailed knowledge of the target culture(s), with specialisation in one or more fields. They
will also be aware of the limitations of knowledge and analytic methodologies both within the programme as a
whole and within its constituent sub-disciplines.
Language
A high level of fluency, accuracy, and confidence in both oral and written expression
A reliable command of and ability to judge register and idiom
Ability to express reasoned and well-informed opinions cogently and persuasively about a wide range of
topics
Extensive range of lexis and syntactic structures, often relating to:
detailed knowledge of numerous areas of the target society/ societies, including a range of current debates
and topical issues
Cultural History
Systematic and coherent knowledge relating to one or more of the programme‘s sub-disciplines, including:
in-depth knowledge of a wide range of cultural products; and
extensive knowledge of the methodologies and theoretical approaches appropriate to the chosen sub-
discipline(s)
Ability to apply this knowledge in unfamiliar contexts and to mobilise it in order to understand complex
and unfamiliar material
A high level of self-reliance in the identification of relevant resources and the ability to critically evaluate
these resources
Ability to produce written work (essays, commentaries, and projects) that is clearly structured, scholarly
(in respect of register, referencing, and presentation), and informed not only by extensive factual and
conceptual knowledge, but by an ability to reflect on the problems and limitations of the relevant sub-
discipline
Outcomes and Responsibilities
Ability to accept responsibility for determining and achieving personal and group outcomes
An ability to operate independently across a range of complex contexts
22
Assessment criteria
86-100 (First Class): Exemplary. Exceptionally sophisticated work, conceptually ambitious, with abundant evidence of
independent research and intellectual adventurousness. Demonstrates a remarkable breadth and depth of reading and
a fully comprehensive understanding of the topic in its wider contexts. Shows exceptional sensitivity to all formal and
rhetorical aspects of the text or artefact under consideration, be they linguistic, visual, narratological, dramatic, or a
combination of these. Shows subtle critical awareness, scholarly rigour, and outstanding powers of analysis. Manages
complex critical or theoretical argument, the force, coherence, and relevance of which is sustained at a very high level
throughout. Abundant excellent evidence to show that all learning outcomes appropriate to the level are fully satisfied.
Presentation (bibliography, referencing, scholarly style, etc.) to the highest professional standards.
76-85 (First Class): Outstanding. Sophisticated and thoroughly convincing work, with substantial evidence of
independent research and signs of intellectual adventurousness. Demonstrates extensive reading and a wide-ranging
understanding of the topic in its wider contexts. Shows sensitivity to formal and rhetorical aspects of the text or
artefact under consideration, be they linguistic, visual, narratological, dramatic, or a combination of these. Shows
considerable critical awareness, scholarly rigour, and powers of analysis. Answer illuminates the terms of the question
and is thorough, relevant, cogent, and closely-argued throughout. Excellent evidence to show that all learning
outcomes appropriate to the level are fully satisfied. Presentation (bibliography, referencing, scholarly style, etc.) to
professional standards.
of the topic in its wider contexts to bear on the question, and demonstrates independent research. Shows sensitivity
to formal and rhetorical aspects of the text or artefact under consideration, be they linguistic, visual, narratological,
dramatic, or a combination of these. Shows critical awareness, scholarly rigour, and powers of analysis, and integrates
critical concepts and examples fully into the flow of the discussion. Clear, relevant, and focussed structure, though
some lapses in argumentation may be acceptable if compensated by sustained excellence in other areas. Very good
evidence to show that all learning outcomes appropriate to the level are fully satisfied. Presentation (bibliography,
referencing, scholarly style, etc.) to a very high standard.
.
65-69 (Upper Second Class): Very Good. Well-focussed work. Demonstrates appropriate reading that goes beyond
research. Answers at this level will typically demonstrate independent research, but would require further reading
and/or attention to expression, argumentation, and presentation in order to attract a first-class mark. Shows some
narratological, dramatic, or a combination of these. Argument is generally clear and relevant, though lapses may be
compensated by very good elements elsewhere. Good evidence to show that all learning outcomes appropriate to the
level are fully satisfied. Presentation (bibliography, referencing, scholarly style, etc.) to a very high standard.
23
exceptionally poor.
86-100 (First Class): Written. Exemplary work. Equivalent to standard of a sophisticated, educated native user of
target language, showing perfect comprehension, accuracy and fluency, exemplary judgement of register, exceptional
range, and a commanding grasp of contemporary usage and relevant linguistic skills; translation technique of the
highest professional standard in terms of accuracy, idiom, and cultural transfer.
communication skills, equivalent to that of an educated native speaker.
24
76-85 (First Class): Written. Near-native performance, with outstanding level of grammatical accuracy; evidence of
very extensive vocabulary; very highly developed sense of register and grasp of relevant linguistic skills; translation
technique approaching professional standards in terms of accuracy, idiom, and cultural transfer.
Oral. Near-native performance. Outstanding expression, fluency and accuracy, excellent comprehension, presentation
and general communication skills.
70-75 (First Class): Written. Excellent level of comprehension, fluency, and accuracy; evidence of wide vocabulary;
highly developed sense of register and grasp of relevant linguistic skills; translation technique excellent in terms of
Oral. Excellent expression, fluency and accuracy; very good comprehension, presentation and communication skills.
May make minor errors, but these are compensated by sustained excellence elsewhere.
Oral. Good expression, fluency and accuracy; good comprehension, presentation and communication skills. May make
minor errors, but without compromising fluency, expressive capacity, comprehensibility, or communication.
adequate range of vocabulary and grasp of relevant linguistic skills; There may be relatively frequent minor errors
whose effect on overall comprehensibility and communication are, however, minimal. Translation technique generally
sound, but with some lapses in one or more areas.
errors.
40-44 (Third Class): Written. Very basic level of grammatical accuracy, with many errors very limited range of
35-39 (Fail): Written. Inadequate level of grammatical accuracy, with repeated, elementary errors ; inadequate range
25
26
PLAGIARISM and COLLUSION
Your attention is drawn to the following extract from the University‘s General Regulations:
In formal examinations and all assessed work prescribed in degree, diploma and certificate regulations, candidates should take
care to acknowledge the work and opinions of others and avoid any appearance of representing them as their own.
Unacknowledged quotation or close paraphrasing of other people’s writing, amounting to the presentation of other persons’
thoughts or writings as one’s own, is plagiarism and will be penalised. In extreme cases, plagiarism may be classed as a
dishonest practice under Section IV, 2(a)(viii) of the General Regulations and can lead to expulsion.
Here are the definitions from the Learning and Teaching Handbook of the University:
a. plagiarism: unacknowledged quotation or close paraphrasing of other people's writing, amounting to the
presentation of other person's thoughts or writings as one's own. This includes material which is available on the
world-wide web and in any other electronic form;
b. collusion: working with one or more other students to produce work which is then presented as one's own in a
situation in which this is inappropriate or not permitted and/or without acknowledging the collaboration;
Plagiarism is a serious academic offence, and is taken very seriously by the School and the University. All
summative assessed work submitted electronically is analysed by plagiarism detection software, and all suspected cases
are investigated. Collusion is equally serious, and easily discernible by experienced examiners, attentive to inexplicable
variations in the level of students‘ performance in both language and content work. The penalties for plagiarism or
collusion range from massive reductions of the mark, to being awarded a mark of 0% for the module concerned, to
being expelled from the University.
You should be aware that all cases of plagiarism or collusion will be recorded in your annual reports, which form the
basis of any references written for prospective employers. Most employers expect referees to comment on the
honesty and integrity of applicants, which means that plagiarism or collusion -- prime examples of dishonest practice --
can have long-term consequences for your future career.
Please note that the offence of unacknowledged copying of the ideas, work, words and/or opinions of others applies
not only to published books and articles or electronic media, but also to unpublished work, e.g. that of postgraduates
or fellow undergraduates.
The golden rule is never to transcribe or closely paraphrase passages (however short) from the Internet, books or
lecture notes, unless you make clear you are quoting and acknowledge the sources from which you are quoting (e.g. in
a footnote, between brackets, or by reference to your bibliography).
Further detailed information regarding plagiarism is available in the Study Skills section of this handbook and on the
MLAC web site (http://www.dur.ac.uk/MLAC/).
27
RESEARCH AND POSTGRADUATE STUDY
Most academic staff in the School devote at least half their working time to research in areas of Modern Languages
where they have specialised knowledge (such as literature, linguistics, film). This leads to publication of books and
articles for the benefit of the academic community, students and wider public, and also generates income for the
University through research grants and RAE/REF (see School web pages for more details). If you are interested in a
career in HE or pursuing your undergraduate studies at a more specialised level, you could take an MA or PhD in an
area of Modern Languages at Durham or elsewhere. For information see the School web pages and contact the
Director of Postgraduate Taught Programmes, Dr Banks (kathryn.banks2@durham.ac.uk) or the Director of
Postgraduate Research, Dr Welch (e.j.welch@durham.ac.uk).
MAKING YOUR OPINIONS KNOWN
These are the avenues for making your views known and asking questions about the ways modules are delivered and
organised:
i) Directly to the teacher or the co-ordinator of the module, and failing that, to the Head of the Department
concerned and/or to the Head of the School of Modern Languages and Cultures. You will find staff very ready
to listen. This is the best way of approaching any particular problem, because it is the quickest.
ii) By way of the Department‘s Staff-Student Consultative Committee (SSCC). At meetings of these
committees (one in each of the first two terms in the year, generally chaired by the Head of Department),
teachers and elected student representatives discuss matters related to teaching, assessment, and
departmental organisation. Any matters that concern the School rather than individual departments are then
fed forward to the School SSCC, which meets directly after departmental SSCCs. The minutes of both are
made available to students, and considered by departmental staff meetings and by the School Education
Committee. These bodies recommend action to be implemented in response to issues raised by students,
which is reported to the Board of Studies, and thence to the University. The minutes of Staff-Student
Consultative Committees may also be discussed and used in other forums, e.g. the DSU Academic Senate
that helps formulate policies for the Durham Students Union.
iii) In the Module Evaluation Questionnaires (MEQs) that are completed in respect of every module
towards the end of the academic year in Epiphany Term. These ask detailed questions about the content and
delivery of the module and your experience of it. The questionnaires are summarised for discussion at
departmental meetings, and points of recommended action are noted and approved for implementation. The
Questionnaire summaries and departmental action points are also reviewed by the School Education
Committee, which takes appropriate measures if there are any signs of serious problems. Its decisions are
reported to the School Board of Studies, which makes any final decision on action. It is therefore positively
EXPECTED that students complete the MEQs, since these are perhaps our most important reporting tool
for gauging the degree of success of students‘ experience in modules.
iv) Directly to the Board of the School of Modern Languages and Cultures by student representatives sitting on
that Board.
28
THE SHAPE OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR
MONTH YEAR 1 YEAR 2 YEAR 3 YEAR 4
Oct. Y1 registration Initial plans for year [Abroad] Year Abroad oral
abroad examinations
Career planning
Nov. British Council [Abroad] Career planning
applications
Jan. Overseas university [Abroad]
applications YA written task
deadline - 31
January
April [Abroad]
YA written task
deadline - 1 April
May Oral exams Oral exams [Abroad] Oral exams
Written exams begin Written exams begin Written exams begin
June Written exams end Written exams end [Abroad] Written exams end
Results issued Results issued Results issued
Compulsory end-of- Optional end-of-year
year interviews* interviews*
Y2 registration YA registration Y4 registration Congregation
Finalise YA Plans
July Congregation
Mid/late Exam resits [just in Exam resits [just in case, [Abroad]
Aug/early case, make no plans to make no plans to be out YA written task
Sep. be out of the country of the country at this deadline - 1
at this time!] time!] August
*It is vital that first- and second-year students make no plans to leave Durham before their end-of-year interviews and
registration in June.
Don‘t make firm plans to be abroad in the last week of August and first week of September at the end of your first
and second years: you might have to return to Durham to resit Preliminary or Part I exams.
You will register for your year abroad at the end of your second year. You will be asked to make your choice of final-
year options towards the end of your Year Abroad (usually June).
Please note that all optional module choices are provisional until confirmed at the start of the
academic year. While every effort is made to ensure that as many modules as possible are offered, it does
occasionally happen that modules have to be cancelled or changed at short notice. Note, too, that modules at all levels
are capped and details of these caps are available in the on-line Faculty Handbooks
(http://www.dur.ac.uk/faculty.handbook/listdeptmodules/). Currently, places on capped modules are allocated on a
random selection basis to students studying modern languages as an integral part of their degree and all students will
be asked to select alternative modules at registration and time-stamp their forms. Students who are not successful in
getting a place on a capped module will be informed within two weeks of registration.
There are two full weeks of teaching in the Easter (summer) term and each department uses these weeks in a
different way (giving greater or lesser emphasis to the completion of courses, revision, or preparation for the oral
exams). Oral exams take place in the third week of the Epiphany Term, before the written papers start.
Exam results are decided as soon as possible after the end of the exams period. For Preliminary Honours, a list is
posted (typically, one week before the end of term) giving the names of those who have passed and of those who are
required to resit. A similar procedure will apply for Part I students, who may resit up to three failed modules. For
Final Honours, a list is posted showing the class of degree awarded to each student as soon as possible following the
meeting of the Board of Examiners. Following the publication of results for each year of study, you will be able to
obtain a statement of marks from the following web address: http://www.dur.ac.uk/SPA/ . This will list marks at
module and assessment level including those for both coursework and examinations. First- and second-year students
will have an opportunity to discuss their marks at their end-of-year progress reviews. Staff will be available at the end
of the year to see final-year students if they so wish.
29
REGULATIONS
BA Modern Languages (R000)
It is possible to study one or more modern European languages for the BA in Modern Languages
(R000) or as part of one of the following programmes:
One language:
Modern Languages and History (RV91)
Economics with French (L1R1)
One or two languages:

Combined Studies in Arts (QRVO)
Modern Languages and Music [as part of the Combined Studies in Arts programme] (QRVO)
Combined Studies in Social Sciences (LMVO)
For all these programmes, we advise you to look at the regulations in the Faculty Handbooks. If you need further
explanation, contact the School Manager, Mrs Denise Gustard.
Regulations for the Modern Languages programme are explained here as follows:
1) The structure of the programme: the permitted combinations of modules, and a guide to progression paths
from one year to the next
2) A list of available modules: for details, see the Faculty of Arts handbook and the module guides, which will be
accessible on Duo and the MLAC Web page.
3) Assessment procedures: how marks awarded for your summatively assessed performance in modules count
towards your progression and towards your final degree classification
1. STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAMME
a) The major MLAC languages offered for the degree are Arabic, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish.
The degree programme consists of six Preliminary Honours and twelve Final Honours modules, chosen from one, two
or three major MLAC languages. Six modules are studied and examined in each of the first, second and fourth (final)
years, the third year being spent abroad. MLAC modules are of two types: Core Language Modules (marked †
below), and Options (MLAC Options). Core Language Modules are compulsory in every language studied and some
other modules may be compulsory. As noted above, MLAC Options are offered subject to the availability
of staff to teach them.
30
Year I Either (i) Four modules in one major MLAC language and two modules in another major
MLAC language.
Or (ii) Four modules in a major MLAC language and either two modules in one department
outside MLAC or one module in each of two departments outside MLAC.
Or (iii) Three modules in each of two major MLAC languages.
Or (iv) Two modules in each of three major MLAC languages.
Year II As Year I, but see (b) below for minor languages
Year III To be spent abroad.
Year IV Either (i) Six modules, including the Compulsory Core Language Module, in one language,
Either Arabic*, French, German, Italian or Spanish
Or (ii) Five modules, including the Compulsory Core Language Module, in Arabic*, French,
German, Italian or Spanish. With the approval of the Head of School, candidates may
substitute for one of their modules a MLAC Option whose corresponding Core Language
Module they have passed at second year level.
Or (iii) Four modules in one major MLAC language and two modules in another major
MLAC language. The Core Language Module must be taken in each language.
Or (iv) Three modules in each of two major MLAC languages, including the Core Language
Module in both subjects. With the approval of the Head of School, candidates may
substitute for one of their modules a MLAC Option whose corresponding Core Language
Module they have passed at second year level.
Or (v) Two modules in each of three major MLAC languages, including the Core Language
Module in each language.
* subject to module availability
Provided that they are qualified to do so, candidates may, at the end of each year, transfer to different combinations of
subjects, with the approval of the Head of the School. A single Core Language module may not be taken on its own.
b) The following minor language courses are offered as MLAC Options, to count as one of your six
modules in your second and/or final year:
Catalan may be taken as a one-module MLAC Option in the second year; normally by candidates who are studying or
have studied Spanish; a further one-module option is available in the final year for candidates who take the second-
year module.
Croatian with Serbian may be taken as a one-module MLAC Option in the second year, normally by candidates who are
studying or have studied Russian; a further one-module option is available in the final year for candidates who take the
second-year module.
Persian may be taken as a one-module MLAC Option in the second year, normally by candidates who are studying or
have studied Arabic; we envisage that a further one-module option be available in the final year for candidates who
take the second-year module
31
c) Major Languages at beginners’ level
Beginners‘ Arabic is available as a two-, three- or four-module language in the first and second years.
Beginners‘ Italian is available as a two- or three module language in the first year and as a two-, three- or four-module
language in the second year
Beginners‘ Russian is available as a two-, three- or four-module language in the first and second years; the first-year
beginners‘ stream is partially merged with the post-A level entry in the second year
Beginners‘ Spanish is available as a two- or three-module language in the first year, and as a two-, three- or four-
module language in the second year. The first-year beginners‘ stream is fully merged with the post-A Level entry in the
final year.
Arabic, Italian, Russian and Spanish students may start beginners‘ modules in either the first or second year
N.B.:
(i) Students may not begin a new language in their final year
(ii) No more than TWO major languages may be taken at beginners’ level, and only ONE in any
one year
(iii) Under no circumstances may candidates study more than three languages (major or minor)
2. LIST OF MODULES AS AT OCTOBER 2011

(NB: the list of modules on offer in 2011-2012 and in subsequent years will be different; you will be kept
informed about modules coming on and off stream)
You select modules in accordance with the scheme outlined above. In each language studied, there is a compulsory
Core Language module (a double module in Beginners‘ Arabic, Beginners‘ Russian and Beginners‘ Spanish; and two tied
modules in Beginners‘ Italian and Advanced Russian); these are signalled by a dagger in the list below. Unless otherwise
stated, all modules are single ones. The number opposite each module title is the module code. The modules currently
are:
First Year (Preliminary Honours)
Arabic
Arabic language 1B †# (Double) ARAB1012
Introduction to Middle Eastern cultures ARAB1021
Introduction to Middle Eastern politics SGIA1061
French
French language 1†# FREN1011
Reading French literature FREN1031
Literature and culture in modern France FREN1041
Language, power and the making of the French nation FREN1051
German
German language 1(I)†# GERM1011
German language 1(II) (translation) GERM1021
German drama and narrative GERM1031
The history and culture of the German-speaking countries GERM1071
Hispanic Studies
Advanced
Spanish language 1A†# SPAN1011
Conflict and violence in the Spanish speaking world SPAN1131
Identity in the Spanish speaking world SPAN1141
Diversity in the Spanish speaking world SPAN1151
Beginners
Spanish language 1B†# (Double) SPAN1072
Diversity of the Spanish speaking world SPAN1151
Italian
32
Advanced
Italian Language 1A†# ITAL1071
ONE OF: Understanding Italy from the 1960s to today ITAL1061
Italy and the Arts ITAL1081
Beginners
Italian language 1B†# ITAL1021
AND Italian listening and reading comprehension ITAL1051
Understanding Italy from the 1960s to today ITAL1061
Italy and the Arts ITAL1081
Russian
Advanced
Russian language 1A†# RUSS1161
ONE OF: Popular Music in Modern Russia RUSS1041
Introduction to Russian culture RUSS1151
Beginners
Russian language 1B†# (Double) RUSS1042
Popular Music in Modern Russia RUSS1041
Introduction to Russian culture RUSS1151
Second Year (Part One)
You may begin the study of Arabic, Italian, Russian or Spanish in your second year by following the first-year language
courses in these subjects.
Catalan, Croatian with Serbian and Persian are offered as minor languages (see above under ‗Structure‘ (b)).
Students offering only one major MLAC language will take two modules in an outside department as described above
under ‗Structure‘.
The modules currently are:
Arabic
Arabic language 2B†# (Double) ARAB2002
Egyptian Colloquial Arabic ARAB2021
Persian I ARAB2041
Beginners (first year of study)

Arabic language 1B †# (Double) ARAB1012
French
French language 2†# FREN2051
Love and Longing in French Literature of the Ancient Regime FREN2011
Seventeenth- and eighteenth-century French literature FREN2021
Sex, gender and identity in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance FREN2031
Politics and culture in contemporary France FREN2041
Introduction to Francophone literature and culture FREN2061
French syntax and vocabulary FREN2081
German
German language 2†# GERM2021
German translation GERM2091
Sex and identity in German cultures GERM2121
Heroes and myths of German history GERM2131
33
Hispanic Studies
Advanced
Spanish language 2A†# SPAN2011
Catalan (Beginners) SPAN2061
Latin American texts SPAN2071
Spanish texts SPAN2081
Icons and myths of the Hispanic world SPAN2151
Beginners (second year of study)

Spanish language 2B†# SPAN2111
Latin American texts SPAN2071
Catalan (Beginners) SPAN2061

Spanish language 1B†# (Double) SPAN1072
Italian
Advanced (second year of study)
Italian language 2A†# ITAL2111
Dante‘s Inferno and its influence ITAL2041
The languages of Italy ITAL2081
The making of modern Italy ITAL2121

Dante‘s Inferno and its influence ITAL2041

AND Italian listening and reading comprehension ITAL1051
Russian
Advanced (second year of study)
Russian Language 2A †# RUSS2191
Reading Russian literature RUSS2231
Russian and Soviet cinema RUSS2241
St. Petersburg – Petrograd – Leningrad: culture, memory, mythology RUSS2261

Russian Language 2B †# (Double) RUSS2012
Reading Russian literature RUSS2231
Russian and Soviet Cinema RUSS2241
St. Petersburg – Petrograd – Leningrad: culture, memory, mythology RUSS2261

Russian language 1B†# (Double) RUSS1042
Third Year (The Year Abroad)
The separate Year Abroad Handbook gives full details of Year Abroad assessment. This handbook is available free to
all second-year students from the Year Abroad Administrator in A35; it can also be accessed via the School web
pages: http://www.dur.ac.uk/mlac/abroad/uselinks/ (Resources)
34
Fourth Year (Part II)
You may select modules in accordance with the scheme outlined above. At the end of your second year a list of all the
options that will be available in your final year will be displayed in your subject department(s) and a copy given to you.
Please note that optional modules are offered subject to availability. They may be withdrawn at short notice, but we
try hard to avoid this.
Arabic
EITHER Arabic language 4B following year abroad †$ (Double) ARAB3022
OR Arabic language 4B †$@ (Double) ARAB3012
Specialised translation ^ ARAB3041
Dissertation in Arabic (English) * ARAB3031
Dissertation in Arabic (Arabic) * ARAB3051
Trends in modern Arabic literature 1950-2000 ARAB3071
Translation theory ^ MELA3111
Cross-School Dissertation (L2) * MELA3131
Cross-School Dissertation (English) * MELA3141

Arabic language 2B†# (Double) ARAB2002
French
EITHER French language 4 following year abroad †$ FREN3351
OR French language 4†$@ FREN3041
Dissertation in French (French) * FREN3001
Proust and Gide FREN3131
French translation ^ FREN3051
The fantastic in French film and literature FREN3261
French cinema 1930s to 1990s FREN3271
Sexual dissidence in French literature FREN3291
Dissertation in French (English) * FREN3321
French interpreting ^ = FREN3331
Rebellion, feud and crusade in medieval texts FREN3361
Libertinage in Ancien Régime France FREN3371
German
EITHER German language 4 following year abroad †$ GERM3211
OR German language 4 †$@ GERM3071
Images of Luther GERM3021
Interpreting ^ = GERM3041
Dealing with the Holocaust in post-war German culture GERM3151
Dissertation in German (German) * GERM3171
Love & death in modern German literature~~ GERM3181
Dissertation in German (English) * GERM3191
Culture criticism in Austrian writing of the 20th century GERM3231
Hispanic Studies
EITHER Spanish language 4 following year abroad †$ SPAN3121
OR Spanish language 4 †$@ SPAN3011
Modern Spanish Literature~~ SPAN3041
Spanish translation 4 ^ SPAN3131
Sex and society in Spanish literature to 1700 SPAN3151
Contemporary Spanish cinema SPAN3181
Dissertation in Spanish (Spanish) * SPAN3201
35
Catalan (advanced) SPAN3211
Epic and chronicle: the making of history in early medieval Spain~~ SPAN3221
Popular culture in Latin American literature SPAN3231
Dissertation in Spanish (English) * SPAN3251
Languages in contact in the Hispanic world ~~ SPAN3291
The cultures of the Hispanic Caribbean: texts and theoretical frameworks ~ SPAN3301

Spanish language 2B† SPAN2111
ONE OF Latin American texts SPAN2071
Italian
Beginners (third year of study)
EITHER Italian language 4B following year abroad †$ ITAL3091
OR Italian language 4B †$@ ITAL3021
Italian cinema ITAL3061
The Italian Renaissance in literature and art ITAL3071
Dissertation in Italian (Italian) * ITAL3111
Italian translation ^ ITAL3121
Dante‘s ‗Purgatorio‘ and ‗Paradiso‘ ITAL3131
Dissertation in Italian (English) * ITAL3141

Italian language 2B† ITAL2031
ONE OF Dante‘s Inferno and its influence in art, literature and film ITAL2041
Russian
EITHER Russian language 4 following year abroad †$ RUSS3211
OR Russian language 4 †$@ RUSS3031
Intermediate Croatian with Serbian RUSS3121
Dissertation in Russian (Russian) * RUSS3301
Russian women‘s writing of the 20th century RUSS3311
Dissertation in Russian (English) * RUSS3351
Russian translation & interpreting ^ RUSS3381
The making of the Russian Intelligentsia (1762-1917) RUSS3391

Russian Language 2B† (Double) RUSS2012
† Core language module

# These modules must be passed at 40% in order to progress to the next level of the language
$ These modules must be passed at 40% or above in order to obtain an Honours degree in Modern European Languages.
A mark of 35%-39% cannot be compensated
^ Students may only take up to a total of three translation/interpreting modules offered in Modern Languages and Cultures
but not more than two translation modules. Students may not take both French and German interpreting
* Students may only take one Dissertation module in their final year
36
@ This module is intended for students from other departments who wish to study a modern language as part of their
elective options and will therefore not spend a year abroad, and MLAC students who have been granted a concession to
be exempt from the year abroad
~ This is a short-fat module which is taught and examined in Term 1
~~ This is a short-fat module which is taught and examined in Term 2/3
BA Chinese Studies (T101)
First Year (Preliminary)

Chinese language 1B (Double) CHNS1012
Introduction to Chinese culture CHNS1021
Rice fields, imperial palaces, and the Great Wall HIST1481
Plus 40 credits from modules offered in Anthropology, Economics, CFLS, Geography, History, Philosophy, SGIA and
Theology
Second Year (Part I)

Chinese language 2B CHNS2012
Chinese cinema CHNS2021
Modern China‘s transformations HIST2201
Plus 40 credits from modules offered in Anthropology, Economics, Geography, History, Law, Philosophy, SGIA, and
Theology
Third Year (the Year Abroad)

Students are required to spend their third year studying Chinese at an institution in China or another Chinese-
speaking region
Forth Year (Final Year Part II)

Chinese language 4B (Double) CHNS3012
Chinese historical and literary texts CHNS3021
Plus: EITHER History dissertation (Double) HIST3192
And History and memory in East Asia HIST3111
OR Chinese-related MLAC dissertation (Double) CHNS3042
And 20 credits from modules offered in Anthropology, Economics, Geography, History, Law, MELA,
SGIA and Theology
CENTRE FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDIES
For students whose programme regulations enable them to study only ONE module of core language in isolation, the
following modules in French, German, Japanese, Mandarin and Spanish are available through the School‘s
Centre for Foreign Language Study:
LEVEL 1
BSL
British Sign language 1 # MLAN1081
French
Beginners‘ French # MLAN1041

French in its context # MLAN1071
French for Engineers # MLAN1091
French for International Affairs # MLAN1101
Advanced French # MLAN1111
German
Beginners‘ German # MLAN1031

German in its context # MLAN1061
German in its context for Scientists# MLAN1131
37
Japanese
Beginner‘s Japanese # MLAN1121
Mandarin
Beginners‘ Mandarin # MLAN1021
Spanish
Beginners‘ Spanish # MLAN1011

Spanish in its context # MLAN1051
LEVEL 2
BSL
British Sign language 2 # MLAN2081
French
French language consolidation # MLAN2041

French in its context 2 # MLAN2071
German
German language consolidation MLAN2031

German in its context 2 MLAN2061
Mandarin
Mandarin language consolidation # MLAN2021
Spanish
Spanish language consolidation MLAN2011

Spanish in its context 2 MLAN2051
LEVEL 3
BSL
British Sign language 3 MLAN3011
French
French in its context 3 MLAN3021
Mandarin
Mandarin in its context 2 MLAN3151
NB: The modules offered in CFLS are NOT available to students on the BA Modern Languages programme (R000)
# These modules must be passed at 40% in order to progress to the next level of the language
38
3. ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES FOR THE PROGRAMME
First year (Preliminary Honours)
All Core Language modules and MLAC Options will be summatively assessed, using a variety of methods (see Arts
Faculty Handbook and module guides for details). If you are studying only one MLAC language, you will also be
assessed in the modules you take in department(s) outside MLAC. You will have an oral examination in each language
studied.
If you obtain a mark of at least 40% in each module you will pass your Preliminary Honours Examination and proceed
to your second year. If you obtain a mark lower than 40% in any module, you must resit only those components of
the module in which the score is below 40%, once only, in the following August/September. After resit, you will be
allowed to carry one module mark of between 35% - 39%, if the module is not a pre-requisite for your second year of
study, and will progress to Level 2 of the Ordinary stream. Failure to obtain a mark of at least 40%, after resit, for any
core language module will result in exclusion from the affected language. The maximum module mark you may obtain
at resit is 40%.
If you do not pass your Preliminary Honours Examination, having exhausted your right to resit, you will be required to
withdraw from the University.
The marks awarded for your Preliminary Honours Examination will not count towards the final classification of your
degree.
Disclosure of marks: you will be told the overall mark you have obtained for each module at an end-of-term progress
review. Marks will also be available electronically via the web.
Second Year (Final Examination Part I)
If you obtain a mark of at least 40% in each module you will pass your Part I Honours Examination and proceed to
your year abroad
. Students will be given the opportunity to resit up to three failed Part 1 modules. If you were transferred in to the
Level 2 Ordinary stream at the end of your preliminary year, having failed one module with a mark of between 35%-
39%, passing all modules at the end of your second year will result in your being reinstated onto the Honours
programme in your final year. If you obtain a mark lower than 40% in any module, you may resit only those
components of the module in which the score is below 40%, once only, in the following August/September. The
maximum module mark you may obtain at resit is 40%. The following rules will apply to progression at Part I:
If you fail more than the equivalent of four single modules, no resits will be allowed and you will leave the
University with the award of a Certificate
If you fail the equivalent of four single modules, you may resit only three of these modules and, if these are
passed at resit, you will be transferred to the Level 3 Ordinary stream in your final year, carrying one Part I
fail mark
If you fail the equivalent of three single modules, you will be permitted to resit all three modules and, if these
are passed at resit, you will continue in the Level 3 Honours stream; failure of one of these modules will
result in your being transferred to the Level 3 Ordinary stream in your final year, carrying one Part I fail mark
Failure to obtain a mark of at least 40%, after resit, for any core language module will result in exclusion from
the affected language
If you do not pass your Part I examination (i.e. failing two or more modules), having exhausted your right to
resit, you will be required to withdraw from the University with the award of a Certificate
Disclosure of marks: You will be given your module marks orally in an interview with a member of academic staff.
Marks will also be available to you electronically via the web. Official transcripts of marks are not available at the end
of the second year but may be obtained from the Examinations Department at the end of the final year on payment of
the appropriate fee (currently £12.00 for first original and £2.00 for each additional original).
Third Year (the Year Abroad)

Details about assessment of the Year Abroad can be found in the School‘s Year Abroad Handbook which is available
on the YA Assessment course on duo
39
Fourth and Final Year (Final Examination Part II)
Your degree is classified in respect of 12 modules. Performance in the six modules studied in the second year will be
weighted as 40% of the final aggregate, and the six modules studied in the final year as 60%.
Note: Final-year (Level 3) compulsory language modules will consist of an interview in the target language about
your Year Abroad counting for 25% of the total module marks, a written examination counting for 50% of the total,
and an oral examination counting for 25 %. Students who achieve a mean average of 70% or over across the two oral
components of their final year examinations will be awarded a distinction in the spoken language.
The Honours classification of any individual student will be determined as outlined below:
First Class Honours are to be awarded to a student who achieves an arithmetic mean of 70% or greater.
Second Class Honours (First Division) are prima facie to be awarded to a student who achieves an arithmetic mean of
at least 60% but less than 70%.
Second Class Honours (Second Division) are prima facie to be awarded to a student who achieves an arithmetic mean
of at least 50% but less than 60%.
Third Class Honours are prima facie to be awarded to a student who achieves an arithmetic mean of at least 40% but
less than 50%.
Additionally, the following rules will also be applied:
Any student transferred to the Ordinary degree programme at the end of Level 2 may be awarded an
Honours degree, if all modules are passed at the end of the final year
Any student who has accumulated failures in more than three single modules will leave the University with
the award of a Diploma
Any student failing up to three single modules will be awarded an Ordinary Degree
Any student failing up to two single non-core language modules at Level 3 will be awarded an Honours
degree if marks of 35% - 39% are achieved in these modules, and an average of at least 40% over all modules
for that level of study is achieved
Any student who fails to achieve marks of at least 40% in one or two single core language modules at Level 3
will be awarded an Ordinary degree
The Examiners reserve the right to exercise their discretion in cases where appropriate medical evidence has been
submitted to the Chairman/Chairwoman prior to the Examiners‘ meeting.
Disclosure of marks: You may obtain your marks orally from any member of the full-time academic staff who is a
member of the Board of Examiners. Marks will also be made available to you electronically via the web. One copy of
your official transcripts of marks and your degree parchment are produced automatically following graduation and
sent to your permanent address. Additional transcripts are charged at the appropriate fee (currently £12.00 for first
original and £2.00 for each additional original); replacement parchments are available at a cost of £23.50.
Degree certificate: The degree awarded will be that of BA Honours in Modern Languages, and the degree certificate
will mention each of the subjects in which the final-year Core Language Module has been examined in the final year. If
you obtain a distinction in your oral examination at the end of your final year, the degree certificate will include a
statement to that effect. A language started at beginners‘ level in your second year will not be one of the languages
mentioned on your degree certificate, since the examinations taken in your final year will be for second-year modules.
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STUDY SKILLS
Independent Learning and Time Management
The main aim of this guide is to help you to improve your study skills and engage in effective independent learning.
The main difference between school and university is that you are expected to take far more personal responsibility
for your academic work, much of which will be undertaken outside the classroom. Lecturers and tutors are there to
provide help and guidance, but ultimately can only point you in the direction of success. You need to discover how to
exploit the multiple resources offered by Durham University so as to gain the fullest benefit from them. There are
more technical descriptions of the skills developed by the degree programme and relevant assessment criteria in the
School handbook.
You are already aware of the importance of managing and balancing the conflicting demands on your time at
university. This is not, however, simply a question of dividing up the day between work and play. There will be periods
when you will have to work intensely to complete an important assignment, for example, or to prepare for an
examination. You will always need to plan your time well ahead, entering commitments and deadlines in your diary or
planner. Time management involves constantly setting and, if necessary, revising priorities so that you can create the
circumstances in which you can produce your best work. Be sure that you have an appropriate study space that is
conducive to efficient working practices and free from distractions.
It is also important to bear in mind the fact that at University you are expected to devote most of your time to
independent work. Attending lectures and tutorials and completing assignments are minimal requirements. You are
expected to do extra reading around your subject(s) in order to allow you to extend your knowledge of the particular
aspects of the languages and cultures that you are studying, to extend your range of knowledge and experience in the
subject in general, and to consolidate what you are learning. This independent work is particularly important for
students of modern languages. It does not simply involve reading the supplementary works recommended in the
module guide, though this is, of course, essential. Until you go on your year abroad, you will be working and living in
an almost exclusively anglophone environment which provides you with few opportunities outside the classroom to
practise your language skills and to absorb in a natural way the culture that you are studying. You should take every
opportunity to speak, read and listen to the language (through radio, TV, the Internet, newspapers, magazines) and be
sure to join the language societies and informal conversation groups, which provide you with opportunities to
communicate in the language(s) that you are studying.
The University assumes that successful completion of each module requires 200 hours of study in total, contact hours
and independent learning hours added together. Since you are taking six modules in any year, you should spend about
seven hours a week on work for each module (e.g. two hours of classroom time and five hours of reading and
preparation of assignments); that is, over two-thirds at least of your time is likely to be private study and learning
outside the classroom during term time, with a reduced level of personal study in vacations.
Reading and Note-Taking
The importance of background reading as an essential part of your programme has already been emphasised. It is
equally important that the reading that you do should be as efficient and productive as possible. You should give
priority, of course, to the works on supplementary reading lists provided by your tutors. Do not hesitate to ask your
tutors for advice and comment on the reading lists provided so that you can concentrate on the significant items that
relate to the work that you are currently covering in the module and plan your reading programme purposefully. You
should also follow up on any suggestions made in lectures for further reading.
There are, of course, different types of reading. At times you will only need to scan a work to see if it could be of use
to you, concentrating on the introduction, the contents page and the index, only reading more attentively the part or
parts that relate directly to your course or assignment. A more focused form of reading is to skim a text, reading
quickly to get the main point(s) or to find sections that you should read more carefully (the first and last sentence of
each paragraph is a good way to do this). Most of the time, however, you should develop the habit of active reading,
making clear notes on the main facts and ideas that you encounter, highlighting (only on your own copy) any significant
passages, summarising main arguments in your notes. Pay particular attention to the navigational hints that an author
includes: e.g. ‗There are three advantages to this system...‘, ‗One particularly significant cause of ...‘.
Make sure that you record precise bibliographical details of all sources (including page numbers), so that you can easily
provide proper references when you use material in an essay.
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You should pay careful attention not only to what the critical and theoretical texts you consult say but also to how
they say it. The more examples of academic discourse you see, the better you will get at articulating the kinds of
arguments and analyses that you are expected to produce.
When you are reading in the target language, you may well come across on every page several words and expressions
that you do not understand. If you are having difficulty grasping even the general sense of a text, instead of looking up
every word in a dictionary, try to distinguish between, on the one hand, key words and phrases that you need to find
in order to be able to understand the main drift of the text and, on the other hand, less essential details that you can
pass over for the time being since they may well recur and their meaning will become apparent from the context.
Remember that your ability to understand a text is cumulative. The more you read, the more you will understand.
Along with the reading that you do, lectures are the most valuable source of information and insight on your subject.
Since the lectures are likely to be highly concentrated learning experiences, you should do all you can to derive
maximum benefit from them. You should prepare for a lecture by thoroughly familiarising yourself with the
preliminary outline or information relating to the lecture that has been made available to you by DUO or in the
module booklet. You should be mentally alert, well-briefed and ready to take notes during the lecture. (Avoid the
temptation to browse internet sources of any kind, daydream, sleep or whisper to neighbours, since such behaviour is
obviously self-defeating and also offensive to both lecturer and other students.) If the lecture is part of a series, review
your notes from previous lectures. Make sure that your lecture notes are clearly set out and legible so that they will
be of use to you for revision. Major points should be highlighted. Any names, dates or other factual information of
which you are uncertain should be marked so that you can verify them in reference works after the lecture. Do not
try to write down everything that the lecturer says. Listen for signposts to structure (to help you organise your notes)
and to significance (to help you discriminate between the most important and the less important features of the
lecture).
After the lecture, do not be afraid to ask the lecturer for clarification on anything that you did not understand. The
lecturer will appreciate your interest. You can also raise questions about matters touched upon in a lecture at the
tutorials or seminars that follow. Be sure to review your lecture notes while the lecture is still fresh in your mind,
highlighting the main points (to reinforce what you have been able to learn), revising the notes, if necessary, and filling
any gaps, so that they can be put to good use in future assignments or examinations. Time permitting, you may find it
useful to word-process notes taken from lectures or books, since this can be a good way of assimilating and organising
your material. Please note that the University has strict regulations on the recording, use and dissemination of lectures
and other forms of presentation, which are contained in an annexe to this Handbook.
Using the Library
The University Library with its large collection of books, learned journals and online facilities is, in conjunction with
your college library, your major academic resource and you should use it as often as possible. You will almost
certainly have had a guided tour of the Library's facilities and collections. But you should still spend some time ‗finding
your way around the Library‘: locating the sections containing books that relate to your subject, finding the relevant
journals in your subject, identifying the reference books that you will need. Some of the recommended books on your
reading lists may be in the reserve collection with limited availability or there may be only one copy of a key text in
the Library. You should therefore read the recommended works as early as possible to avoid the disappointment of
not having them available to you when working on an assignment. In general, take time also simply to browse in the
Library. Apart from the books and articles that you will find for pleasure, you will inevitably come across materials
that will enrich your knowledge and provide insights into your area of study or into the precise topic with which you
are currently dealing for an assignment. Many useful books can be found in sections of the Library outside Modern
Languages (history, linguistics, film, etc.). Be aware that books on loan or located in Stockton can easily be recalled and
that popular books are usually available in the reserve collection; in addition, you can use the online catalogue to
search for other related books if the one you want has been borrowed. Periodicals are another good source of
information and often underused. The Library is your academic home from home and it is essential to know your way
around it if you aspire to good results. And remember: Even today, far from everything is online, a Google search is
not enough!
Seminars and Tutorials
We manage to maintain in most modules some small-group teaching through seminars and tutorials. Seminars tend to
consist of a larger number of students (e.g. 15-20) and to be rather more formal than tutorials, which may bring
together 2-8 students. These gatherings give you the opportunity to play an active role in the learning process and you
are expected to contribute positively in the discussions that take place in them. The whole purpose of the seminar or
42
tutorial is undermined if students do not participate actively with arguments, ideas, information, questions. A seminar
should not turn into a mini lecture or dialogue between the tutor and a minority of students; if it does, it is usually
because the other group members are poorly prepared and unable or unwilling to contribute their fair share to the
discussion. You should not only take part in the discussions planned for these meetings but you should make
suggestions to your tutor on topics and questions to be discussed. Your initiatives are not only welcome but are
essential to the success of the seminar/tutorial system.
It is important to prepare for a seminar/tutorial by doing whatever preliminary reading you have been asked to do and
by preparing notes and questions. Take additional notes on key ideas, information and arguments that emerge from
the session. Do not hesitate to disagree with your fellow students by tactfully criticising weak arguments and defective
logic. In these sessions you are developing skills that are highly valued in graduates: an ability to analyse a line of
reasoning, to identify flaws in an argument, to present an argument clearly, coherently and persuasively. The sort of
communication skills practised in seminars and tutorials are in great demand. When other students are doing
presentations, note down questions and queries that can be raised in the ensuing discussion.
Please note that there are strict regulations governing the recording, use and dissemination of of lectures, seminars
and presentations of any kind held in the University. See the annexe at the end of this Handbook.
Presentations
Some students are nervous about talking in front of an audience, either because they are naturally diffident or because
they are afraid of making mistakes in public. However, giving presentations is one of the skills that both lecturers and
employers expect graduates to have mastered. You should take advantage of the opportunity to practise the skill and
to overcome your nervousness. Regard it as a performance, one that you can thoroughly rehearse. Preparation and
practice will build your confidence and make it easier for you to tackle further presentations when you are called
upon to perform.
Prepare your presentation in several stages. Be sure of your objectives and research the topic as you would for a
written assignment. Unless you are very confident, you should not rely on the inspiration of the moment. Be sure that
you are aware of the time limit and the format of the presentation. Note down the main points that you wish to
make, remembering that in a 10-minute talk, for example, you will only be able to make about three main points. In
order to gain your audience's interest and attention, plan to start with a brief outline of what you wish to say. An
effective technique is to start with an anecdote, a question or contradictory statement to be explored. Prepare a
question or two to ask your audience either to involve them directly in the experience or to prompt discussion of
your presentation at the end. You may wish to prepare a hand-out or some visual aids: make sure that these are
relevant and concise, not too detailed and not too gimmicky. Be sure that you do not have too much material. If you
exceed the time limit, your audience will lose interest. The final stage of preparation is for you to practise your
presentation, checking its length, rehearsing the pace, pitch and articulateness with which you intend to speak.
When you deliver the presentation, adopt a confident (but not arrogant) posture and look as if you are enjoying being
there and doing it, however nervous you may feel inwardly. Do not read from a prepared script, but give an air of
spontaneity to the performance by using cue cards or by highlighting the main points in your prepared notes. Make
eye contact with the audience. Speak clearly, of course, loud enough for everyone to hear, and avoid adopting a
monotonous delivery. Avoid nervous gestures such as fiddling with hands, hair, spectacles, pen. If there is one, do not
try to hide behind the lectern. If you are using a PowerPoint presentation, make sure that you do not talk to the
screen or focus your attention on the computer. The text and visuals that you project should support what you are
saying rather than detract attention from it. Use the slides to emphasise key ideas and clarify the structure of your
presentation, to provide visual illustration where relevant, or perhaps to set out tables or charts of detailed data that
would be difficult for your listeners to absorb aurally. Try to conclude with a statement that goes to the heart of the
matter or, better still, a question that will prompt discussion arising from your presentation.
Acknowledging Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism; Collusion; Multiple Submission
In writing essays, commentaries and dissertations you are expected to draw on information and ideas from a range of
sources. However, you should not be tempted to lift sections from textual or internet sources and pass them off as
your own work. This constitutes plagiarism, a form of cheating, for which there are severe penalties (see the
sections on Plagiarism above). Plagiarism is academically fraudulent, is considered to be a dishonest practice and
constitutes an offence against University discipline requirements. All summative assessed work is analysed by
plagiarism detection software, and all suspected cases are investigated. The penalties for plagiarism range from being
awarded a mark of 0% for the module concerned to being expelled from the University. You therefore must identify
with an appropriate reference in your text the source of any ideas that have contributed to your work. You do not
43
need to do so for matters of common knowledge (e.g. the date of the battle of Waterloo) nor for material presented
to you in lectures. But you must identify the source of detailed statistics, original interpretations of texts or events,
and theoretical statements on which you base your own arguments. Likewise you must identify the source of all
material quoted or referred to, including page numbers. Your sources will appear in your bibliography at the end of
the piece of work. Use the method of referencing set out below. Tutors are experienced in detecting the difference
between the way students tend to write and the way experienced authors write and will soon notice disparities in
style. Cobbling together other people's discourse with your own leads to bad, inconsistent writing; the lack of
coherence will be obvious to your tutor. You should be learning how to produce appropriate academic discourse by
paying careful attention to the style of the published work you read, but this must not involve recycling other people‘s
material. In fact, plagiarising makes your writing worse. Thus, follow the simple rule: if the words or ideas are not
yours, you must cite your source. If you do so, your writing will read better; your tutor will be better able to
judge your work and help you to improve it; you will develop your own writing style.
Collusion is defined as working with one or more other students to produce work which is then presented as one's
own in a situation in which this is inappropriate or not permitted and/or without acknowledging the collaboration.
Collusion is just as serious as plagiarism, and easily discernible by experienced examiners, attentive to inexplicable
variations in the level of students‘ performance in both language and content work.
Multiple submission is defined as as the inappropriate submission of the same or substantially the same work of
one's own for summative assessment, in connection with an academic award. Multiple submission will be penalised. In
extreme cases, multiple submission may be classed as a dishonest practice under Section IV, 5 (a) (x) of the General
Regulations and may lead to expulsion. Any student work may be uploaded to a plagiarism detection system, such as
that operated by JISC, at the discretion of the Department concerned if multiple submission is suspected. The system
may also be used routinely to screen work for multiple submission: for this purpose students are required to sign a
declaration at registration authorising the uploading of their work onto the system. (See General Regulation VIII:
www.dur.ac.uk/resources/university.calendar/volumei/current/regs.examinations.pdf)
The penalties for plagiarism or collusion range from massive reductions of the mark, to being awarded a mark of 0%
for the module concerned, to being expelled from the University.
You should be aware that all cases of plagiarism, collusion and multiple submission will be recorded in your annual
reports, which form the basis of any references written for prospective employers. Most employers expect referees
to comment on the honesty and integrity of applicants, which means that plagiarism --prime examples of dishonest
practice -- can have long-term consequences for your future career.
Summatively Assessed Coursework
Certain modules have summative assessed coursework as part or whole of the assessment of the module. The
relevant module guide will indicate the word limit for the work and the deadline by which it is to be handed in. The
word limit applies to the text and the footnotes, including any quotations or translations in the body of
the text, but not the bibliography or appendices (if used). You may go over the word limit by 5% without incurring
penalties. Exceeding the word-limit by more than 5% will incur penalties as follows:
more than 5% and up to 10% over limit: lose five percentage points
11 to 20% over limit: lose ten percentage points
21 to 30% over limit: lose twenty percentage points
31% or more over limit: examiners will not mark any part of the work over the limit and will assess
candidates only on the part of the work within the required word length.
Please note that Turnitin makes it easy for tutors to check word-counts, and those found to have been
dishonest will be penalised under the University regulations governing dishonest practice (cf. section
on Plagiarism and Collusion, above).
There is no penalty for writing less than the word limit, but you should note that the number of words specified is
considered to represent the length of essay that will treat the topic adequately and allow full demonstration of the
learning outcomes.
Deadlines constitute the latest possible day on which any assessed work can be handed in. To avoid last-minute
panics or problems with computers/printers, you are advised to hand in your work one or two days before the
deadline.
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All summatively assessed work is marked anonymously. At the start of the Michaelmas Term, you will be given your
University anonymous examination number by email. When you are ready to hand in summatively assessed work, you
can either collect a coversheet from the School Office (A58) or print one from duo. This sheet, which lists
information such as name, anonymous number, college, title of assessment and a declaration that the work is your
own, must be completed and handed in with your work. Each page of the work itself is identified by your anonymous
examination number only.
Two hard copies of your coursework (including two copies of any appendices) should be taken to the School Office
(A58) where you will date-stamp the coversheet only using the electronic dating machine, paperclip the coversheet to
the front of your work and place it in the appropriate language basket. Only hard copies of work will be accepted. E-
mail, fax, CD, DVD, data-sticks (etc) will not. Additionally, a copy of your work – which must be identical to the hard
copy -- must be submitted electronically on duo into the coursework drop box under the relevant module. You
should submit this on the same day as and before handing in your work to the School Office and need only include the
body of the text, footnotes and bibliography, not appendices. You MUST submit the receipt from the successful
submission of your work onto duo with your essay. Failure to this will result in a mark of zero being awarded. Full
details of how to use coursework drop boxes are available on duo along with details of coursework format.
Baskets of coursework and duo drop boxes are sorted on a daily basis, and coursework which is submitted after the
given deadline will be identified by support staff and ‗LATE‘ (along with the date of receipt) written across the top of
the work.
In accordance with institutional policy, MLAC awards a mark of zero for late work unless evidence of good cause is
provided, such as illness (substantiated by a medical certificate). Normally such evidence should be provided in
advance of the deadline. Computer error will not normally be accepted as a legitimate reason for the late submission
of work, so you should ensure that you keep adequate backups of all work. Candidates requiring a deadline extension
must obtain written permission from the Chairman/woman of the Board of Examiners, via the School Manager.
Individual examiners and teachers may not grant extensions on their own initiative.
Normally an extension is granted where circumstances demonstrably beyond the control of the student have
prevented him/her from handing in the work. If a new deadline has been agreed it will be communicated to you in
writing by the Examinations Secretary on the advice of the Chairman/woman of the Board of Examiners and a copy
will be kept on your file.
Presentation of Summative Work

When presenting summative work for assessment you are required to follow the conventions outlined below, which
apply to commentaries, essays and dissertations.
Some General Rules

Assignments should be word-processed with double or 1.5 spacing, wide margins (at least 2.5 cm on all sides) and
printed on both sides of the paper (think green!). Pages should be numbered and stapled together, with your
candidate number on every page. Provide an accurate word count at the end of your text, including footnotes and
quotations within the text (but excluding title or question and bibliography). The (correct) title of your assignment
should be centred at the beginning of your work. Obey the word limit for the assignment scrupulously (exceeding the
maximum leads to penalties, as set out above). Give a reference for quotations and other sources used.
Bibliography and Bibliographical References

These serve two purposes:
1) to acknowledge the source of significant ideas and arguments that you use in your assignment. This is not
necessary for questions of common knowledge (e.g. that Flaubert was the author of Madame Bovary), but it
is dishonest practice to pass off ideas that you have borrowed as your own (see the section on plagiarism
above). All academic work builds on the work of earlier scholars, and accurately acknowledging this earlier
work is a central aspect of academic writing.
2) to indicate the source of quotations.
One of the aims of the degree in Modern Languages is to train you in the effective presentation of your written work,
following the conventions of academic writing. This is a valuable skill, since most graduate professions will require you
to write reports or other documents using a specific house style or set of conventions. It is important that you learn
to apply such conventions consistently and accurately. In the following, please take note of the precise format in which
references are to be presented, including punctuation and italicisation. As you know, the marking criteria include
presentational issues. The ability to reference correctly and provide a comprehensive bibliography will be considered
as part of the overall presentation of your work.
45
All references to primary and secondary texts should be given using the so-called author-date system. Books, articles,
and other sources are referred to using the author, date of publication, and page number only. The bibliography
should be presented in strict surname alphabetical order. References should be incorporated into the body of your
text. Do not use footnotes for referencing your sources.
References should take the form:
(Barthes 1970: 59) or (Buck-Morss 1989: 60)
Full references are then provided in a bibliography at the end of your essay. In the case of books, the bibliography
should include the author, date of publication, title and subtitle (in italics), place of publication, and publisher. In your
bibliography, the above references would appear as:
Barthes, Roland (1970), S/Z, Paris: Seuil.
Buck-Morss, Susan (1989), The Dialectics of Seeing: Walter Benjamin and the Arcades Project, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Articles from journals should include the author, date, title of the article, title of the periodical (in italics), volume
number of the periodical, and page-span, as follows:
Fritzsche, Peter (2005), ‗The Archive‘, History and Memory, 17, 15-44.
Presner, Todd Samuel (2004), ‗―What a Synoptic and Analytic View Reveals‖: Extreme History and the Modernism of
W. G. Sebald‘s Realism‘, Criticism, 46, 341-60.
Chapters from edited collections should be listed as follows:

Cartwright, Lisa (1995), ‗Gender Artifacts: Technologies of Bodily Display in Medical Culture‘, in Lynne Cook and
Peter Wollen (eds), Visual Display: Culture Beyond Appearances, Seattle: Bay Press, pp. 219-35.
Harley, J. B. (1992), ‗Deconstructing the Map‘, in Trevor J. Barnes and James S. Duncan (eds), Writing Worlds: Discourse,
Texts and Metaphor in the Representation of Landscape, London: Routledge, pp. 231-47.
Note that when referring to such chapters, you use the name of the author of the particular chapter and not
the editor(s) of the volume. So the above chapters would be referenced as (Cartwright 1995: 224) and (Harley 1992:
245).
Newspaper articles should be listed as follows:

Romer, Stephen (2002), ‗Beyond Strangeways‘, The Guardian, 6 July.
Note that it is not necessary to give page numbers for newspaper articles.
Films should be listed as follows:
Fellini, Federico (dir) (1973), Amarcord, Italy: FC Prodizioni.
Lang, Fritz (dir) (1927), Metropolis, Germany: UFA.
TV and Radio Broadcasts should be listed as follows:

Zeeman, Michael (1998), Kamer mit Uitzicht – Max Sebald, Peter Nadas, dir. Antoinette Grote Gansey. VPRO,
Netherlands. Broadcast on 12 July.
Sound Recordings should be listed as follows:

Schoenberg, Arnold (2001), String Quartet No. 1, Schoenberg Quartet. Audio recording: Chandos 9939(5).
Thomas, Dylan (1992), Under Milk Wood, read by Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce. Audio recording: LPF 7667.
Note that the date refers to the date of the recording, not the date of composition or publication.
Websites are the only exception to the author-date rule. Include in your bibliography as much of the following as can
be determined: author of the content, title of the page, title or owner of the site, and date accessed:
Mitchelmore, Stephen, ‗A Thwarted Empathy: Austerlitz, by W. G. Sebald‘. Spike Magazine.
http://www.spikemagazine.com/1201sebald.php (accessed 15 June 2007).
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When quoting websites, refer to the author of the page if possible:
‗The conservative literary establishment admire the style out of nostalgia, while younger writers like Salman
Rushdie reject it out of concern for the future‘ (Mitchelmore).
If the page author is not named, include a reference to the URL.
Blogs should be referenced as follows:
Pearson, Peter, comment on ―The New American Dilemma: Illegal Immigration,‖ The Becker-Posner Blog, comment
posted March 6, 2006,
http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/archives/2006/03/the_new_america.html#c080052 (accessed March 28, 2006)
NB: Do not use footnotes for providing bibliographical references. You should incorporate references to
your sources in the running text of your assignment. The following are all possible:
Walter Benjamin ‗opened up to philosophical understanding the phenomenon of fashion that is specific to
capitalist modernity‘ (Buck-Morss 1989: 97).
As Buck-Morss notes, Benjamin ‗opened up to philosophical understanding the phenomenon of fashion that is
specific to capitalist modernity‘ (1989: 97).
Buck-Morss (1989) analyses Benjamin‘s contribution to the philosophy of fashion, and argues that he was the
first to open fashion up to philosophical understanding (97).
Note that the author name and/or date need not be repeated if they can be unambiguously deduced from the context.
Writing an Essay
An essay is not only a test of your comprehension of a particular aspect of the curriculum or of your appreciation of a
particular work of art. It is primarily an opportunity for you to investigate a problem or a topic, to reflect upon it, to
read about it and to communicate in a lucid and coherent manner your own ideas on the topic, informed by your
reading. It is an exercise in self-tuition under guidance. At its best it will turn out to be a well thought-out piece of
criticism; at its worst it will be a mere rehash of other opinions.
The purpose of a literary essay, for example, is not to find out if you have read the text, if you know the plot or have
responded sympathetically to the characters' actions. Thus information about the text (or film)–plot summary,
character sketches, historical details–should be kept to a minimum. What interests the reader (i.e. your tutor or the
examiner) is your ability to analyse the text, to construct a coherent argument about the text, to discuss the
particular problem that the essay title invites you to consider. An essay which contains a lot of narrative in response
to a question that requires discussion or elucidation leaves the reader to do the interpreting and suggests a lack of
understanding of the question and of its key terms. The predominant feature of the essay should be the line of
development of the stages of your argument and not the narrative sequence of the text itself.
Before you begin to plan and write the essay, you should first of all read around the topic, not only as widely as you
can, but, more importantly, as relevantly as possible, all the while thinking of the implications of the question. An
important part of the preparation of an essay is to investigate the precise meaning of the key terms that you will be
required to use. Words and expressions like hero, irony, point of view, structure have many shades of meaning. The
success of your own argument may depend upon a clear understanding of the ambiguities of such terms. Note that
looking up complex terms in a dictionary is rarely enough: a proper definition will require reference to a more
specialised source.
Essay topics are, of course, infinitely varied, but they do tend to fall into two basic categories:
1. Topics that state a problem or a controversial opinion relating to the text, film, or subject under consideration,
inviting you to discuss its implications. Since there will inevitably be a contradictory view contained (perhaps
implicitly) in the question, you are expected to treat the topic in its complexity. The facets of your argument will
provide a ready-made structure for your essay.
2. The more straightforward topics which invite you to analyse a feature of a literary work or other cultural
product (e.g. the use of a particular technique or representation of a particular issue). Essays on this type of
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topic will tend to consist of two major phases: (a) definition and demonstration: explaining the precise nature of
the feature concerned and illustrating its presence in the text; (b) interpretation: discussing its relevance to the
interpretation of the text.
When you have thought through the implications of the question and completed your preliminary reading, you are
ready to draw up a plan. This is an essential stage in the process of writing an essay. The plan need not be highly
detailed, but it should make clear the function of each part of the essay and, importantly, make clear how you intend
to proceed from one part to another. This will ensure that you avoid clumsy transitions and unnecessary digressions.
The essay must start with an introduction, which should primarily be an introduction to your argument, setting out
how you see the problem (briefly including contextual information about author, text or topic which is relevant to
your argument) and indicating the approach you will take. You should avoid any kind of conclusive statement at this
stage. An essay which has its conclusion in the introduction does not maintain the reader's interest. The best essay
strategy is to keep arguments and evidence until it is appropriate to include them. The reader should have the
impression that your essay is leading somewhere and, when reaching the conclusion, the impression that a problem
has been clearly, adequately, consequentially, coherently solved.
When writing up your essay, always stick to the point, avoiding clichés, jargon, buzz words, and colloquial forms of
expression. Remember that the main task is not to reproduce a lot of information but to construct a logical argument
in response to the question, supported by carefully selected information and views (suitably acknowledged) from
relevant sources and your own analysis and arguments. Be ruthless, therefore, with the inessential. Be sure that you
are following to the letter the guidelines outlined above. Remember also that correct punctuation, a neat lay-out and a
scrupulous respect for word-length will give added value to your piece of work. Once you have produced a final draft,
read your essay carefully for any factual or grammatical mistakes. Look out, in particular, for obscurities of meaning,
especially if you are writing in the target language. There may be turns of phrase that seem clear to you but which will
seem obscure or convoluted to the reader. Review the essay when you have received feedback from your tutor and
do not hesitate to seek clarification on any corrections or comments that you do not understand.
Writing a Literary Commentary
The commentary is an exercise which requires you to analyse a short passage in detail and demonstrate that you are
aware of two things: (1) the possible meanings of the text in relation to the work as a whole; (2) how the text
generates meanings through the particular way it is constructed. Thus, one aspect of the commentary will be thematic,
analysing what is said and represented; the other aspect is formal, involving a study of the style, rhetoric, strategies,
and subterfuges of the text.
Before beginning your commentary you should read the text several times, looking up any words or cultural allusions
that you do not understand, reflecting upon the overall meaning and effect of the passage, working out the logic of the
passage, i.e. its internal development or structure. Whether the passage is in prose or verse, you should constantly
ask yourself the question ‗How is the writer using language in this text to what particular effects in order to
persuade/move/enlighten me about what?‘
After you have become thoroughly acquainted with the text, you should be able to approach the writing of the
commentary with confidence. The commentary traditionally falls into the following sections:
1. Introduction. Start with a very brief overview of the passage (its major themes and techniques) in a couple of
sentences and place the passage within the context of the text as a whole (and, if necessary, in relation to what
immediately precedes and follows the passage). This should give you an opportunity to say something about the
general significance of the passage. Is it a turning-point? Does it introduce a new character or a new development
in the plot? If the passage is a complete poem, indicate how it relates to the collection from which it is taken. If
there is some biographical information essential to the meaning of the passage/poem and relevant to your
analysis, it can be briefly outlined in this introductory section (e.g. the death of the poet's mistress). This
introduction leads the reader into the analysis by way of the external context.
2. Overall analysis. Moving intrinsically into the text, this second section fulfils two functions. Firstly, it provides you
with the opportunity to state what the passage is about in general and to comment on the general tone of the
passage. Secondly, it allows you to demonstrate how the text is organised as a whole. If, for example, it is a
description, you can indicate how it is organised (external to internal/head to toe/body to soul/etc). If the passage
is in verse, you should comment here upon the formal features of the poem: the rhyme scheme (if it follows a set
pattern), the types and variations of line, the category of poem to which it belongs (sonnet, ballad, ode, etc).
3. Detailed analysis. This is the main body of the commentary: a detailed analysis of the significant individual features
of the passage. You should group together commentary on the different aspects of the text in order to avoid
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repetition. You might organise the commentary according to the constituent parts of the passage that you have
already defined. Comment in detail on the writer's use of linguistic, stylistic, rhetorical or dramatic effects and on
the significance of these effects. Among the various aspects to look out for are: sentence structure and its
variations; key words and phrases and their qualities (abstract/concrete; archaic/neologisms; technical/
vague/precise); figurative language (use of metaphors, similes, personifcation, oxymoron, allegory, irony, etc);
rhetorical devices for forcing the reader's attention (exclamation, apostrophe, rhetorical questions, etc.); the
implied reader to whom the text seems to be addressed; strategies of persuasion and argumentation; interesting
grammatical features; sounds (assonance, alliteration, onomatopoeia, etc). You should not, of course, comment
on every word in the passage, which would lead you to give as much weight to the trivial as to the significant.
Concentrate on analysing the important characteristics of the passage and the meaningful effects that they
generate. Remember that you are writing a commentary. It is not enough to state that this or that
word/image/expression/feature is to be found in the text; you need to attempt to explain why and to what effect.
4. Conclusion. End with a brief paragraph assessing what the passage has achieved and what it adds to your
understanding of the text. You may also (or alternatively) end with an evaluation of the text from the perspective
of a twenty-first century reader (in Britain). Or you may draw a revealing comparison with another work of a
similar kind. Whatever your emphasis, your commentary should reveal a coherent approach and argument, and
avoid simply itemising features from the extract.
You should use the line numbers to refer to details from the text. Be sure that you are following to the letter
the guidelines for the Presentation of Essay-Type Assignments outlined in the School Handbook. Be sure also to
respect the guidelines relating to word limits.
Writing a Film Commentary
Film commentary involves the detailed analysis of a short clip from a longer film. The purpose of a film commentary is
basically the same as that of a literary commentary: you need to demonstrate awareness of (1) the meanings of the
extract concerned in relation to the work as a whole, and (2) how visual and auditory aspects construct meaning
within the extract itself. As in a literary commentary, your analysis must pay attention not only to what is said and
shown, but to the filmic strategies and style through which the ‗content‘ is presented.
The first step is to watch the entire film from beginning to end, and then to watch the extract in question several
times. Make sure that you understand the dialogue. Reflect, too, on the overall function of the clip, both in its own
terms and in relation to the film as a whole. When thinking about film, make sure that you remain constantly aware of
how the episode is constructed. Despite the cliché that the camera never lies, film is not a transparent ‘window on
the world’. It is always a carefully-made artefact, put together in a certain way in order to produce certain (intended
or unintended) effects. In writing a commentary, you have to take account of this construction, which means paying
attention to cinematography, sound, editing, and other formal features.
Once you are thoroughly acquainted with the extract under consideration, you can begin the process of writing a
commentary. In general, commentaries on film are written in the present tense, and may take the following form:
1. Introduction. Briefly situate the extract in the context of the film as a whole. The relationship between part and
whole might be thematic, structural, or both. In terms of theme, does the extract contribute to the exposition or
development of the themes of the film? Remember in analysing the thematic aspects of the extract that some
modules ask you to concentrate on specific thematic areas. If the module asks you to concentrate on gender,
that is the topic you should address – don‘t get sidetracked into other areas of analysis! In terms of structure,
does the extract contribute to the development of the characters and/or plot? Is it a turning-point? When
considering the structural function of the episode, consider the consequences of the scene for the future
development of the storyline. Keep an eye out for visual clues that might signal future plot developments, for
example a close-up of a knife that will later be used in a murder.
2. Now is the time to start an in-depth analysis of the extract under consideration. Begin by analysing the structure
of the episode, and relating this to the function of the extract in the context of the film as a whole. You can then
move on to a consideration of the formal aspects of the clip. There is no hard-and-fast rule about how to
organise this part of your commentary. You may find it most useful to go through the extract chronologically.
On the other hand, you may find that this results either in repetition, or in merely paraphrasing the content of
the scene. Both of these are to be avoided. It is up to you to organise the material in the most effective way. The
important thing is to comment in detail on the important features of the clip, and to organise your material in
such a way that it allows you to draw substantive conclusions about the extract‘s significance.
49
Things you may wish to consider are:
Spatial setting: How significant is the spatial setting of the episode? Does the setting have a thematic of symbolic
function? Remember that few, if any, details in a film‘s spatial setting are accidental, and many of them will have
thematic/ symbolic meanings. Also, how do characters and setting relate to each other? Are particular settings
associated with particular characters? If so, what is the significance of this?
Camerawork: How do camera movements establish the relationship between the spectator and the spatial world of
the film? Is there an establishing shot to provide a panoramic sense of space, or are medium shots and close-ups used?
Is the camera static or mobile (panning, tilting, using following shots or tracking shots)?
Character: How does camerawork establish relationships between characters, or between characters and the
spectator? Are characters shown in close-up? Are they spatially close to one another or distant from one another?
Does the camera appear to identify the spectator with the perceptions of a specific character, for example through
point-of-view shots? Are characters shown looking at each other? If so, what is the relationship between the bearer of
the gaze and the object of the gaze? Are there moments where a character appears to be directly engaging the gaze of
the audience? If so, what are the consequences?
Dialogue: Comment on the nature of the dialogue (natural or stylised, standard language or slang, etc.), and relate it
to the visual portrayal of character relationships.
Extradiegetic sound: This means sound that comes from outside the represented world of the film, e.g. voice-overs
or music. How is it used (if at all)? And to what effect?
In all cases, make sure that you relate formal devices to the thematic aspects of the film you identify in your
introduction. Remember that it is not enough to note that such-and-such a device is there – you also need to
say why, and to what effect.
Conclusion: In concluding, summarise your findings, linking the concerns of the extract you have analysed to the
overall strategies and thematic concerns of the film – and possibly of the module of the whole.
In presenting your work, make sure you follow the guidelines for the Presentation of Essay-Type Assignments in the
School Handbook, and respect the word limit.
Preparing for Summative Assessment and Examinations
It is essential to plan your work on summative assignments carefully in advance, ensuring you know exactly what the
assignment involves and when the deadline falls. Since deadlines often come at the same time for different modules, it
is wise to start the planning and research at least a month beforehand, allowing yourself sufficient time to revise drafts
of essays. Bear in mind too that problems with computers and printers are not accepted as an excuse for late
submission. Similarly, you are strongly advised to start exam revision in plenty of time. Last-minute cramming is the
least effective way of preparing for an examination. It is tiring, stressful and can even be counterproductive. Devise a
revision strategy according to the examination timetable and according to the varying demands of the examinations
themselves. Thus a skill-based language examination should require less preparation than an examination in a content
module (on literary, historical or cultural material). Plan to complete your revision a few days in advance of each
examination to allow for illness or unexpected difficulties, as well as to promote in yourself a relaxed and confident
attitude to the examination itself. Part of the revision process is to look through previous examination papers, noting
the types of questions asked. It would be useful to spend some time (but not too much) outlining plans to answer
some of these questions, not in the hope that one of them might reappear but to practise tackling such questions.
Some students find it very useful to spend some time revising with a friend or friends, which could help you to clarify
certain ideas and issues and, of course, reinforce your morale and confidence before the examinations in question.
Heed the advice of those who urge you to eat and sleep well during the examination period. Heed the advice of
college and academic tutors who urge you to check the examination timetable carefully, to be sure that you know
where the examination room is and to arrive there in good time. Some degree of nervousness is natural, even a
positive force, but do not lapse into examination hysteria or panic. Read through the instructions carefully. Calmly
read the questions before you begin and decide which of them you can answer best. Divide the time available strictly
according to the value of each question (e.g. if you have to do a commentary worth 40% and an essay worth 60%,
spend roughly the same proportion of time on each one). Attempt all questions that you are asked to answer. Allow
an appropriate amount of time at the end of the examination so that you can read through your answers and correct
any errors that you find. Bear in mind that a succinct but well-focused answer to an exam question is better than a
rambling, inconclusive attempt to say everything you know about the topic.
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Staff-Student Communication.
You will find that all members of staff, both on the teaching and the administration side, are open and happy to discuss
any administrative or study issues with students. All teaching staff will have a notice of consultation hours - usually two
hours per week, usually one hour per day on two different days - posted on their office door. Teaching staff will also
be glad to make strictly limited individual appointments from 5 to 30 minutes duration to see students outside of the
set hours. In addition, teaching staff are glad to meet students to discuss their formative and assessed work as
indicated at set times of year. A list of brief appointment times will as a rule be posted. Finally, teaching staff are glad
to communicate with students on matters of mutual concern through e-mail in or out of duo. Students should
however be apprised of the fact that e-mail is very time-consuming, that teaching staff are extremely busy during term
time, and will restrict themselves in e-communication to concise and factual replies. Most administrative staff are
happy to see students during normal office hours, save where restrictions are posted on office doors. Remember that
issues about the teaching or organization of a module likely to be of concern to a number of students should be raised
through the Department‘s Staff-Student Consultative Committee.
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Resources
University Library www.dur.ac.uk/library
The University Library (on the Science site, Stockton Road) is the primary source of academic reading matter,
reference books and bibliographical information. You will not be able to rely upon the library for copies of all of
your set texts (you are expected to buy these), but all other reading material recommended to you should be
there. (If it isn‘t, let the lecturer know.) Make sure that you get a copy of the Library Information Pack and take
advantage of an introductory tour. Familiarise yourself with how to use the online catalogue (OPAC) and with the
location of all the resources you need: literary texts and criticism; dictionaries and bibliographies; books on
linguistics, history, sociology; periodicals (current and bound); the Reserve Collection. There is also a large
number of working places in the library, as well as computing facilities.
In recent years, the Library has increasingly become a provider of access to electronic resources, including
periodicals, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, bibliographical databases and past exam papers. Some of these can be
accessed from any computer on the University network, while others must be consulted in the Library. See the
Subject Information webpage (http://www.dur.ac.uk/library/subject/modlang.htm) for a guide to what is available.
Resources in Elvet Riverside

The Elvet Riverside Open Access Area (Room 247 on the first floor, river side, of Elvet Riverside 1) offers a
congenial space for quiet study. The School has copies of dictionaries which you can borrow from A58 for work
between classes in Elvet Riverside. DVDs can also be borrowed from A58 (deposit to be paid).
The School's Year Abroad Room (A57) has information about the Year Abroad, including reports by previous
students about their experiences, information about employment abroad, etc. The School cannot undertake to
find you a job for your year abroad, but you are welcome to browse through whatever material we have
collected. You should also consult the Careers Advisory Service about vacation/year abroad work as well as long-
term careers.
You will also be able to use the School's Dark Room (213) to view recommended videos and DVDs which can be
borrowed from A58.
Centre for Foreign Language Study www.dur.ac.uk/mlac/cfls

The Centre for Foreign Language Study is an integral part of the School of Modern Languages and Cultures and
provides non-degree language courses for all members of the university and the public on Wednesday afternoons
and in the evenings. Enrolment information and a timetable can be found on the CFLS webpage or in the School
office (room A58, 1st floor ER1).
The refurbished Self-Access Centre (rooms A30/31, ground floor ER1) is open to all staff and students of the
University and to members of the public. It offers self-tuition materials in over forty languages, using audio and
video cassettes and live satellite TV. News broadcasts are recorded on a daily basis in English, French, German,
Italian, Russian and Spanish. Computer-assisted language learning programs (CALL), multimedia learning materials,
films and DVDs are also available.
Some of the resources of the Centre will be directly relevant to your studies in Modern Languages: your lecturers
collaborate with the Centre to obtain and develop materials that complement the work you do with them in
classes. Students who experience problems with the Centre or who would like to request learning materials that
are not available, should contact the learning adviser Mary Fender in Room 219, telephone ext. 42241, or e-mail:
mjs.fender@durham.ac.uk .
To use these facilities, you just need to show your Campus Card to the Centre assistant on duty. Those who
require advice on language learning or using the self-access centre should contact the learning adviser.
Opening hours in term time: Monday-Friday, 11 am - 8 pm. Saturday, 10 am - 1 pm.
Vacations: Please ring the School office (0191 334 3420) as opening times vary.
Information and Communications Technology

Word-processing and other ICT skills will be of use to you during your course and after you have graduated, so
the School and the University strongly encourage all students to make the most of the facilities and training
opportunities. You will be required to word-process most of your academic assignments, and all modules in the
ML degree will make some use of the Durham University Online (duo) system, which provides a framework for
52
communication between tutors and students and access to learning materials. A quick start guide for new
students is available at: http://www.dur.ac.uk/ltteam/duo/infopages/student.pdf
Four of the University‘s computer rooms are in Elvet Riverside 1 (in Rooms 150, 151, 156 & 247). All the
computers are connected to the University‘s Networked PC Service, which gives you access to a wide range of
software and allows you to use (free) electronic mail and the World Wide Web. Many college computers are also
connected to these networks. You will receive an information sheet from the Durham University IT Service about
how to access these facilities and training opportunities. You should note that the IT Service is responsible for
providing any general training on IT packages that you may require; module teachers will only provide
instructions/training for any module-specific skills required.
LANGNET: CFLS also runs its own network, LANGNET, which can be accessed from the Centre and from
Room 224. This is linked to the University network but caters specifically to the needs of language learners.
Details of how to register as a user of this network and of how to use it are available from Mrs Fender, the
Centre Administrator.
Word processing
You should find that writing with a computer has benefits apart from just producing text that is much more legible
than your handwriting. You can build up a piece of writing in a non-linear way, leaving sections to be expanded later,
and you can easily make corrections and additions to a first draft. You can even get the computer program to check
your spelling and grammar for you and suggest synonyms (in English or other languages). If you are working on a
group assignment, you can view several contributions on the same screen before stitching them together.
Organising your files

Always save your work as you go along, especially before you try to print.
Keep a backup copy of every document on a secure storage medium (CD-ROM or USB flash memory stick). The
University network or your laptop can fail at any time, and computer failure is not accepted as good cause for late
submission of summative coursework. If your computer crashes and you completely lose the essay you have been
working on for weeks, it is your fault.
Organize your files in folders so that you can find them easily.
Formatting your text

All assignments being handed in for marking, especially language work, must be formatted with double (or 1.5)
line spacing, to allow room for tutors to write in corrections.
Always leave reasonable margins — at least 1" (2.5 cm) left and right.
Font size: you should normally use 12 pt (although 10 pt is OK in Arial).
Punctuation: you must leave a space after , ; : . ? or ! , but not between quotation marks and the ‗words quoted‘.
You can get a long dash (an ‗em dash‘) by holding down the Ctrl and Alt keys and hitting the minus sign at the top
right-hand end of the keyboard.
Use italics for titles of books, plays, films and periodicals; for foreign words that you are using in English (‗the
movida of the 1980s‘, ‗the nouveau roman‘); and (sparingly) for special emphasis.
Put short quotations between quotation marks in the main body of your text. Do not format them in bold or
italics. Anything longer than about three lines should be set out in a separate, indented paragraph (without
quotation marks).
When writing in the target language, all quotations from the target language must be in the target language; if you
quote from sources in other languages (except English) you must translate them into the target language in the
body of the text and give details of the original quotation in a footnote; or directly after the quotation in the text.
If you are typing a list organized in two or more columns, do it as a table. You can then easily adjust the width of
columns, move bits of text from one cell to another, choose whether to have the grid lines drawn in, and even
get the computer to do calculations if you include numbers.
How to get Microsoft Word 2007 to print line numbers in the margin:
Insert a section break (continuous) at the beginning and end of the piece of text you want numbered (otherwise
every line in the document will be numbered). Make sure the cursor is in the section to be numbered. Choose
Page Layout from the bar at the top of the screen. You can just click Line Numbers and select one of the options
offered (Continuous, Restart each page, Restart each section, Suppress for current paragraph). This will number
every line in the section. If you want only every 5 th line to be numbered, click the arrow at the bottom right-hand
corner of the Page Setup box. In the dialogue box that opens up, click the Line Numbers button — Add line
numbering — Count by 5 — OK. Don‘t include any blank lines (paragraphs) in the section to be numbered: they
will be counted too. If you need space between paragraphs, use paragraph formatting (space before/after each
paragraph).
53
Typing foreign characters
In Word, all kinds of symbols and foreign characters can be obtained via Insert — Symbol — (normal text).
You can also load a specific keyboard layout for each language. But it‘s usually easier and quicker to use the Ctrl
key with an apostrophe or ~ before typing the character on which you want an accent to appear.
For an acute accent, use Ctrl + ‘ followed by the lower or upper-case vowel: é É á Á.
For ñ/Ñ: Ctrl+Shift+ ~ followed by n/N.
You can also use ~ with vowels — Portuguese ã/Ã and õ/Õ.
Ctrl with ` (top left of keyboard, next to 1) produces a grave accent: è À.
Ctrl+Shift+ ^ with a vowel produces a circumflex accent: ê Â.
Ctrl with a comma followed by c/C gives ç/Ç.
Ctrl+Shift with a colon gives a diaeresis: ë ü ö.
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+! gives you Spanish ¡. Ctrl+Alt+Shift+? gives you ¿.
Another method of typing accented characters involves using the Alt key with standard DOS codes (this works in
many other applications, including WWW files and e-mail programs):
Make sure NumLock is on. Hold down the Alt key and type one of the following code numbers using the numeric keypad
at the right-hand end of the keyboard
á 160 é 130 í 161 ó 162 ú 163 ñ 164 ¿ 168
Á 181 É 144 Í 214 Ó 224 Ú 233 Ñ 165 ¡ 173
à 133 è 138 ì 141 ò 149 ù 151 ç 135 « 174
À 183 È 212 Ì 222 Ò 227 Ù 235 Ç 128 » 175
â 131 ê 136 î 140 ô 147 û 150 ß 225 ª 166
Â 182 Ê 210 Î 215 Ô 226 Û 234 º 167
ä 132 ë 137 ï 139 ö 148 ü 129 ½ 171
Ä 142 Ë 211 Ï 216 Ö 153 Ü 154 ¼ 172
ã 198 õ 228
Ã 199 Õ 229
Non-Roman Script
The Departments of Arabic, Chinese and Russian offer detailed advice on handling non-Roman scripts in separate
documents available from the Departments internally.
The World Wide Web
The World Wide Web makes available massive amounts of material – text, sound, images and video – which you
can use to support your learning, especially language learning. From any computer connected to the University PC
Network you can access WWW sites all over the world which contain:
Electronic versions of newspapers and specialist journals
Official information about countries, institutions and facilities
Encyclopaedias
Virtual tours of cities, museums and places of interest
Travel information
Information about universities and language schools
Dictionaries and language learning exercises
Library catalogues, online texts and bibliographical databases
Radio and satellite TV programme schedules
Film, TV and music clips
54
Resources produced by lecturers for particular courses
Social networking sites, often used by lecturers to teaching purposes
You should bear in mind that not all websites are suitable as sources of information for academic work: many
pages may contain material that is out of date, inaccurate or biased.
The browser program recommended by the University to find and display WWW pages is Internet Explorer, but
Mozilla Firefox is also available on the Networked PC Service. If you have trouble accessing a site with IE, try
again with Firefox.
You can print out text and images directly from IE or Firefox (just click the Print button), or save them. There are
two ways of saving text:
(a) Select the piece of text you want (drag the mouse over it with the button held down), then choose Edit —
Copy from the menu at the top of the screen (or use the keyboard: Ctrl-C). Open up a word-processing
document and Paste (Ctrl-V) the selection into it.
(b) Save the whole file by choosing File — Save As. You need to confirm the name of the saved file, the drive
to which it is to be saved, and the file type. Microsoft Word can handle HTML files (the format used by the
WWW), but when you edit and save an HTML document in Word there are various complications to do
with formatting tags and linked files (images, etc.). If you just want the text, Save As a Text file (changing
the filename extension to .txt). When you have edited it, save it as an ordinary Word document.
Saving a complete webpage should capture all the images embedded in it; if you want to extract a single image from a
webpage, right-click on it and choose Save Picture As. As with text, confirm the name, drive and file type. Don‘t
change the file type: it should normally be either .jpg or .gif. You can then open the file in a graphics program (Paint
Shop Pro on the University network) and edit or print it, or insert it directly into a Word document.
Three warnings:
Copyright
Material on the WWW is subject to copyright. You should not re-use other people‘s material to
produce anything for public distribution or commercial exploitation without their permission. In some
cases permission to print, copy and re-use material is given on the web page itself; if not, you can
probably request permission by sending an e-mail message to the owner. For detailed guidance, consult
the UK Patent Office‘s Intellectual Property Site at:
http://www.intellectual-property.gov.uk/std/faq/computers.
Plagiarism
For some courses you may be encouraged or required to use material from the WWW as part of your
coursework. Otherwise, you may want to quote from or refer to WWW text in the same way as you
would from a printed source. In either case, you must identify the source: give the full URL as well as the
name of the author (if given) and title of the article and/or the site. Reproducing someone else‘s text
without acknowledging the source is plagiarism — see the University‘s regulations on plagiarism in
Section IV, 2(a) of the General Regulations.
IT Service rules
When you register as a user of IT Service facilities, you agree to a set of regulations. These include the
stipulations that "the University IT facilities are provided for the academic work and normal University
duties of members and employees of the University" and that users "shall not deliberately waste IT
resources, including wasting time on an IT facility" (the regulations are reproduced in full at
http://www.dur.ac.uk/its/policy/regulations). The University is not interested in policing your use of the
WWW; it does expect you to use expensive and heavily-used facilities in a responsible way for purposes
relevant to your academic work.
For links to useful websites, go to Modern Languages web pages, or IMEIS for Arabic, and Library for
databases, exam papers, catalogues etc.
Research and Postgraduate Study

Most academic staff in the School devote up to half their working time to research in areas of Modern Languages
where they have specialised knowledge (such as literature, linguistics, film). This leads to publication of books and
articles for the benefit of the academic community, students and wider public, and also generates income for the
University through research grants and the Research Assessment Exercise (henceforth the Research Excellence
Framework – see School web pages for more details). If you are interested in a career in HE or pursuing your
undergraduate studies at a more specialised level, you could take an MA or PhD in an area of Modern Languages
55
at Durham or elsewhere. The School offers a very wide range of well-regarded taught and research Masters
programmes. For information see the School web pages and contact the Director of Postgraduate Studies,
Professor Lucille Cairns or the Director of Taught Postgraduate Programmes, Dr XXXXXXX.
Requesting References
Your lecturers will always be happy to provide references for job or further study applications but you should
always approach the lecturers concerned before citing them as a referee. It the lecturer is available and willing to
provide a reference for you, you must ensure that you provide them an up-to-date copy of your CV along with
full details of the job or course for which you are applying. If you wish to cite your lecturers as referees after you
have left Durham, you should make sure that they are still willing and available to provide references. You are
strongly advised to keep in touch with former tutors after graduating and to inform them of your plans well in
advance.
Further Reading
Cottrell, Stella (2003), The Study Skills Handbook, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan
Donald, Sydney G. and Pauline E. Kneale (2001), Study Skills for Language Students: a Practical Guide, London, Arnold
Phipps, Alison & Mike Gonzalez (2004), Modern Languages: Learning and Teaching in an Intercultural Field, London, Sage
Palgrave Macmillan: http://www.palgrave.com/skills4study/subjectareas/foreign/
56
ADVICE ON PROBLEMS AND WELFARE
NON-ATTENDANCE
All students are required to fulfil their academic obligations to the satisfaction of the Head(s) of the Department(s) in
which they are working. The School requires that you attend ALL classes for which you are registered, including
lectures, and produce all formative and summative written work set by your tutors. Any failure to fulfil these
requirements, or to perform to a satisfactory standard can lead to sanctions. The procedures relating to absence from
classes, ‗Keeping of Term‘, are to be found in the Core Regulations of the University, a copy of which is in the Faculty
Handbook.
The School of Modern Languages and Cultures has a Code of Practice for the implementation of Keeping of Term
regulations. This is attached as Appendix I and is also displayed on departmental notice boards, duo and on the
School‘s web pages.
If you decide to change any module, or the programme, for which you have registered, you must complete a Change
of Registration Form available from the School Manager (A58) or the Student Planning and Assessment Office,
University Offices, Old Elvet. During the first four weeks of Michaelmas Term, this form can be completed by the
School Manager and returned directly to the Student Planning and Assessment Office. After that time, permission to
change module/programme is required from the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and, after
completion by the School Manager, the form should be returned to the Pro-Vice Chancellor‘s Office in Elvet Riverside
2.
If you wish to take a module/combination of modules not laid down in your programme regulations, please speak
directly to the School Manager (A58).
ABSENCE THROUGH ILLNESS
Classes
It is of primary importance that, in the event of illness or academic difficulty, you inform the School of your problem.
Absence from classes as a result of illness should be reported to your College/Society and directly to Mr Lowe (Room
A58, e-mail: a.p.lowe@durham.ac.uk , telephone: 334 3420,), who will inform your teachers. Your College will be
able to advise you about the procedure for self-certification of illness and medical certificates. If you find your work
suffering for any reason whatsoever, please see one of your teachers, the Head of Department, the Head of School or
the School Manager. We have the experience to help.
The School of Modern Languages and Cultures has a Code of Practice for the implementation of Academic Progress
Notice regulations. (See also Appendix I)
Summative Coursework/Examinations
If you are ill and unable to submit your summatively assessed work by the required deadline you must make a request
in writing to the Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Examiners that your work may be submitted late. This
should be done via the School Manager, to whom you must provide written evidence of your illness, supported by a
medical certificate. You should endeavour to do this well before the given deadline. Extensions are given only where
circumstances beyond your control, such as illness, prevent submission and may NOT be granted by your lecturer for
the module concerned or the module coordinator.
NB: If a student who has not been granted an extension fails to submit a piece of summative assessed work (including
a dissertation) by the due deadline, the work will not be marked and a mark of zero will be recorded.
Illness or other circumstances seriously affecting a student‘s performance in examinations can be taken into account
by the Board of Examiners, but only if a Serious Adverse Circumstances Form is received in advance of the
Examiners‘ Meeting. You can obtain a copy of the form from your College Office and it is advised that you complete
this form with help from your College. This form will allow you to make your own case in relation to Serious
Adverse circumstances which should, if appropriate, be supported by a doctor‘s note. It is therefore important that
all absences through sickness, any personal crises that affect your work and/or attendance and performance
at examination, etc., are made known to the School, as any relevant information about individual students
needs to be available to the School Board of Examiners, which meets in June.
57
MEDICAL HELP
The University Health Centre is at: Green Lane

Old Elvet
Durham City DH1 3JX
Tel: 0191 3865081
Telephone or call for an appointment
There are other medical practices in Durham who will take students onto their list. Ask your college for advice.
Durham Hospitals
For appointments, visits, information: contact: 333 2333
DISABILITIES
DUSSD (Durham University Service for Students with Disabilities) is dedicated to providing special support
to staff and students with disabilities throughout the university.
Contact: The Senior Advisor, DUSSD, Pelaw House: tel. 334 8115 (Secretary) or 334 8117 (Director)
ADVICE AND COUNSELLING
Counselling Services
The University offers a Counselling Service to assist students who have difficulties which affect their academic studies
(e.g. anxiety, depression, bereavement, loneliness, eating disorders). It is located on the top floor or Elvet Riverside 1
(above the School of Modern Languages and Cultures) Contact: 334 2200.
Nightline
This is a confidential advice and counselling service run voluntarily by students. To ask for help, or to volunteer,
contact: 334 6444.
DSU (Durham Students Union) - welfare, accommodation, finance
Contacts: Welfare Services Manager (Education and Welfare): 334 1781

Treasurer (Finance Officer): 334 1809
Welfare Services Assistant (Accommodation): 334 1774
PERSONAL HARASSMENT
The University has a Code of Practice on Personal (including sexual) Harassment. Your Department, your College
and DSU have copies. Anything which makes someone feel that they are being treated badly, or as a member of a
race, sex, class or differently-abled group, instead of being treated as they should be, simply as a student of their
subject, is quite unacceptable in this University and in this School.
In each Department, there is someone you can go to for confidential advice on serious cases of harassment
- sexual or otherwise - involving another student or a member of staff. You may consult any of these four Advisers or
the School Administrator. For official action to be taken, the Head of the Department concerned, or the Chairwoman
of the School, would have to be brought in, but the Personal Harassment Adviser is there to provide a sympathetic
ear, in confidence, before any official procedures are set in motion.
Personal Harassment Adviser: Professor J Clarke (French) Room A 47; tel: 43430
e-mail: jan.clarke@durham.ac.uk
58
HEALTH AND SAFETY
If you witness an accident or are injured yourself you should seek out a qualified first-aider and make sure that the
accident is reported to the School Safety Officer Mrs Denise Gustard. If you see anything you think might lead to an
accident, report it to Mrs Gustard. Health and Safety notices are posted up regularly on the noticeboard in the foyer,
Elvet Riverside I.
FIRST AIDER: Mrs M Allchurch, Finance Officer, Language Centre Room 62b, ext. 42235
Mrs DAC Gustard, Administrator, Room A58, ext. 43449
Mrs L Luck, Modern Languages & Cultures, Room A32, ext. 42238
EMERGENCIES: Public Services 9 999 (from internal phones)

University Emergency Line 43333
Security Problems 42222
Health Centre 9 3865081
CAREERS ADVICE
The University Careers Advisory Service offers career advice and information about visiting employers.
Contact: 334 1430
The School too (often in partnership with a College) offers a variety of events on career planning and opportunities
throughout the year. Watch the noticeboards for these. The MLaC website, you will also find, will during the coming
session gradually display more and more information about careers for our students, including interviews with alumni
and overviews of graduate destinations during the past few years.
PDP
Personal Development Planning (PDP) is an on-line resource designed to help you recognise, and reflect upon your
continued personal development, and so to increase your self-awareness as a possessor and user of transferable skills.
You access PDP through a tab on your duo page. The Personal Development Plan is particularly important in the
context of career choice and employability. Self-awareness is at the heart of effective decision making; particularly
in terms of understanding the relationship between your individual skills, qualities and personality traits and the
requirements of a specific career or employer. You will find that your learning experience in all our MLaC modules
includes specific reference to the development of transferable skills such as giving presentations, team management,
critical thinking and decision-making. These are designed to contribute to the portfolio of skills which graduate
employers demand beyond strictly academic distinctions. At a very practical level the PDP is an excellent way to
document not only your employment and academic experiences but also volunteering and extra-curricular activities.
The PDP is both perfect preparation for competence-based application forms and interviews and a very useful
approach to building an effective skills-based CV.
(www.dur.ac.uk/careers-advice/undergraduates/employability/pdp/
59
SCHOOL OF MODERN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES
Appendix 1
CODE OF PRACTICE ON ACADEMIC PROGESS NOTICE
As a student engaged in full or part-time study, you are required to keep term. That means that, as required by the
regulations governing the degree or other programme or module for which you are registered, you must fulfil all
academic commitments (including registration, examinations, departmental tests, written work, tutorials, seminars,
practical classes, year abroad placements) to a standard satisfactory to the Head of School.
In practice, this means that if you are absent from classes, fail to keep academic engagements or to submit
assignments, without explanation to your individual teacher or the School Manager, the School‘s Academic Progress
Notice procedure will be invoked. It is therefore essential that you keep the School informed of any changes you
make to your modules and/or classes, and that you report all absences due to illness or other reason.
However, we recognise that students may fail to fulfil academic commitments for a number of reasons: as a result of
personal problems which are preventing you from concentrating on the work or poor time management, not just
simple laziness. It is therefore very important that the reason for this is established as quickly as possible so that
appropriate action can be taken: this may mean advising you to seek medical or other supportive help or it may
involve disciplinary procedures.
The Academic Progress Notice process is intended to alert the University at a level beyond the departmental level to
the fact that there is a problem and to provide additional support, advice or disciplinary action as appropriate
MLAC Academic Progress Notice Procedure
1. On the first occasion you fail to fulfil an academic commitment (see paragraph 1 above) you will be contacted
informally by e-mail and reminded of your responsibilities to attend classes, hand in work etc. If there is an
explanation as to why you have not fulfilled your commitments, please make this known to the School
Manager and your lecturer – it may just be that you have changed class/module without letting us know. If
you find that you are having problems with a particular class/module or the programme as a whole, or are
experiencing personal or medical problems which are affecting your academic studies let the School or your
College know – we are here to provide any help and support you may need
2. Your academic commitments are monitored on a School-wide level, and continued failure to attend classes
and/or hand in work, or persistent irregular absences across your MLAC modules will result in your receiving
a further e-mail asking you to see the School Manager, and informing you that failure to do so will result in
the Academic Progress Notice process being put in place. You MUST respond to this e-mail within three
days of it being sent
3. If you fail to see the School Manager, or despite having seen the School Manager, you continue to fail to fulfil
your academic commitments, you will receive a final e-mail asking you to see the Head of School. If the Head
of School is satisfied that you appear, without good cause, to have failed to keep term as defined above,
he/she shall request the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities to formally invoke a Academic
Progress Notice procedure in writing to you
4. This request states the grounds for invoking the Academic Progress Notice, and the academic requirements
you must fulfil within a period of not less than four weeks. The purpose of this is to ensure that you have
caught up with any work missed and/or have regained the habit of regular study. (This four week period may
extend across Term but not across academic years)
University Academic Progress Notice Procedure
1. On receipt of the request the Deputy Dean will, normally within the next working day, check with any other
departments whose modules you are taking whether they have concerns about you which would lead them
to wish to be associated with the Academic Progress Notice process. If they do, your Academic Progress
Notice will extend across other modules as well as those you take with MLAC
2. The Deputy Dean will then, normally within three working days, issue you with a formal letter, sent to your
College or Society, with a copy to your local term-time address if you are living out. Copies of this letter will
be sent to all the Departments for whose modules you are registered, your Head of House and the Director
of Combined Honours/Natural Sciences (where appropriate)
3. The letter will advise you:
to seek advice in the department(s) named in the letter about your academic work;
60
to make an appointment to talk to the Deputy Dean within one week. This is to ensure that any
problems which you are experiencing can be discussed and that you understand the importance of
maintaining an effective study routine. It may be necessary to warn you that continued behaviour of this
sort could result in expulsion from the University;
to make any relevant information concerning mitigating circumstances known to the department(s)
concerned prior to then end of the penultimate week of the Academic Progress Notice period. This will
allow the department(s) to make an informed recommendation to the Deputy Dean about your
progress;
to confirm receipt of the letter in writing (a standard reply form will be enclosed)
4. One week prior to the expiry of the Academic Progress Notice period the Deputy Dean will ask
departments associated with it to make a recommendation on further action, taking into account any
mitigating circumstances viz:
that your performance has improved sufficiently for there to be no need to continue to monitor it;
that your performance has improved but that concern remains and that the Academic Progress Notice
process should therefore be extended for a specified period (normally of not more than four weeks)
that you have not fulfilled the academic commitments required an therefore should be asked to
withdraw from the University
You may appeal to the relevant Dean of Faculty against any decision under the Regulations for the Academic
Progress Notice (see section VII of Volume I of the University Calendar)
5. The Deputy Dean will inform you of his/her decision in writing with copies as in 2 above
How this Academic Progress Notice Procedure is put into practice in MLAC
1. The conditions of your Academic Progress Notice will be specified in your letter from the Deputy Dean –
this will usually be attendance at all classes, submission of missed work and work due during the Academic
Progress Notice period – and you must ensure that you comply with these.
2. Your compliance with the Academic Progress Notice will be monitored by the School throughout the
specified period and if you are absent from any classes and/or fail to hand in required work, you must contact
the School Manager to let her know the reason for this. You should also ensure that your attendance at
classes is noted by your lecturer - if you arrive late and miss signing an attendance sheet, make sure you do
this before you leave the lesson
3. At the end of the period of the Academic Progress Notice the School will be asked to make a
recommendation to the Deputy Dean, as outlined in 4 above, and you will be notified by letter of this
decision
4. If you have any problems during the period of the Academic Progress Notice which are affecting your
academic studies please arrange to see the School Manager or Head of School, or alternatively your College
Senior Tutor or Student Support Officer – we understand that it may be difficult for you to discuss some
problems, but we do have the experience to help and will treat anything you tell us in the strictest confidence
61
SCHOOL OF MODERN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES
Appendix 2
CODE OF PRACTICE ON RECORDING OF LECTURES
Summary
Students may request permission to record any teaching session delivered as part of their programme of study.
Students should make requests in advance of the session, using the process set out in Volume 1 of the University‘s
Calendar. Students may only record teaching sessions where the teacher responsible for the session has given their
consent (verbally or in writing, e.g. by e-mail). Covert recording of lectures is not permitted and will be treated as a
disciplinary offence.
If it is identified in the individual Recommendations for Reasonable Adjustment (RRA) report from DUSSD that it is a
reasonable adjustment under the Disability Discrimination Act DDA for a student to record teaching sessions, there
will be no requirement for students to seek any additional permission as it is the University‘s expectation that
permission to make such a recording will not normally be refused.
Where permission has been granted to one or more students to record a teaching session other than a lecture, the
approval of the other students in the teaching session to this recording must be obtained. If recording such sessions
has been included in an RRA and the approval of the other students is not given, the department/school will contact
DUSSD to consider what alternative reasonable adjustments will need to be made. Where students breach this code
of practice, the University shall regard this as a disciplinary offence. All such breaches will be dealt with in accordance
with the University‘s General Regulation IV: Discipline. See:
(http://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/university.calendar/volumei/current/regs.discipline.pdf).
Code of Practice (http://www.dur.ac.uk/university.calendar/volumei/codes/)
Introduction
1. The University recognises that there are a number of reasons why students might wish to record lectures and
other teaching sessions in order to support their learning. The University also recognises that copyright in the
lectures and other teaching sessions reside with the teacher responsible for the teaching session, and that privacy
matters of the teacher and students are affected by recording teaching sessions since their personality, behaviour
and opinions will be open, and potentially freely accessible. For this reason the University seeks to protect the
intellectual rights and privacy, and objections of students against recordings of themselves, and publishing of these
recordings, must be respected. This policy sets out the circumstances in which such code of practice recording
may take place; the respective roles and responsibilities of those involved in such recordings; and the implications
of breaches of this policy.
2. For the purposes of this code of practice, the term ‗recording‘ refers to any audio or visual recording of a lecture
or other teaching session, made with any type of audio or visual recorder.
3. The University regards staff recording their own lectures to make available online as good practice, noting that
due process must be followed where recordings would include the intellectual property of others.
Permission to record a lecture or other teaching session
4. Students may request permission to record any teaching session delivered as part of their programme of study.
All such requests should be made prior to the recording, to the teacher responsible for the teaching session, and
(subject to the comments in paragraphs 5 and 6 below) the decision on whether to grant permission is at the
discretion of the teacher. Students may only record teaching sessions where the teacher responsible for the
session has given their consent (verbally or in writing, e.g. by e-mail), and recordings of teaching sessions may not
be made by students unless this consent has been given. Covert recording of lectures is not permitted and will be
treated as a disciplinary offence.
5. If it is identified in the individual Recommendations for Reasonable Adjustment (RRA) report from DUSSD that it
is a reasonable adjustment under the Disability Discrimination Act DDA for a student to record teaching sessions,
there will be no requirement for students to seek any additional permission as it is the University‘s expectation
that permission to make such a recording will not normally be refused. (Each academic department/school should
have in place a transparent mechanism to disseminate the RRA report, to ensure that all relevant teaching staff
are aware of the DUSSD recommendations).
6. The University recognises that there may be exceptional circumstances where, notwithstanding the requirement
to make reasonable adjustments for disabled students in accordance with the DDA, the department/school might
regard the recording of a teaching session (or some parts of it) to be inappropriate (e.g. due to issues of
62
patient/client confidentiality in clinical or other practice-based situations, in situations where children are involved
such as a school placement). If such a situation arises, the department/school must contact DUSSD to consider
what alternative reasonable adjustments will need to be made (e.g. allowing students to record part of a lecture
but not all)
7. Where permission has been granted to one or more students to record a lecture, the teacher leading the session
should advise all students of this prior to the start of the session.
8. Where permission has been granted to one or more students to record a teaching session other than a lecture,
the approval of the other students in the teaching session to this recording must be obtained. If recording such
sessions has been included in an RRA and the approval of the other students is not given, the department/school
should contact DUSSD to consider what alternative reasonable adjustments will need to be made.
9. Permission to record a session is granted to a student on the understanding that no intellectual property right in
the recording passes to the student.
Use of recordings of lectures or other teaching sessions
10. Recordings of teaching sessions may only be made for the personal and private use of the student making the
recording.
11. Students may not:
a. record teaching sessions on behalf of other students;
b. pass such recordings to any other person (except for the purposes of transcription, in which case they can be
passed to one person only);
c. may not publish such recordings in any form (this includes, but is not limited to, the internet and hard copy
publication).
12. Students may store recordings of teaching sessions for the duration of their programme of study. Once they
have completed the programme of study, student should destroy all recordings of teaching sessions.
63

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THE STAFF AND STRUCTURE OF THE SCHOOL

Address: Durham University

Tel: 0191 334 3420

Chairman of the Board of Studies/

School Manager: Mrs Denise Gustard

School Administrator: Mrs Heather Fenwick

Admissions Tutors: Dr Catherine Dousteyssier-Khoze/Dr Marie-Claire Barnet ;

Heads of Department: Professor Paul Starkey (Arabic)

Chairs of Boards of Examiners: Dr Jane Walling (Preliminary)

Combined Honours, Joint Honours Dr Jane Walling

Year Abroad Advisors: Professor Paul Starkey (Arabic)

Mrs Denise Gustard

Mrs Heather Fenwick Mr Roger Ravanelli

Mrs Karen Ambrosini Mrs Angie Burn

Miss Lucy Cawson Mr Adam Lowe

Mrs Kathleen Lowson Mrs Lucia Luck

Mrs Chermaine Patey/ Ms Linda Clark Mrs Karen Shepherd

Open: Monday 10:00am – 1:00pm

PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOARD(S) AND

Dr Khaled Al-Shehari Professor Daniel Newman *

Professor Paul Starkey Dr Aziza Zaher

Part-Time Teachers: Ms S Jaljule, Mr L McLoughlin, Ms M Masheyekhi Ghoyonloo, Mrs J Starkey

* Research Leave Michaelmas Term 2011

Dr Kathryn Banks Dr Marie-Claire Barnet *

Professor Lucille Cairns Professor Jan Clarke **

Professor David Cowling **** Dr Catherine Dousteyssier-Khoze

Professor Christopher Lloyd Professor Richard Maber

Dr Simon McKinnon Mr Roger Ravanelli

Dr Jane Walling Dr Edward Welch*

Language Assistants: Ms Charlton, Ms Crépet, Ms Descotes ; Mme V Piette, Mr Pranchère

Dr Petra Bauer Mr Philip Bolton

Professor Jonathan Long** Dr Peter Macardle

D’Áine McMurtry Dr Caitríona Ní Dhuíll*

Dr Claudia Nitschke Dr Tracy Reimann-Dawe

Professor Nicholas Saul* Mrs Eva Schumacher-Reid***

Language Assistant: Ms Portsch

DEPARTMENT OF HISPANIC STUDIES

Dr Andrew Beresford* Dr Santiago Fouz-Hernández

Dr Marcela Goeta Dr Francisco Hernández Adrián

Dr Manuel Hijano** Dr Penélope Johnson

Professor Andrea Noble *** Dr Kerstin Oloff

Dr Yarí Pérez Marín Dr Nicholas Roberts

* Research Leave Epiphany Term 2011-2012

Language Assistant: Mr J Cru Talaveron, Ms MV Hedley

Professor Carlo Caruso Dr Annalisa Cipollone

Dr Stefano Cracolici Dr Federico Federici

Mrs Lucina Stuart Dr Dario Tessicini*

* Research Leave Academic Year 2011-2012

Language Assistant: Mrs R Peressini

Dr Andy Byford Mrs Branka Grundy

Dr Alexandra Harrington Dr Alastair Renfrew

Mrs Marianna Taimanova

* Research Leave Easter Term 2011-2012

Language Assistant: Dr T Timofeeva

Dr Mark Ogden Mrs Mary Fender

Mr Roger Ravenelli Mr Don Starr

Mrs Christine Bohlander Ms Judith Collins

Mr David Tual Mrs Maria Wimpory

Part-Time Teachers: Ms K Aeboudoullah, Ms M Correas, Ms Y Chen, Ms V Chu, Ms G Huang, Ms R Koso, Dr G

TEACHING AND LEARNING

MODES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

Language Laboratory classes: For practising aural comprehension.

LEVEL DESCRIPTORS AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA: