SCHOOL OF SLAVONIC & EAST EUROPEAN STUDIES
POSTGRADUATE
TAUGHT
STUDENT HANDBOOK
2015-16
This handbook is accurate at the time of
publication. Minor amendments may be made
during the academic year. Substantive
amendments will be communicated to all
students.
September 2015
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Contents
1. Welcome and Introduction
1.1.
Welcome to SSEES
1.2.
How to use the PG Student Handbook
1.3.
Term Dates
1.4.
Seminars, Conferences and Other Events
1.5.
Student Involvement in Publications
Page 4
4
4
5
5
6
2. Key Contacts
2.1.
Academic Contacts – Programme Coordinators
2.2.
Additional Academic Contacts
2.3.
Student Administration Office
2.4.
Additional Contacts Outside SSEES
Page 8
8
8
9
10
3. New Students
3.1.
Enrolment & Registration
3.2.
The SSEES Induction Programme
Page 11
11
11
4. Resources, Facilities and Services
4.1.
UCL Email
4.2.
PORTICO: The UCL Student Information Service
4.3.
Online Timetable
4.4.
Moodle
4.5.
UCL SSEES Library
4.6.
Other UCL Libraries
4.7.
Specialist Bookshops
4.8.
UCL SSEES Computer Facilities
4.9.
Printing and Copying
4.10.
Audi-Visual Facilities
4.11.
Disability Services
4.12.
Careers
4.13.
References
Page 12
12
12
13
14
14
15
15
16
16
16
17
18
18
5. Teaching and Academic Support
5.1.
SSEES Teaching Aims
5.2.
Programme Documentation
5.3.
Contact Hours and Private Study
5.4.
Study Skills and Avoiding Plagiarism
5.5.
English Language Support
5.6.
Personal Tutors
5.7.
Office Hours
5.8.
Attendance and Engagement
5.9.
Barring & Warnings
Page 19
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20
21
21
22
22
22
22
23
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6. Assessment and Feedback
Page 25
6.1.
Forms of Assessment
25
6.2.
Submission of Coursework
26
6.3.
Penalties for Late Submission of Coursework
27
6.4.
Penalties for Over-Length Coursework
28
6.5.
Marking and Moderation
28
6.6.
Feedback on Assessed Essays
29
6.7.
Collection of Work
29
6.8.
Formal Examinations
29
6.9.
Problems affecting your performance: Extenuating Circumstances
31
7. Programme Regulations
7.1.
Requests to Change an MA Course Unit
7.2.
Being “Complete” in Course Units
7.3.
Failure in Course Units
7.4.
Award of a Postgraduate Degree
Page 33
33
33
34
35
8. Student Voice
8.1.
Student Evaluation Questionnaires (SEQS)
8.2.
Student Academic Representatives (STARS)
8.3.
Staff-Student Consultative Committee (SSCC)
8.4.
External Examiner reports
8.5
Grievances (Appeals) and Complaints
Page 36
36
36
37
37
38
9. Student Code of Conduct & Non-Academic Regulations
9.1.
Code of Conduct
9.2.
Non-Academic Regulations
9.3.
Data Protection
Page 39
39
40
41
10. What to do when you have problems
10.1.
The Students Union
10.2.
Academic Problems
10.3.
Personal Problems
10.4.
Welfare Problems
10.5.
Financial Problems
10.6.
Health Problems
10.7.
Health & Safety Matters
10.8
Emergency Situations
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1. Welcome and Introduction
1.1
Welcome to SSEES
Welcome to the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London
(SSEES).
SSEES is one of the world's leading specialist institutions, and the largest national centre in
the UK, for the study of Central, Eastern and South-East Europe and Russia. More than 60
academic staff work at UCL SSEES, teaching and conducting research in the history,
economics, politics, sociology, anthropology, culture, literature and languages of the
countries of the region. We aim to provide you with stimulating, high quality, research-led
courses within flexible and wide-ranging interdisciplinary degrees. Our graduates have an
enviable record in securing employment in both public and private sectors.
SSEES is ideally located within the UCL campus in Bloomsbury and enjoys unrivalled
resources for students and staff, especially our world-leading Library. We also have a rich
programme of high-profile international speakers, conferences, seminars, and other events.
You are now a member of a specialist institution with outstanding resources and expertise.
You are also a member of UCL and will be able to enjoy the benefits of studying in a diverse,
large-scale, highly rated university.
You should make full use of the unique opportunities which lie before you.
Professor Jan Kubik
Director
1.2
How to use the PGT Student Handbook
The PGT Student Handbook contains key information relating to operation of your
programme within SSEES, including details about key dates, coursework submission,
penalties that may be applied to your assessment, and contact details as well as the support
available to you. It is intended to serve as your first point of reference for queries and
contains links to relevant official documents and online resources.
This document is updated annually and further updates may occur during the academic year
to reflect changes in UCL or SSEES policy. It is important that you refer to the handbook for
the appropriate academic year.
Section 3 is designed specifically for new students.
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1.3
Term Dates
There are three terms in each Academic Year. Teaching usually takes place in Term 1 and
Term 2, and Term 3 is primarily used for revision sessions and examinations.
Term 1 is 12 weeks long. This includes an induction week at the start of term and a Reading
Week in November.
Induction Week
Term 1
Reading Week
Monday 28th September 2015
Monday 28th September 2015
Monday 9th November 2015
Friday 2nd October 2015
Friday 18th December 2015
Friday 13th November 2015
Term 2
Reading Week
Monday 11th January 2016
Monday 15th February 2016
Thursday 24th March 2016
Friday 19th February 2016*
* Note that some classes may be scheduled for Friday 19 February due to Term 2 finishing on
Thursday 24 March
Term 3
Monday 25th April 2016
Friday 10th June 2016
th
Examination Period* Thursday 28 April 2016
Friday 27th May 2016
*Note that examinations for courses taken in other University of London Colleges could
occur outside these dates.
College Closures
The College closes for set periods over Christmas and Easter, as well as Bank Holidays.



1.4
Christmas vacation closure: 5.30pm Wednesday 23rd December 2015
Re-Opens: Monday 4th January 2016
Easter vacation closure: Thursday 24th March 2016
Re-Open: Thursday 31st March 2016
Monday 2nd May 2016
Bank Holiday closures:
Monday 30th May 2016
Monday 29th August 2016
Seminars, Conferences and Other Events
Regular seminars are held at SSEES covering a wide range of topics relating to Central,
South-Eastern and Eastern Europe, Russia and the former Soviet Union. These events are
usually held weekly and advertised on the SSEES website. From time to time, larger events
such as Study Days and Conferences are also held at SSEES. Look out for the posters
advertising these activities. You will be very welcome to attend them (free of charge).
Information concerning larger events such as Study Days and Conferences, as well the
regular seminar series organized by the Programme areas and Centres, can be found on
notice boards around SSEES and in the weekly information sheet available from the
Director's Assistant (Room 409). You can also check events on the SSEES calendar at
www.ssees.ucl.ac.uk/calendar.htm.
Conferences
Conferences are an integral part of the school's research programme, providing a forum in
which to exchange ideas with academics, students, business people, journalists and those
employed in implementing government policy.
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SSEES postgraduate conferences take place in alternate (even-numbered) years. These are
organised by the research students themselves, and have been very successful in attracting
high-calibre international participation by graduates from Eastern and Western Europe and
other parts of the world, as well as corporate and government sponsorship.
Academics and politicians from these areas regularly visit the School and participate in open
discussions; these occasions offer unique opportunities for students to develop contacts.
Students are always welcome free of charge at these events where they can help to furnish
a lively atmosphere for debate about historical and contemporary issues with their academic
peers and teachers. They are also often employed to help with the organization of
conferences and of public lectures and presentations.
Seminars
Throughout the autumn and spring terms the school's research centres run weekly or
fortnightly lunchtime and early-evening seminars, which graduate students are encouraged
to attend. In 2014-5 students themselves were very active in organising seminars and other
events under the Platform Ukraine.
Throughout the year academic staff arrange for occasional lectures to be given, often by
scholars, writers or representatives of the media visiting the school from abroad.
Background Briefings
Background briefings have been a regular feature at the school since they were launched in
1980. They are attended by members of the British and international press, radio and TV,
and by representatives of government agencies and commercial firms, as well as by staff
and students, and provide a forum to discuss political events and topical developments.
Contributors typically include diplomats, BBC staff, politicians, academic specialists and
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) research analysts.
1.5
Student Involvement in Publications
The Slavonic and East European Review (SEER)
Founded in 1922, SEER is the oldest English-language peer-reviewed journal of its kind and
the leading British periodical in its field. It is published quarterly for the school by the Modern
Humanities Research Association, and its editorial board comprises academic staff from the
school and from other British university departments. Articles on languages, literature, art,
cinema, history and social sciences are complemented by a large book review section.
SEER receives from publishers 400-500 books a year for review, and the editors are always
keen to hear from postgraduate students interested in reviewing. As well as being a useful
exercise in academic writing it is a good way to acquire expensive texts necessary to
research. A questionnaire for would-be reviewers is available from the Assistant Editor,
Barbara Wyllie (Room 314, or by email at seer@.ucl.ac.uk).
Central Europe
Central Europe publishes original research articles on the history, languages, literature,
political culture, music, arts and society of those lands once part of the Habsburg Monarchy
and Poland-Lithuania from the Middle Ages to the present. It also publishes discussion
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papers, marginalia, book, archive, exhibition, music and film reviews. Central Europe has
been established as a refereed journal to foster the worldwide study of the area and to
provide a forum for the academic discussion of Central European life and institutions. From
time-to-time an issue will be devoted to a particular theme, based on a selection of papers
presented at an international conference or seminar series. Central Europe grew out of The
Masaryk Journal, established by Katya A. M. Kocourek, a former postgraduate student of
SSEES, in 1997. It is currently edited by Egbert Klautke and Peter Zusi. Graduate students
interested
in
reviewing
books
should
contact
the
Assistant
Editor
at
centraleurope@ssees.ucl.ac.uk.
Slovo: a Journal of Contemporary Russian, East European and Eurasian
Affairs
Slovo is a journal originally created by postgraduates for postgraduates, which has now
become an established academic publication. Edited and managed by postgraduate
students at the school, it discusses and interprets contemporary affairs in an historical,
political, social and cultural context. The journal provides a forum in which new ideas and
interpretations of significant issues can be presented in an analytical form. Slovo is a
refereed journal and frequently presents the opportunity for young scholars to publish for the
first time. Its contents regularly include abridged MA dissertations, and PhD students often
produce articles from their research in progress. Contributions from members of staff are
also welcome, and as well as articles, the journal carries book reviews and a growing film
review section. Special issues include the proceedings of the bi-annual SSEES postgraduate
conferences. The editors can be contacted via email: slovo@ssees.ucl.ac.uk, or in Room
321.
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2. Key Contacts
2.1
Academic Contacts – Programme Coordinators
Academic advice on your programme of study is available from your Programme
Coordinator. Your Programme Administrator should be your first point of contact for any
query related to the operation of your programme or your participation in your programme.
Economics & Business
Programme Coordinator
Dr Eugene
Nivorozhkin
Room
509
Tel: 020 7679 8811
Email: e.nivorozhkin@ucl.ac.uk
Politics & Sociology
Programme Coordinator
Dr Sean Hanley
Room
523
Tel: 020 7679 8818
Email: s.hanley@ucl.ac.uk
History
Programme Coordinator
Dr Bojan
Aleksov
Room
423
Tel: 020 7679 8868
Email: b.aleksov@ucl.ac.uk
Languages & Culture
Programme Coordinator
Dr Seth Graham
Room
330
Tel: 020 7679 8735
Email: s.graham@ucl.ac.uk
Dr Felix Ciuta
Room
424
Tel : 020 7679 8764
Email : f.ciuta@ucl.ac.uk
Dr Julia
Korosteleva
Room
418
Tel : 020 7679 7590
Email : j.korosteleva@ucl.ac.uk
MRes Coordinator
IMESS Co-ordinator
2.2
Additional Academic Contacts
In addition to your Programme Coordinator, a number of academic staff within SSEES can
provide additional academic support to you during your studies.
MA Graduate Tutor
Head of Teaching Programmes
& Chair of MA Examination
Boards (except IMESS)
Head of Teaching Resources
Dr Katarzyna Zechenter
Tel: 020 7679 8732
Email: k.zechenter@ucl.ac.uk
Prof. Anne White
Tel: 020 7679 8816
Email: anne.white@ucl.ac.uk
Dr Randolph Bruno
Tel: 020 7679 8757
Email: randolph.bruno @ucl.ac.uk
Tel. 020 7679 8723
Email: rachel.morley@ucl.ac.uk
Affiliate Student Tutor
Dr Rachel Morley
Equal Opportunity Liaison
Officer
Dr Kristin Roth-Ey
Tel: 020 7679 8823
Email: k.roth-ey@ucl.ac.uk
Dr Peter Duncan
Tel: 020 7679 8762
Email: p.duncan@ucl.ac.uk
Careers Liaison Tutor
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2.3
Student Administration Office
The Student Administration Office is based in Room 341 on the third floor of the SSEES
building and provides administrative support to both SSEES students and academics.
The Programme Administrator for your programme of study is based in the SAO, and it is
where you will come to submit paper copies of assignments, or other forms during your time
at SSEES.
Contacting the office
Emailing your Programme Administrator is the preferred and most effective method of
communication with the Student Administration Office. The SAO aims to provide a response
or an update email to all student queries within 3 working days.
When emailing the SAO, please provide the following information to enable the Programme
Administrator to respond to your query as quickly as possible:
Full Name
Student Number
Degree Programme
If you are unsure who to contact, please email ssees-student@ucl.ac.uk
Front Desk Opening Times
If you need to visit the Student Administration Office in person, the front desk is open during
the following times:


10:00-16:00 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
10:00-13:00 on Wednesday
Outside these times, students should contact the Student Administration Office by phone or
email only. Apart from the college closure days, and bank holidays, the office is usually open
both inside and outside term time.
Student Administration Office Staff
The Student Enquiries Officer acts as the first point of contact for all enquiries when you visit
the Student Administration Office.
Miss Stephanie Dutton
Email: ssees-student@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: 0207 679 8770
Your Programme Administrator should be your first point of contact for any query related to
the operation of your programme or your participation in your programme.
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Economics & Business
Programmes Administrator
Mr Deepak Kalha
Tel: 020 7679 8772
Email: d.kalha@ucl.ac.uk
Languages & Culture
Programmes Administrator
Mr Ben Chatterley
Tel: 020 7679 8771
Email: b.chatterley@ucl.ac.uk
History, Politics & Sociology
Programmes Administrator
Ms Sasha Aleksic
Email: s.aleksic@ucl.ac.uk
Postgraduate Administrator
(Research Degrees & MRes)
Miss Anastasia
Barsukova
Tel: 020 7679 8775
Email: a.barsukova@ucl.ac.uk
Postgraduate Administrator
(IMESS)
Ms Marta Kotwas
Tel: 020 7679 8778
Email: m.kotwas@ucl.ac.uk
Timetabling & Student
Administration Coordinator
Mr Robert Bodden
Tel: 020 7679 8774
Email: r.bodden@ucl.ac.uk
Academic Administration
Manager
Mr Michael Wozniak
Tel: 020 7679 8820
Email: m.wozniak@ucl.ac.uk
2.4
Tel: 020 7679 8773
Additional Contacts outside of SSEES
Academic and welfare support is also available from outside the School.
Joint Faculty Tutor
020 7679 2876
Student Support & Wellbeing
Dr Arne Hofmann
Andrew Huxley Building
4 Taviton Street
UCL Student Mediator
Dr Ruth Siddall
Student Psychological
Services
Rights & Advice Centre
Ground floor, 3 Taviton Street
020 7679 2758
studentmediator@ucl.ac.uk
020 7679 1487
Advisors to Women students
Miss Denise Long
UCL Students Union
25 Gordon Street
020 7679 2998
www.uclu.org/services/advice
-welfare
020 7679 2055
denise.long@ucl.ac.uk
020 7387 3611
UCL Health Centre
3 Gower Place
020 7387 6306
Accommodation Offices
University of London: Basement,
Senate House, South Block
UCL: 117 Gower St
Careers Service
Bryony Wills (for SSEES)
Fridays in Room 503,
16 Taviton Street
Room G16, South Wing
Drop in: Mon & Wed 2-4pm at
the Student Support Centre, IoE,
Bedford Way
An all-night service for students
wanting help
020 7862 8880
ulao@accom.lon.ac.uk
020 7679 7077
residences@ucl.ac.uk
020 7554 4505
b.wills@ucl.ac.uk
Student Disability Services
Nightline (6pm-8am)
September 2015
15 Gordon Street, 1st Floor,
Bloomsbury Theatre Building
020 7679 0100
disability@ucl.ac.uk
020 7436 5561
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3. New Students
3.1 Enrolment and Registration
It is extremely important that you follow any enrolment instructions you receive from UCL
Registry prior to beginning your programme. The enrolment and registration process has
three stages:
Stage One
Stage Two
Initial Actions - Pre-enrolment, Enrolment and Paying Fees
Next Steps – Get your ID, Get Connected, Log into Portico, Register with
your Department, Selecting Modules
Stage Three Additional Steps – Register with the Police, Register with a Doctor, Open a
Bank Account, Disability Services, Travel Information and Library
UCL provides a website (www.ucl.ac.uk/new-students) which will help guide you through the
period up to enrolment, including details of the support networks available to new UCL
students to help adapt to university life and living in London.
3.2 The SSEES Induction Programme
The SSEES Induction Programme for 2015 takes place Monday 28th September – Friday 2nd
October. It is important that you participate in the programme of meetings and introductory
sessions which include:

Director’s Welcome
This welcome talk from the School’s Director introduces you to many of the academic
and administrative staff who will support your studies.

Introductory Programme Meetings
There are Introductory Programme Meetings, led by the Programme Co-ordinator and
Programme Administrator, to provide you with important information about your
programme of study, study skills, syllabus, course choices and some general guidelines
on administration within the School.
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4. Resources, Facilities and Services
4.1
UCL Email
All students are issued with an email account when they register at UCL and it is UCL
Policy that all communications are sent to you @ucl.ac.uk email address.
You will receive important information from SSEES via email, including email attachments,
so you must check your UCL email inbox regularly.
Further details of how to manage your UCL email account and other IT matters (including
information about Moodle, mobile devices, printing etc) can be found at
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd
User ID and Password
To use the central IT services at UCL you need a UCL userid and password. Your userid is
assigned to you when you enrol as a student. You cannot choose your userid. You are also
allocated an initial password which you should change the first time you log onto a central IT
service. You will be required to change your password every 150 days. You must never give
your password to anyone else as you are held responsible for anything carried out under
your account.
4.2
PORTICO: The UCL Student Information Service
UCL uses a Student System which is known as Portico: The UCL Student Information
Service. As a student you can take ownership of your own personal data by logging on to
PORTICO. You will be expected to:





edit your own personal data - e.g. update your home and term addresses, contact
numbers and other elements of your personal details;
view data about courses/modules - i.e. information on courses/modules available
either in your home department or elsewhere to help you choose your optional
modules / electives
complete online module registration - i.e. select the modules you would like to
study, in accordance with the rules for your programme of study (subject to formal
approval and sign-off by the relevant teaching department and your parent
department and subject to timetable restrictions); new students will carry out module
registration at the beginning of term; records from module registration are used to
enter you for the right examinations, so correct module registration is extremely
important
view examination timetable and regulations
view your own examination results online
Access to Portico is available to students and staff of UCL via the web portal:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Portico.
You will need to logon using your UCL user id and password, which are issued to you once
you have enrolled. These will allow you to access UCL restricted web pages, UCL email and
the Windows Terminal Service (WTS). If you do not know your user id and password, you
should contact the IS Helpdesk as soon as possible (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/is/helpdesk).
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Please remember that your password will automatically expire after 150 days, unless it has
been changed. Warnings are sent to your UCL email address during a 30 day period.
It is vitally important that you ensure that your contact details are kept up to date at all times
during your time at SSEES. Failure to do so may mean that you miss out on important
information which may be sent to you. It is your responsibility to ensure that you keep
your record updated.
4.3
Online Timetable
The UCL Online Timetable is available at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/timetable.
You can see your personal timetable week by week and find out when things are being
taught across UCL. You should use it to select course units which will fit in your timetable.
Your personal timetable will display all the course units you are registered to attend including
lectures, seminars, tutorials, labs, film screenings, computer training and more.
Login with your standard UCL username and password to display your personal timetable, or
select a department or subject area, a degree programme, or individual modules and create
a custom timetable, to find out when classes are scheduled to be taught.
Checking Your Personal Timetable
At the start of the academic year you must carefully check your online timetable to ensure
that there are no clashes between classes. If you do find that some of your classes clash,
you should contact your Programme Administrator at the earliest opportunity. However,
please note that it may not be possible to avoid clashes with optional or elective courses,
and you may be asked to choose a different course unit.
During the academic year you must remember to check your online timetable regularly for
changes to dates, times or locations.
At the beginning of Term 2 you must carefully check your timetable as changes to room
locations do occur between the start of the academic year and the beginning of Term 2.
Subscribe to your online timetable
The Online Timetable offers a calendar subscription service, allowing you to get a feed of
your personal timetable directly to your live@UCL account, or to your smartphone or
personal calendaring service (e.g. Google Calendar, Apple iCal).
Online Timetable Quick Guide
Step 1 Enter your options in Portico. Click on 'view provisional timetable' and you will be
taken to the timetable website to check that your options fit in your timetable. Once you are
happy that your timetable is clash-free confirm your options in Portico.
Step 2 Once you confirm your options in Portico, they will (provisionally) appear in your
timetable the next day. If a module selection is not approved by the teaching department or
you delete it in Portico, it will be removed from your timetable the following day. Once
approved, your options will continue to be displayed on your personal timetable.
Step 3 Your personal timetable displays the modules you are registered to attend in Portico.
Students are automatically registered for compulsory modules so they immediately appear in
your timetable.
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Step 4 Groups such as tutorials, labs and seminars are added to your timetable when you
are assigned to a group by the teaching department. You can choose to display all groups
for your modules.
Step 5 Timetables are subject to change. Any change to the timetable from any department
at UCL is reflected immediately in the online timetable and your personal timetable will be
updated automatically. Remember to check your timetable regularly and report clashes to
your Programme Administrator as soon as you can.
4.4
Moodle
Moodle is UCL's online teaching and learning environment where you can take part in
activities and read resources as part of your studies. This is an excellent way to keep in
touch with your department and other students on your course, and to get help with
academic work.
Within SSEES, Moodle is used to facilitate communication among students and staff.
Moodle pages can feature a variety of materials, such as course materials for download, a
blog, discussion boards, a wiki, training in the use of Moodle and other resources. Students
are also required to submit their coursework assessments and dissertations via Moodle.
To access Moodle, please visit www.ucl.ac.uk/Moodle. You will need to enter your UCL
username and password, and then select "UCL School of Slavonic and East European
Studies".
4.5
UCL SSEES Library
UCL SSEES Library is one of the UK’s largest specialist collections on Central, Eastern and
South-Eastern Europe, Russia and the former Soviet Union. The Library offers historical
research materials, contemporary publications relevant to the area, periodicals, newspapers
and other materials in support of courses. It also provides IT and audio-visual facilities for
the School. There is wireless access throughout the UCL SSEES building, and there are
facilities in the Library for viewing DVDs and videos, for general computing, internet access
and computer-assisted learning. See below for further details.
The Library is open 24 hours on weekdays during term: Monday 09:00 – Saturday
17:00, and from 10:00 to 17:00 on Sundays.
Staffed services are available from 09:00 to 21:00, Monday to Friday, and from 10:00
to 17:00 on Saturdays.
The Library has a team of Area Specialists who can help you to locate resources for your
subject.
If you need assistance of any sort, please speak to a member of staff in the Enquiries Office
in the first instance, or email the Library at ssees-library@ssees.ucl.ac.uk. To keep up-todate with the latest news and developments, follow @UCLSSEESLibrary on Twitter or visit
the Library’s Facebook page.
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Your UCL student ID card is also your Library card; as soon as you have it, you can visit all
the UCL Libraries. However, you will not be able to borrow until the day after you obtain your
UCL student ID card as your record needs to be updated overnight.
Ensure you have your UCL ID with you at all times as it is not possible to use the UCL
Libraries without it.
Library Induction
Tours of the UCL SSEES Library are held in the first week of term as part of the Induction
programme. You will meet library staff and receive further details of the collections and the
facilities, including the layout of the library and basic features of the online catalogue,
Explore. Subject-specific induction sessions also take place in other UCL libraries. Please
ask a member of SSEES library staff for more information.
We suggest you familiarise yourself with the Library before the busy study period starts in
order to be able to take full advantage of all the available facilities. Start by reading the
sections on Library and Computing later in this handbook, and also take a look at the
Library’s website.
4.6
Other UCL Libraries
UCL SSEES Library is your first point of call for the books, periodicals and electronic
resources you will need for your studies. You will find additional facilities and relevant
collections in the UCL Main Library, which is located in the centre of the Wilkins Building on
the main campus off Gower Street (under the dome), and the Science Library in the DMS
Watson building, also located on the main campus. Maps showing the locations of all UCL
libraries are available in SSEES Library or here.
As a UCL SSEES student, you can borrow books from any of the UCL Libraries and you can
also register for borrowing at Senate House Library. When applying for membership of
Senate House Library and reference access to other University of London libraries you will
need to show your UCL ID card as proof of your student status.
4.7
Specialist Bookshops
A list of central London bookshops and online book suppliers can be found at
http://www.talkingcities.co.uk/london_pages/shopping_books.htm.
Useful bookshops in London include the following:
The European Bookshop (Tel: 020 7734 5259; Fax: 020 7287 1720)
5 Warwick Street, London W1R 5RA (Tube: Piccadilly Circus)
(www.europeanbookshop.com/)
Foyles (Tel: 020 7437 5660 www.foyles.co.uk )
107 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0DTB (Tube: Tottenham Court Road)
Grant and Cutler (Tel: 020 7734 2012; Fax: 020 7734 9272)
55-57 Great Marlborough Street, London, W1V 2AY (Tube: Oxford Circus)
(www.grantandcutler.com)
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Waterstones (Tel: 020 7636 1577; Fax: 020 7580 7680)
82 Gower Street, London WC1E 6EQ (Tube: Goodge St)
(www.waterstones.com)
The Russian Bookshop at Waterstones Piccadilly
(http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/pages/russian-bookshop/2390/)
4.8
UCL SSEES Computer Facilities
UCL SSEES Library provides computer and printing facilities for SSEES students. The
computers run a number of standard Windows-based Office applications, and also provide
access to the Internet. They are supplied with a range of language facilities, so it is easy to
type in Russian or another East European language. Some computer-assisted learning
packages are also available.
Access to the SSEES Student Cluster is by security code. To get the code you must present
your UCL ID at the SSEES Library Issue Desk. If you are using the CALL facilities, you also
need to request a set of headphones to use with the learning programmes. This room is
reserved for SSEES students.
At certain points in each year, the SSEES Student Cluster gets extremely busy (particularly
when dissertations are due to be submitted in May and September). Please be aware that
SSEES students also have access to many centrally-managed computer clusters within
UCL. A full list of the clusters can be found at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/services/learningteaching/spaces/locations. The nearest ones are in the Main Library, the Science Library
and the Institute of Archaeology. UCL cluster rooms are open for individual use, when not
booked for teaching.
4.9
Printing and Copying
UCL Libraries and computer clusters are equipped with devices which photocopy, print and
scan. There are two machines in the Photocopying and Printing Room on the Lower Ground
Floor of UCL SSEES Library, and one in the Student Cluster on the First Floor. The first time
you use one of the devices you will need to register with your UCL user ID and password,
but after that just swipe your UCL ID card on the card reader to access your account. You
can print directly from laptops and other mobile devices by emailing your documents to
mobileprint@ucl.ac.uk. Colour printing and copying are also available. You are given £12 of
copying and printing credit at the beginning of each year which can be topped up online or in
person at one of the cash loader machines. The cash loader in UCL SSEES Library is
located in the Photocopying and Printing Room on the Lower Ground Floor.
4.10 Audio-Visual Facilities
The SSEES Library holds a collection of over 5,500 DVDs and videos containing films and
documentaries from and about the region. A searchable catalogue of this collection is
available at http://www.ssees.ucl.ac.uk/videos/. The news in Polish and Russian is recorded
each weekday. The Multimedia Room on the First Floor provides facilities for watching these
materials. Headphones can be obtained from the Issue Desk on deposit of a current UCL ID
card.
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4.11 Disability Services
Services for Students with Individual Needs
UCL Student Disability Services is available to provide advice and practical support in the
following ways:






Assessments of support need, including diagnostic assessments for students with
dyslexia
Assistance to students with disabilities in applying for grants
Up-to-date advice on special equipment that may assist with managing a disability
Organising note-taking/interpreter/reader support
Providing information on access to all UCL teaching space
Administering the Hardship Fund for students with disabilities (EU and overseas
students only)
A UCL IT-trainer can provide advice on equipment purchase, setting-up and installing
computer systems in students' homes, and some initial training.
Special examination arrangements can be made for students with disabilities who need to
take their examinations in a separate room designed for this purpose, or to use special
equipment or other facilities. Please note that students with dyslexia who require additional
examination time should contact Student Disability Services in good time so that
arrangements for a dyslexia assessment can be made.
UCL Student Disability Services also have a website here.
Disability: Examination and Assessment Procedures
If you have a disability or specific learning difficulty, UCL recognises that the usual format of
exams may not be suitable.
How do I apply for special examination arrangements?
Students are advised to contact the Student Disability Services as early as possible in the
academic year to discuss examination arrangements.
What will my application involve?
All applications must be accompanied by evidence of disability or medical condition provided
by a competent authority. Such authority would usually be your consultant or GP.
Students with dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties will need a recent assessment
by a qualified psychologist. Such an assessment can be provided by the UCL Dyslexia Coordinator. Even if you have a recent assessment carried out by an outside body you must
contact the Dyslexia Co-ordinator who will assess your needs and pass the necessary
information to the Examinations Section.
Application forms (for students with disabilities other than dyslexia / specific learning
difficulties) can be obtained from Student Disability Services or the Examinations Section.
Contact: examinations@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: 020 7679 7915
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UCL will endeavour to ensure that appropriate arrangements are put in place. However, you
should be aware that if arrangements need to be put in place well in advance. Applications
should be submitted as early as possible and not later than six weeks before the start of your
examinations.
4.12 Careers
UCL subscribes to The Careers Group - University of London, which supports the dedicated
UCL Careers Service located on the 4th floor of the University of London Union (ULU)
building on Malet Street. You are entitled to use UCL Careers Service and its extensive
careers library and career planning services at any time during your period of study.
SSEES has a Careers Liaison Tutor who may be consulted. There is also a Careers Adviser.
Bryony Wills, provided by UCL Careers Service who has special responsibility for SSEES
students. They can help you with your career planning and assist you in the development of
valuable skills for job-hunting (e.g. CV presentation and interview technique). The Careers
Adviser holds weekly drop-in sessions in the SSEES building on Fridays during term time,
usually in Room 503. The Careers Adviser will also make a short presentation during
Induction Week to tell you more about the services that they provide.
Specialist careers talks for students of all years are held all year round. Collect or download
your copy of the UCL Annual Careers Programme at the beginning of every academic year
and do make time to attend. Details of these talks and other careers information will be
found on the UCL Careers Service Website.
4.13 References
Your Personal Tutor or an individual course tutor may also be able to provide you with job or
academic references for your applications. In such cases, you should obtain their permission
before naming them. Requests should be made at least 10 days in advance of the date
required, by sending an email with the subject header: 'Reference Request + Surname' and
attaching an up-to-date curriculum vitae as well as your latest transcript of marks and details
of the job or course that you are applying for.
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5. Teaching and Academic Support
5.1
SSEES Teaching Aims
All Master's programmes aim to:






develop disciplinary and theoretical expertise, applied in a particular global context;
promote advanced understanding of various aspects of the region and to advanced
knowledge in the field;
enable students to enhance their mastery of research skills, and to carry on to
doctoral research;
give students opportunities for training in and application of these skills;
develop allied skills of self-expression and communication;
enable students to follow careers that draw on the skills and expertise gained through
their degree.
Drawing on its unique multidisciplinary expertise in teaching and research, SSEES is able to
offer high quality research-led MA programmes in culture, economics, history, literature and
politics. All of our programmes offer the chance to study a language of the SSEES region
and to develop expertise in theory, methods and interdisciplinary area studies. Each year we
enrol more than 150 new MA students and the graduates of our programmes have an
enviable record in securing employment in both the public and private sectors.
The School offers different graduate degrees, some of 12 months duration (full-time), and
some of 24 months (full-time) starting in late September:
One Year MA Programmes









MA in Central and South-East European Studies
MA in Comparative Business Economics
MA in Comparative Economics and Policy
MA in History
MA in Political Analysis
MA in Political Sociology
MA in Russian & Post-Soviet Politics
MA in Russian and East European Literature and Culture
MA in Russian Studies
One Year MRes Programme

MRes in the Politics and Economics of Eastern Europe
Two Year MA Programme

International Masters in Economy, State and Society (IMESS)
Two Year MRes Programme

MRes in East European Studies
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All these degrees require students to take compulsory core courses, but a strong feature of
all them is the amount of choice available for the study of particular areas of interest. The
MRes degrees are specialised taught degrees oriented strongly towards research and are
ideally tailored for students contemplating a career in research.
All programmes require a dissertation which is an individualised and independently
researched piece of work relevant to the subject area of the degree supported by the
Dissertation Preparation module and academic supervision.
All degree programmes involve the development of a wide range of intellectual, practical and
transferable skills, as outlined in the Programme Specifications. SSEES and UCL provide
varying ways of facilitating your study and guidance on study skills is available in the Study
Skills Handbook, the MA Style Guidelines for Dissertations and Assessed Essays and the
MA Dissertation Preparation Programme Handbook, all of which are available on the SSEES
website on the “Current Students” webpage.
5.2
Programme Documentation
In addition to this handbook and the UCL Academic Regulations, important information
relating to your programme and courses are contained in other documents.
Programme Specifications
A detailed outline of the aims and objectives of each degree programme and of the
knowledge, understanding and skills that the programme develops is given in the
Programme Specification. At UCL, programme specifications are not designed to be a
primary source of information for students, but they do form part of our internal programme
approval, quality monitoring and review processes. These are available from:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/srs/governance-and-committees/qme/ucl-prog-specs/ssees-prog-specs.
Scheme of Award
SSEES has developed a Scheme of Award for all one year MA programmes, and a separate
Scheme of Award for the MRes programme which is included in the MRes Handbook
Supplement. These documents contain programme-specific requirements such as details of
compulsory courses, the rules for condoning failed courses, degree classifications and
awards. The Scheme of Award is updated annually and part-time students will be governed
by the Scheme of Award in force in the academic year when they first registered for their
programme. It is important that you refer to the correct version.
It is important that you should take the opportunity to view the Scheme of Award for your
programme in full (links to which are provided on the current postgraduate student pages.
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ssees/current-students/postgraduate
Students on the IMESS and MRes programme should consult their specific Scheme of Awards
as these have some different requirements than the standard versions.
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ssees/current-students/postgraduate
These are available on the Current Students page of the SSEES website:
www.ucl.ac.uk/ssees/current-students/postgraduate.
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Course Outlines
More detailed information on teaching, learning and assessment methods for individual
courses is given in Course Outlines which are available on the SSEES website:
www.ucl.ac.uk/ssees/current-students/postgraduate.
Additional details are normally contained in a Course Handbook or directly on the course
Moodle page.
5.3
Contact Hours and Private Study
Courses are usually taught by a series of weekly lectures and weekly or fortnightly classes
(seminars/tutorials).
Studying for a degree involves much more than being taught in lectures and classes. You
will do most of the work on your own, making use of the Library and other resources; you will
prepare material for class discussion; consolidate what you have been taught; undertake
wider reading of books and journal articles and newspapers; and write essays, or do
language exercises, as required by your tutors.
On average it is expected that you spend approximately 300 hours studying for each 1.0
course unit (including contact time, private study during the term, undertaking of coursework
assignments, preparation for exams).
You should make time in the vacations to prepare for the term (or year) ahead and it is
important that you plan your study time throughout the academic year.
5.4
Study Skills and Avoiding Plagiarism
Study Skills Handbook
The SSEES Study Skills handbook provides detailed guidance on study, essay writing,
referencing and revision methods and is available from the Undergraduate Current Students
page of the SSEES website: www.ucl.ac.uk/ssees/current-students
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined as the presentation of another person's thoughts or words or artefacts
or software as though they were a student's own.
Plagiarism constitutes an examination offence under the University Regulations and it
important that you understand what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it. UCL
regulations governing plagiarism apply to all student work, including examinations, assessed
coursework and non-assessed coursework.
All UCL students are required to read the UCL guidance on plagiarism as well as the SSEES
Study Skills Handbook which includes advice on presentation and referencing. All assessed
coursework is required to be submitted to Turnitin®, a sophisticated detection system which
scans student work for evidence of plagiarism by matching text from student assessments to
billions of sources worldwide, including websites and journals, as well as work previously
submitted to SSEES, UCL and other universities.
Please refer to the UCL website for information on plagiarism (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/currentstudents/guidelines/plagiarism)
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





5.5
What is plagiarism? (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/currentstudents/guidelines/plagiarism/#whatis)
What is considered plagiarism (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/currentstudents/guidelines/plagiarism/#considered)
Why do students plagiarise? (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/currentstudents/guidelines/plagiarism/#why )
What does this mean for you as a student at UCL? (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/currentstudents/guidelines/plagiarism/#mean)
Tips on how to avoid plagiarism? (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/currentstudents/guidelines/plagiarism_tips)
Guidelines for proper citation (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/currentstudents/guidelines/plagiarism_citation)
English Language Support
The UCL Language Centre offers an 'In-session English for Academic Purposes Course'
which provides on-going language support for overseas students who are studying as
undergraduates or graduates at UCL or other colleges of the University of London. For
further information see their http://www.ucl.ac.uk/clie/english-for-academic-purposes
5.6
Personal Tutors
At the start of your time at SSEES, you will be allocated a Personal Tutor. The name of your
Personal Tutor will be listed on your Portico record at the beginning of the first term. You
should feel free to see your Personal Tutor during his/her office hours or at other times (by
appointment) whenever you require help or advice in resolving a problem. Your personal
tutor provides you with pastoral and academic support and guidance.
All issues will be discussed confidentially, unless you agree otherwise. Having a personal
tutor provides you with an opportunity to get to know a member of staff in a non-academic
capacity. All academic matters are the responsibility of the Programme Co-ordinators and
the SSEES MA Graduate Tutor. Your Personal Tutor will also advise you on your initial
choice of dissertation topic.
5.7
Office Hours
Students can meet members of staff to discuss academic matters without appointments
during their specified office hours. Each member of staff will post a notice of these hours
outside his/her office at the start of each term; they will also be listed on the Current
Students page of the SSEES website: www.ucl.ac.uk/ssees/current-students
If consultation is required at other times, please make appointments or email the tutor in the
first instance to avoid disappointment.
5.8
Attendance and Engagement
You need to participate fully in the learning process in order to get the maximum value from
your study. This means attending classes, writing the essays or completing other tasks
which are required, making class presentations when it is your turn, joining in with
discussions and participating actively in the class. It is therefore essential that you prepare
carefully for your tutorials.
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The MA Graduate Tutor reports to the Faculty Tutor periodically throughout the academic
year on the attendance and academic progress of students. Poor attendance may result in
barring from completing a course unit which may prevent you from progressing to the next
stage of your degree, or from obtaining an honours award.
Attendance Requirements
Attendance at all lectures and classes is compulsory. SSEES maintains records of
attendance at all timetabled classes and is required to report regularly on attendance to UCL
and externally to the UK Border Agency.
You can be at a serious disadvantage if you miss lectures and classes and fail to obtain any
reading lists or other materials which may be handed out by the tutor. Absence from lectures
can impair your ability to participate effectively in class discussions and to perform
successfully in the examinations.
Failure to attend your classes may result in you being barred from sitting your examinations
or from further assessments contributing to the overall mark for the course, and ultimately to
de-registration.
Absence Notification
If you are ill and cannot attend a scheduled class, you must email or telephone your
Programme Administrator and email all the tutors for the classes you are missing. If you are
emailing or leaving a telephone message, please state the following details:




Your name
Your programme of study
The name and time of the class you will miss
The reason for your absence
You must contact SSEES every day that you are absent.
If illness prevents you from attending for more than a week, you must get a doctor's sickness
certificate explaining the absence which should be submitted to the Student Administration
Office for the attention of your Programme Administrator.
Planned Absences
If you need to be away for a special reason, you must get permission in advance from the
MA Graduate Tutor. If your request is for longer than one week of leave, additional
permission will be needed from the Faculty Tutor.
Please note that you should not undertake paid employment that will interfere with your
attendance at classes or with the production of written work and class presentations. UCL
normally forbids any employment of more than 15 hours per week.
5.9
Barring & Warnings
Barring
If your attendance falls below 70% attendance for a course, you will barred from the course
and become ineligible for summative assessment in that course. This means that, if the bar
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is not lifted, coursework submitted after barring will not contribute to the final course mark,
and you will not be able to sit any end of course examination.
If you are barred from a course, you will be notified of this in writing and you will be required
to sign a learning agreement. If you fulfil the conditions set out in the learning agreement, the
bar will be lifted.
If a bar is imposed on a course, you should continue to submit coursework, which will
be marked and given feedback as normal, but the marks will only contribute to the
overall mark for the course if the bar is subsequently lifted.
If a bar is not lifted, marks for the course will not be considered by the Board of Examiners.
The UCL Policy and Procures for Learning-Agreements and Barring Students from
Assessment are available here: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/academic-manual/part-3/barringstudents-examinations
Warning Process
SSEES operates a warning process to identify potential attendance issues, and to enable
student performance to improve, before they reach the stage of barring.
First Warning from Course Tutor
If you are absent from two classes on a SSEES course, without good reason, you will
receive a warning letter from the Course Tutor, which you are required to respond to. (For
language classes: two consecutive classes (for modules that meet weekly), or, in the case of
language modules with two or more class meetings per week, three consecutive classes.) If
you respond to the letter and attend all future classes for the course, no further action will
normally be taken.
If the first warning was issued for a 1.0 course unit over two terms, and you respond to the
warning letter and improve your attendance but subsequently miss a further class, you will
receive a further warning letter from the Course Tutor.
The Course Tutor will inform the MA Graduate Tutor if:
 you fail to respond to the first warning letter and fail to improve your attendance; or
 you respond to the first warning letter but fail to improve your attendance; or
 you respond to the first warning letter and improve your attendance initially but
subsequently miss another class for a 0.5 course unit; or
 you fail to respond to the second warning letter sent by the Course Tutor and fail to
improve your attendance on a 1.0 course unit taught over two terms.
MA Graduate Tutor
The MA Graduate Tutor will require you to attend an interview and may require you to sign a
learning agreement and/or bar you from the course if your attendance has already fallen
below the UCL threshold of 70%.
You should take any warning letter you receive very seriously, as a failure to respond
to improve your attendance could have serious implications on your course
registration.
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6. Assessment and Feedback
Regulations require that to be awarded academic credit, students must satisfactorily
complete all assessments and attend satisfactorily.
6.1
Forms of Assessment
Several methods of assessment are used for SSEES courses. The standard methods are as
follows. However, depending on the requirements of the module, there may be some degree
of variation.
15 Credit Courses


1x3000w Essay*
2hr Unseen Examination & 1x1500w Essay
30 Credit Courses




1x6000w Essay*
2hr Unseen Examination & 1x3000w Essay
2x 3000w Essay*
3hr Unseen Examination
Language Courses

All language courses are assessed by a mixture of written examination and practical
assessment.
Included in word count
Main text of essay
Illustrative material such as tables and charts,
either in the main part of the essay or in an
appendix
Footnotes, endnotes and citations
Not included in word count
Bibliography/list of references
Title of essay
Abstract
Student number
Appendices containing information about a
dissertation’s methodology, e.g. list of
interviewees, interview schedule
Translations of quotations (where
required)
EXCEPTION: Students writing assessment (typically in Economics and Business topics)
which involve econometric analysis may include additional tables or graphs in an appendix
with descriptive statistics, variable definitions, extra regression tables etc. These additional
materials in the appendix will NOT count towards the word count. The main tables and
graphs that are central to the argument being made in the assessment should be included in
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the main body of the dissertation and WILL contribute to the word count.
6.2
Submission of Coursework
You are expected to hand work in on time as required and in return you can expect to
receive your work back promptly. You are required to submit all formally assessed
coursework electronically and in hard-copy.
For the academic year 2015/16, we will be trialling online marking for some of our courses.
Students are strongly advised to double check the submission format required (i.e.
electronically and in hard-copy or electronically only) with their lecturer in order to avoid any
confusion or disruption at the Student Administration Office.
All work submitted for assessment should be anonymous.
DO NOT write your name anywhere on your work (either on the cover, or in footer or the
header). Use only your student number and examination candidate number if you have
this at the time of submission.
Deadlines
The dates for coursework assessment deadlines are determined by individual Course Tutors
and are clearly set out in the course materials made available at the start of the course.
Deadlines will normally only be set for Mondays and Thursdays.
Electronic Submission
An electronic copy of each assessment must be submitted via the Course Moodle page by
midnight on the day of the deadline. By submitting on Moodle, you will be confirming your
agreement with the UCL Plagiarism Statement.
Submission through Moodle also submits the assessment to Turnitin.
If you encounter difficulties submitting your assessment electronically, you should contact
your Programme Administrator or ssees-student@ucl.ac.uk.
Hard-Copy Submission
One copy of your work must be submitted to the Student Administration Office by 4pm on
the date of the deadline.
Under no circumstances should formally assessed coursework be submitted to individual
members of academic staff.
One Graduate Coursework Submission Form should be submitted to the Student
Administration Office for each piece of assessment:

The form is available from the Current Students area of the SSEES website and
paper copies are also available from outside the Student Administration Office;
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
You will need to complete Section 1, including the Plagiarism Statement, and attach
the form to the front of your work - you are advised to complete the form prior to
arrival at the office to prevent delays in the submission process;
It is your responsibility to ensure that the Graduate Coursework Submission Form is
completed accurately and in full.

The Student Administration Office closes at 4pm on deadline days, after which time work
will not be accepted and will need to be submitted the following day when the office reopens at 10:00am.
The Student Administration Office will determine when the 4pm deadline has passed, and
will not accept any work after this point.
You must ensure that you leave ample time to submit your work and that you make all
adequate preparations to be able to submit your work on, or before, the deadline where
possible.
Routine computer problems such as viruses, disk corruption, printer problems or printer
queues, and short term network problems are not acceptable grounds for lateness or for
requesting an extension to the submission deadline. You are expected to take proper
precautions and make back-up copies of your data or ensure adequate time for the
production of a hard copy of your work and its electronic submission.
6.3
Penalties for Late Submission of Coursework
All assessed work must be submitted by the stated deadlines and the required format as
specified by the lecturer. Where both hard and electronic copies are required, late penalties
will apply where neither copy has been submitted by the relevant deadline.
Penalties for Late Submission of Coursework (Chapter 4, Section 3.14.1 in the Academic
Manual http://www.ucl.ac.uk/srs/academic-manual/c4/pgt-assessment/penalties/#3.14.31)
Where coursework is not submitted in the required format by a published deadline, the
following penalties will apply:






The full allocated mark will be reduced by 5 percentage points if the work is
submitted on calendar day one after the deadline.
The full allocated mark will be reduced by 15 percentage points if the coursework is
submitted on calendar day two until calendar day 7 after the deadline.
A mark of zero will be recorded for coursework submitted on calendar day 8 after
the deadline through to the end of the second week of the third term.
Nevertheless the assessment will be considered to be complete provided the
coursework contains material that can be assessed.
Coursework submitted after the end of the second week of the third term will not
be marked and the assessment will be incomplete.
Coursework submitted after solutions have been published will receive a mark
of zero, and may not be formally marked, even when the coursework was
submitted within seven days of the deadline.
In the case of dissertations and project reports submitted more than seven days
late, the mark will be recorded as zero but the assessment would be considered to
be complete.
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Worked Example: An essay is submitted late, but assessed as deserving a mark of 65%.
If it was submitted the first calendar day after the deadline, the mark becomes 60%.
If, however, it was submitted two to seven days late, the mark becomes 50%.
If the essay was submitted after seven days but before the relevant final deadline as set out
above, the mark will be 0% but the student will still be "complete".
If not submitted at all, the student would be "incomplete", unless the coursework in
question represented less than 20% of the overall module assessment.
6.4
Penalties for Over-Length Coursework
Penalties for Over-Length Coursework, including Dissertations ((Chapter 4, Section
3.14.2 in the Academic Manual http://www.ucl.ac.uk/srs/academic-manual/c4/pgtassessment/penalties/#3.14.2)
For submitted coursework, where a maximum word count has been specified the following
procedure will apply;




Assessed work should not exceed the prescribed word count
For work that exceeds the upper word limit by less than 10% the mark will reduced
by 10% marks, but the penalized mark will not be reduced below the pass mark,
assuming that the work merited a pass.
For work that exceeds the upper word limit by 10% or more, a mark of zero will be
recorded.
For discipline specific practices such as bibliographies, tables, pictures and graphs,
departments/divisions should specify in writing to students whether these are
recorded as part of the upper word limit and how this will be counted.
In the case of coursework that is submitted late and is also over-length, the greater of the
two penalties will apply.
6.5
Marking and Moderation
SSEES (like all other UCL Departments) follows a clear marking procedure for work to
ensure that the marks awarded to students are fair and appropriate. All work is marked in the
first instance by the Course Tutor, and then as appropriate (in accordance with UCL, Joint
Faculty and SSEES marking policies) by a second marker. These markers assess the work
in accordance with the published assessment criteria and use their academic judgement to
determine an agreed mark for the piece of work. SSEES assessment criteria are available
on the Current Students page of the SSEES website: www.ucl.ac.uk/ssees/current-students
In addition to this, a selection of work is also sent to the External Examiner (an examiner
who works outside of UCL, usually at another university) who acts as a check on the internal
markers and ensures that standards are maintained across the UK.
This system is designed to ensure that all students receive an appropriate mark for their
work and judged according to the marking criteria agreed by SSEES Teaching Committee.
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Marks communicated to students during the academic year remain provisional until they are
confirmed by the Board of Examiners. In practice they are most unlikely to change and the
word ‘provisional’ does not imply that students can negotiate higher marks with their course
tutors.
If you receive a mark with which you are unhappy, you should first review the feedback you
have been given, as this should contextualise the mark for you. If you remain unsure of why
you received this mark you should arrange to meet with either your Course Tutor or your
Personal Tutor to discuss your concerns and to explain the feedback to you.
UCL regulations do not allow for work to be remarked at the request of a student.
6.6
Feedback on Assessed Essays
Feedback on your work is an important part of learning. Once the internal marking of your
assessed essays has been completed, you can collect the comments and one copy of the
essay from the Student Administration Office. You can then make an appointment with your
course tutor to discuss your performance in more detail.
Students can expect to receive written feedback on formally-assessed coursework, usually
within a maximum of four weeks from the submission deadline. If there are delays in
providing feedback for individual courses, students will be notified of this before the four
weeks have passed.
Individual assessments can be discussed with individual staff during office hours or special
appointments.
Additionally, students may receive verbal or written feedback in class or on non-assessed
coursework. Feedback methods are described in the Course Outline.
Questions or concerns about the timing of the return of coursework can be sent to sseesstudent@ucl.ac.uk in the first instance.
6.7
Collection of Work
SSEES endeavours to return work to students within 4 weeks of the submission date. You
will be emailed by the Student Administration Office once your work is ready for collection.
Please note that work cannot be kept indefinitely and will be archived until the end of the
academic year if it has not been collected within six weeks of its release back to you.
Requesting it after this date may result in a significant delay to retrieve it later.
6.8
Formal Examinations
During the first two weeks at the start of each year you will register your courses on Portico.
You will be required to choose options permitted by your degree syllabus. The deadline for
completion of course registration is Friday of the second week of term 1.
After submitting your choices on Portico, and once teaching has commenced, you will not
normally be permitted to change courses.
After teaching has commenced, in exceptional circumstances, you may apply to the
Departmental Tutor for authorisation to change courses. If this is agreed by the
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Departmental Tutor you MUST obtain and complete a Change of Course Form
(http://www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/services/studyinformation/changecourse).
If you have dyslexia or a similar condition and wish to apply for special arrangements for
your examinations you are advised that a detailed report will be required for the application
process in Term 2 (see section on Disability in section 4.10).
Written examinations are held in Term 3, and are scheduled by the Examinations Office.
Some oral and aural examinations may take place outside of these times but within term
time. Your personal examination timetable will be released via Portico towards the end of the
Term 2.
Exam results for actual course-units results will be available to all undergraduate students
via the web using the online Student Information Service, Portico at
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Portico. To access the service you will need your UCL userid and
password. Please contact the Information Systems Service Desk if you do not have or have
forgotten your password or need further information about access at
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/help/.
It is your responsibility to ensure:





that all forms are completed in time
that you are correctly entered for all the examinations for your courses
that your exam timetable is correct and that you are aware of all the times of your
examinations (beware: there are often changes between the provisional timetable
publicised on notice boards and final timetables which you receive personally)
that you have let all the relevant people know of any extenuating circumstance which
may affect your examination performance
that you arrive in the examination at the right place at the right time well before the
examination is due to start.
Full details of examination regulations and guidelines can be found at:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/exams_and_awards.
Conduct of Examinations
Regulations concerning the conduct of examinations are found at:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/exams_and_awards/ .These are also available on
Portico with your examination timetable. It is important that you read these carefully.
Unexplained Absence from Examinations
If you do not attend an examination as expected you will be marked absent by the
invigilators and this will appear on the transcript of your results. If you do not explain your
absence to the satisfaction of the College this will be treated as a failed attempt, and a re-sit
will be required at the next available occasion (normally, this will be the examinations
session of the following year) in order that the unit is completed. The course will also be
deemed ‘incomplete’ which may have implications for your progression or award.
Withdrawal from Examinations on Academic Grounds
You may withdraw your entry to an examination on academic grounds only with the approval
of Departmental and Faculty Tutors. This withdrawal must be made using the official form
(Withdrawal from Examination on Academic Grounds) and Faculty approval must have been
obtained by the end of the first week of the third term. If you should absent yourself without
prior approval, then you will be marked absent and deemed to have made an attempt at the
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examination. If a withdrawal from an examination or assessment is approved, you will be
expected to take the assessment in the next academic session.
6.9
Problems Affecting Your Performance in Assessed Essays or
Examinations: Extenuating Circumstances
Introduction
UCL has an Extenuating Circumstances Policy: www.ucl.ac.uk/srs/academicmanual/c4/extenuating-circumstances/sum which is intended to ensure that students are not
unfairly disadvantaged by unexpected circumstances beyond their control which may affect
performance in assessment.
Note: The Extenuating Circumstances Policy applies only to short-term, unexpected
circumstances. Long-term, chronic conditions and disabilities are covered by UCL’s Support
to Study Policy and Fitness to Study Procedure: www.ucl.ac.uk/srs/academicmanual/c1/support-fitness/support.
Special Examination Arrangements
If you have a disability or medical condition that you feel might impact on your ability to
perform in exams you can apply for special examination arrangements. See the Student
Disability website [http://www.ucl.ac.uk/disability/special-examination-arrangements] for
further information. The application form is available from Student Disability Services or from
the UCL Examinations Office in Registry and Academic Services.
As a student, you are responsible for making known any circumstances which may affect
your performance at assessment in good time for them to be considered by the appropriate
body. If not, you will be considered as declaring yourself fit to sit the assessment concerned.
How to submit an Extenuating Circumstances request, including extension requests
You must notify your own department, no matter which department teaches the module(s)
concerned, using the Extenuating Circumstances (EC) Form www.ucl.ac.uk/srs/academicmanual/documents/annexes/chapter-4-annexes/annex-4-2-1-ec-claim-form.doc. You should
attach appropriate supporting evidence. Forms of appropriate evidence are set out in the
SSEES Documentary Evidence Requirements available on the Current Students website.
All EC forms for SSEES students should be submitted to:
ssees-extenuating-circumstances@ucl.ac.uk
Forms sent to any other email address will not be accepted.
The same form should be used to apply for all forms of mitigation for short-term unexpected
circumstances, including short extensions to coursework deadlines of up to one week,
special assessment arrangements such as extra time in examinations, or other forms of
mitigation, including longer extensions, or deferral of an examination to a later date.
Further information is available in the Guidance for Students: www.ucl.ac.uk/srs/academicmanual/documents/annexes/chapter-4-annexes/annex-4-2-2-ec-guidance-for-students.
Requests for extensions or other mitigations in examinations will only be considered where
the circumstances meet the definition of an extenuating circumstance. Guidance is provided
(www.ucl.ac.uk/srs/academic-manual/documents/annexes/chapter-4-annexes/annex-4-2-2ec-guidance-for-students) to help you assess whether an EC claim might be considered –
you are encouraged to review this guidance before submitting your claim.
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You will be contacted once a decision has been made about your request. Wherever
possible such requests should be submitted well before the deadline.
Additional Guidance




Where you are requesting an extension to assessed coursework or dissertation, all
requests must be submitted in advance of the submission deadline and supported by
appropriate medical or other written evidence. Please note that extensions cannot be
requested after the deadline has passed. If you are submitting work after the deadline,
and were subject to extenuating circumstances, you should submit an Extenuating
Circumstances claim as above.
Extensions are given for a maximum of 7 days and, should the new deadline fall on a
weekend, you would be expected to submit your work at 10:00am on the following
Monday.
Please note that Requests for extension are not granted automatically and you should
not assume an extension has been granted upon submission of this form. You will be
advised of the outcome once a decision has been made. If you hand work in late and
your request is not granted, the late penalties will apply. The same penalties will apply
after the end of any extension that is granted.
Please note that the EC form must be submitted either at the time of, or as soon as
possible after the assessment which has been affected. In any case the Extenuating
Circumstances Form will not be accepted any later than seven days after the date of the
assessment or examination affected. A Panel will meet to consider EC claims on a
regular basis and prior to the final Examination Board at the end of the year to review all
claims in the correct manner as described by UCL Academic Regulations. It will NOT be
possible to consider claims after the final EC Panel meeting or the final Examination
Board. Please be assured that all circumstances are treated in the strictest confidence.
Please note that routine computer problems such as viruses, disk corruption, printer
problems, and short term network problems are not acceptable grounds for an extension.
You are expected to take proper precautions and make back-up copies of your work and
allow enough time to produce your work in hard-copy.
If you do not present evidence your claim it is likely to be rejected.
Extensions cannot be granted retrospectively or by individual Course Tutors and must be
submitted to ssees-extenuating-circumstances@ucl.ac.uk.
If you have been affected by circumstances, and choose not to make a claim at the time, you
will not be able to make a claim for circumstances after the Examination Board has sat. You
are therefore encouraged to submit a claim (with evidence) at the time you are affected.
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7. Programme Regulations
All Postgraduate Programmes in SSEES are governed by UCL Academic Regulations for
Students Postgraduate Programmes which are available at
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/srs/academic-manual/overview.
For regulations governing academic progression, degree classification and the award of
honours, the UCL Academic Regulations set the minimum requirements and Departments
may set additional requirements. For postgraduate programmes in SSEES, additional
requirements are set out the Scheme of Award: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ssees/currentstudents/postgraduate.
7.1
Requests to Change an MA Course unit
Once a student has selected the modules they wish to study at the start of the first term, it is
expected that these choices will be binding. However, it is recognized that a student may
occasionally wish to change their modules for Term 1 or Term 2.
Any such request from a student to change their selected module(s) is subject to the
following conditions;



There must be a clear academic reason to request a change (for example that a
particular module directly links to a chosen dissertation topic)
Permission must be sought from the tutor of the module you wish to move to, and
from the tutor you wish to move from (in that order). Either tutor may decline the
request and in such cases you will be required to remain with your original choice.
That the request must not require any substantive change to the operation of the
module. This may mean the timetabling of either module, or the need to create
additional seminar groups. Additionally, the request may be refused if it results in the
numbers of students enrolled on a module dropping below a viable level.
Term 1

Requests to change modules must be made on the relevant form (available from Rm
341) and this form must be fully completed (with relevant signatures from the
module tutors) by the end of the second week of Term 1 i.e. the end of the first
teaching week of term 1.
Term 2

7.2
Requests to change modules must be made on the relevant form (available from Rm
341) and this form must be fully completed (with relevant signatures from the
module tutors) by the end of the final week of Term 1.
Being “Complete” in Course Units
A course unit is completed when a student has been academically assessed in all of the
examined components relating to the course unit. This is not necessarily the same as
passing a course unit, as a course unit is passed when a student has been academically
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assessed in all of the examined components relating to the course unit and achieved a mark
of 40% for the course unit as a whole.
For students on taught programmes at UCL, a course unit is complete when a student has
been declared by a Board of Examiners to be complete on all components for that course
taking into account the following:

Coursework (less than 20% of course mark)
Where the coursework component represents 20% or more of the overall module
assessment, a threshold for completion, such as a requirement to submit at least a
specified fraction of the coursework, must be set by the department and clearly
publicised to the candidates taking the module.
In the event that any threshold set is not reached, the result for the component will be
“incomplete” regardless of the mark obtained. Otherwise, the threshold criteria are met
and the candidate is declared “complete” on the component.
If the coursework component represents less than 20% of the overall module
assessment, no coursework completion criteria need be set by the department.
If no coursework threshold criteria are set then the mark obtained by the candidate,
including zero, is returned for this component and the overall mark calculated in the
usual way and the candidate declared “complete” on the component.

Unseen Examinations
An unseen examination component is deemed complete if a candidate has submitted an
answer that can be academically assessed. The mark awarded, however, might be zero.
If a candidate makes little or no attempt at the examination, this will be deemed
“incomplete” and the module as a whole will also be deemed “incomplete”.
Failing and being Incomplete
At UCL there is an important difference between failing a course – even if a course has been
irredeemably failed after both the first and the second attempts – and being ‘incomplete’ in
the assessment for a course: it is possible to fail a course permanently, while nevertheless
‘completing’ it. The difference can be very significant.
In order to be ‘complete’ in a course, students must have been academically assessed in all
of the examined elements relating to the course on at least the first or the second attempt. In
other words, the student must have seriously attempted all relevant assessment at least
once, instead of being absent and/or failing to submit work. Merely attending an examination
without making a credible attempt that can be academically assessed or submitting empty
pages or negligible work that cannot be academically assessed does not complete the
assessment.
7.3
Failure in Course Units
Re-entry to Examinations or to Other Forms of Academic Assessment
i) Students who obtain a mark below the condoned mark range will be required to re-enter
that examination at the next normal occasion except for MRes students who are enrolled on
an integrated MRes/Doctoral programme who should be offered their taught element resit
opportunity before or in August of the same year.
ii) MRes students who fail the dissertation can resubmit the dissertation by the end of the
first term of the following academic year.
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iii) The higher of the marks achieved at the first attempt and the re-sit attempt will apply.
Number of Permitted Attempts
i) Students who, at their first entry, do not successfully pass an examination may re-enter for
the examination or other forms of assessment on one more occasion.
ii) This does not apply if they have been awarded a degree or been excluded from UCL on
the grounds of academic insufficiency, or as a result of misconduct.
Students who have been Awarded a Degree
Students who have been awarded a degree will not be permitted to re-enter any failed
module.
Repeating a Passed Module
Students who have passed a module cannot repeat the assessment for the module nor can
they enter for the same assessment for another module which is deemed to overlap with the
module examination which they have already taken and passed.
Format of the Reassessment
Students will resit only the failed assessment elements, unless the regulations for their
programme require that students must retake all assessed elements of a module.
7.4
Award of Postgraduate Degree
For students on taught programmes at UCL, a programme is complete when a student has
been declared by a Board of Examiners to be complete on all components for that
programme taking into account the following:
MA/MSc/MRes Programmes (180 UCL Credits)
Students must have been enrolled, and been academically assessed, on modules up to a
value of 180 UCL credits. Students must have achieved a pass mark in all 180 credits;
subject to the programme Scheme of Award, students may have a mark of 40-49%
condoned in up to 25% of the programme.
MA/MSc/MRes Programmes (360 UCL Credits)
Students must have been enrolled, and been academically assessed, on modules up to a
value of 360 UCL credits. Students must have achieved a pass mark in all 360 credits;
subject to the programme Scheme of Award, students may have a mark of 40-49%
condoned in up to 25% of the programme.
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8. Student Voice
8.1
Student Evaluation Questionnaires (SEQS)
Towards the end of each course, all students are invited to complete questionnaires so that
the School can obtain their opinion (anonymously) on course content and the tuition with
which you have been provided.
The results are collated and monitored by the Programme Co-ordinator and their reports are
discussed by the SSEES Teaching Committee and the Staff-Student Consultative
Committee. This helps us to keep the academic provision at SSEES constantly under
review, and to ensure that we maintain our high standards. For this reason, these
questionnaires are taken very seriously and are an integral part of the teaching/learning
process for both staff and students.
Your co-operation in completing evaluation questionnaires is appreciated.
8.2
Student Academic Representatives (StARS)
Student Academic Representatives
StARs (Student Academic Representatives) are elected to represent students’ views to UCL.
StARs sit on various committees at a course, faculty and University level, at which they act
as the voice of students, ensuring that UCL takes into account the needs of students in its
decision making processes. StARs achieve this through liaising with UCLU and UCL staff to
resolve issues.
During February StARs (Student Academic Representatives) are appointed for the
following groups:





First- and second-year undergraduates (18 month term)
Third-year undergraduates
Subsequent year undergraduates
Early years postgraduate researchers (18 month term)
Later years postgraduate researchers (in post until completion of course)
Details of what the role of a StAR involves and the support offered are set out below. For
more information on how StARs will be appointed in your department, please contact the
SSEES Academic Administration Manager.
Why should you become a StAR?
Because you…
…believe that students should have a say in the decisions that affect their experiences at
UCL.
…believe that you should take an active part in your own education.
…believe that you could be a leader and empower others.
…want to take part in University life to the full.
…enjoy talking to fellow students and helping them.
…are determined to leave UCL with more than just a degree.
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Being a StAR is an opportunity not to be missed. You can also gain a Certificate of
Experience in recognition of your contribution to students and UCL.
You can download the StAR Opportunity Profile here to see what the responsibilities are and
what opportunities there are for you to develop the role.
8.3
Staff-Student Consultative Committee (SSCC)
UCL requires each academic department to convene Staff-Student Consultative Committees
which meets at least twice in each academic year and report to the UCL Joint Staff-Student
Committee. Appointed StARS sit on the SSEES SSCC, and their contact details are
available here: http://uclu.org/school-of-slavonic-and-eastern-european-studies
The terms of reference for the SSCC are available in the UCL Academic Manual here:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/academic-manual/part-7/sscc
Other SSEES and UCL Committees
Student Representatives also sit on the SSEES Teaching Committee which meets once or
twice a term, the Library and Information Resources Committee and other UCL Committees
including Council (UCL’s governing body) and the Academic Board.
The nomination/election of student members to committees is mostly the responsibility of the
UCL Students' Union. You can get further information from the Education and Welfare
Officer of the Union. Details of which UCL committees include student members (and in what
capacity) are available through Union representatives.
8.4
External Examiner reports
External Examiners’ are asked to complete a formal annual report once the Boards of
Examiners has convened. These reports are critical in providing feedback on academic
standards and form an important part of UCL’s quality management processes.
Students have access to the relevant External Examiners’ reports and Departmental
responses from the Summer 2015 Boards of Examiners. It is recommended that students
should read External Examiners’ reports together with the Departmental response. This will
provide context and show action that the Department has proposed on possible issues
raised in the report.
The reports and responses should be discussed at Staff Student Consultative Committees
and students should be involved in responding to themes raised by External Examiners.
If students have any queries about the content of an External Examiner’s report, the
Departmental response or availability of the report, please contact either:
1) The Board Administrator of the Board of Examiners
2) Module Administrator
3) Departmental Administrator
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8.5
Grievances (Appeals) and Complaints
UCL has an established grievance procedure for dealing with formal representations from
students and a centralised complaints procedure. Details of these are available online at:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/srs/academic-manual/c1/complaints/guide.
Please note that there are time limits within which formal representation can be made.
Any student who feels aggrieved and considers making a representation is required to
discuss the matter informally in the first instance with your Personal Tutor, the Programme
Co-ordinator, the Departmental Tutor, your Faculty Tutor, or, in some cases, the Academic
Administration Manager. You should not contact the Chair of the Board of Examiners.
Students may also seek advice from the UCL Union Rights and Advice Office (tel: 020 7679
2533/2507 or http://www.uclunion.org/get-advice/).
UCL regulations will normally apply if you are undertaking studies elsewhere, or you are
studying for a joint programme and your primary registration is at UCL.
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9. Student Code of Conduct & NonAcademic Regulations
9.1
Code of Conduct
UCL enjoys a reputation as a world-class university. It was founded on the basis of equal
opportunity, being the first English university to admit students irrespective of their faith and
cultural background. It was the first university in England to admit women.
UCL expects its members to conduct themselves at all times in a manner that does not bring
UCL into disrepute, this includes conduct whilst not on UCL premises.
Good conduct means:
In general
 Realising that you are an ambassador for UCL and behaving accordingly. This
applies anywhere and at anytime but is particularly important in the local community
around UCL, whilst on fieldwork, whilst on other study away from UCL, on the sports
field and whilst engaged in any other UCL-related activity;
 Recognising the diversity of the UCL community and not discriminating against
others on the basis of their: age, ethnic origin, race, nationality, membership of a
national minority, culture, language, religious faith or affiliation or lack thereof,
political affiliation or opinions or lack thereof, sex, gender, gender identity, sexuality,
sexual orientation, marital status, caring or parental responsibilities, illness, ability or
disability, mental health status, medical condition, physical appearance, genetic
features, parentage, descent, full or part-time student status, socio-economic
background, employment status, trade union affiliation, spent or irrelevant criminal
convictions or any other irrelevant distinction;
 Acting responsibly;
 Being honest;
 Being considerate, respectful and courteous towards others;
 Behaving in a respectful manner towards others so that they do not feel that they are
being harassed or bullied;
 Abiding by the law.
Whilst learning
 Following the rules laid down by UCL for academic activity, the use of the Library,
Information Services and other services;
 Being punctual for classes and other appointments;
 Informing the relevant person if you are going to be absent or delayed for an activity
where you are expected to attend;
 Being aware of the advice and assistance available on academic and other matters
from sources such as personal, programme and departmental tutors;
 Seeking help for yourself when you need it.
Around UCL
 Showing respect for UCL property;
 Informing yourself of UCL health and safety policies and following them;
 Playing your part in maintaining security and being prepared to produce your identity
card when requested;
 Caring for the environment at UCL by:
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o
o
o
o
respecting buildings, spaces and facilities;
recycling and disposing of litter responsibly;
being aware of UCL's advice for saving energy;
showing consideration for others regarding noise (e.g. switching mobile
phones off in classes).
Social and sporting behaviour
 Showing good sportsmanship whilst taking part in sporting activities;
 Refraining from exhibiting displays of drunken or loutish behaviour;
 Ensuring that any activity you engage in using the internet, including virtual learning
environments (e.g. Moodle), social networking sites (e.g. My Space, Faceboook,
Twitter etc ), blogs or other web resources, refrains from causing offence and could
not be regarded as bullying or harassment;
 Respecting the right of freedom of speech provided it is within the law .
Awareness and caring for others
 Being aware of the help and support available at UCL from sources such as the
Student Counselling Service, Disabilities Advice, the Dean of Students (Welfare) and
the UCL Union Rights and Advice Centre;
 Showing consideration for the welfare of your friends and peers and, if appropriate,
providing advice on seeking help
9.2
Non-Academic Regulations
Concerning these regulations on conduct, please refer to http://www.ucl.ac.uk/currentstudents/guidelines for information on the following;

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




Computer Use (& Misuse) - https://www.ucl.ac.uk/informationsecurity/policy/publicpolicy/Regulations_ISC_200912a
Copyright, Design and Patents Act - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/copyright/
Plagiarism - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/guidelines/plagiarism
Publishing - http://wwws-e.ucl.ac.uk/library/scholarly-communication/
Registry Service Standards - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/currentstudents/guidelines/services_standards
UCL – Student Relationship - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/guidelines/srs/srs
UCL Data Protection - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/privacy/data-protection
Intellectual Property Rights - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/currentstudents/guidelines/intel_prop_rights
Monitoring of Engagement - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/currentstudents/guidelines/monitoring_engagement
Links to other UCL policies that relate to conduct
Disciplinary Code and Procedure - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/srs/academicmanual/c1/disciplinary-code/foreword
Race equality - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/equalities/
Harassment and Bullying - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/guidelines/harassmentbullying
Library regulations - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/about/strategies-policies/regs
Student Accommodation General Regulations - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospectivestudents/accommodation/applications/conditions
Academic regulations - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/srs
Examinations and Awards - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/exams_and_awards
Health and Safety - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/estates/safetynet/
Security - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/efd/security/
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Guidelines for Good Practice on Fieldwork http://www.ucl.ac.uk/efd/safety_services_www/guidance/fieldwork/acop.pdf
Links to sources of advice and assistance
Dean of Students' Office - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/dean-of-students/
Student Counselling Service - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/student-counselling/
Student Disability Services - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/disability/
Student Support - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/support
UCL Union - http://www.uclu.org/
UCL Union Rights and Advice Centre - http://www.uclunion.org/get-advice/
Energy saving information - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/youhavethepower/
9.3
Data Protection
University College London is required by law to comply with the Data Protection Act, 1998. It
is the commitment of the College to ensure that every current employee and registered
student complies with this Act to ensure the confidentiality of any personal data held by the
College, in whatever medium. This Act came into force on 1 March 2000.
In addition, SSEES needs to hold data about you in order to carry out its normal
administration. That is, we collect, store, use and disclose the data for purposes connected
with your studies, your health and safety and for other legitimate reasons. We are committed
to maintaining your personal information in a manner which meets the requirements of the
Data Protection Act and will take any reasonable steps to ensure that your personal data is
kept secure against unauthorised access, loss, disclosure or destruction. SSEES will not
pass on your personal data to any third party without your consent unless required to do so
by law or regulation.
You will be given information about the ways in which SSEES holds data about you and your
rights in relation to that data. If you have any questions about Data Protection guidelines and
procedures please contact the SSEES Data Protection Co-ordinator, Lesley Pitman by email
at l.pitman@ssees.ucl.ac.uk.
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10. What to do when you have problems
10.1 The Students Union
The Students Union is run by students for the students (http://www.uclu.org/). As well as
providing the focus of student social life in UCL, the Union offers a wide range of services
and can provide guidance and practical assistance. At SSEES you have your own site
Executive, including a student Welfare Officer. The SSEES Students' Union office is located
on the fifth floor, 16 Taviton Street.
10.2 Academic Problems
If you are experiencing problems keeping up with work or are unable to meet a deadline, or if
you are having difficulties with a particular course, you should first speak to your Personal
Tutor or to the relevant Course Tutor. The Departmental Tutor and the Programme Coordinator may also be able to help.
10.3 Personal Problems
If you are experiencing personal problems, the person best equipped to help you is your
Personal Tutor. S/he will liaise with your tutors or other members of staff on your behalf, if
you want him/her to, and will endeavour to point you in the right direction to sort out any
problems. If your personal problems are affecting your academic performance, then you
should also speak with your tutors so that they can make allowances for these issues. They
can only help you if they know what is going on! UCL also offers a counselling service for
any student who feels that they would benefit from it. Appointments to see a counsellor can
be made at the Counselling Service at 3-4 Taviton Street
(http://www.ucl.ac.uk/studentcounselling/index_home).
10.4 Welfare Problems
UCL has a range to support services to help students experiencing problems. Details of the
services provided can be found at:





New Students website – www.ucl.ac.uk/new-students
Current Students website – www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students
UCL Union - http://uclu.org/
UCLU Rights & Advice Centre – http://uclu.org/services/advice‐welfare
Student Centre - www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/student-centre
If you are experiencing difficulties, you are encouraged to contact your Personal Tutor in the
first instance who will be able to advise and support you.
10.5 Financial Problems
UK students who have exhausted other sources of funding (loans etc.) may apply for
assistance from the Financial Assistance Fund (UCL-FAF), which can help with high private
rents, child care facilities, or expenses connected with periods of study abroad
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(http://www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/money/bursaries/financial-advice-and-Support)
Application forms for UCL-FAF can be obtained from the Money section of the Current
Student website. For further details of this and other financial matters, please see
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/money.
10.6 Health Problems
You are advised to register with the UCL Health Centre at 3 Gower Place on arrival at
SSEES. The Health Centre provides medical assistance and can also help in cases of stress
or with psychological problems.
10.7 Health and Safety Matters
The attention of all UCL employees is drawn to their legal responsibilities, under Section 7
of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, to take reasonable care of themselves and
all others who may be affected by their acts and omissions, and to co-operate with UCL in
enabling UCL to discharge its legal duties with regard to health and safety by complying with
this Policy. It shall be a condition of registration of students and the terms of attendance of
academic visitors that they also co-operate with UCL by complying with this Policy. In
particular, in the event of a fire alarm sounding in a UCL building, all staff, students and
visitors must evacuate the building and only re-enter upon the instruction of the UCL Fire
Officer, members of Security, or the senior Fire Brigade officer in attendance.
SSEES Safety Arrangements
Any queries or concerns should be directed to the SSEES Safety Officer or Departmental
Safety Representative who will take appropriate action and bring the concern to the attention
of the SSEES Health and Safety Committee
SSEES Safety Officer
Mukesh Hindocha - fourth floor Room 408, Ext. 28803
10.8 Emergency Situations
Fire
All staff and students must familiarise themselves with exit routes and assembly areas to be
used in the event of fire. Fire notices providing this information are prominently displayed
throughout SSEES premises. Fire doors must not be wedged open at any time. Corridors
should be kept clear and not used for storage of excess furniture or equipment.
If you discover a fire:



Phone 222
Evacuate the premises via fire escapes (do not use lifts)
Proceed to the designated Assembly Point as indicated on Fire notices or directed by
Fire Marshals
In the event of the Fire Alarm Sounding:

Ensure that any people under your supervision leave immediately via designated fire
escape routes
Lifts should not be used under any circumstance. Any person unable to leave the building by
means of stairs, should be escorted to a designated fire refuge/call point as far away as
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possible from smoke and fire. A Fire Brigade officer or Fire Marshal in attendance must be
informed immediately of their location.
Accidents
In the event of ill-health, accident or injury at work the following action should be taken:
Major:




Phone 222
State location and telephone number
Give details of Accident
Obtain assistance from nearest First Aider
Minor:


Obtain assistance from nearest First Aider, or
Escort the person who needs medical attention to the UCL Hospital Accident &
Emergency Department, Grafton Way, London WC1E 6AU Tel: 0207 388 7215 (A&E
Direct Line)
First Aid
The following SSEES staff are competent to administer First Aid:
First Aider
Lisa Walters
Rm. 309, Ext 28830
First Aider
Genny Grim
Rm. 206 (Library) Ext 28711
First aid boxes are held at the following locations:
SSEES Library
Issue Desk (ground floor)
Ext 28701
SSEES Administration
Room 341, Room 409, Room 309
28770, 28800, 28830
SSEES Masaryk Kitchen
Room 436
Ext. 29066
Accident Reporting
All accidents occurring within SSEES premises, or arising from SSEES activities, must be
reported using the standard UCL Accident/Incident Report Form. It is also important to report
incidents and near-miss accidents so that an investigation can be carried out and
appropriate controls put in place at the earliest opportunity. Forms are available from Room
341, 409, or can be downloaded from:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/efd/safety_services_www/guidance/accidents/
Smoking, Eating and Drinking
UCL operates a NO SMOKING policy and, accordingly, smoking is not permitted in any part
of the SSEES premises.
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Eating and drinking is allowed in the Junior Common Room only . A manager may specify
special areas where eating and drinking are not allowed. Please note, there are special rules
that apply to SSEES Library areas and these must be observed.
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