NUIG, English
1BA 2015-2016
1
NUIG English
1BA Student Handbook, 2015-16
CONTENTS
2 – Introduction
4 – Format & Timetabling of 1BA English
7 – Notes on EN126 Tutorial Course & Essay Deadlines
8 – English Department Style Sheet
14 – Plagiarism Policy
16 – Assessment Guidelines
17 – Student code of conduct
This Handbook contains most of the basic information you need to know for First Year English in
NUIG. You should consult it regularly. Staff and tutors in the Department will assume that you
know the material contained in it. We recommend you read the handbook fully and carefully, as
it is your responsibility to acquaint yourself with its contents. When you need information about
First Year English, you should look in one of the following three places:
The Discipline of English Website
Blackboard (the online site where you will find information about all your First
Year English courses, including booklists, essay topics, lecture schedules, etc.)
o This 1BA handbook
If you have a serious question or problem that cannot be answered by either the departmental
website or Blackboard, then you should consult with the Head of First Year English, Dr
O’Cinneide, in person during her office hours (see online or on office door of Room 501, Tower
1). For non-urgent queries, please use e-mail only as a last resort.
o
o
NUIG, English
1BA 2015-2016
2
INTRODUCTION – ABOUT 1BA ENGLISH
Welcome to First Year English at the National University of Ireland, Galway
(NUIG). What is English as a university subject? First, let us say what it is not. It is
not a passive study of a pre-existing dead body of knowledge about ‘English’. It is
the active creation of knowledge about literature and culture in English wherever
it is or has been spoken and written: e.g. England, the United States, Ireland,
Canada, India, Scotland, Africa, Australia, Wales, South Africa.
Reading:
You will read the very first things written in English – extraordinary poems
written on the skins of animals (vellum) – and you will read literature written
today in digital glyphs on the internet - e-books, graphic novels, blogs. You will
read epic religious poems (Paradise Lost), erotic lyrics (John Donne, Aphra Behn,
Robert Herrick, Allen Ginsberg), epistolary novels (Pamela), literary criticism,
literary history, satire (Swift), children’s fiction (the Narnia books), the plays of
Shakespeare, Romantic poems (by Shelley, Keats, Blake, Wordsworth), the
novels of Jane Austen, the Brontes, Dickens, Margaret Atwood, Nabokov, J. M.
Coetzee, plays by Ibsen, Lori-Parks, Beckett, books about being queer (James
Baldwin, E. M. Forster, Jeannette Winterson), books about religion (The Faerie
Queene), about war, love, sex, murder, insanity, work, creativity, money, family,
loneliness, virtue, friendship. And those are just a few of the possibilities.
You will have big questions to consider – what is literature? How is it
different to history or philosophy or politics? How does it intersect with other
areas of life? How does it relate to life? Is it a mirror, a slice-of-life, or an
independent created alternative world? Or, as M. H. Abrams put it, is it the
‘mirror’ or the ‘lamp’? Does literature educate us, or ‘merely’ entertain us? Is it
moral, immoral or amoral? Does it reflect the personality or life-story of its
author? What, if anything, is it good for?
And you will have precise questions to answer: when was a certain work
written? Who wrote it? What are the differences between the earlier and later
versions? What can you infer from these differences? What literary form is it
using? Does it embrace or struggle against the established patterns of this form?
Does it use any identifiable form at all? Was the work shaped by the author’s
biographical struggles, by its socio-economic contexts, or by the circumstances of
its publication and readership?
But the most important point is that ultimately you will have to formulate
your own questions, ones that perhaps your lecturer might never ask. And
perhaps the questions you generate will take you on quite a different path,
leading to different kinds of knowledge than the ones envisaged above.
Talking, thinking and writing:
As you read, not after, but as you read, you will make notes, talk, think
and write about what you read. The job of everyone in the university – both
lecturers and students – is to think, to pose questions, to create knowledge. That
is your work. There is no static final or definitive end to ‘information’ about a
NUIG, English
1BA 2015-2016
3
writer or a work of literature. Students of English generate new questions all the
time, and then they try to answer them. You can do this in your very first essays
– by thinking for yourself, actually thinking hard about the thing (poem, play,
short story, novel, essay) in front of you. From your first to your last week in the
English department, you will be writing about what you are reading and what
you are thinking about what you are reading. The study of English leads to the
enrichment of your knowledge, your skills as a thinker, writer and reader, and
your whole personality. And as you enrich yourself, so you enrich the university,
your classmates, and your subject. You don’t receive an education. You make it.
Lectures and Tutorials:
English in First Year comprises two different kinds of teaching – lectures and
tutorials. The role of both student and teacher is different in each. In a lecture
(the word comes from the Latin ‘lectura’ which means a ‘reading’) an individual
lecturer discusses particular books and ideas. Lectures are valuable because they
are given by experts on the subject, and provide students with concise access to
this expertise. The student’s role is to read the assigned works carefully before
the lecture, listen actively (by taking notes, thinking, questioning) during the
lecture, and follow up with more reading and any assigned writing after the
lecture. Informed attendance at lectures is the most accessible way to gain
knowledge about a topic and to deepen your understanding of the literary
genres and/or periods in question.
Tutorials are smaller gatherings of students with a tutor. They are more
focused than the lectures on the doing of a particular task (e.g. reading a poem,
learning a skill, practising writing), and sometimes in their concentration on a
particular topic. But the most important difference between lectures and
tutorials is that the students do most of the talking in the tutorials – to each
other, and to the teacher. Your input as students is central to the work of the
tutorial.
There is a third aspect to the First Year program that has not yet been
mentioned, and that is the library, and more important, what it contains – the
books themselves. As we saw above, the word ‘lecture’ comes from the word for
‘a reading’. Reading, and thinking and writing about what you read, is the very
heart of an arts degree, and of a degree in English in particular.
NUIG, English
1BA 2015-2016
4
FORMAT OF 1BA ENGLISH – EN124; EN125; EN126; EN1100.
All students doing 1BA English will take two lecture modules, one each
semester, and one tutorial module over both semesters. Students on the BA
(Joint Honours) and denominated programmes will also take one additional
lecture module over both semesters.
EN124 – 5 ECTS (Semester One) & EN125 – 5 ECTS (Semester Two):
The core lecture programme in First Year English is designed to introduce you to
central forms in literature (poetry, the novel, drama); ways of reading and
approaching the study of literature; and to two important earlier periods in
English literature (Medieval and Renaissance).
In SEMESTER 1 you will take the lecture module EN124 – Introduction to
English I. This module is taught through three lectures per week, on Tuesdays at
1pm, on Thursdays at 5pm and on Fridays at 1pm. You attend all three of
these lectures. The EN124 course comprises three ‘strands’:
•
•
•
The Novel (Dr Rebecca Barr): Tuesdays 1-2pm
Poetry (Dr Adrian Paterson): Thursdays 5-6pm
Slow Reading: Introduction to the Study of Literature (Professor Sean
Ryder): Fridays 1-2pm
EN124 is examined by means of a two-hour written examination at the end of
Semester One.
In SEMESTER 2 you will take the lecture module EN125 – Introduction to
English II. This course also involves three strands:
•
•
Medieval Literature (Dr Clíodhna Carney): Tuesdays 1-2pm
Drama (Dr Charlotte McIvor and Professor Lionel Pilkington): Thursdays
5-6pm
• Renaissance Literature (Dr Lindsay Reid): Fridays 1-2pm
EN125 is examined by means of a two-hour written examination at the end of
Semester Two.
EN126 – Introduction to English III – 5 ECTS:
At the beginning of the year you will join a tutorial (the code for this course is
EN126). This tutorial meets once a week through the academic year, and
you will be in the same group and time slot for the whole year. The tutorial
is a small group of students and a tutor. In your tutorial you will practice your
reading and understanding of literature and you will develop your abilities as a
writer (and thinker) about literature. The tutorial also provides an opportunity
for discussion with your fellow-students, which will take place both outside the
tutorial – online through Blackboard – and within the tutorial time itself. You will
write regularly in these tutorials and you will submit four longer essays for
grading by your lecturer. Tutorial teaching begins in the week starting 21st
September (with students signing up to a particular slot beforehand).
EN126 is examined by means of four essays, two per semester, submitted within
the teaching semester.
NUIG, English
1BA 2015-2016
5
What you should expect of us:
- The tutor will be punctual, and will also end the class on time.
- S/he will let the class know in advance what the topic for discussion is to be.
- S/he will respect and encourage the contributions of everyone in the group,
and contribute to the discussion her/himself.
- S/he will adopt methods of discussion which enable the participation of the
whole class
What we expect of you:
- You are required to register for a tutorial, and to attend it regularly. We
will keep a record of any that you miss. If, for any reason, you have to miss a
seminar, you should inform the tutor, preferably in advance. Absences are
recorded. It is your responsibility to check what is required for the next session.
- You will arrive on time.
- You will have prepared properly for the tutorial.
- You will contribute to tutorial discussion (on-line and in-class) to the best of
your ability, and with due courtesy towards your fellow-students and your tutor.
EN1100 – Approaches to the Study of Literature – 5 ECTS:
This module is taken only by students on the BA (Joint Honours) and
denominated programmes. It is not taken by students on the BA Connect
programmes. EN1100 examines how students’ developing literary skills can
transfer into other media and into their cultural surroundings. Drawing on
lecturers from the BA Connect and other programmes in English, Film Studies,
Drama and Irish Studies, the module places literature in relation to areas readers
often do not envisage in terms of academic study. This lays the groundwork for
students’ independent application of ideas and analysis in the later years of their
studies. It is taught across two semesters through a weekly lecture. In addition to
the weekly lectures, two field work assignments will require students to attend a
cultural event in the region, and then to use this event as a basis for creative and
critical reflection.
EN1100 will be assessed by 2 end-of-semester portfolio assignments, towards
which students will be working over each semester.
Overall Lecture Schedule
Overall
Lecture
Schedule
Semester One
Tuesdays 1-2
Thursdays
3-4pm
Thursdays 5-6
Fridays 1-2
EN124
EN1100
EN124
EN124
THE NOVEL
IT250 – IT
Building
POETRY I
INTRODUCTION TO
THE STUDY OF
LITERATURE
O’ Flaherty
Theatre
Dr Barr
O’ Flaherty
Theatre
Dr Paterson
O’ Flaherty
Theatre
Prof. Ryder
NUIG, English
1BA 2015-2016
6
This weekly schedule will also include a one-hour tutorial slot each
semester. You sign up for a tutorial slot early in Semester One and retain
this time/tutor/group for the rest of the year.
Overall Lecture
Schedule
Semester Two
Tuesdays 1-2
Thursdays 5-6
EN125
EN125
MEDIEVAL
LITERATURE
DRAMA
O’ Flaherty
Theatre
Dr Carney
O’ Flaherty Theatre
Dr McIvor and
and Prof. Pilkington
Fridays 12
EN125
RENAISSANCE
LITERATURE
O’ Flaherty
Theatre
Dr Reid
This weekly schedule will also include a one-hour tutorial slot each
semester. You sign up for a tutorial slot early in Semester One and retain
this time/tutor/group for the rest of the year.
An interactive map of the NUIG campus can be found here:
http://www.nuigalway.ie/campus-map/
First Year Orientation takes place the week of the 31st August-4th September.
Regular lectures in English then begin the following week. Detailed information
including course descriptions, calendars of lecture schedules and booklists, will
be provided at the first regular lectures in the week of 7th-11th September.
(Some material will be available earlier on from Blackboard, or see the
noticeboards/document holders in Tower 1.)
Head of First Year English: Dr Muireann O’Cinneide
Office location: 501, Third Floor, Arts Block
Office hours: Tuesdays 3-4 and Thursdays 12-1pm.
Email: muireann.ocinneide@nuigalway.ie
E-Mail
When you arrive at NUIG you will be given a University e-mail address
(xxxxx@nuigalway.ie). This is the address that the Department and the
University will use to communicate with you. You must check it regularly.
Failure to check this account is not a valid excuse for missing information or
deadlines.
Blackboard
Blackboard is an electronic facility, available via the internet, at
https://nuigalway.blackboard.com/. On the one hand Blackboard is a storage
facility for information about your courses at NUI, Galway. The stored
information usually includes booklists, course descriptions, links to relevant
NUIG, English
1BA 2015-2016
7
websites and electronic texts. Students and lecturers can get access to this
information at all times. Lecturers can easily update information and post news,
announcements, essay topics, etc. On the other hand, Blackboard also
incorporates an interactive dimension, such as online discussion forums, with
which you will be encouraged to engage.
Also, many of your courses in the English department will require you to
submit your written work (essays, etc.) via Blackboard. Essay topics will be
provided on the Blackboard website, as will an electronic ‘dropbox’, into which
the student uploads his/her essay by a specified deadline. You will be
automatically enrolled on Blackboard once you have registered with the
University. Your courses will then appear once you log on with your username
and password. You should keep abreast of the developments on Blackboard in
relation to your various courses. It is advisable to confirm your access to
Blackboard before needing it for important information, online
contributions or deadlines.
ASSESSMENT OF FIRST YEAR ENGLISH
Lecture Modules:
EN124 is examined by means of a two-hour written examination at the end of
Semester One.
EN125 is examined by means of a two-hour written examination at the end of
Semester Two.
EN1100 is examined by means of two end-of-semester portfolio assignments,
incorporating a set of shorter reflective pieces worked on over each semester.
Tutorial Module:
EN126 is assessed by four essays, each 800-1000 words long.
SEMESTER 1 ESSAY DEADLINES ARE:
ESSAY ONE: Friday 23rd October at noon
ESSAY TWO: Friday 20th November at noon
SEMESTER 2 ESSAY DEADLINES (N.B.: Provisional & TBC) ARE:
ESSAY ONE: Friday 19th February at noon
ESSAY TWO: Friday 18th March at noon
All essays and portfolio assignments are submitted online via Blackboard’s
Turnitin ONLY. The Discipline of English cannot accept hard copies of essays.
NUIG, English
1BA 2015-2016
8
DISCIPLINE OF ENGLISH STYLE SHEET
Before submitting any work for 1BA English your writing must adhere to
particular presentation guidelines. Please read this section of the Handbook
carefully.
Why do I have to present my work in this way?
All scholarly and published work in the Discipline of English is presented in a
particular format. This format presents information in a precise and professional
fashion. Preparing your work in a specific format also gives you practice in
following highly detailed instructions, something that most jobs demand.
Which format does the Discipline of English use?
We use the MLA style guide. You must therefore study that Style Guide and
adopt its conventions.
The following pages give some of the most important rules of presentation from
the MLA, but are not the full guidelines. If you wish to read more, or are citing a
source not mentioned in this list, please consult the 2BA or 3BA handbooks on
the NUIG English website. You can also read samples of work and MLA citation
here: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/1/
NUIG, MLA GUIDELINES TO DOCUMENTING SOURCES
PAGE LAYOUT
Margins: You should leave a left-hand margin of at least 1.5 inches for your
tutor's comments, plus right-hand, top and bottom margins of at least 1 inch.
Line Spacing and font size: Use double line spacing, and choose 12 point for
your font size. Footnotes/endnotes may be in 10 point.
Type face: use a single form of font for the essay (this is, for example, Cambria).
Use black throughout. Do not use Bold in your text. Use Italics very sparingly for
emphasis and don‘t use exclamation marks in academic writing!
Numbering of Pages: Pages should be numbered at the top right-hand corner,
with your surname (e.g. Smith 9).
Paragraphing: To indicate the beginning of paragraphs, indent 5 spaces (or you
can use the tab key) at the start of the line.
Title: Make sure you include the essay title.
NUIG, English
1BA 2015-2016
9
References & Documentation
In MLA style, you acknowledge your sources by including parenthetical citations
within your text. These refer the reader to the alphabetical list of works cited, or
bibliography, that appears at the end of the document. For example:
The close of the millennium was marked by a deep suspicion of the natural
world and an increasing reliance “upon the pronouncements of soothsayers
and visionaries, who caused hysteria with their doom-laden forecasts of the
end of humanity” (Mulligan 234).
The citation “(Mulligan 234)” informs the reader that the quotation originates on
page 234 of a document by an author named Mulligan. Consulting the
bibliography, the reader would find the following information under the name
Mulligan:
Mulligan, Grant V. The Religions of Medieval Europe: Fear and the Masses.
London: Secker, 1977. Print.
The bibliography might list a second work by this author, which, in accordance
with MLA style, would appear in the list with three hyphens substituting for the
author’s name:
---, The Tudor World. London: Macmillan, 1981. Print.
In this case, the parenthetical reference above would include more information
in order to make it clear which of the two books contains the quoted passage.
Usually, a shortened form of the title is sufficient: (Mulligan, Religions 234).
Parenthetical references should be kept as brief as clarity will permit. If the
context in which the quotation appears makes it clear which document in the
bibliography the quoted text comes from, then no further identification is
needed:
Reva Basch reports that the Georgetown Center for Text and Technology,
which has been compiling a catalogue of electronic text projects, lists “over
300 such projects in almost 30 countries” (14).
The parenthetical reference “(14),” in combination with the mention of Reva
Basch at the beginning of the passage, makes it clear to the reader that the
quoted text comes from page 14 of the following document listed in the
bibliography:
Basch, Reva. “Books Online: Visions, Plans, and Perspectives for Electronic
Text.” Online 15.4 (1991): 13-23. Print.
NUIG, English
1BA 2015-2016
10
Bibliography
Books
by one author:
Hillman, Richard. Shakespeare, Marlowe, and the Politics of France. New
York: Palgrave, 2002. Print.
by two authors:
Hand, Richard J. and Michael Wilson. Grand-Guignol: the French Theatre of
Horror. Exeter: University of Exeter Press, 2002. Print.
three authors:
Cargill, Oscar, William Charvat, and Donald D. Walsh. The Publication of
Academic Writing. New York: Modern Language Association, 1966. Print.
more than three authors:
Howe, Louise, et al. How to Stay Younger while Growing Older: Aging for all
Ages. London: Macmillan, 1982. Print.
no author given:
The Chicago Manual of Style. 15th ed. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2003. Print.
an organization or institution as “author”:
American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association. 5th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association, 2001. Print.
an editor or compiler as “author”:
Updike, John, comp. and ed. The Best American Short Stories of the Century.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999. Print.
an edition of an author’s work:
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Ed. Robert P. Irvine. Peterborough, ON:
Broadview P, 2002. Print.
Milne, A. A. When We Were Very Young. New ed. New York: Dutton, 1948.
Print.
Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream. Ed. R.A. Foakes.
Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2003. Print.
a translation:
García Márquez, Gabriel. Living to Tell the Tale. Trans. Edith Grossman. New
York: Knopf, 2003. Print.
NUIG, English
1BA 2015-2016
11
a work in a series:
Renwick, William Lindsay. English Literature, 1789-1815. Oxford:
Clarendon P, 1963. Print. The Oxford History of English Literature 9.
a work in several volumes:
Gardner, Stanley E. The Artifice of Design. New York: Hill & Wang, 1962.
Print. Vol. 2 of A History of American Architecture. 5 vols. 1960-64.
Parker, Hershel. Herman Melville: A Biography. 2 vols. Baltimore: Johns
Hopkins UP, 1996-2002. Print.
Articles
in a periodical: Issues paginated continuously throughout the volume:
Loesberg, Jonathan. “Dickensian Deformed Children and the Hegelian
Sublime.” Victorian Studies 40 (1997): 625-54. Print.
York, Lorraine M. “Rival bards: Alice Munro’s Lives of Girls and Women and
Victorian poetry.” Canadian Literature 112 (1987): 211-16. Print.
Each issue starts with page 1:
Wilkin, Karen. “A Degas Doubleheader.” New Criterion 17.1 (Sept. 1998):
35-41. Print.
in a newspaper:
Jonas, Jack. “A Visit to a Land of Many Facets.” The Irish Times 5 Mar. 1961,
sec. F: 4. Print.
in a magazine:
Funicello, Dori. “Portugal’s Reign of Terror.” National Review 19 Aug. 1999:
34-37. Print.
in a review:
Burt, Struthers. “John Cheever’s Sense of Drama.” Rev. of The Way Some
People Live, by John Cheever. Saturday Review 24 April 1943: 9. Print.
an article in a reference book or encyclopaedia - signed and unsigned:
Haseloff, Arthur. “Illuminated Manuscripts.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1967
ed. Print.
“Painting, The History of Western.” Encyclopaedia Americana. 13th ed.
1998. Print.
a work in a collection or anthology:
Davidson, Cynthia A. “Alyson Hagy.” American Short-Story Writers Since
World War II. Fourth Series. Dictionary of Literary Biography 244. Detroit:
NUIG, English
1BA 2015-2016
12
Gale, 2001. 164-169. Print.
Arnold, Matthew. “Dover Beach.” Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed.
M.H. Abrams et al. 4th ed. Vol 2. New York: Norton, 1979. 1378-79. Print.
Shapcott, Tom. “Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing.” Commonwealth Literature in
the Curriculum. Ed. K. L. Goodwin. St. Lucia: South Pacific Association for
Common-wealth Literatures and Languages Studies, 1980. 86-96. Print.
Electronic Texts
The following are examples of some commonly cited types of electronic sources:
Books
an entire book converted to electronic form:
Connolly, James. Labour in Irish History. Dublin, 1910. CELT: The Corpus of
Electronic Texts. Web. 16 Jan. 2002.
Holder, William. Elements of Speech: An Essay of Inquiry into the Natural
Production of Letters. London, 1669. Early English Books Online. Web. 19
Apr. 2003.
Articles
Irving, Washington. Wolfert’s Roost, and Other Papers, Now First Collected.
New York: Putnam, 1855. 20 March 2003. Wright American Fiction 18511875. Web. 15 May 2008.
an article or chapter in an electronic book:
Lernout, Geert. “Reception Theory.” The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary
Theory and Criticism. Ed. Michael Groden and Martin Kreiswirth. Baltimore:
Johns Hopkins UP, 1997. Web. 13 June 2004.
a work that has no print equivalent:
Shute, Sarah, ed. “The Canterbury Tales: The Miller’s Tale.”
KnowledgeNotesTM Student Guides. Cambridge: Proquest Information and
Learning Company, 2002. Web. 22 May 2003.
an article in a journal accessed through an online database:
Aird, John S. “Fertility Decline and Birth Control in the People’s Republic of
China.” Population and Development Review 4.2 (1978): 225-54. JSTOR.
Web. 12 Nov. 2002.
Haskins, Rob. “Four Musical Minimalists.” American Record Guide 64.1
(2001): 281. Research Library. Web. 10 Dec. 2003.
an article in a journal accessed directly from the publisher:
Boyd, Alex. “Comfort and Canadian Poetry.” The Danforth Review: n. pag.
Web. 14 June 2004.
NUIG, English
1BA 2015-2016
13
a review or article in a newspaper accessed through an online database:
“Ford plans job cuts.” The Guardian 19 July 2003: B7. Canadian Newsstand
Atlantic. Web. 6 Aug 2003.
a review or article in a newspaper accessed directly from the publisher:
Scott, A.O. “Flower Children Grown Up: Somber, Wiser and Still Talking
Dirty.” Rev. of The Barbarian Invasions, dir. Denys Arcand. New York Times:
n. pag. 17 Oct. 2003. Web. 3 Nov. 2003.
an article posted on an open-access or personal website:
Berardinelli, James. Rev. of Return to Paradise, dir. Joseph Ruben. Reelviews.
1998. Web. 20 Nov. 2000.
Dyer, John. “John Cheever: Parody and the Suburban Aesthetic.” Web. 3
March 2002. <http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA95/dyer/cheever4.html>.
Other Electronic Resources:
an internet site:
Literature Online. ProQuest Information and Learning Company, June 2004.
Web 5 July 2004.
a single page from a larger internet site:
“Northern Ireland Timeline: Early Christian Ireland.” BBC.co.uk. British
Broadcast Corp, 2004. Web. 20 May 2004.
a posting to an online discussion group or listserv:
Romney, Paul. “Most Important Elections.” Online posting. H-Canada:
Canadian History and Studies. 19 May 2004. Web. 1 July 2004.
a personal homepage:
Bernholdt, David E. David Bernholdt’s Personal Homepage. 8 Oct. 2001.
Web. 23 Aug. 2003.
a cd-rom publication:
The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford UP, 1992. CDROM.
a blog posting:
Steeleworthy, Michael. “Copyright and the Abuse of User Rights – a
Canadian Perspective”. the zeds. WordPress. 6 Aug. 2009. Web. 20 Aug.
2009.
*This information is adapted from a style sheet produced by the Killam
Library at Dalhousie University, Canada. Copies of the MLA Style Guide are
in the Humanities Reference section of the Library.
NUIG, English
1BA 2015-2016
14
Plagiarism
When students begin to provide essays or write answers in examinations,
they need to be aware of this issue.
Definition:
Plagiarism means presenting the words or ideas of another writer as if they were
your own. It refers to stealing, without acknowledgement, from any other writer,
including fellow students. Copying another student’s essay is as reprehensible as
plagiarising a literary critic or a website. This is a serious matter, and if it is
detected in your essay it may result in an automatic failure mark. The way to
avoid plagiarism is very simple: always put quotation marks around someone
else’s words, credit them to their source, and discuss in your view their merits. If
you borrow ideas from another writer (even if you’re not directly quoting their
precise words), say so. In this way you can impress an examiner by showing that
you have done some research. You do not always have to appear utterly original!
Some examples of plagiarism:
•
•
•
Maire and Sean are participating in a study group. The group share ideas,
notes and information about their subject. Maire is organising the Arts
Ball and falling behind in her work. Essay deadline approaching fast, she
asks Sean for his notes. In order to get the essay in on time, she adopts
Sean’s notes verbatim (providing two additional sentences of her own)
and submits it as her own work. When both students are called in to
explain, Maire confesses, and a severe penalty is applied to the work. She
is obliged to repeat the module during the summer.
Paddy consults internet sources as part of his research for his seminar
essay. He copies and pastes sections of the internet notes into his essay,
changing a few words here and there and submits the essay under his
own name. Using Turnitin plagiarism-detection software or common
sense, the seminar leader identifies the copied material, and fails the
essay. Paddy is obliged to repeat the seminar assessment during the
summer.
Siobhan is consulting a secondary source as part of her research for an
essay. She forgets to indicate, as she takes her notes, which sections are
taken word-for-word from the book she’s consulting. When writing her
essay, Siobhan realises her mistake. Luckily, she still has time to return to
NUIG, English
1BA 2015-2016
15
the library to check the source. She checks her source and acknowledges
it in her essay, thus avoiding plagiarism.
Best Practice to Avoid Plagiarism
•
•
•
•
When making notes, always use quotation marks to distinguish between
your own notes and the words of the writer you are reading. Additionally,
always keep a record of the page number, publication details, etc.
Inform yourself about the submission dates for your written work, and
leave yourself time to do the work yourself.
When correctly acknowledging the words of another writer, engage with
what that writer is saying or arguing, rather than using them as a
substitute for your own argument.
Ask your tutor for advice if you are uncertain about any aspect of
referencing or plagiarism.
Code of Practice for dealing with Plagiarism
All students should familiarise themselves with the guidelines relating to
Plagiarism and the University’s Code of Conduct Website:
http://www.nuigalway.ie/current_students/university_code_conduct/index.php
& http://www.nuigalway.ie/plagiarism/
NUIG, English
1BA 2015-2016
16
1BA ASSESSMENT
English at University level is much more demanding than at Leaving Certificate.
The study of English at undergraduate level is designed to improve critical
thinking but it does so by training students in correct, persuasive, and analytic
use of language. Knowledge of sentence structure, grammar, and syntax is an
integral part of studying English and those writing skills are crucial to
undergraduate study at NUIG.
Essays are assessed for overall quality of thought, expression, analysis and
argument. The guidelines below are designed to give you an idea of the raised
expectations of undergraduate English and are adapted from your EN126
textbook Studying Literature by Tory Young (Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 2008), pp. 82-85.
Grade
First
Class
(A)
Marks
70%+
Upper
Second
(B+)
60-69%
Lower
Second
(B-)
50-59%
Third
class
(C)
45-49%
Pass
(D)
40-45%
Fail (E)
35-39%
Fail (F)
0-34%
Qualities of essay
Perceptive and original thought. Clearly structured argument
that pays attention to the question. Fluent expression and
analysis. Sophisticated awareness of the complexity of issues
raised by the question. Well-organized, progressive
argument. Use of relevant evidence to support argument,
sophisticated use of context or theory and correct use of
referencing and documentation.
Good powers of analysis and a clear organization. Thorough
treatment of the topic and a clear, accurate addressing of the
question. A well-developed argument. Correct, literate use of
English. Use of detailed supporting evidence. Good command
of context and theory.
Reasonable analysis but less developed than 2.1 or first class
work. Generally good approach to the subject but leaves out
some crucial points. Partial address of the question.
Argument isn’t fully developed. Work is too reliant on lecture
notes or secondary reading. Occasional imprecision in
English. Too generalizing an answer. Inconsistent or thin use
of evidence.
Limited analysis, lacks depth or focus on the subject.
Misunderstands or doesn’t address the question. Essay tends
toward plot summary, or paraphrase. Limited knowledge of
the text. Poor referencing. Shows poor use of language, and
has grammatical errors.
Some knowledge of the text, but very thin. Attempts an
answer but does not manage to address the question
properly. Shows lack of knowledge or is inadequate in length.
Language and grammar are poor.
Inadequate but shows some awareness of the text. No
analysis, no argument. Ineffective use of English, incoherent
syntax.
Absent answer or one that is totally inadequate.
NUIG, English
1BA 2015-2016
17
Main points from the Student Code of Conduct
Any student who enrols for any course in the University in doing so accepts the
objectives of the University and is giving a commitment, as a responsible
individual and as a member of the University community, to behave in an
appropriate manner.
The Student Code of Conduct offers guidelines as to the norms of behaviour that
accord with the obligations of students, but where more specific requirements
are in place, they are available on the University’s web site. It should be noted
that Students of the University cannot claim any privileged position in regard to
the general law of the land.
Rights and obligations of staff, students and others
•
•
Every student and staff member has the right to be treated with dignity
and respect.
Students are expected to acknowledge the authority of the staff of the
University, both academic and support staff, in the performance of their
duties.
Academic Conduct
•
•
•
Every student is expected to approach his/her academic endeavours with
honesty and integrity.
Each student shall comply with his/her academic programme
requirements in terms of lectures, practicals, assignments and
assessments and with all University registration, fees, library, use of
computer facilities and examination regulations associated therewith.
No student shall provide false or misleading information to or withhold
relevant information from any party regarding his/her academic
achievements
General
•
•
Every student is required to behave in a manner which enables and
encourages participation in the educational activities of the University
and does not disrupt the functioning of the University.
The maintenance of the good name of the University is in the interests of
all of the University community and, as the standing of the University
depends largely on those who represent it, it is the duty of its students at
all times to behave, both inside and outside of the University, in a way
which does not bring discredit to the University. This includes students’
use of social media (Twitter, Facebook) where those resources are
publicly accessible.
NUIG, English
1BA 2015-2016
18
The observance of the Code, so far as it applies to the individual student, is
his/her personal responsibility.
Breach of any of the regulations of the University will be dealt with either under
the appropriate approved University procedure or the Disciplinary Procedure.
(The Disciplinary Procedure is laid out in Section 6.0 of the Code of Conduct)
Some Examples of Breaches of the Student Code of Conduct
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Obstruction of members of the University staff or other students in the
performance of their duties.
Any violence or threats of violence or any abuse, either physical or verbal.
Any behaviour that endangers the welfare of the individual or others.
Making derogatory or insulting comments or allegations against a
member of staff or other student either in person or utilising electronic
media such as e-mail or social networking sites including Facebook.
Publicly claiming (e.g. on social networking sites such as Facebook) to
have cheated in assessment, by plagiarism, copying notes from the
internet, etc.
Cheating, plagiarism and circumstances where a student submits the
work of another as his/her own or allows another person to undertake an
assessment or assignment for him/her.
Failure, without reasonable explanation, to carry out all or any of the
following to the satisfaction of the Academic Council: attend lectures;
attend prescribed practical classes, or laboratory, drawing-office or
clinical sessions; attend tutorial classes; meet requirements laid
down for project-work, essay-writing, or any other prescribed
course exercise.
Conduct likely to disrupt teaching, examinations, study, research, or
administration of the University.
Failure to abide by the regulations governing enrolment on the academic
programme, attendance at lectures and other prescribed exercises and
the conduct of examinations.
Abuse of alcohol or other substances on the campus.