SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES
Undergraduate Student Handbook
2015–2016
FILM STUDIES
DISCLAIMER
Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information contained in this
Handbook and in all other documentation provided by the School is correct at
the time of publication, the University does not accept liability for any
inaccuracies.
The Handbook does not replace the entries in the University Regulations, which
are authoritative statements. In the case of a contradiction or other discrepancy
between information in this Handbook and the Regulations, the Regulations
shall be authoritative, unless approval has been given for a variation. We would
however, be grateful to you for drawing any sources of contradictory information
to our attention.
The statements of policy in this Handbook are made in good faith. In exceptional
circumstances the University reserves the right to vary programmes,
procedures, and other arrangements at any time. It may be helpful to remember
that Schools sometimes operate different procedures and you are advised to
refer to the relevant School Handbook for modules being taken in another
School.
If you require the Handbook or any other materials in an alternative format, please let
us know. On request we can provide you with a printed copy, enlarged print on
coloured paper, audio recording or Braille version.
2
CONTENTS
Page
Film Studies at Keele Introduction
Film as Part of a Joint Honours Degree
Where Are We?
Contacting Us
Film Studies Programme Director
Personal Tutors
Communication
eVision
Keele Learning Environment (KLE)
Timetabling
I.T. Services
Student Support and Wellbeing
Links to University Policies and Regulations
4
4
4
4-5
5
5-6
6
6
6
7
7
7-8
8
Chapter 1: Your degree: modules assessment and feedback
Undergraduate Degree Structure
Teaching Format
Attendance and Engagement with Studies
Extenuating Circumstances (EC’s)
Assessment
Feedback
External Examiners
Programme Requirements
Publication of Results
Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR)
Distinctive Keele Curriculum (DKC)
9
10
10
11
11-14
14
15
15-16
16
16
16
Chapter 2: Written Work: Guidance and Advice
Rubrics
Learning Support
Research and Resources
Essay Writing Guidelines
Referencing
Further Guidance on Writing Essays
Exam Preparation
Dissertation Guidance
17
17
17-18
18-21
21-24
24
25
25-26
Chapter 3: Academic Procedures
Leave of Absence
Academic Appeals
Complaints
Academic Misconduct
University Code of Practice for Staff and Students
Visa and Immigration
27
27
27
27-28
28
29
Chapter 4: Feedback to Us
Student Representation and Feedback
Chapter 5: Student Exchange - Study Abroad in Year 2 (Level 5)
30
31
3
FILM STUDIES AT KEELE
Introduction
Welcome to Film Studies at Keele. We hope that you will very much enjoy studying
here, and that you will find the modules we teach stimulating and interesting. The aim
of this handbook is to give you all the information you will need during your time at
Keele, and particularly during your first year.
Film Studies is a wide-ranging and challenging discipline to study at undergraduate level. It
aims to expose you to many texts that you would not encounter otherwise, and to stretch
your thinking in relation to texts with which you may already be familiar. Film is an
intrinsically interdisciplinary subject, drawing on areas including media, English, history,
sociology, psychology, drama and politics. It is therefore highly suited to Keele’s focus on
joint honours degrees.
You will probably find that the levels of reading are higher than you have been accustomed to
at A-Level or in your access course, and that you are expected to study them in greater
depth at a greater speed. We are here to guide you through this process and to help you to
reach your academic potential, through lectures, tutorials and seminars, but also through
feedback on your essays and exams and through individual meetings in consultation hours.
Help and advice are available from many people as part of their job: course tutors, module
convenors, personal tutors, the Director of Film Studies, Erasmus and Study Abroad tutors,
administrators, student representatives, and the Head of School.
Film Studies is part of the School of Humanities, which is in turn part of the Faculty of
Humanities and Social Sciences. The Head of the School of Humanities is Professor David
Amigoni and the Head (or Dean) of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences is
Professor David Shepherd. The Programme Director for Film Studies is Dr Beth Johnson in
Semester 1 and Dr Ceri Morgan in Semester 2 (see pg. 5 for contact details).
We hope that you will find most of the key information that you will need at the start of your
course in this booklet. A version of the handbook is available on the Film Studies
Noticeboard on the Keele Learning Environment (KLE).
Film Studies as Part of a Joint Honours Degree
Students take Film as part of a joint honours degree, combining their programme of study
with courses in subjects ranging from history and music to psychology and biology. We hope
that you will feel that your work is being supported on both sides of your degree, and that you
will benefit from the interdisciplinary perspective that your studies will give you.
Where Are We?
Many of the Film tutors’ offices are located towards the end of Chancellor’s Building B
(CBB2: also known as the ‘banana’). Our administrators are based in the School of
Humanities Office (CBB0.072), which is in the lowest floor of the same part of the building.
Contacting Us
Do contact us if you have any concerns or queries. There are several ways of doing this:
In person at the School of Humanities Office (CBB0.072)
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8.45am-5pm, closed 1pm-2pm for lunch during vacations
only.
4
In person at tutors’ rooms during consultation hours or by appointment
By far the best way to get hold of members of staff is by calling in on us during one of our
designated CONSULTATION HOURS. You will receive information by e-mail about these
times and, just in case you forget them, tutors have details of their hours posted on their
doors. Most tutors will have two consultation hours per week, but they will be happy to see
you at other times if you contact them to set up an alternative meeting time.
By phone
Please try to ring ON THE HOUR to avoid disrupting tutorials. You can leave messages for
us on our phones, or through the staff in the Humanities Office.
By e-mail
You can e-mail your tutor at the relevant Keele address. Please remember, however, that the
e-mail system is not 100% reliable and e-mails can go missing. If you have important
information to convey to your tutor, or a question you need answered, it is usually better, and
often a lot faster, to speak to them by phone or in person, or leave a phone message.
NEVER submit your work as an e-mail attachment, unless you have been given specific
permission to do so because of extraordinary circumstances.
Staff Contact Details
Dr Beth Johnson b.l.johnson@keele.ac.uk Room: CCB2.054 Tel: 34576
Programme Director for Film Studies (Semester 1)
Dr Ceri Morgan c.m.morgan@keele.ac.uk Room: CBB0.055 Tel: 34076
Programme Director for Film Studies (Semester 2)
Professor Joe Andrew j.m.andrew@keele.ac.uk Room: CBB2.058 Tel: 33291
Dr Nick Bentley n.bentley@keele.ac.uk Room: CBB2.057 Tel: 33304
Professor David Amigoni d.amigoni@keele.ac.uk Room: CBB1.038 Tel: 33398
Head of School
Dr Neil Archer, n.archer@keele.ac.uk Room: CBB1.051 Tel: 33202
Professor Oliver Harris o.c.g.harris@keele.ac.uk Room: CBB1.053 Tel: 33016
Mrs Kath McKeown k.c.mckeown@keele.ac.uk Room: CBB0.076 Tel: 33203
Senior School Manager
Dr David McWilliam d.mcwilliam@keele.ac.uk Room: CBB2.053 Tel: 34575
Dr Nick Reyland n.w.reyland@keele.ac.uk The Clockhouse, Room: CKF08 Tel: 33297
Dr Nicholas Seager n.p.seager@keele.ac.uk CBB1.041 Tel: 33142
Ms Helen Swift h.swift1@keele.ac.uk CBB0.072 Tel 34286
Film Studies Administrator
Film Studies Programme Director
The Film Studies Programme Director for 2015/16 is Dr Beth Johnson in semester 1 and Dr
Ceri Morgan in semester 2. They will oversee all the undergraduate courses within the
discipline of Film and are responsible for the implementation and development of the
School’s learning and teaching strategy and general student welfare. If you have any
concerns about a particular module or general questions about your degree programme, you
can go along to one of their consultation hours or make an appointment.
Personal Tutors
Your Personal Tutor is a first point of contact for general guidance on academic and career
development and, in consultation with yourself, may refer you to specialist academic support
services within the University. Your Personal Tutor can also provide advice, support and
general guidance on non-academic issues or, again, in consultation with yourself refer you to
pastoral support services within the University, where necessary.
Every student is allocated a Personal Tutor at the very beginning of their studies and he or
5
she will normally meet with you on a one-to-one basis to discuss your academic development
throughout your time at Keele. Where possible, you will have the same Personal Tutor
throughout your studies. Arrangements will be made for you to meet your Personal tutor
during your first few days at Keele. You must attend scheduled meetings with your Personal
Tutor as required.
You must ensure that you notify your Personal Tutor promptly if you are having academic,
health or personal problems that are affecting your academic work and must be an active
participant in finding a solution to the problem. Your Personal Tutor’s contact details are
available through eVision. If you wish to meet up with your Personal Tutor outside their
scheduled meetings, you should make an appointment with them directly or consult them
during their office hours. Students are entitled to change their personal tutor, with good
reason. Contact the School Office for information.
You can find the University’s Code of Practice for Personal Tutoring at:
Link to Undergraduate Personal Tutoring Handbook
Communication
The School(s) and other University services will contact you intermittently with important
information related to your studies. The primary channel for communication will be your
Keele email address. It is expected that you will check your Keele email regularly and you
are responsible for reading University emails and taking action if appropriate. The secondary
channel for communication is through the post so please ensure that you keep your address
details up-to-date on SCIMS.
eVision
You will also need to make yourself familiar with eVision. eVision provides an opportunity to:
●
●
●
●
●
●
View your current and previous module marks
View and update your personal information and contact details
Request a course change
View your credit requirements
View your absence record
Re-register for your course each year
You can access eVision through the student login on the Keele homepage. EVision is then
accessible through ‘The Office’ tab.
Keele Learning Environment (KLE)
The KLE is used by Keele to provide every student and member of staff with a personal
teaching and learning workspace that can be accessed through the Internet.
The KLE gives you access to information, activities and resources associated with the
modules you are studying. These might include, for example, lecture notes and slides,
pictures and other material together with interactive features such as discussion groups.
You should regularly access the KLE, ideally on a daily basis, since it provides the most
accurate and up-to-date information with regard to your modules.
Online help for the KLE can be found here: http://www.keele.ac.uk/klehelp/
6
Timetabling
Information on how to access your timetable and where to go to resolve any timetabling
issues can be found at http://www.keele.ac.uk/timetabling/
I.T. Services
IT Services are responsible for your IT systems and networks throughout the University.
Their services include the wireless network, printing service, IT Suite and Labs, Laptop Loan
and Laptop repair service. They provide help and advice using Keele systems such as the
KLE, eVision, office software or Google Mail and Apps and advice when connecting to the
wireless network (eduroam).
Remember when using Keele University IT systems that you are bound by the IT Conditions
of Use, a link to which can be found on http://www.keele.ac.uk/it/. It is important that you
familiarise yourself with these to ensure that you use the systems within the terms of the
Acceptable Use Policy.
Keep yourself safe whilst online:




Make sure that before connecting to the network your antivirus, web browser and
operating system are all up to date.
Protect your personal information; secure your account by changing your password to
something that is memorable but secure, a combination of capital and lowercase
letters.
Ensure that your online presence, particularly in social media, has the security set to
a level you are comfortable with.
If you receive an email or message that sounds too good to be true you are probably
best deleting it. Do not give out personal information to a non-accredited website or
link.
If in doubt about staying safe whilst online check with someone you can trust like IT Services.
The IT Service Desk is the first point of call for anything IT related. It is based in the campus
Library and IT Services building and is open 7 days per week throughout the Semester. For
further information regarding IT Services, or to report a problem or seek advice, please visit:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/it/.
Student Support and Wellbeing
Whilst we know that you will have a great experience at Keele, there are likely to be times
when you need support, advice or just somebody to talk to. At Keele there are specialist and
professional student support and wellbeing services and staff who are in place to offer such
support when and if you need it.
Take the time now, to familiarise yourself with these services, and if at any point you feel like
you need some help or want somebody to talk to then don’t hesitate to ask, that's what we
are here for.
Student Services Centre
The Student Services Centre should be your first stop for Academic advice, Exams
Information, timetabling queries, Electives information, Money Support, Support in
Accommodation, Disability and Dyslexia Support, International Student Support, Critical
Incident Support, and Personal Issues, i.e. Bullying, Homesickness etc.. Staff in the Centre
7
are experienced in dealing with a wide range of issues and will work with you to resolve any
issues or concerns that you have at any point during your time here at Keele.
Visit: http://www.keele.ac.uk/studentservices
Student Wellbeing
Your wellbeing is of paramount importance to us. As such we ask that should you need to,
you talk to us but also engage with the Counselling and Mental Health Support service. The
team of trained and specialist professionals are all committed to providing effective, sensitive
support and specifically understand the challenging experiences that students and young
people often face.
http://www.keele.ac.uk/studentcounselling/
Careers and Employability
Whilst starting a career may seem a long way into the future, the Careers and Employability
Service offers an excellent source of information and support for students throughout their
Keele experience (and beyond). If at any stage you want to get your CV looking great or are
uncertain of what to do after you graduate then get in touch with them and talk things
through. Visit: http://www.keele.ac.uk/careers/ or pay them a visit in the Library, where they
are based.
To find out more about all of the services above go to www.keele.ac.uk/studentservices
Keele Mentors Scheme
Staff within Student Support also co-ordinate the Keele Mentors Scheme, which is open to all
new students. For more information about Keele Mentors and to sign up online go to:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/keelementors/.
Advice and Support at Keele (ASK)
Located on the ground floor of KeeleSU (the Students’ Union), ASK delivers independent
advice on a whole range of issues, including academic, health, family, wellbeing,
accommodation, finance, legal, international and employment. The advice and support that
ASK offers is free, confidential, non-judgemental and impartial. Our trained Education and
Welfare Advisors are here to help, just ASK. For more information, please visit
www.keelesu.com/advice or come and see us between Mon-Fri 10.00am to 12.30pm and
1.00pm to 4.00pm.
Links to University Policies and Regulations
Student Charter: http://www.keele.ac.uk/aboutus/studentcharter/ - the Charter sets out what
you can expect of the University and our expectations of you.
Student-related regulations:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/paa/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/universit
yregulations/student-relatedregulations/
Student Discipline procedures: http://www.keele.ac.uk/studentdiscipline/
Regulations on examinations and assessments:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/regulations/regulation8/
Key University dates: http://www.keele.ac.uk/keydates/
University Policy on Late Submission of Assessed Work:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/paa/academicadministration/policies/lateandfailuretosubmitwrittenwor
k/
8
Chapter 1: Your Degree: Modules, Assessment and Feedback
Undergraduate Degree Structure
The table below sets out the pattern of modules that make up the Keele Undergraduate Film
Studies degree. Core modules are shown in bold.
Not all modules will run every year, and some modules will run in different semesters
to those advertised here.
LEVEL
SEMESTER 1
SEMESTER 2
FIL-10001 Reading Film
FIL-10005 Film Texts and Contexts: History &
Theory
FIL-10003 - Popular British Cinema
from the 90s to the present day
4
ENG-10026 - Reading Literature
ENG-10028 - Telling Tales: An
Introduction to Narrative Fiction
FIL-10004 - Introduction to European Cinema
AMS-10024 - New York, New York: An
Introduction to American Culture
ENG-10027 - Becoming a Critic
MDS-10008 - Mediated World
MDS-10009 - Digital Video
MDS-10011 - The Photographic
Message
MDS-10010 - Understanding Culture
MDS-10015 Scripting for Short Films
5
FIL-20001 - Gender and the
Cinematic Gaze
FIL-20010 - Film Texts and Contexts II:
Contemporary Global Cinema
FIL-20004 – Politics and Cinema
FIL-20003 – French Cinema
FIL-20005 Science Fiction Cinema
AMS-20061 - Alfred Hitchcock’s America
ENG-20036 - Twentieth Century
Novels into Films
MDS-20019 – Analysing Culture
ENG-20043 – Writing for the Screen
MDS-20024 – Teenage Dreams:
Youth Subcultures in Fiction, Film and
Theory
MDS-20032 – Documentary Theory and Practice
MUS-20047 – Unheard Melodies: Music in the
Narrative Film
MDS-20028 – Seoul Summer School
– South Korean Film
MDS-20031 – Researching Media,
Communications and Culture
FIL-30001 - British Society through the
eyes of British Film: 1960s to the
present
6
FIL-30006 – Representing the Self,
Family and Society on Contemporary
British and American Television
FIL-30004 – British Women Directors
FIL-30005 – Parody in British Film and Television
ENG-30074 – Cinematic Modernisms
AMS-30037 – Film Noir: The Dark side
of America
ENG-30070 – Shakespeare on Film
MDS-30016 – Seoul Summer School
– South Korean Film
MDS-30017 Visual Pleasures: From
Carnival to Disney
FIL-30002 Dissertation in Film Studies (Semesters 1 and 2)
9
Teaching Format

Lectures
For the level 4 core modules, you will attend one lecture a fortnight with the rest of the
students on your course. Lectures are designed to provide you with information and
academic arguments about the main texts and theories covered by each module.

One Hour Tutorials/Seminars
You will also attend a one-hour tutorial once a week with around 15 students. Tutorials
give you the opportunity to ask questions about lectures and texts and to share your
ideas with your tutor and the tutorial group. In addition to reading the text for the tutorial,
you will probably be asked by your tutor to prepare some additional work.

Other teaching methods
Fortnightly film screenings are also compulsory on core modules and elective modules in
Film where specified.
You are also encouraged to seek individual advice from your tutor as often as you need it.
You can drop in to visit tutors during their office hours, or drop them an e-mail. Office-hour
times are to be found on the doors of tutors’ offices.
Attendance and Engagement with Studies
It is very important that you attend all your classes and supervisory meetings and any nonattendance will be monitored. If you have a valid reason for not attending a class then you
need to notify your relevant School as soon as possible. A valid reason in the case of illness
or personal difficulties means notification of absence, or intended absence, to the tutor or to
the Humanities School Office on or before the day of the tutorial or seminar (either in person
or by a nominated party), and the completion of a self-certification form by the end of the
following week AT THE LATEST. The form must be completed before the end of the last
week of the teaching session.
It is understood that in certain circumstances, such as bereavement, you may not always be
able to notify your tutor before the tutorial or seminar, but in such cases you should contact
your tutor or the Office as soon as possible after the event. E-mail or telephone notification
MUST be followed up by the completion of a self-certification form for the files. Selfcertification forms will be held centrally and will be seen, recorded and initialled by the
relevant module tutor.
Any non-attendance without good cause will result in an informal warning from your School. If
you continue to miss classes then the University will take this very seriously and it may result
in you being withdrawn from your studies.
Information on University procedures for issuing academic warnings can be found at:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/paa/academicwarnings/
There is an expectation that students will engage appropriately with all forms of University
assessments. If you do not attend your exams or fail to hand in assessments then you may
be affected by Regulation 1A Section 9: Appropriate Engagement with Studies. This
regulation states that any non-engagement without good cause may result in you being
withdrawn from your studies:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/regulations/regulation1aafter0910/#d.en.19127
It is therefore very important that if you miss an examination or are unable to submit your
coursework that you follow the University’s extenuating circumstances process (please see
pg. 11).
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Extenuating Circumstances (ECs)
If your personal circumstances are affecting your studies then you should speak with your
Personal Tutor or School as soon as possible to see if any arrangements can be made. If it is
deemed necessary then you may have to submit a claim for extenuating circumstances.
It is in your best interests to speak with someone as quickly as possible, and certainly before
any assessment deadline or exam. If you leave it too late then it may be more difficult to give
you the necessary help. You should also not wait until you receive your end of year results
and then decide to ask for extenuating circumstances to be taken into account as this will not
be allowed.
Detailed information on extenuating circumstances criteria, the claims process and evidence
requirements can be found in the “Extenuating Circumstances Guide to Students” which can
be downloaded from:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/ec/
Assessment
Students are assessed formally and informally. The formal assessment, a combination of
course work and timed examinations, will play its part, from level 5 onwards, in determining
your class of degree. The informal assessment – a formative exercise and the tutor’s view of
your commitment to the course, and contribution to tutorials and other group activities which
is kept on your individual student record – will come into play when tutors write references for
employers, other universities, and other agencies.
There are variations between modules in the way that they are assessed, and final-year
dissertation modules in particular, are distinctive. However, the general pattern for
assessment for double or joined modules is as follows:
Formal Assessment
Most modules in Film Studies are assessed in part by essay, KLE test or examination, with a
short formative exercise, or by a two-hour examination.
Assessed Essays
 The target length for these will be specified on the essay list and in your module
handbook.
 Essay questions will be provided well in advance of the submission date, which will
be recorded on the question paper.
 Please note the exact time and day of submission from your question paper. There
are penalties for late submission, unless there are extenuating circumstances such as
illness.
 You MUST submit your essay by the advertised date and time to the School Office.
This copy will be annotated with feedback comments and returned to you.
 A second copy must also be submitted through the university’s virtual Learning
environment, KLE (see instructions below)
 At all levels, scripts are anonymous and you should submit your essay identified by
your student number only. This might be varied for formative exercises, where the
mark does not count towards the overall module mark.
 The essay must be accompanied by a declaration (on a form provided) that the essay
is your own work except where indebtedness is specifically acknowledged.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING WORK THROUGH TURNITIN ON KLE ARE AS FOLLOWS:

To submit a paper, locate the paper you want to submit on your computer by clicking
the "browse" button and enter a title for the paper.
11


Select an enrolled student using the student pull down to associate the submission
with a student and click the submit button to upload the paper. This is even clearer
when you look at the page itself.
Go to the main page of the [insert title of module] KLE page and click on the link
'[insert title of assessment, eg. Essay;] to see these instructions.
If the electronic copy is NOT submitted via KLE you will receive a mark of ZERO for the work.
Please take a few minutes to have a look at the submission information to ensure there are
no problems when you come to submit the work.
Proofreading Guidance
If you decide that you would like someone to proofread your work or you wish to use a
proofreading company it is very important that you read the document ‘Proofreading - a
Guide for Students.’ Failure to follow the guidance in this document, if you have your work
proofread, could result in you being found guilty of academic misconduct due to you having
unpermitted assistance. The proofreading guidance document can be downloaded from the
website at:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/studentacademicconduct/.
Examination
 This will be a written, TWO HOUR examination.
 For some modules this will be a seen paper; more often it is an unseen paper.
 Although examiners take account of the conditions in which scripts have been written,
they will expect high standards of lucidity, sentence structure, and paragraphing even
in timed examinations.
 If you have to miss an examination for any reason, you should write immediately (if
possible BEFORE the examination) to the Director of Undergraduate Programmes,
providing documentary evidence of the position.
 If you fail an examination, the re-examination will be by equivalent timed examination,
but this will normally be capped at 40, the minimum pass mark.
 Students who require special provisions for their examinations must submit a written
application to Planning and Academic Administration. The application must be
supported by documentary evidence, usually from a qualified medical practitioner or
other appropriate source. Special examination provision may be considered for a
range of circumstances including dyslexia, visual, physical and sensory impairment or
chronic illness. The written application for special provision should be submitted by
the end of the fourth week of the First Semester or within four weeks of initial
diagnosis. Students granted special provision, usually sit examinations in a specially
designated venue.
Tutorial Performance
Your tutor will assess your preparations for and contributions to discussion during the
semester. This will sometimes contribute up to 10% of your mark for module in Level 4 and
Level 5. This is not an attendance mark, but, obviously, if your attendance is poor you will not
be able to score very highly.
Informal Assessment
Formative Exercise
This might be an oral presentation, a draft essay, or a short written exercise such as a close
analysis of a scene. The mark for this exercise will not affect your final mark which means
you can try out innovative ideas and methods of working without fear of this affecting your
module grade.
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Generic Assessment Criteria
The University’s generic assessment criteria are designed as a reference point for staff and
students in defining standards of achievement of written work across all subject areas. They
describe student achievement in four areas: Knowledge, Understanding and Application;
Analysis and Argument; Use of Research-Informed; Communication Skills. These Universitywide criteria form the basis for all subject-specific assessment criteria. The University
Generic Assessment Criteria can be found here:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/media/keeleuniversity/policyzone/paa/Generic%20Assessment%20Cr
iteria%20final%20senate%20approved%20inc%20Level%203.pdf
Marking
All marking is to the scale below, which gives a classification and the numbers which are
used to indicate the position within the grade.
First 70-100
Third 40-49
Upper Second
Pass
60-69
35-39
Lower Second
Fail
50-59
0-34
The algorithm on which degree classification is based includes all the second and third year
module marks. Special algorithm arrangements apply to students writing dissertations.
Assessment Criteria
These notes are intended as guidelines only. The University expects that examiners will use
the whole of the marking scale, interpreting these criteria in the context of their subject.
CLASS 1
CLASS 2:1
CLASS 2:2
90-100%
An outstanding answer showing an excellent understanding of
the issues and methodologies; original, independent thinking
informs an answer based upon rigorous argument accurately
supported by evidence derived from a wide range of source
material; could not be bettered at undergraduate level in the
time available.
80-89%
An answer demonstrating an excellent level of understanding
of the issues and methodologies; the answer displays
independent thought, and strong and well organised
argument, using a wide range of sources.
70-79%
A first class answer showing most but not necessarily all of the
above.
65-69%
An answer demonstrating very good understanding of the
issues, with good and well organised argument accurately
supported by a standard range of sources.
60-64%
As above with some shortcomings but no fundamental errors.
55-59%
An answer which shows a satisfactory grasp of the main
issues, familiarity with the basic reading, some minor errors
and omissions of essential material. Faithful reproduction of
material without any significant critical judgement.
50-54%
As above with a larger number of errors and/or the inclusion of
some irrelevant material.
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CLASS 3
45-49%
An answer which shows a minimal understanding of some of
the issues raised by the question, but with substantial
omissions or irrelevant material, and limited use of relevant
material.
40-44%
An answer showing barely adequate and limited grasp of
some of the issues, poorly conceived and poorly directed to
the question set.
PASS
35-39%
Unsatisfactory, but will show skeletal grasp of some relevant
issues and necessary material and/or skills.
FAIL
30-34%
Shows some evidence of grasp of material and/or skills but is
not applied appropriately or where relevant; there may be
gross misconceptions which nevertheless show some
evidence of an elementary grasp of issues.
20-29%
An attempt to answer the questions but without any significant
grasp of material or appropriate skills.
10-19%
Shows some evidence of having benefited from the course.
0-9%
No answer offered, or an answer which is totally irrelevant,
fundamentally wrong or plagiarised.
Feedback
The marking of Film Studies assessed essays can be a time-consuming task, requiring care
and deliberation. Errors in essays are corrected and students are also provided with written
comments. Within the School these comments have frequently won the praise of External
Examiners for their thoroughness and helpfulness. We provide feedback as soon as we can,
and you will be informed of the time by email. This will vary from module to module according
to the week in which the essay is submitted. Exam feedback will generally be given early in
the semester following the examination period.
Essays will be returned to you with corrections and a comments sheet. These will point to
strengths and areas for improvement. Initially you will be given a sense of the essay’s
classification. All borderline scripts and a further representative sample are moderated; in the
final two years they are double-marked. When all internal marking, including moderation, is
completed, you will be informed of your provisional mark. The reason that it is provisional is
that all University disciplines have an External Examiner, to whom an agreed selection of
scripts is sent, and whose job it is to check that marking is fair and accurate. We do not wish
to wait, however, until the External has seen our marking, because we feel it is better to give
some response to the essay soon after it has been completed, rather than wait until the
student’s recollection is less vivid.
Any adjustments made by the External Examiner will be conveyed to the student.
Feedback is generally given by the marker since the marker will obviously have a detailed
understanding of the reasons for the mark. The marker will normally be the tutor, but this
cannot, for various reasons, always be the case. The feedback interview is also useful for
reviewing a student’s general progress. Assessed essays are returned to students by their
tutors in feedback sessions once the marking process has been completed. Exam scripts are
not returned to students but they are available at feedback sessions.
14
External Examiners
External Examiners are experienced academics from other institutions or professional
practitioners with significant expertise in their field. Their role is to provide an independent
assessment that appropriate standards are maintained in Keele’s academic awards in
comparison with other universities in the UK.
Their duties involve approving examination papers, checking that marking has been carried
out consistently and within the regulations, advising on changes to programme content and
writing an annual report. Schools share the reports with students, usually in SSLC meetings,
and you can find the latest reports, along with a response from the School, here:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/qa/externalexaminers/reportsandresponses/. NB: you must not
contact external examiners directly as they have no remit in relation to individual students.
The list of current External Examiners for each subject can be found here:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/qa/externalexaminers/currentexternalexaminers/
Programme Requirements
Level 4 and Level 5
Assessment Attempts
What happens if I fail a module?
If you fail a core module within your programme, you will normally be allowed one reassessment opportunity if you have engaged appropriately with your studies during the
academic year. The reassessment would normally have to be completed before the start of
the next academic year. You will also be allowed to progress to the next level of study even
if you fail one 15 credit module as long as your mark for this module, following reassessment, is at least 30.
If you fail an elective module, you will also be allowed one re-assessment opportunity and
after that, if necessary due to a failed re-assessment, one opportunity to retake a different
elective module the following academic year.
For more information on re-assessment of failed modules, see the University's Regulations
1A 11 and 12.
Progression
The guidelines used by Examination Boards can be found here. Please speak to staff, such
as your Personal Tutor if you need help understanding the information.
University Level 4 Progression Guidelines (UG Year 1)
University Level 5 Progression Guidelines (UG Year 2)
Level 6
Assessment Attempts
What happens if I fail a module?
Re-assessment of FHEQ Level 6 modules is not offered until degree results have been
classified, except where Extenuating Circumstances have been approved (see Section on
Extenuating Circumstances). Normally only students who fail to achieve a degree or are only
awarded a pass degree at the first attempt will be offered re-assessment of failed FHEQ
Level 6 modules capped at 40%. These students will remain eligible for an honours degree if
re-assessment is successfully completed to the standard required for an honours degree.
15
Degree Classification
To find out how your final degree classification is calculated, please visit:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/paa/academicadministration/degreeclassification/
Publication of Results
You can expect to know the published results of assessments as soon as possible after the
examination board has completed its deliberations for your Level at the end of a given
semester. You will receive notification of your marks by e-mail and / or via the KLE. Normally,
at the end of the academic year, Level 6 results will be published first, followed by Levels 5
and 4. The timing of the publication of Finals results is determined by the University. All
results are subject to ratification by the University Senate.
Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR)
At the end of your studies, the HEAR will provide you with a comprehensive record of all your
university achievements, including some of your co-curricular activities, both during and upon
completion of your academic studies at Keele. It is an extended academic transcript and will
contain detailed information about your learning and achievements and, along with your
degree certificate, will support applications for employment and further study.
HEARs will be issued to all undergraduate degree students studying at Keele and graduating
from July 2014 onwards, currently excluding students studying for a Medical degree or a
Post-Registration Nursing degree. Keele is working in partnership with Gradintel to produce
your HEAR. You will receive a registration email from Gradintel during your studies at Keele
and must complete your registration with them so you can access your HEAR. Your HEAR is
a digitally signed document and when logged into Gradintel you can share your HEAR with
employers, employment agencies or other universities.
For more information on what will appear in your HEAR, and the benefits of having one,
please visit http://www.keele.ac.uk/hear/.
Distinctive Keele Curriculum (DKC)
The DKC is the name given to the package of additional opportunities offered to students
alongside their academic programmes. It provides you with an opportunity to design your
individual student experience, in order to develop your knowledge, skills, attitudes and values
and enhance your talents so you can make a difference to your world.
The DKC is made up of the ‘Development Strand’ (opportunities for personal and
professional development), the ‘Distinctive Academic Programmes’ which you find at Keele,
the ‘Co-curriculum’ (activities that take place outside of the academic programme of study,
such as sports and societies) and the ‘graduate attributes’ (a list of 10 qualities Keele
graduates are expected to develop). You can find more information on the DKC here:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/distinctive/
To get the most out of your studies, improve your performance and achieve your full potential
there are a number of development opportunities available to you, including Development
Strand workshops and activities. Some of these are embedded into your academic
programmes whilst others can be found on the Tune IN events calendar at:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/studentlearning/workshopstunein/
You can reflect on your development in your Keele University Skills Portfolio (KUSP) with an
option of gaining an Institute of Leadership and Management accreditation if you meet
certain criteria. Full details are available at:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/curriculumsupportanddevelopment
16
Chapter Two: Written Work, Guidance and Advice
Rubrics
Instructions for the completion of your assessed essay and exam will appear at the top of the
question paper. For essays, these will include:
 the required word length, the number of texts to which you should refer in your
answer
 the time and place you should submit your work.
For exams, you will be told:
 the number of texts to which you should refer
 whether there are any other particular requirements, for example about particular
work to be used (or not), and what the rules are about duplication.
You should make sure that you follow the instructions carefully as you will be
penalised if you infringe the rubric.
Learning Support
You are always very welcome to talk to your subject tutor (i.e. the person who runs your
tutorials) about any aspect of your work. If you cannot see them during a consultation hour,
contact them to arrange a meeting at another time. We aim to give you detailed feedback on
your essays and you can also get feedback on your exams if you consult your subject tutor at
the start of the following semester.
Student Learning: http://www.keele.ac.uk/studentlearning/ offers Drop-in Sessions (in which
you can get advice on essay writing, getting organised, preparing for exams and giving
presentations) and a variety of Workshops (on areas including essay writing, revision and
exams, presentations, working in groups, time management and personal development
planning).
If you need general academic advice, or advice in relation to a non-academic problem, you
can also talk to your Personal Tutor.
If you have any additional circumstances which are affecting your ability to work, you can
contact Student Support and Development Services: http://www.keele.ac.uk/ssds. In the
past they have helped us to facilitate learning for students with dyslexia, with physical
disadvantages, and with ongoing health concerns.
Research and Resources
It is important that you undertake individual research when writing your essays and preparing
for exams. You will find that the information you acquire from lectures, seminars and your
own reading of the primary texts needs to be supplemented by secondary material taken
from critics and other sources.
Keele’s Campus Library has books and journals relevant to all Film Studies modules. If you
have any problems accessing material, inform your tutor or the Library Liaison Officer for
Film. The majority of the library’s holdings in Film Studies can be found on the first floor; you
should also consult the journals, which are kept in the basement.
The University Library’s mission is to provide effective access to all forms of academic
information in support of the University's teaching, learning and research.
17
The Campus library is open 24/7 during semester. Students can work in a variety of study
environments, ranging from group to silent study, and can also book rooms for either
purpose. There’s also a refreshment area and WiFi access.
Our academic collections are provided both online and in print. We subscribe to around
20,000 e-journals, 300,000 e-books and have over 600,000 items on our shelves. Students
can access many reading lists online, and our "Catalogue Plus" service can be used to find
relevant information both in print and online via a single easy-to-use web catalogue. Books
can normally be borrowed for two weeks, one week or one day, depending on demand for
the title. Students can get help from our staff at the Library’s InfoPoint, and throughout the
year. Liaison Librarians provide an extensive range of training tailored to help students with
their research and information skills.
Find out more about the Library services at:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/library/ and http://opac.keele.ac.uk/ for the library’s online catalogue.
Accessing e-journals off campus
Access to Keele's e-resources is through your Keele username and password. When you
reach the journal home page look out for a link called “institutional log-in” or "Shibboleth login", select the UK Federation and then Keele University and log in using your IT Account
username and password (the log-in you use to access the Campus network) when you reach
the usual yellow Keele log-in screen.
Visit http://www.keele.ac.uk/library/support/access/ for more information, including our Offcampus Access Step by Step guide and a series of short you-tube videos to assist with offcampus log-ins to each individual publisher.
Finding Material
 Your first port of call should be the reading list provided at the beginning of each of
your courses. Material from the reading list will be found in the library or online.

Books and essays on your reading list will have bibliographies of their own. You can
use these to find additional material to supplement your reading.

Try searching the library catalogue. If a film or book is on loan, make a note of the
shelf-mark anyway and see if there are any relevant books on either side of it on the
shelves.
Essay Writing Guidelines
A step-by-step guide to writing an essay:

Choose your essay question carefully.

When you’ve chosen a question, re-watch/read the primary texts (i.e. the films and
theoretical notes) that you think you might use to answer it, keeping notes as you go
through. Then sketch out how you might answer the question, including the evidence
from the primary texts that you might use (i.e. quotations/examples and analysis of
those quotations/examples).

Think about what precisely the question is asking. Look at this example:
In Rear Window (Hitchcock, 1954), is the character Jeff’s act of looking out of
the window and across the courtyard similar to our own act of looking at a film
and if so, in what ways? Please discuss and present arguments to support or
reject the indicated similarity.
18
Focusing on the film specified above, you are asked to consider: how in the act of
looking represented on-screen by the main male protagonist is similar to the
spectator’s act of looking at Rear Window. The essay’s structure could question if and
in what ways the two acts of looking specified are similar this, assessing the
importance of each of these looks in relation to looking as an act of power.

When you have your own ideas about the subject straight you can start doing some
wider research.
o
Depending on the length of the essay, select five or more critical essays or
chapters in books. Use the reading lists we give you and academic journals. Be
careful about which website material you use. If you’re having difficulty finding
material, talk to your tutor.
o
Scan through them quickly to see if they are useful and/or relevant to your topic.
o
From those essays select the ones that seem useful. Read them properly and
make notes from them. If none of them are useful, start again with another set of
essays.
o
Your notes will be most useful to you if you (a) include the full author, title and
publication details, (b) put all quotations in quotation marks (so that you can tell
which bits you have summarised and which bits you have quoted when you come
back to the notes), and (c) make a note of the page numbers for any
points/quotations (the margin is a good place to do this).
o
Do these essays contradict anything you have already thought in relation to your
topic? Can you disagree with them? (Just because they have been printed it
doesn’t mean they are right; your own ideas are also very important!)
o
Have any of the essays helped you to deepen your understanding of the topic? If
so, it would be useful to include a quotation from that essay to show how it relates
to your argument and how it has affected your thinking.
o
DO NOT ‘base’ your essay on someone else’s – it won’t be your own work and
you could inadvertently plagiarise from that person’s essay.

Draft a plan for your essay. In order to present an argument effectively you need a
clear structure, and you should think carefully about this before you write the essay.
In some ways this is the most important part of the whole process!

Write the first paragraph of your essay, remembering that you need to state very
clearly how you’re approaching the question and what your argument is going to be.
Define any key terms in the question.

Write the rest of the essay.

You should normally include direct quotation from primary texts. These quotations do
not necessarily have to be very long – a line, a sentence, or even a phrase can be
enough if it illustrates the point you want to make. If you omit part of a quotation,
represent the omission by three spaced full-stops: ‘Alfred Hitchcock’s film Psycho
(1960) raises various critical questions about gender...relations’.

Short quotations (fewer than 40 words of prose or two complete lines of verse) can be
inserted into sentences. For example (in an essay on narrative in Groundhog Day
(Ramis, 1993):
19
In Bruce Klein’s description of the looping narrative strategy employed by Ramis,
he notes that ‘within the narrative loop, no exact beginning or end can be
identified, thus, such a strategy has the potential to cause confusion’ (Klein, 1997,
54).

Longer quotations should be separated from your text by a blank line and should be
inset from the left margin. They DO NOT need to be surrounded by quotation marks
as the insetting does the job and distinguishes them from your own writing.
Bear in mind that quotations don’t answer the question in themselves; they need to be
explained, contextualised, analysed and integrated into the answer as a whole.

You will also need to quote from critical material. You might present your discussion
like this:
Although Valerie Traub argues that ‘exchange – of bodies, of goods, of women –
provides the fundamental structure of the societies represented in filmic
adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays’, this underestimates the complexity of the
society presented in Radford’s adaptation of The Merchant of Venice.
Always follow up a quotation with a discussion of its implications for the
primary text and/or an assessment of its usefulness.

Make sure that you include a conclusion. This is one of the most difficult things to do
well, and it’s all too easy to write a conclusion that too brief. A conclusion should
draw together the strands of your argument and reinforce the points that you have
been making. Returning to the main terms of the question in order to confirm your
response to them can provide a neat ending, and it also enables you to check that
you haven’t lost track of these terms.
Essay Presentation: A Checklist
Make sure you check that your essay conforms to each of these specifications:

Use A4 paper and one side of the paper only.

Essays should be double spaced.

Leave a margin on the left-hand side of at least 30mm.

Conventionally the first paragraph under a heading starts full left, but otherwise indent
the first word of a new paragraph by at least 20mm.

Write your student number, year, and tutor’s name at the top of the page. DO NOT
include your name.

Write out the question or title in full. When you are invited to discuss texts of your
own choice, it is a good idea to say which ones you have chosen (perhaps in
brackets).

Film, book, play, journal and newspaper titles should be italicised, e.g. The Third
Man; The Guardian; The Merchant of Venice; Shakespeare Quarterly.
Titles of poems, journal articles or chapters in books are given in ‘quotation marks’.
E.g.: ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’; ‘A Sense of Place in The Third Man’.

20
Grammar and Spelling: Some Common Mistakes

Misuse of apostrophes. Use an apostrophe to indicate possession of an item, not the
plural: ‘the book’s cover’, not ‘the book’s I have read’. Watch out for plural
possessives (‘the film’s form’ = the form of the film; ‘the films’ form’ = the form of lots
of films).

It’s (with an apostrophe) means IT IS. In an academic essay, you should never use it
because it is an abbreviation. Its means BELONGING TO IT.

Inconsistency between subject and verb. ‘The language and genre of the play
indicate that it…’, not ‘indicates’: ‘language and genre’ is the subject of the sentence
and is plural, so the verb (‘indicate’) also takes the plural form.
Referencing
There are several ways of referencing an academic essay but in Humanities we have agreed
to use the Harvard (or ‘author/date) system, although footnotes or endnotes are also fine.
There is an online tutorial which teaches you how to use this at:
https://github.com/Informs/Informs-Open-Source/tree/master/informs
Please consult the guidelines listed below and follow them carefully when you write your
essay.
References in the text
It’s very important that each reference you make in your essay to another source (primary or
secondary) should be adequately referenced. In the author/date system all quotations must
be laid out in the following way (see Essay Writing Guidelines above):

Film titles are written in italics like volume titles. The first time you cite a film you
should put the director’s name and date of the film in brackets e.g. Sense and
Sensibility (dir: Ang Lee, 1995). Films are listed separately at the end of your essay
under Filmography.

All volume titles (book or play titles plus titles of poetry or short story collections)
should be written in italics e.g. The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales, Four Quartets,
Middlemarch (no quotation marks are needed).

Quotations are followed by the information necessary to refer the reader to the
bibliography and to the page(s) in the book, essay, or article (surname, date, and
page numbers in brackets). For example:
Henry James himself was a pioneer, in both practice and theory, of the basic
ideas that authors are separate from their characters, that characters have
limited knowledge, and that stories can be presented from multiple points of view
(Stillinger 1991, 5).
And a quotation from Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein would look like this (notice
that the full stop goes at the very end, after the bracket):
And now, once again, I bid my hideous progeny go forth and prosper. I have
affection for it for it was the offspring of happy days, when death and grief were
but words, which found no true echo in my heart (Shelley 1818, 1997).
21
Debts to general ideas are recorded in a similar fashion. For example:
Stillinger (1991, 5) has argued that Henry James was one of the first to
reinterpret the relation between author and characters.

There is no need to repeat the author's name in the reference if s/he has already
been mentioned. When a film or other specific text is the focus of your
discussion, you should give a full director-date reference on its first
appearance.
Further important guidelines:

Short quotations (less than 40 words) should be enclosed in single quotation marks
and run on with the main text e.g. Seamus Heaney’s claim that Ted Hughes ‘creates a
primeval landscape where stones cry out and horizons endure’ (Heaney 1980, 151) is
particularly evocative.

Long quotations should be indented and therefore do not require quotation
marks (see above). A space should be left between your text and the beginning of the
quotation.

When citing theoretical arguments, always cite the date that the book or the edition of
the text was first published, unless it’s a translation or a new edition. Don’t cite the
date of a later impression of a much-reprinted book.

In your bibliography, use a hanging indentation so that the second and subsequent
lines of the references are indented (makes it easier to pick out a particular
reference). To produce a hanging indentation in Word, highlight the required piece of
text, and click on ‘Format’, then ‘Paragraph’: ‘Hanging’ is in the list of special
indentation formats on the right-hand side.

If you’ve cited more than one work by the same author, use a long dash or series of
short dashes before the title in the second citation and omit the author’s name. Put
the works in chronological order.

For a much fuller account of both systems see the MHRA Style Guide, which you can
download free here (see especially p.44 onwards):
http://www.mhra.org.uk/Publications/Books/StyleGuide/download.shtml
Bibliography and Filmography
The bibliography should be organized alphabetically by authors’ or editors’ names. For
essays you should include all works you have consulted (including all films), not only those
you have quoted from or referred to. Books, articles, essays, and web-sites are included in
the same list but they are styled differently.
Example of a film
With listings of films, the title comes first, rather than the director’s name. The country in
which the film was produced should also be included. Note that this does not necessarily
refer to the country in which the film was shot. For example, James Cameron’s film Aliens
was shot largely in Britain while Titanic was shot largely in Mexico, but these are both US
productions.
Bubble (2005) Steven Soderbergh, U.S.A.
22
Example of a TV programme
If known the episode number, episode title (where relevant) and broadcast time and date
should be included. The West Wing reference below includes both the production date of the
programme, and the broadcast date:
Newsnight, BBC2, 2004, 28 October, 22.00
The West Wing, Episode 2, ‘Post hoc, ergo propter hoc’, 1999, Channel 4, 2002, 15
March, 19.35
Example of a book
Books are always listed in this format: author’s name / date of publication (in brackets) / title
(in italics) / place of publication / publisher
For example:
Bordwell, D. and Thompson, K. (2004) Film Art: An Introduction, London and New York:
McGraw-Hill
Example of a chapter in a book
If you are listing a particular chapter in a book (for example an edited collection of chapters),
you need to include the details of the chapter (including the pages) and the details of the
book:
McLuhan, M. (2004) ‘Visual and Acoustic Space’ in C. Cox and D. Warner (eds.) Audio
Culture: Readings in Modern Music, New York and London: Continuum, pp. 7-9
Example of an article in a journal
Here you have to include the volume and part no. of the journal, and well as the details of the
article. In this case the article listed is from Volume 11, no. 7 of the journal, Sight and Sound:
Williams, L.R. (2001) ‘Sick Sisters’, Sight and Sound, Vol. 11, No. 7, pp. 28-9
Examples of websites and articles from online journals
For an article in an online journal, give the name of the author, the title of the article, the
journal name, the issue number, the date, the paragraph numbers (if any), the URL address
and the date on which you accessed the document. Take care to preserve case in URL
addresses, since it may be important. You can also break URLs across lines, but where
possible, arrange for breaks to occur at punctuation separators.
For example:
Ascheid, A. 2006. ‘Safe Rebellions: Romantic Emancipation in the “Woman's Heritage
Film”’,
Scope:
An
Online
Journal
of
Film
Studies,
4
<URL:
http://www.scope.nottingham.ac.uk/article.php?issue=4&id=124>
[accessed
20
September 2006]
For a single website, provide the name of the author (if there is one), the title of the site, the
URL address and the date of the document or the date on which you accessed it. For
example:
Roth, B. 2001. ‘Jane Austen bibliography for 2000’, at JASNA: Jane Austen <URL:
http://www.jasna.org/persuasions/on-line/opno4/roth.html> [accessed 20 September 2006]
For more details on referencing different types of on-line material, have a look at
http://www.worldwidewords.org/articles/citation.htm.
23
Example of a newspaper article
Newspaper articles such as leader columns sometimes don’t have authors’ names
listed. In that case you use the newspaper title instead of the author’s name.
Hensher, P. (2004) ‘There’s nothing liberal about atheism lessons’, The Independent,
29 October, p. 41
Further Guidance on Writing Essays
Tutors are happy to advise students on the preparation of their essays and on revision for
exams. They will not read full drafts of assessed essays, but they are willing to read and
discuss plans or abstracts and offer advice on reading. They will offer detailed advice on
how the quality of work may be improved. The following factors will be taken into account in
marking:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Relevance
Analysis of primary material
Close-reading ability
Appropriate use of secondary material
Ability to develop and sustain a relevant argument
Range and use of reading
Relevant use of critical and linguistic terms
Presentation and the use of appropriate academic conventions.
Writing
During your years as a Film student you should aim to develop your skills and style as a
writer. Your writing is not something you are stuck with: it’s something you can shape,
model, roughen, or polish. The first task is to make sure you understand the basic structures
you are using and the conventions to which you are expected to conform. You should also
be prepared to spend time improving your writing by reading other writers, paying attention to
their style, and by writing frequently and self-critically yourself. There are some very good
books about writing university essays - sophisticated as well as sound - and time spent
reading them in the early stages of your course is time well spent. A good example is James
A.W. Heffernan and John E. Lincoln, Writing: A College Handbook, 4th edn (New York: W.W.
Norton, 1994). This is an American book, so you cannot trust its spelling, but you should find
it a helpful and liberating guide. An English (and shorter) alternative is John Peck and Martin
Coyle, The Student’s Guide to Writing (Basingstoke: Palgrave, 1999). Remember that the
worst student writing is bad not because it is informal, but because it is pretentious and
inaccurate.
A dictionary is an essential guide to vocabulary and spelling. The Collins English Dictionary
(which includes many proper names) and the Concise Oxford Dictionary are both very good
value. However, if you are explaining terms in your essay you should use M.H. Abrams, A
Glossary of Literary Terms, 7th edn (London: Thomson Learning, 1998), or, for non-literary
terms, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). Currently this is not available through the Library
website, but you should be able to access it from your local public library website with your
user number and PIN.
Many students have difficulty with punctuation. R. L. Trask, The Penguin Guide to
Punctuation (London: Penguin, 1997) is a clear and thoughtful introduction. Some older
books are well worth consulting: Ernest Gowers, The Complete Plain Words (London:
Penguin, 1973), B.A. Phythian, A Concise Dictionary of Correct English (London: Hodder and
Stoughton, 1979), and H.W. Fowler, Modern English Usage (Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 1978).
24
Exam Preparation
Time and location of exams
Planning and Academic Administration publishes the examination timetable on its website
several weeks before the start of the examination period. It is your responsibility to check the
time, date and location of your exam. Failure to attend an exam can result in failure of the
exam.
Exam preparation and technique
Everyone has a different way of preparing for and sitting an exam, but here are some
suggestions about revision and exam technique.

Make sure you know the primary texts very well. You are not permitted to take filmic
texts into any examinations for Film Studies at Keele, so it is imperative that you have
a good knowledge of the texts. If you have the kind of brain that easily remembers
quotations, then learning a few can be useful. However, accurate knowledge of, and
reference to, scenes or specific moments from the texts is also acceptable.

You are also strongly encouraged to make reference to critical material in your
examinations. Try to read a few critical articles with the intention of making reference
to them in your exam answer. If you do refer to such articles in the exam, remember
to cite their authors and titles as well as their ideas.

Film examinations at Keele are usually two hours long and require you to write two
essays. Divide up your time carefully, giving one hour to each essay.

Think about the essay question. Most people get poor marks in their examinations
because they don’t properly answer the questions.

Write a plan to ensure that your essay has an argument, rather than just being a list
of your thoughts. It is a good idea to spend about ten to fifteen minutes thinking about
the question and working on your plan.

Spend about thirty-five minutes writing your essay. This will ensure that you have
some extra time at the end of the exam if you need it, either to finish off an essay or
to check your answers and correct them.

Try to write in good, grammatical sentences in clearly legible handwriting. Try not to
make spelling mistakes and make sure that you know how to spell characters’ names.

Make sure that both your exam answers have a concluding paragraph that draws
together the strands of your argument. Part of the skill of writing an exam answer is
doing so in the allotted time. Adding a list of bullet points at the end of an essay to
show where your argument would go if you had more time is not the way to achieve a
good mark.
Dissertation Guidance
Film Studies dissertation guidelines for 2015-2016 can be found on the KLE on the Film
Studies Noticeboard.
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Process for investigating alleged ethics offences at school level (regarding research
projects/dissertations)
Point 11.5 of Regulation 8 states ‘Student projects which involve the participation of human
subjects must not be undertaken without the prior approval of a School Student Project
Ethics Committee (or another Ethics Committee recognised for this purpose by the relevant
School)’. The implications for students who do not obtain ethical approval are as follows:

Any offence that is deemed to be major will be automatically referred to the Student
Appeals, Complaints and Conduct Manager to be dealt with via the Academic
Misconduct Panel and the appropriate penalty imposed.

Any offence that is deemed to be minor will be dealt with via the School Student
Project Ethics Committee and an appropriate penalty imposed at School level.
The process for investigating alleged offences at School level can be accessed via
http://www.keele.ac.uk/researchsupport/researchethics/ (section 4.1)
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Chapter Three: Academic Procedures
Leave of Absence
If you feel you need a break from your course for personal, financial, medical or other
reasons, it may be possible to take a Leave of Absence, which usually lasts for a semester or
a year. Further details are available here:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/ssds/changeofcircumstances/takingaleaveofabsence/
Academic Appeals
Your final module marks, and your eventual degree classification, are confirmed by a Board
of Examiners. It may be possible, in exceptional circumstances, to appeal against the
outcome using the Academic Appeals process. The reason for your appeal must be based
on one of the following:

A procedural irregularity in the conduct of the assessment

Extenuating circumstances (providing that the Board of Examiners were not already
aware of them, that evidence can be provided to support them, and that there is a
valid reason for not notifying the Board at an earlier stage)
For more information, please visit http://www.keele.ac.uk/appeals/
Complaints
A complaint is the expression of a specific concern about the provision of a service, either
academic or non-academic, by the University. An informal complaint should initially be
addressed to the relevant School/Service Early Resolution Officer who is most directly
concerned with the issue; if the problem is explained to them they can often provide an
immediate explanation or solution. If you are dissatisfied with the response, you may submit
a formal written complaint. A complaint may be submitted up to three months after graduation
or withdrawal but you are encouraged to submit a complaint as close as possible to the event
concerned so that an appropriate resolution can be sought if the complaint is upheld. For
further information on how to submit a complaint please refer to the guidance and regulations
which can be found on the website at:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/studentcomplaints/
The School of Humanities Early Resolution Officer for complaints is Mrs Kath McKeown who
can be contacted by email: k.mckeown@keele.ac.uk.
Academic Misconduct
Academic Misconduct refers to a number of situations where you might attempt to gain an
advantage for yourself and/or another student by doing something that goes against
University Regulations. This could refer to your conduct during assessments, coursework,
and exams. The University takes any breach of the regulations seriously, and in a minority of
cases students are required to withdraw from Keele. It is important that you understand the
University’s guidelines and you should speak with your Personal Tutor if you have any
queries.
Exam Regulations
It is important that students are familiar with the exam regulations. If you don’t abide by the
regulations, you may be given a penalty, which could impact on your marks and your degree
classification. The exam regulations concern all aspects of cheating in exams, including:
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taking unauthorised notes into exam halls; using unauthorised calculators and other
equipment; talking during exams; using a mobile phone or other communication device
during exams.
For more guidance, please read the information on examination conduct at:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/studentacademicconduct/
Plagiarism
Plagiarism, which is the most common type of academic misconduct, occurs when the work
you are submitting is not your own, but in fact somebody else’s.
Plagiarism is the unacknowledged reproduction of someone else’s work as your own. You
are plagiarising if your source is a book, an article or a website, if you reproduce it exactly or
paraphrase it, and if you reproduce large or small sections of your source. Stealing other
people’s words and ideas is theft and it is cheating. It is a waste of our time and a waste of
your time.
PLAGIARISM IS A SERIOUS OFFENCE
Students who are caught plagiarising will not only RECEIVE ZERO for their essays, but
will be referred to the School Academic Conduct Officer.
If you quote an author ALWAYS put the passage in quotation marks, followed by the author’s
name, the date of the publication, and the page number (all in brackets after the quotation).
For further details, please consult the Essay Writing section in Chapter 2.
If you get an idea from an author, make this clear by means of a bracketed
acknowledgement in the text or a footnote.
Material and ideas taken from the Internet should also be acknowledged by placing the
author’s name, the name of the website, and its URL in brackets after the relevant quotation
or paraphrase. You should also add the date that you accessed the website.
Any student who remains unclear about what constitutes plagiarism is advised to consult
either their tutor, or the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 2nd Edition (New
York: MLA, 1984).
Students MUST keep a careful record of notes taken when working on an essay or
assignment since tutors may ask to see them for evidence in cases of suspected plagiarism.
You can find a Guide to Academic Integrity which is specifically aimed at new undergraduate
students and which aims to teach how to avoid academic dishonesty, plagiarism and
cheating here:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/media/keeleuniversity/lpdc/downloads/Academic%20Integrity%20Gui
de.pdf)
University guidance on plagiarism can be found at:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/studentacademicconduct/
University Code of Practice for Staff and Students
The University’s Codes of Practice can be found in the Academic Regulations and Guidance
for Students and Staff at:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/aa/regulationshandbook/section5.htm
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Visas and Immigration
Any student who requires a visa to be in the UK or who has been granted a Tier 4 Student
Visa is bound by the Immigration rules. These rules also apply to students who need to
extend their visa to complete their course at Keele University.
The rules and requirements regarding your visa to study at Keele are very strict and are
underpinned by University Regulation 6. The University is duty bound to report to the Home
Office - UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) on students who do not adhere to their immigration
conditions, which will result in their visa being cancelled.
Examples on what is reported include to the UKVI (note: this is not an inclusive list):









students who do not attend their classes, supervisory meetings and checkpoints;
students who do not pay their Fees on time;
students who do not make satisfactory progress in their course;
students who do not provide documentation when requested by the University;
students who do not keep their UK contact address up-to-date;
students that take a leave of absence or intermit from their studies;
students who leave Keele University during their course;
students that exceed the working limits as stated in their visa;
students that withdraw or are withdrawn from their studies.
To note, these requirements are subject to change in line with the Immigration Law and the
requirements on the University as a Tier 4 sponsor by the UKVI, formerly the UKBA. For
more information please refer to the immigration pages on the Keele University website:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/visa.
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Chapter Four: Feedback to Us
Student Representation and Feedback
Student feedback is important at Keele and there are a number of opportunities for you to get
involved. You are also encouraged to speak with staff informally if you have any suggestions
for improvements or to seek advice regarding issues with your programme.
StARs (Student Academic Representatives)
All students have the opportunity to stand for election as a StAR, representing the views of
other students on their programme. StARs gather feedback and attend Staff-Student Liaison
Committees (SSLCs) to discuss items raised by students and developments to the
programme. It is an important role, which is recognised by being HEAR-recordable. There
are even StARs awards each year to celebrate the achievements of those who have gone
above and beyond the standard duties of a StAR. Look out for further information publicised
by KeeleSU, including details of elections, which are held online at the start of the year. More
information can be found here: http://keelesu.com/yourunion/stars/.
Staff-Student Liaison Committees (SSLCs)
SSLCs provide a forum for discussion between student representatives (StARs) and staff
about programme issues and are usually held at least once a semester. The meetings are
normally chaired by a StAR and act as the principal means for staff to be made aware of the
collective opinion of students. Their success depends upon students getting involved, either
as reps or by supporting the reps by providing them with your feedback.
Module Evaluation
At the end of each module students are invited to complete an evaluation form. These are
done anonymously and give you an opportunity to have your say on the content and delivery
of modules. A summary of the results are considered by the SSLC and other School
committees, and also form part of the annual review of the curriculum, known as CARD
(Curriculum Annual Review and Development).
Final year undergraduate students also take part in the National Student Survey (NSS)
between January and April, with results and comments carefully analysed at programme and
School level.
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Chapter Five: Student Exchange – Study Abroad in Year 2 (Level 5)
Who is eligible to go on exchange?
Students, both international and UK, of virtually any subject can apply to study abroad on
exchange for the first (or second) semester of their second year at the discretion of their
schools. Some schools will allow a full-year exchange.
Students must attend all compulsory sessions and be supported by their Personal and
Subject Tutor. Students must also be in good academic standing in order to be considered
and must pass all modules in their main degree subject(s) with a minimum average to take
part. This condition can vary by subject.
When do I need to apply?
Students considering exchange in Year 2 need to apply in Semester 1 of Year 1; during
Semester 1 students will have the opportunity to attend the Study Abroad Fair. Information
Sessions and meet with Peer Advisors to gather the information that they need to select the
appropriate University and make a successful application.
Students are encouraged to find out more from the International Office and Peer Adviser
Resource Room early in their first semester (Ground floor of IC2).
http://www.keele.ac.uk/studyabroad/keelestudentsgoingabroad/
Erasmus+
Exchange
Students who elect to go on a European exchange placement will be eligible for Erasmus
funding. Information on Erasmus will be available at the Study Abroad Fair and Information
Sessions.
Summer Placements
Students who elect to go to Europe for a language placement or an approved work
placement will be eligible for Erasmus funding, as long as their placement period is no less
than 8 weeks.
Traineeships
Students can elect to do a traineeship in Europe up to a year after graduation, as long as the
placement is approved and arranged before graduation. Erasmus funding is available for this
opportunity. More information is available from the International Office – Lisa Stoker
(l.j.stoker@keele.ac.uk).
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