Peer Mentor drop-in sessions TODAY

Mansfield Cooper Building 2.05 from 12-1
The Peer Mentors will be running drop-in sessions today. You can go along and ask them questions about any aspect of your course and your experience at Manchester, and they will give you help, information and moral support!

National Student Survey highlights (2010)

Questions about teaching:

1. Staff are good at explaining things: 95%
2. Staff have made the subject interesting: 88%
3. Staff are enthusiastic about what they are teaching: 97%
4. The course is intellectually stimulating: 98%

Teaching section average score: 95%

This is the joint highest score in the University

Office hours, 2010 Semester One

Office hours are times that staff members devote to meeting with students. You may come along and talk about any aspect of the course that you wish; no appointment necessary.

Undergraduate Programme Director
Dr Jerome de Groot, Room S.1.16
Tuesday 1-2, Thursday 10-11

Course Unit Directors Level 1
Dr Daniela Caselli, Room W105
CUD, Reading Literature
10-11 Wednesday, 12-1Thursday

Prof. Gale Owen-Crocker, Room S.1.11
CUD, Mapping the Medieval
Mondays 1-2, Tuesdays 1-2

Dr. David Matthews, Room S.1.6
CUD, Academic Development
Tuesday 11-12, Wednesday 12-1

Dr. Natalie Zacek, Room N2.8
CUD American History
Tuesdays 4-5, Thursdays 3-4

Prof. Brian Ward, N112
CUD, Jamestown to James Brown
Monday 10-11, Tuesday 10-11

Course Unit Directors Level 2
Dr. Noelle Gallagher, Room S.1.25
CUD, Writing the C18
Wednesdays 12-1, Thursdays 4-6

Dr. Jerome de Groot, Room S.1.16
CUD, Power and Gender
Tuesday 1-2, Thursday 10-11

Dr. David Matthews, Room S.1.6
CUD, Chaucer
Tuesday 11-12, Wednesday 12-1

Dr. David Alderson, Room W118
CUD, Gender, Sexuality and Culture
5-6 Monday, 1-2 Tuesday

Dr. Jennie Chapman, Room W.1.09
CUD American Literature and Social Criticism
Thursday 2-4

Manchester Lit List: Bernard Cornwell, creator of Sharpe, to visit Manc...

Manchester Lit List: Bernard Cornwell, creator of Sharpe, to visit Manc...: "Best-selling author and creator of the Sharpe novels, Bernard Cornwell visits the Manchester Literature Festival to make his only UK appear..."

Research Seminar

5pm, Oct 6: Laura Doan (Manchester), ‘“Normal Soap”: Historicizing the Modern Norms of Sexuality', A4 Samuel Alexander Building

Academic Advisors

Academic Advisors

A member of staff will be appointed as your Academic Adviser and will normally act in this capacity for the whole three years. Your Academic Adviser is concerned with your general welfare, and is available to give you help and advice on all matters, whether academic or personal.  You should feel free to consult your Academic Adviser about anything that concerns you, including personal, domestic, medical, financial or legal problems.  He or she will be able to put you in touch with expert professional help if you should need it; but you may rest assured that, except in formal academic matters, all communications with your Academic Adviser are privileged, and that anything you say to him or her is strictly confidential and will not be divulged to anyone else without your express permission.  In academic matters your Academic Adviser will normally refer to your Programme Director.  It is essential that you keep your Academic Adviser informed of your progress and of any circumstances which may affect your work during the year or your performance in examinations, as he or she may be able to help you resolve your problems or to act as your "advocate", should this unfortunately prove necessary.

Ordinarily this will be your first-year tutor for Academic Development. If members of staff go on research leave you will be allocated another Academic Advisor for the remainder of your degree. The list of Academic Advisors is posted on the notice boards by the lifts on the first floor, South Wing, Samuel Alexander Building, and on the EAS student website. 

Academic Advisors meet their tutees individually twice in the first semester of their first year and if you request an appointment, once a semester thereafter. You will be able to discuss any academic issues arising from your study. The meetings will allow you to reflect upon your studies. In time, you may want to ask your tutor if s/he is willing to write a reference for you, so developing your relationship with them is important. Furthermore, the meetings allow you to discuss and reflect upon your learning needs for the future. You will receive reminders to make appointments by email. It is your responsibility to arrange the times for these meetings.

Meeting	Possible topics for discussion
Year 1: 1	Essay writing and preparation
Year 1: 2	Academic Writing and exam preparation PADP preparation Review of feedback
Year 1: 3	Preparation for L2: registration choices, academic progress Exam preparation Review of feedback from semester 1 Student Satisfaction Survey
Year 2: 1	Academic development in L2: academic progress
Year 2: 2	Preparation for L3: registration choices, academic progress, Long Essay Exam preparation Review of feedback from semester 1 Student Satisfaction Survey
Year 3: 1	Postgraduate course and careers information Long Essay topic: agree title Student Satisfaction Survey
Year 3: 2	Approaching your final assessment References Student Satisfaction Survey

Academic Advisors may be consulted at other times as well, either during office hours or by appointment. You will also be able to take advice and gain further direction relating to any pastoral issues; Academic Advisors will direct you to the various University support offices. Students may change their Academic Advisor, if necessary, after confidential consultation with the Head of Subject Area or Programme Director..

Your Academic Advisor will meet you three times at Level 1 - twice in Semester 1 and once in Semester 2 - to discuss your progress and things that could be done to improve the quality of your student experience and performance. Meetings during Semester 1 will take place in the context of the Academic Development course and will focus on the research, analytical and writing skills necessary to do university-level work; but your Academic Advisor will be happy to discuss any other issues of concern, including planning for the next semester and next year, taking advantage of university resources, and planning for the longer term (that is, career and postgraduate education options).

Starting in Semester 2 of Year 1, and continuing through the rest of your course, you should plan to meet with your Academic Advisor at least once a semester, to discuss your academic progress, plan for the next semester and year, discuss your final-year Long Essay, and talk over any other issues or questions of concern. In addition to these regular meetings, you are encouraged to meet at other times to talk about your work or any questions that arise; this could be during your Academic Advisor’s scheduled office hours or by appointment.

The format of your meetings with your Academic Advisor is up to you and the Tutor to agree on. In general, students in EAS have preferred a more informal conversational format for meetings with Academic Advisors, and have preferred that these not be minuted. Again, if you would like minutes to be taken of your meeting and kept on file, you should arrange this with your Academic Advisor.

You may find it useful to assess your own level of skills and competences against the questions listed below, according yourself a mark of, say, 1(low)-5(high) in each category.  This should help you to identify particular strengths and weaknesses in your study skills and help you to target those areas where improvement might most usefully be targeted.  Remember, these same skills are likely to impact on your abilities in many professional situations once you have left university, so it makes sense to pay them some attention at this stage.  Feel free to bring this to your Academic Adviser’s attention in office hours if you want to discuss it.

1               How good are you at managing information taken from lectures and/or your reading (so note-taking, etc.)?

2               How good is you time management?

3               How good are you at understanding the arguments offered you by others and formulating your own?

4               How good are you at essay writing?

5               How good are you at communicating, both one-to-one and in seminars?

6               How good are your IT skills?

Twitter staff profiles

The staff of EAS are tweeting about their teaching, writing and general
interests - difficult to fit into 140 characters, see how they do:
https://twitter.com/EASManchester

Arts events in the next weeks

Events at the Antony Burgess Foundation: http://www.anthonyburgess.org/news/
Manchester Literature Festival: http://www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk/
Manchester Weekender (includes AND digital arts festival, Un-Convention music events and various bits of Mancunian mayhem): http://www.creativetourist.com/city-guides/weekender-listings
Dr Faustus at the Royal Exchange: http://www.royalexchangetheatre.org.uk/page.aspx

THE FUTURE OF AFRICAN LITERATURE

THE FUTURE OF AFRICAN LITERATURE, a talk by Chuma Nwokolo
Wednesday 13th October, 5.30 pm
Main Arts Lecture Theatre, Samuel Alexander Building, Lime Grove, University of Manchester.

A distinguished short story writer himself, Chuma Nwokolo is the Editor and Publisher of AFRICAN WRITING, a partner in a scheme to promote creative writing education in Nigeria, led by the University of Manchester's Centre for New Writing with funding through the British Council.

Mr Nwokolo will be looking at the opportunities and obstacles to creativity and and publishing in Nigerian and the wider African context.

Mr Nwokolo's has been writer in residence at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, a teacher of creative writing at Brookes University, Oxford.  

His story, Diary of a Dead African, was chosen by La Internazionale as one of the three best stories worldwide in 2003.

Contact: Geoff Ryman

E-mail: Geoffrey.Ryman@manchester.ac.uk

Frank Kermode remembered

Memories of literary critic Frank Kermode, who died in August:
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v32/n18/stefan-collini-and-others/memories-of-frank-kermode

Calling all readers of historical fiction

If you like reading historical novels, please take part in 'Meet the
Readers', http://meetthereaders.blogspot.com/

GTA Representatives

Graduate Teaching Representatives for 2010-11 will be Irene Huhulea and Liam Haydon

EASManchester: first year party photos

First year meeting Powerpoint

Second and Third years: reminder

Remember: term starts on Monday so get reading!

First year meeting and welcome party

Welcome meeting 5-6, then party 6-8 in Jabez Clegg.... come and have
some wine!

The Manchester Literature Festival, 14-25 October:
http://www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk/

First years: School Welcome Meeting

Don't forget the School Welcome Meeting, 2-3, Theatre B, University Place

Welcome to all new first years!

Hello to all you new arrivals; we hope that you are enjoying your first
taste of Manchester! There is a welcome meeting for you on Wednesday 22
September at 5 followed by a party and we look forward to welcoming you
then.

Feedback on your performance

Feedback can be given in a number of ways – formally, through sheets attached to submitted work or discussion with your Academic Advisor, or informally, through comments and advice given during class or via email. Be sure to use the feedback you are given to improve your work and develop your learning.

Assessment information and criteria

The assessment criteria for our modules is here, make sure you take a look before preparing your work so that you know what is being looked at: http://www.currentstudents.arts.manchester.ac.uk/ug/sa/eas/assessmentcriteria.pdf

 

There is also information relating to assessment and feedback in the handbook, including information relating to referencing: http://www.currentstudents.arts.manchester.ac.uk/ug/pdf/handbooks/handbooks200910/EngLit,%20200910.pdf

 

There is information, links, websites and advice on how to improve your essay writing on all Blackboard courses. If you have any specific questions contact your Course Unit Director or seminar leader.

Key Contacts

Programme Administrator: Simon.c.cummins@manchester.ac.uk

Undergraduate Programme Director: Jerome.degroot@manchester.ac.uk

Assessment administrator: Suzanne.evans@manchester.ac.uk

Student Representation

Staff Student Liaison Committee

Information about Student Representation can be found here:

http://www.currentstudents.arts.manchester.ac.uk/ug/studentreps/index.htm

Joint Honours and Combined Studies Students should check the SSLC information relating to their home discipline or department.

Peer Mentors

The Peer Mentors will be running surgery consultation drop-in sessions in the Poetry Centre every Thursday 1-2 during term. This is a forum for discussion and advice on any area of undergraduate life, with an emphasis on your degree work. All first years welcome. For further information contact Joe White: Joseph.White-2@student.manchester.ac.uk