Pais Assessed Essay Information

PAIS ASSESSED ESSAY INFORMATION

PLEASE NOTE (EXTREMELY IMPORTANT)

The following does not apply to first year students.

From 2008/09 PAIS will be adhering to a faculty-wide assessment determination procedure. This means that you will have to inform PAIS of the form of assessment (100% essay; 50% exam/ 50% essay; or 100% exam) that you wish to use for each of your modules. This choice must be made by week 5 of the autumn term. Students will have a brief window of opportunity to change their assessment selections during weeks 1-3 in the spring term.

The spring term window will open on the first day of Term 2 (5 Jan

2009). It will close at the end of week 3, on 23 Jan. Once this window has closed your assessment selections CANNOT BE CHANGED. Any student who does not fulfil their selections will receive a mark of ZERO for any assessments missed .

this means, for example, that if you choose to be assessed on a module via two essays (100% essay), or via a combination of essay and exam (50% essay, 50% exam) then you will receive a mark of ZERO for any essay that you subsequently fail to submit.

Assessed essays in Years 2 and 3/Final.

In the second and third/final years, you can submit assessed essays (as part of your examination for each module. In second year modules students typically have the choice of: either a three-hour examination; or one assessed essay of approximately 5000 words plus a one-and-a-half hour examination.

(Some exceptions exist – your module handbook will set out the particular requirements for that module.)

Third/final year modules are typically examined by one of the following methods:

one three-hour examination; or two assessed essays of approximately 5000 words; or one assessed essay of approximately 5000 words plus a one-and-a-half hour examination.

(Some exceptions exist – your module handbook will set out the particular requirements for that module.)

Limit to the amount of assessment

A University rule limits the overall amount of assessed work to 50% of the degree. Substitution of assessed essays (including, where applicable, a dissertation) for examinations may not exceed the equivalent of four modules spread over all second and third/final year modules. This rule is quite clear, but if you are unsure how it might apply to you, please consult your personal tutor.

What to do about assessed essay titles (in Years 2 and 3/Final)

There are two rounds for the submission of assessed essay titles in years 2 and 3 and their subsequent approval by the Department (see below).

For the assessed essay you can either:

A): Select Title from Approved List: Choose from the assessed essay title list provided in the module handbook. You need not submit an essay title submission form.

B): Negotiate Title with Tutor: you can negotiate your own title if you wish to study in-depth another topic that falls within the general framework of the module. The topic should not just be a minor variation from a title already on the approved list. If you decide to negotiate your own title, you must liaise with your module tutor to finalise the precise wording of the essay title. You must then complete the negotiated essay title submission form with the agreed title, and obtain the signature of the module tutor. If you fail to obtain his or her signature, your form will not be accepted. Do not leave agreement of titles until the last minute. If you wish to submit a negotiated title, approach your tutor to make an appointment at least two weeks before the deadline.

Assessed Essay Negotiated Title Submission Form

If you choose option B, you must submit your title on the title application form (one for each module in which you opt to write an essay). These forms can be accessed via the PAIS website on www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/currentstudents/forms/.

You must complete these forms in typescript. Hand-written forms will not be accepted.

Round 1 Negotiated Title Form (11 Nov 2008):

If you are taking a module which you may complete entirely through assessment essay work (normally third/final year modules), and subject to the University rule about the limit to the amount of assessment, you will write two essays for the module. If you negotiate a title, you must submit one negotiated title form under Round 1 and one negotiated title form in Round 2. If you select a title

from a list and therefore do not complete a negotiated title form you are still bound by the Round 1 and Round 2 deadlines for essay submission.

Approval by your module tutor is not final approval. The titles will be considered by the Department and the external examiner, and may be changed. A list of approved titles will be published on the PAIS notice board as soon as possible after the deadline. You must check and double-check this list to ensure that you use the approved title. If you do not check, and your title has been altered, you could end up receiving a mark of zero for your essay because you submitted an essay with the

incorrect title.

Round 2 Negotiated Title Form (2 Feb 2009): If you are taking a module for which you intend to submit only one assessment essay, submit your negotiated title form in Round 2 only. This applies to most students doing assessed essays in PAIS.

If you select a title from a list and therefore do not complete a negotiated title form you are still bound by the Round 2 deadlines for essay submission.

incorrect title.

Assessed Essay Submission

PLEASE NOTE: PAIS has decided to adopt a system of ‘e-submissions’ for assessed essays from 2008/09. Students will still be required to submit two hard copies of their essays as per the process below. The e-submission will replace the need to hand in a copy of your essay on disk. Further details of the e-submission procedure will be announced in due course.

For each essay for a module you MUST submit:

TWO hard (paper/printed) copies of the essay

AND

ONE submission form (one for each copy of each essay) attached to the front of each essay. The instructions for submission are on the form. Hand written forms are not acceptable.

Forms can be obtained at:

www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/currentstudents/forms/

It is likely that the above procedure will be amended and that a receipt of your e-submission will be required before hard copies can be handed in.

Deadlines for submission of assessed essays

Two paper copies of the essay and the two submission forms for each essay must be submitted to the PAIS Undergraduate Office by:

For Second year modules: Tuesday 3rd May 2011 by 12 noon

For Third/Final year modules: Wednesday 4th May 2011 by 12 noon

It is likely that these deadlines will be amended by the time the e-submission details have been finalised. A further deadline for uploading an electronic version of your essay will also be included.

Extensions to deadlines for submission of assessed essays

It is important that you allow plenty of time to complete your essays. An extension of deadline may be allowed in cases of illness and on production of a medical note that indicates that during the period of illness the candidate was unable to work on his/her essay(s). The failures of personal computers, software or disks are not grounds for an extension. Arriving after the deadline time because of alleged failure of the bus service or other logistical problems will not be accepted as grounds for a retroactive extension. Extensions of deadline may be granted only by the Director of Undergraduate Studies (Dr Kettell, room B1.11) or, in his absence, the Chairman of PAIS (Professor Rosamond). Extensions cannot, under any circumstances, be given by seminar or module tutors. A form to apply for an extension can be found here:

www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/currentstudents/

Penalties for the late submission of assessed essays

According to University rules, late submission of an assessed essay will, unless an extension has been granted in advance of the deadline, result in the following penalty deduction from your mark for the work: 5 marks per day, including weekend days. There is no upper limit.

PHILOSOPHY ASSESSED ESSAY INFORMATION

Proposed essay titles for all Philosophy modules must be approved by the module tutor and submitted to the Philosophy Undergraduate Office S2.72 by 2.30 pm on Thursday 3rd February 2011.

· Unless special provision has been made, applications are subject to the University rule that at least 50% of attainable credit for a degree must accrue from formal examinations.

Essays will not be accepted in lieu of written examinations unless it has been certified by the module tutor(s) that the entire module has been followed to its completion. If the written work is not accepted (or, for some reason, not submitted, or submitted after the appropriate deadline) you will be required to sit the corresponding 2nd or 3rd year invigilated examination in the module. For this reason it is of the greatest importance that official examination registrations should be for the examination option rather than the assessment option (if in doubt. please check), so that potential timetable clashes may be avoided.

In all these modules, if the application form is not completed and handed in by the stated time you will be deemed to have opted for the appropriate two-hour and three-hour examinations.

APPLICATION FORMS to be completed

In any application to be examined by assessed work in any module then each of the tutors of that module must certify by signature on the application form that the module has been followed to its completion and one of the tutors must certify by signature that the nominated title is of the appropriate depth and complexity. Ticks won't do. Except when a tutor is on leave (in which event the Secretary for Examinations will ask for any signature required), it is you who must ensure that your completed form contains all the required signatures, the tutors' and your own.

· There is a separate form for PH201 History of Modern Philosophy.

· If you need help, contact the Undergraduate Secretary in Philosophy or possibly, Guy Longworth (Philosophy Exams Secretary or Christoph Hoerl (Philosophy Director of Undergraduate Studies.

· You have several weeks in which to complete your forms. Not all members of staff come into the University every day, so do not leave the job to the last minute.

· If your form is not correctly completed, signed, and submitted to the Undergraduate Office by the deadline then permission to offer assessed work will normally be refused

· It is your responsibility to get these simple details right.

Students will be notified, should their proposals be unacceptable, by Thursday 10th March 2011, by means of a notice on the Philosophy Department Examination Noticeboard, and by e-mail. A list of all accepted essay and dissertation titles will be published in due course on the Philosophy Examination Noticeboard.

Titles may be changed slightly (but not drastically) after they have been approved, but changes will not normally be accepted after the Thursday of the first week of the Summer Term. Any proposed change of title must be made on the appropriate form (obtainable from the table in the Philosophy foyer), which must be countersigned by the module tutor. In the case of a dissertation, a change of title must be approved in writing by the Head of the Department, Professor Quassin Cassam The completed essays and dissertations must be handed in to the Undergraduate Secretary before 12 noon on Tuesday 10th May 2011.