4 Sept 2020
Sent:04 September 2020 14:30
To:EnglishHoD, Resource <englishhod@warwick.ac.uk>
Cc:UGEnglish, Resource <ugenglish@warwick.ac.uk>; PGEnglish, Resource <PGEnglish@warwick.ac.uk>; Storey, Mark <M.J.Storey@warwick.ac.uk>; Botley, Paul <Paul.Botley@warwick.ac.uk>
Subject:English and CLS - term 1 update
Dear all,
I hope you're all well and have had a good summer so far. You will have noticed lots of updates across the University's Stay Safe at Warwick pages detailing all the preparations we've made for your return to teaching in term 1. A great deal of work has gone into making sure the environment on campus is really safe for you, and while some of you will have understandable concerns about coming back, everyone in English is really looking forward to getting back to our teaching and discussions.
The department has submitted a teaching plan to the University, which we're waiting to have approved. As soon as we do, the department will email you about how blended teaching will work. For the majority of you, your modules will be partly taught online, and partly in-person on campus. Where seminars are on campus, they will be held in large rooms that allow you, your fellow students, and the tutor to socially distance. We'll also all be wearing masks (unless you have an exemption for health reasons) while inside buildings everywhere on campus. The Humanities Building will be marked out so you can see where to walk to maintain social distance from others.
Your inductions will take place online, as will personal tutor meetings, staff office hours, supervisions for Dissertations, lectures, and our Town Halls (including our Decolonising the Curriculum group, to which you're all invited, and about which I'll send more information at the start of term). As noted, some of your seminars will be live on campus, and others will be online. Our professional services team in the office (who you usually drop in on by the lift) will be available to you online (you can ask for a Teams meeting or a phone call whenever you need one), and sometimes in-person in the building.
We're also waiting for the University to publish the main timetable. When they do, we'll email you about your schedules and your tutors will email you with specific information about your modules. I apologise this information is coming late in the day, but we've been dependent on a lot of centralized committees to get our plans approved. Rest assured, your tutors have prepared wonderful material for you on all your modules as usual, and we're ready to get back into it!
We'll email again during the week commencing 14 September and if you have any questions after those communications, please do let me know.
Take care and look forward to seeing you all in a few weeks time.
Best wishes,
Emma
Professor Emma Mason, Head of English and Comparative Literary Studies, University of Warwick