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English and Comparative Literary Studies

Term 2

This page outlines how your teaching will work in term 2.

Please continue to keep up to date with the University's Stay Safe at Warwick pages. If you're registered on a joint degree, including English and History and English and Theatre, please visit this page.

How will teaching be organised in term 2?  

For the majority of courses across the University, all teaching has moved online until at least mid-February.

Lectures

Because lectures gather lots of people together in one room, they pose the biggest problem in terms of keeping everyone safe. For this reason all of your lectures will be available as online videos that you can watch in your own time. Module convenors will be in touch to let you know the form these lectures will take: modules will deliver lectures dependent on what suits the material you're learning. There may be audio material that supplements them.

Seminars

Because of the national lockdown, it is necessary to move all teaching online at least for the first few weeks of term.

1. Your teaching will be online until Reading Week (ie. week 6).

This provides certainty for everyone and avoids anyone in our community unnecessarily putting themselves at risk.

2. Teaching will be reviewed in week 6.

The plans for the rest of term will be reviewed at this point, and they will take into account national and local restrictions. They will be in line with university policy, but will only resume the blended learning model if circumstances allow.

How will I access the online teaching?

You will need a computer and internet access. For some of the recorded elements that you consume in your own time -- like lectures and podcasts -- you'll be able to access these on tablets and phones if that's your preference. The live seminars that happen in Microsoft Teams will be best experienced on a computer or a tablet with a reasonably sized screen.

What will the contact hours be? 

We have planned for all your module learning hours to remain the same. While seminars will vary in length, there will be more activity built in around them to ensure you're getting the best possible experience. The balance of activities will differ between modules and tutors will also be providing extra support and resources.

How will I be assessed? 

Assessment for most modules is not changing. Please remember that we have removed summer exams. Where your module assessment included a summer exam, your tutor will let you know how that's been replaced (and all the information will be online).

Will there be any help with assessment deadlines?

Yes.

Assignments with deadlines between 11 January and 1 February 2021 have already been given a blanket 7-day extension by the University. This is automatic, and has now been updated on Tabula. A list of essays in our department covered by the University’s blanket extension can be found in the right-hand column of this page, under 'Deadlines 20/21'.

We understand that many of you will still need additional time to submit work: please continue to request extensions through Tabula, and the relevant Director of Undergraduate Studies will assess your request. If you have evidence regarding why you need an extension please attach it to your claim, but we are sympathetic to claims that do not provide evidence given the current circumstances and the pressures on the NHS. If you are at all concerned about submitting a request, do discuss it with your personal tutor, but be assured that we understand the significant difficulties you are all working under at the moment and we will be as flexible and amenable as possible.

The duration of an extension is usually up to a maximum of 14 days, as stated in the UG Handbook. To help you further, for the remainder of this academic year we are allowing those with exceptional reasons to claim a further 3 days on top of this. Furthermore, you may also add ONE of your two 5-working-day self-certification periods (see below) on top of this: so, if under exceptional circumstances you felt you needed it, you could claim a maximum of 14 days + 3 days + 5-working-day self-certification for an assignment. If you still require more time beyond this, your case will need to be moved to mitigating circumstances: this means you will need to register your mitigating circumstances with the department, and any late penalties for your work will be reviewed by the Mitigating Circumstances Panels in the final weeks of term 3.

Self-certification allows you to claim an additional 5 working days without the requirement for any detail or evidence. You can apply for self-certification twice in the course of one academic year through Tabula as we outline in the UG Handbook: please submit your request for a self-certification via the Personal Circumstances tab.

If you have used your two available self-certification requests or you would like a longer extension, then you can still apply for further time through Tabula giving detail as to why you require more time; please submit your request via the 'Request an extension' button on the individual assignment. If you have spoken to your personal tutor about your rationale for requiring more time please note this on your application. During the pandemic, the University/department will be sympathetic to claims that do not contain evidence as long as you can explain why it has not been possible to obtain it. You should not compromise your safety or the safety of others in order to obtain evidence. You can find more information on evidence here.

Please note that because of exam boards and other end-of-year requirements to formalise marks, no extensions will be granted beyond the end of week 5, term 3 (28th May).

Support 

Your personal tutor will meet you at the start of term. As usual there will be further personal tutor meetings throughout the year to check on your progress and wellbeing and provide academic and pastoral support.

You can also contact the Senior Tutor, Liz Barry, who will help if you have any issues with personal tutoring or need more information about pastoral care and wellbeing.

Library resources

From Wednesday 13 January the main Library will move to a fully mediated service and there will be no individual access to the main Library collections, study spaces or other facilities.

They will reintroduce the Click and Collect service. This will sit alongside their current Scan and Deliver and Postal Loans/Returns functions to provide resources that are not available online. The free Postal Loans service will be extended temporarily to all our UK-based students and staff.

Online access to resources and services, including enquiries and support, will continue unchanged.

Study spaces will be available in Rootes Grid, the BioMed Grid and the PG Hub. Opening hours for these facilities will be 08:00 – 22.00 Monday to Sunday, except for the BioMed Grid, which will open 10:00 - 18:00 Saturday and Sunday. 

Further information about the changes will be made available on the Library Website as soon as possible.

We realise that restrictions on access to library materials can make it harder to conduct research. The Library has extensive access to online archives and resources, and you can view the list here. It may be reassuring to know that more than 50% of the Library's books, and 75% of its journals, are available digitally.

If you have any questions about the library's collections or provision you can contact the English Academic Support Librarian, Kate Courage, for advice and guidance. 

How will attendance be recorded?  

Attendance at seminars and engagement with your other online teaching is compulsory. It will be recorded by tutors on Tabula. If you are unable to attend a class or participate in online activities you must email your tutor in advance to inform them of the reason so your absence can be recorded as ‘authorised’. There are monitoring points throughout the year which are again recorded on Tabula. Some of these will be attendance at seminars but others may be meeting your personal tutor or submitting an assessment. 

What happens if there is a change in national restrictions? 

Please look out for communications from Emma Mason, the Head of Department, who will update you on the implications for your course as the national situation develops.

    What happens if I have to self-isolate?

    If you have to self-isolate and cannot attend classes on campus, please fill in the form here: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/english/currentstudents/reportselfisolation

    You should also contact your personal tutor and your seminar tutors as soon as possible to let them know. You will still have access to all the recorded material from your modules, and you can still join online seminars in the weeks they're happening. Your tutor will be able to discuss your missed on-campus activities in office hours.

    Just as when you fall ill under normal circumstances, you can put forward evidence on the mitigating circumstances portal explaining how you have been affected and apply for extensions to your assessments.

    What about safety on campus?

    The university is continually revising its plans for safety on campus. Some buildings are already open and detailed risk assessments have been carried out to ensure the campus is safe. For full details, see the Safety on Campus pages. You can also read the Risk Assessment documents for the buildings in which in-person teaching will take place.

     

    Frequently asked questions