School Of Art, Media, and American Studies A Guide for Postgraduate Students Studying Film, Television and Media Courses
Student Handbook for the MA in Film Studies and the MA in Film, Television and Creative Practice Welcome to the School of Art, Media and American Studies (AMA). The School brings together world-leading expertise in the visual arts, in film, television and media studies and in the literature, history, and culture of North America. Congratulations on surviving the rigours of the University selection process, and being one of a small group of gifted students who have joined our school. AMA is made up of three sections, as signalled by its name, but we hope that you will benefit from engagement with the school as a whole, from its diverse resources and that you make close friends with fellow students from both your own degree and other degrees within the School. All three sections of the school value interdisciplinarity and believe that you will profit from encountering a wide range of experiences, approaches and ideas. Consequently, we hope that you will make use of our outstanding facilities, not just the Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts, which is home to many outstanding modern works of art by Francis Bacon, Degas, Henry Moore, and others, but also our television studio, where you may have the opportunity to develop your creative skills. Finally, you are also encouraged to make use of our international networks by electing to spend some of your time studying overseas. The school as a whole is internationally recognised for the excellence of its work, and is highly rated in both teaching and research. We are in the top tier of departments working in our fields and regularly achieve the highest recognition from students for the quality of our courses and from colleagues at other universities for the quality of our research. You are therefore entering a school which is vibrant, dynamic and at the cutting edge of your field. Each year you will work with a personal advisor, who will act as a guide, support and mentor during your time at UEA. This book is designed to provide you with key material that will prove essential to your orientation this semester and beyond, and we strongly recommend that you keep this copy safe for future reference. I therefore offer you a warm welcome and hope that you will enjoy your time with us over the next few years. Prof Mark Jancovich Head of School
Welcome from the Course Director for Postgraduate Taught programmes in Film, Television and Media Studies I will be one of your most important contacts in our Department for the next year (if you are a full-time student) or the next two years (if you are a part-time student). Therefore I want to begin by giving you my contact details: email: T.Snelson@uea.ac.uk, tel. 01603 597570. My office is room 3.27 in the Registry and I will give you full details of the times I m available to see you. During term time, my advising hours are Monday 11.00-12.00 and Wednesday 10.00-11.00. The offices of all FTM academic staff are located on the third floor of the Registry. The departmental office for Film, Television and Media Studies, which contains staff pigeonholes, is in another building (Arts 2, Room A0.68). One of your key points of contact with the university is the Learning and Teaching Service in the Arts Hub on Floor 0 of the Arts 1 Building (also known as the Arts Hub). This comprises the administrative staff supporting our degree programmes. See below under Learning and Teaching Services for full details and contacts. Registration and Induction Your registration for the MA courses will take place on Friday 19 th September in Congregation Hall between 10:00 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. You will be contacted via email with further details about this procedure. Please see the following link for details of your induction programme (click on Film, Television and Media Studies Postgraduate Induction Programme): https://www.uea.ac.uk/newstudents/induction/ama Structure of Degree Programme and Selection of Modules During induction you will choose your modules for both semesters (once again, you will be contacted by email with further details about this process; if for any reason you do not receive this email by 19 th September, please contact arts1_pgt.hub@uea.ac.uk You are required to complete six taught modules (each earning you 20 credits) and a dissertation (60 credits). Each module is assessed separately; there are no final exams. For full-time students the degree programme runs for twelve months, with three taught modules being taken in each semester. Autumn Semester 22 September 2014-12 December 2014 Christmas Break 13 December 2014-11 January 2015 Spring Semester 12 January 2015-20 March 2015 Easter Break 21 March 2015-12 April 2015 Spring Semester continues 13 April 2015-24 April 2015
Assessment Period 27 April 2015-5 June 2015 For part-time students, the programme is spread over two years. Normally part time students will take three taught modules in year one and three taught modules as well as the dissertation in year two. Please talk to me if you wish to change the weighting between the two years. Preparation for the dissertation will be provided by the compulsory module in the autumn semester Film Studies: History, Theory, Criticism. Dissertation proposals are due by the beginning of the autumn semester of the final year of study (that is, in January 2015 for full-time students and in January 2016 for part-time students). Supervisors will then be allocated and you will begin researching and drafting your dissertation during the spring semester. After you have completed the assessments for your spring semester modules at the end of March, you will be able to focus for five months on your dissertation which is to be submitted on 1 st September 2015 (fulltime students) or 1 st September 2016 (part-time students). Detailed handbooks for the dissertation modules and a proposal form will be made available in the course of the autumn semester. Here is how your degree programme shapes up: MA in Film Studies Film Studies: History, Theory, Criticism (Autumn) Film Studies Dissertation (Spring and Summer) Plus a selection of five of the following options: Studying Media (Autumn) British Cinema Realism and Spectacle (Autumn) Japanese Film: National Cinema and Beyond (Autumn) Video Production (Autumn) The Big Picture: Contemporary Hollywood Cinema (Spring) Science Fiction Film and Television (Spring) Women and Film (Spring) Creativity and Development in Film and Television Production (Spring) Effects, Audiences and the Media (Spring) Television and Society (Spring) Alternatively, one option can be selected from another equivalent programme within the Faculty. MA in Film, Television and Creative Practice Film Studies: History, Theory, Criticism (Autumn) Video Production (Autumn) Creativity and Development in Film and Television Production (Spring) Film Studies Dissertation (Spring and Summer)
Plus a selection of three of the following options: Studying Media (Autumn) British Cinema Realism and Spectacle (Autumn) Japanese Film: National Cinema and Beyond (Autumn) The Big Picture: Contemporary Hollywood Cinema (Spring) Science Fiction Film and Television (Spring) Women and Film (Spring) Effects, Audiences and the Media (Spring) Television and Society (Spring) Alternatively, one option can be selected from another equivalent programme within the Faculty. Important note for non-uk students (who have not done their undergraduate degree in this country): For a number of reasons, we have decided in recent years to make Studying Media a compulsory module for you because this module is designed specifically to help you adapt to postgraduate work in the UK. Feedback for this module has been excellent. If you any queries about this, please contact me. It is important to note that while screenings are an essential part of most modules, we understand that, for a variety of reasons, some students may not be able to attend them all. All the films being screened are available in the library. So if you miss a screening, you should watch the library copy; you can do so either in the library or at home. Before you make your selection of options the convenors running the Film, Television and Media Studies modules will briefly introduce their modules to you on Monday of induction week (22 nd September). You will then be able to ask them questions. But you don t have to wait that long. You can contact convenors during or after induction week if you have particular queries about the modules they are offering. If you want to find out more about the convenors, you can look up their personal webpages by going to https://www.uea.ac.uk/film-televisionmedia/people/profile/list/academic and clicking on individual names. In this way, you can also get information about those staff members who are not teaching MA modules this year. Depending on your interests, you may well want to contact these staff members, for example to discuss your ideas for the dissertation. In addition to your MA modules, you may want to attend the School's research seminar which takes place Monday afternoons (you will receive a programme in due course). Learning and Teaching Services If you have any problems with, or questions about, your degree, then in the first instance you should contact the Learning and Teaching Service.
The Learning and Teaching Service (LTS) is the central administrative service which supports students on taught programmes at UEA. They deal with all aspects of a student's University journey including: Enrolling on your modules Submitting your coursework Forms you may need They also help students understand the regulations for studying at UEA and deal with requests for concessions such us if you are unable to complete coursework, sit an exam or are unhappy with an aspect of your course. You can find a link to them here: https://www.uea.ac.uk/learningandteaching You can visit them at the Arts Hub (located in the Arts 1 building). Or Contact them by Telephone: 01603 597580 or email: arts1_pgt.hub@uea.ac.uk University Regulation and Policy information can be found at: https://www.uea.ac.uk/learningandteaching/documents Regulations on Attendance and Engagement Progression: https://www.uea.ac.uk/calendar/section3/regs(gen) Assessment and Marking Descriptors Each module is assessed individually (hence there are no final exams for the degree as a whole). Forms of assessment may vary from module to module. These are specified in module handbooks. Typically they involve a substantial essay (for nonpractical modules) or a practical project (for practical modules). In marking assessments, descriptors are used to ensure consistency of standards in the marking of assessed work. They form a guide to the qualities looked for in assessed work and are used by markers and also by External Examiners in their moderation of student work.
A close study of the descriptors will enable you to understand the goals you should be aiming at and to understand the marks that you are awarded. There are three different marking descriptor for Masters Level modules, depending upon whether the submitted work is coursework (includes essays, projects), an oral presentation or a dissertations. These can be found at the link below: https://www.uea.ac.uk/learningandteaching/staff/assessment/marking+criteria There might be other descriptors for areas such as for creative writing, language work, etc., and these will be provided by your module organiser. Details of how to submit your coursework can be found here: https://www.uea.ac.uk/learningandteaching/students/assessment/coursework/submi ssion Personal advisers The Personal Advisers are members of the permanent teaching staff and will be available throughout the academic year (you will be allocated your Person Advisor in induction week). They are accessible during office hours twice each week and may be reached by email at other times. Each student receives support tailored to their stage of development from their advisor. For further help and guidance, they may also consult the School of AMA s Senior Advisor Michael Lengsfield (m.lengsfield@uea.ac.uk) who is able to coordinate with the Learning and Teaching Service, the Dean of Students Office (see below) or other Departments and Schools. International Students We are committed to internationalisation and to enhancing international students experiences in learning and teaching on all our degree programmes. We acknowledge the differences in teaching and learning cultures in various nations; and that the tools and knowledge students need to deal with a system that may be new to them. We aims to cater for the welfare and needs of international students and to give an opportunity to international students to voice and share their experiences as individuals and as a cohort; to help international students create a network; and to build ever stronger bridges between international students and members of staff. AMA s Internationalisation Director is Eylem Atakav (e.atakav@uea.ac.uk). Staff/Student Liaison Committee The Staff/Student Liaison Committee is the place where student representatives can meet with staff members to discuss any and all issues arising out of their studies and lives at the University. The Committee is also a vital point of contact where staff can keep students informed about changes to University and School policies that might affect their learning experiences. The major role of the Committee, therefore, is to help to improve the quality of the teaching and learning experience.
Over the last year student representatives to the Committee have helped to shape both School and University policies on personal advisers, module evaluation and coursework submission. In addition, our student representatives have been asked to give opinions about University wide changes to course structures and administration policies, which have helped to focus the ways in which these are provided in the School. Please contact the Senior Advisor for the School of AMA (Art, Media and American Studies) Michael Lengsfield (m.lengsfield@uea.ac.uk) at the start of the academic year, if you are interested in becoming a course rep. Further University Policies and Regulations All students are expected to familiarise themselves with the policies and procedures outlined in the University Student Handbook. This can be found at: https://www.uea.ac.uk/learningandteaching/students/gettingstarted/handbooks This handbook contains important information about many aspects relating to your studies at UEA including: Your Personal Adviser The Learning and Teaching Service How we will communicate with you The Student Portal and e:vision Campus Cards Student Finance Students with disabilities, specific learning difficulties, long-term medical health concerns and mental health concerns Student Regulations - including awards, plagiarism and collusion, attendance and absence Health and Safety Your course Timetables Coursework submission and return, applying for deadline extensions and feedback on your work Examinations Degrees, parchments and transcripts Important dates for 2012-13 Appeals and Complaints Equal Opportunities for students Student representation and feedback Preparing for your future career Sources of advice guidance and support Student Advice Centre
University services: UEA Accommodation Library information University Medical Services Security Services Chaplaincy Counselling Service Nightline Other Useful Links: UEA Counselling Service: http://www.uea.ac.uk/counselling Dean of Students (advice on everything from finances to study skills): http://www.uea.ac.uk/dos/ Royal Literary Fund Fellows (advice on essay writing): http://www.uea.ac.uk/lit/fellowships/royal-literary-fund-fellowships The Learning Enhancement Service can also give you help with essay writing: http://www.uea.ac.uk/services/students/let Support for Students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs): https://www.uea.ac.uk/learningandteaching/students/studying/disabilities Safety and Security The UEA Security team can be contacted as follows: General Enquiry - Tel 01603 592352 Emergency - Tel 01603 592222 Safety and Security: http://www.uea.ac.uk/cmp/links/safety+and+security Dr Tim Snelson Course Director Lecturer in Media History School of Film, Television and Media Studies University of East Anglia Norwich NR4 7JT. Phone: +44 1603 597570 Email: T.Snelson@uea.ac.uk