POSTGRADUATE STUDENT HANDBOOK

2019–2020

2

Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 7

Contacts ............................................................................................................................................... 7

Key Dates for Masters (PGT) and Research Students (PGR) 2019/20 ..................................................... 8

Communication by e-mail .................................................................................................................... 9

Attendance & Participation ................................................................................................................. 9

Postgraduate Taught Masters Students: Attendance, Authorised Absence and Holidays ................. 9

Postgraduate Research Students: Attendance and Holidays ............................................................ 10

PGR students : absence from the University for research purposes ................................................. 10

Visa Advice ......................................................................................................................................... 10

Studying away from the University .................................................................................................... 11

Withdrawal and Tuition Fee Policy .................................................................................................... 11

Contacting Academic Staff ................................................................................................................. 11

Course Materials and Modules .......................................................................................................... 11

Auditing Modules ............................................................................................................................... 11

Student Portal .................................................................................................................................... 11

THE MA PROGRAMME ........................................................................................................................... 13

THE MRES PROGRAMME ....................................................................................................................... 13

The MRes in International Relations.................................................................................................. 13

ASSIGNMENT PRESENTATION, SUBMISSION & RETURN ....................................................................... 14

Essay Presentation ............................................................................................................................. 14

Learning Development ....................................................................................................................... 15

Essay Submission and Return ............................................................................................................ 15

Late Submission Penalties .................................................................................................................. 15

Extensions .......................................................................................................................................... 16

Extension requests for Law modules ................................................................................................. 17

Backing up your work ........................................................................................................................ 17

Mitigating Circumstances (including illness) ..................................................................................... 17

CRITERIA FOR AWARDS .......................................................................................................................... 18

Pass, Merit, Distinction ...................................................................................................................... 18

Condonement & Resubmission of Failed Work ................................................................................. 18

GRADE CRITERIA FOR THE AWARD OF MARKS ...................................................................................... 19

NOTIFICATION OF FINAL DEGREE MARKS ............................................................................................. 22

Release of Dissertation Marks ........................................................................................................... 23

Graduation : Masters Students .......................................................................................................... 23

3

Graduation : PhD Students ................................................................................................................ 23

Prizes .................................................................................................................................................. 23

MA/MRES DISSERTATION ...................................................................................................................... 24

General Requirements ....................................................................................................................... 24

Word Length and Penalties for Dissertations .................................................................................... 24

For PPR Dissertations ......................................................................................................................... 24

For Law Dissertations ......................................................................................................................... 24

Planning and Writing the Dissertation ............................................................................................... 25

Choice of dissertation for MA/LLM Diplomacy and International Law students .............................. 25

The Role of the Supervisor ................................................................................................................. 26

Presentation ....................................................................................................................................... 27

GUIDANCE ON WRITTEN WORK AND ACADEMIC CONVENTIONS ........................................................ 28

Academic Integrity ............................................................................................................................. 28

Plagiarism: the university’s definition ............................................................................................... 29

Why plagiarism is unacceptable ........................................................................................................ 29

Detection and Penalty........................................................................................................................ 29

Practical Guidance ............................................................................................................................. 30

Style and Structure: ........................................................................................................................... 30

Grammar, Spelling, etc. ..................................................................................................................... 31

Abbreviations ..................................................................................................................................... 31

Headings and Subheadings ................................................................................................................ 31

Quotations and Paraphrasing ............................................................................................................ 31

References (footnotes/endnotes or in-text notes) ........................................................................... 32

Footnotes or Endnotes ...................................................................................................................... 32

The ‘Harvard’ System (or ‘name-year-page’) in-text references ....................................................... 34

Citing of Legal Resources (Law dissertations and essays) ................................................................. 34

Bibliography ....................................................................................................................................... 34

RESEARCH ETHICS (for Master and PhD) ............................................................................................... 35

Research Ethics .................................................................................................................................. 35

PhD Ethics Guidance .......................................................................................................................... 35

PPR Masters/MRes Research Ethics Guidance .................................................................................. 36

RISK ASSESSMENT (for Masters and PhD) ............................................................................................ 36

THE MPHIL AND PHD PROGRAMMES .................................................................................................... 36

MPhil and PhD Programmes .............................................................................................................. 36

1. An Overview of the Supervisory Process ................................................................................ 37

2. The Initial Stages of Supervision ............................................................................................. 37

4

3. Continuing Supervision and Postgraduate Appraisals ............................................................ 38

4. Submission and Completion .................................................................................................... 39

5. Examination ............................................................................................................................. 40

6. Complaints and grievances ..................................................................................................... 40

7. Postgraduate teaching ................................................................................................................ 40

8. Responsibilities of supervisors and research students (from the Lancaster University Code of Practice) ............................................................................................................................................. 41

LENGTH, STYLE, LAYOUT AND PRESENTATION OF PHD THESIS ............................................................. 42

UNIVERSITY CODE OF PRACTICE FOR RESEARCH STUDENTS ................................................................. 43

TIMELINE OF 1st TO 3rd YEAR FULL-TIME GRADUATE ACTIVITIES .................................................... 43

RESOURCES FOR RESEARCH STUDENTS ................................................................................................. 45

Office Space ....................................................................................................................................... 45

City Centre Study Space for Postgraduates ....................................................................................... 45

PURE : Research Profiles for PhD Students........................................................................................ 45

Photocopying and Printing................................................................................................................. 46

Mail Room .......................................................................................................................................... 46

IT services and Library Access on submission of Thesis .................................................................... 46

Post Graduate Email access & IT account .......................................................................................... 46

Learning Zone ..................................................................................................................................... 47

Resources for Current Postgrads : Handbooks, forms, etc. ............................................................... 47

STUDY SUPPORT ..................................................................................................................................... 47

Support in your Department .............................................................................................................. 47

Effective Learning Support ................................................................................................................. 47

Extensions for PhD Students .............................................................................................................. 47

DEPARTMENT RESEARCH SEMINARS ..................................................................................................... 48

E-LEARNING: MOODLE VLE .................................................................................................................... 48

CAREERS INFORMATION ........................................................................................................................ 48

STUDENT REPRESENTATION AND SUPPORT .......................................................................................... 49

PERSONAL MATTERS .............................................................................................................................. 49

Graduate College CWO (College Welfare Officer) ............................................................................. 49

Intercalations ..................................................................................................................................... 50

Withdrawals ....................................................................................................................................... 50

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES, MEDICAL CONDITIONS & SPECIFIC NEEDS .................................................... 51

Confidentiality: ................................................................................................................................... 51

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ................................................................................................................... 51

English for Academic Purposes (EAP) ................................................................................................ 51

5

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE ..................................................................................................................... 52

ACADEMIC STAFF 2019-20 ..................................................................................................................... 53

Appendix A ............................................................................................................................................. 63

APPENDIX B Form completed when submitting to the The Base, Student Registry ............................. 64

.... 64

APPENDIX C : Receipt from Registry after submission of thesis ............................................................ 65

APPENDIX D : Thesis format .................................................................................................................. 66

6

THE FORM, SUBMISSION AND DEPOSIT OF THESES .......................................................................... 66

Submission and deposit: Doctoral theses ...................................................................................... 66

Submission and deposit: MPhil theses .......................................................................................... 67

General information ...................................................................................................................... 67

Length, style, layout and presentation .......................................................................................... 67

Form of theses ............................................................................................................................... 68

Binding of theses – specifications .................................................................................................. 69

Binders ........................................................................................................................................... 69

7

INTRODUCTION Welcome (or welcome back) to the Department! Whether you are a continuing student or are new to one of our graduate programmes, we hope that you will have a stimulating and enjoyable time here at Lancaster. This handbook sets out the basic regulations covering the Department’s postgraduate programmes. It gives details of the courses available, of assessment procedures and of requirements for dissertations. It also gives information about how graduate students are involved in the running of the Department, about wider graduate activities and about where you can get help if you need it. Finally, it tells you who the staff are, and what they specialise in. It is the responsibility of all postgraduate students in PPR to familiarise themselves with these regulations and to be sure that they follow them. The University’s web pages for Current Students (http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/current-students/) gives details of the formal rules covering graduate study and the approved Codes of Practice for graduate students, as well as links to content and services. Resources for current PPR postgraduates (handbooks, forms, etc.) can be found on the PPR Resources Page (http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/ppr/about-us/student-resources/postgraduate-resources/) Do have a look at our web pages – full of practical information: The University The Department Students’ Charter

Contacts Director of Postgraduate Studies (Taught Masters) Dr Sam Clark Tel. 01524 592449 sam.clark@lancaster.ac.uk Director of Postgraduate Studies (Research Students) Professor Christopher Partridge Tel. 01524 592420 c.partridge@lancaster.ac.uk PPR Postgraduate Co-ordinator Sheila Constantine Tel. (0)1524 594262 pprpg@lancaster.ac.uk

8

Key Dates for Masters (PGT) and Research Students (PGR) 2019/20 Please note: these dates may be subject to change but we will notify you immediately if any changes arise.

Dates Term/Activity

Monday 30 September – Friday 4 October 2019

Welcome Week

Monday 7 October – Friday 13 December 2019

Michaelmas Term

Monday 16 December 2019 - Friday 10 January 2020

Michaelmas Vacation

Monday 13 January 2020

Michaelmas Term Modules ESSAY DEADLINE (PGT)

Monday 13 January – Friday 20 March 2020

Lent Term

February 2020

Postgraduate Research Student Review paperwork and preparation begins (PGR)

February 2020

Dissertation Project Selection process begins : forms sent to students (PGT)*

Monday 16 March 2020 Dissertation Topic Selection: Form Submission to PG Office (PGT)

Monday 16 March 2020 (tbc) Dissertation Outline Forms for MA/LLM Diplomacy and International Law students choosing a LAW topic to be submitted to Law

Monday 23 March - Friday 17 April 2020

Lent Vacation

Monday 20th April 2020

Lent Term Module ESSAY DEADLINE (PGT)

Monday 22 April – Friday 26 June 2020

Summer Term

Monday 27 April 2020 x 3 weeks

Postgraduate Research Student Reviews (PGR)

Thursday 7th May 2020 MA Dissertations : Ethics forms to be submitted for consideration

w/c 11th May 2020 MA Dissertations: Ethics Committee meet to consider applications

Tuesday 1st September 2020

Dissertation Submission (PGT)

Wednesday 21 October 2020 PGT Examination Boards w/c Monday 2 November 2020 Aim to publish Dissertation & Final Degree

Results (Student Registry) FASS Research Training Programme (M/L/S) Dates tbc

9 December 2020 Michaelmas, Lent, Summer terms (PGR)

http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/arts-and-social-sciences/study/postgraduate/research-training-programme/

PG Graduation Ceremony * MA/LLM Diplomacy and International Law students: timescales may vary –see following section. Please see Law deadline document – available from the Law Department - for more details. All word due in by 16:00 on deadline days.

9

Communication by e-mail Before your arrival at Lancaster you should have received information to set up your IT account. Make sure that you log on to a campus computer, change your initial password and test your email account. Your email address will include your name then @lancaster.ac.uk. Your Lancaster email address will be used for all official correspondence from the University. Please check it on a daily basis.

Attendance & Participation It is university policy that the attendance of PG students must be monitored by departments. From the start of the new academic year we’re piloting the use of iLancaster Attendance Check-in with postgraduates for timetabled sessions on Bailrigg Campus. Students will have to take positive action to check in by clicking a button in iLancaster. When you have checked in this way a confirmation message will be displayed. More information at http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/student-based-services/check-in/ .

Postgraduate Taught Masters Students: Attendance, Authorised Absence and Holidays Full time postgraduate students are required to be fully engaged with their studies for the entire duration of their course, including over the summer vacation period. Only PGR students are permitted 20 days holiday. PGT students should attend all seminar classes or inform the tutor in advance if they have to be absent for any reason. It is expected that students will follow instructions provided by the individual Module Tutor regarding expected contributions to seminars. If you are unable to attend your timetabled sessions for whatever reason you MUST submit an Absence Notification through the Student Portal – http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/current-students/taught-postgraduate-core-information/ Log in to your student portal from the left hand menu. Attendance will be monitored and recorded for each student as an overall percentage record for each term. The overall University student requirement is 70 percent. In addition, there is a minimum compulsory intervention for any student who fails to make any attendance check-in for ten consecutive days. Please note this process will not allow you to provide notification details to cover absence from any formal examination or to ask for an extension to your coursework. Any requests for extensions or intercalation should be made directly to the department. Authorised Absence is available for students on Tier 4 visas who need to go home for emergency or family reasons. PGT students can take up to 10 days but the international office must give approval. For PGT students in the dissertation/project stage (where this is Lancaster-based), supervisors and students should agree at least one monthly face-to-face interaction over this period (i.e. following the cessation of the taught stage). Usually this will take place at the University; however where the supervisor is away from the University an alternative arrangement may be agreed for one or more of these interactions provided the student also maintains attendance (recorded by the department) in accordance with these regulations and any additional Tier 4 visa requirements. Student Registry will

10

monitor Tier 4 student attendance centrally in accordance with immigration sponsor guidance. Please note that if you are on a Tier 4 student visa you are only entitled to have holidays from study during the University closure dates. You must notify the department of any absence in advance of your departure, and failure to do so could affect your visa. If you have any queries regarding leave from study, please see Sheila in the PPR PG Office or contact the Visa Compliance team in The Base.

Postgraduate Research Students: Attendance and Holidays As PGR students you will be required to confirm your attendance via an online system on a regular basis. You will receive further details from The Base (student services). You should also be meeting with your supervisor every two weeks. Full time Post Graduate Research students are required to be engaged full-time on their studies and/or fulfilling teaching duties as contracted with PPR for the duration of the period of their registration except for up to 20 days’ holiday as approved in writing by their department(s) or supervisor(s). To request a holiday a Post Graduate student should make that request in writing to their supervisor and notify the PPR PG Office. A form is available on the PPR Resources page. If you know in advance that you are to be absent from the University, for example, to go on holiday, attend a conference or for family reasons, it is essential that you notify your supervisors as soon as possible so that the appropriate consents can be obtained. In the case of illness, Post Graduate research students should, wherever possible, personally telephone or email their supervisors by 10.00am on the morning of the first day of absence. Authorised Absence is available for students on Tier 4 visas who need to go home for emergency or family reasons. PGR students can apply for such leave but the international office must give approval. A signed medical certificate should be obtained to cover absences in excess of five days. Students should give the certificate/form to the PPR Postgraduate Office. All medical evidence provided will be treated in the strictest confidence. Post Graduate Research students should stay in touch with their supervisor during longer absences. Frequent short absences for medical reason also need to be reported to the PG Office if they are likely to lead to considerable delay in the programme of research and training. If you need a longer period away from your study you should discuss the options with your supervisors and the PG Co-ordinator.

PGR students : absence from the University for research purposes If you are planning on research away from the University you must apply for this in advance through your supervisor, notify the department PG office and the visa office. More details from the PG Office.

Visa Advice If you have any questions about your visa please contact the University Visa Advice team who will be happy to help. Any absences from your studies (holiday, research leave, conference attendance, personal circumstances) must be approved by the department and university.

11

Studying away from the University If students wish to change their study status from ‘Studying at the University’ to ‘Studying Away from the University’ they must notify the PG office who will submit a Change of Status form to the student registry. If you are ‘studying at’ then it is expected that you are attending lectures or meetings with your supervisor regularly on campus and living within commuting distance.

Withdrawal and Tuition Fee Policy

The Withdrawal and Tuition Fee Policy (http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/student-based-services/money/fees/policies-and-procedures/postgraduate-withdrawal-and-tuition-fee-policy/) outlines the tuition fee policy but to summarise, before the end of the first week of registration – no charge; after the first week, but before the end of the fourth week – PG’s will be charged for one month; after week 4, no refunds will be given and self funded students or sponsors will be charged for the full year.

Contacting Academic Staff Academic staff should have their office hours clearly signalled on their office doors, when they are available to see students without appointment. These office hours only operate during term time. If staff are absent on unavoidable business, they will provide an alternative timing.

Course Materials and Modules It is the responsibility of Module Tutors to ensure that students are provided with a syllabus of the module as a whole, reading lists and advice on essay topics. Although a syllabus and other basic information will be provided at the beginning of a course, tutors may, at their discretion, expand on this information by providing additional material (such as more detailed reading lists) as the module progresses. Any queries or difficulties you may have about a particular module, raise it first with the relevant lecturer. It is advisable to do this as soon as possible so that problems do not get worse. If you are unhappy with a module, you must decide whether to continue or change module within the first two weeks of the course. If you decide to change a module, please see the PG Co-ordinator.

Auditing Modules For the MA you will register for 5 taught modules (5 x 20 credits) and a dissertation (80 credits). You can supplement your learning by attending other modules (class numbers permitting) as an audit – which means that you attend all the sessions, but you do not submit an assessment at the end of the module. If you have attended for the full term then the module will be listed on your final transcript as an audited module. We ask that you attend all the sessions if you sign up to additional modules, as leaving mid-term can be disruptive to the group. It is not possible to change modules after week 2 of the module start.

Student Portal A variety of online services are available to students via the Student Portal tab on Moodle. When you log in using your university username and password, the following services are available:

12

Absence Notification – this is where you must register your non-attendance at any lectures, seminars or tutorials. Academic Timetable – this is where you can view your own personalised timetable based on the modules you have registered for. Address Details – this is where you should update your home, term-time or next of kin address, plus your mobile phone number or personal email address. Document Ordering – this is where you can order various documents, such as Bank letters, ‘Confirmation of Student Status’ letters, Council Tax Certificates. Once ready, these letters can be collected from The Base. Interactive Transcript – this is where you can view your marks once processed by the PG Office.

A reminder of how to reach the student portal: Go the www.lancs.ac.uk, click on ‘for students’ in the top right hand corner, click on ‘student portal’ in the left hand menu, log in.

13

THE MA PROGRAMME Taught MA programmes typically consist of five taught modules and a dissertation. Each of the taught modules counts for 20 credits of the overall assessment. The taught modules are timetabled in the Michaelmas and Lent terms. The dissertation makes up the remaining 80 credits, and the main work is done in the summer term. If you are part time, then the dissertation work takes place in your second year. Each of the taught modules is assessed on the basis of coursework, which is typically in the form of a single 5,000 word essay. The dissertation is 20,000 words. Deadlines can be found on the ‘key dates’ document in this handbook.

THE MRES PROGRAMME The MRes in International Relations The MRes degree is a 12 month taught programme of research training specifically designed for those going on to do doctoral research. It is a free standing degree as well as a requirement for ESRC funded PhD students in International Relations. The structure of the MRes is similar to the Department’s MA programmes. Students take five taught modules in the Michaelmas and Lent terms and then go on to write a 15-20,000 word dissertation. The taught courses come partly from the Politics and International Relations MA modules and partly from courses offered as part of the Social Science Faculty’s Research Training Programme. In most cases all five taught modules are compulsory – although a case can be made with the Postgraduate Director for one of them to be replaced with an optional module – see below. Students normally take the following two core modules offered by the Department:

• PPR.410 Major Approaches to the Study of International Relations • PPR.400 Theory and Method in Postgraduate Study.

Plus the following three modules offered by the Faculty:

• Introduction to the Philosophy of the Social Sciences • Qualitative Methods in Social Science • Quantitative Research Methods 2.

However, on approval of the PG Director, and based on the student’s previous background and proposed path of research, one of the compulsory modules (either PPR.410 or Introduction to the Philosophy of the Social Sciences) may be replaced by a different module chosen from those offered by the Department or, where appropriate, by a cognate department to reflect the student’s likely area of research. Details of the Faculty courses are automatically sent to all research students, but can also be found on the Faculty website: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/gradschool/training/modules/ The modules are all assessed by coursework and each counts for 20 credits out of the total 180 credits of the scheme. Students are also required to complete a MRes dissertation of 20,000 words, counting for 80 credits of the degree. The dissertation allows the student to design and carry out, with

14

supervision, a research project reflecting and building on the training received. For MRes students intending to proceed to the PhD, the dissertation topic will normally be within the student’s chosen intended area of research. Following the normal Master’s Degree regulations, the pass mark for the award of the degree is 50%, but students wishing to proceed to the PhD will be required to achieve an average mark of 60%.

ASSIGNMENT PRESENTATION, SUBMISSION & RETURN Essay Presentation All essays should be word-processed and use double or one and a half line spacing. Essays should present material clearly in good, clear and well-written English with the minimum of grammatical, spelling or typographical errors. Essays should also provide notes and a bibliography set out in a disciplined scholarly manner. Failure to observe basic rules of presentation will have a detrimental effect on the mark awarded. Essays for single modules are 5,000 words. Essays over or under this word count by more than 10% may be subject to penalties. Students are advised that the quality of written English (style, spelling, grammar, etc.) is taken into account when work is assessed. It is NOT the tutor’s responsibility to check English, spelling and language. For help with your writing and studies there are some useful resources on study support at the Studying at University pages https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/library/learning-development/studying-at-university/ The quality of referencing is also taken into account. It is essential that all indebtedness to the work of others (such as the quotation or paraphrasing of published work or other material used) should be indicated clearly, fully and explicitly with appropriate quotation marks and references. Please see plagiarism guidelines in this document. See also the What is Plagiarism guide at https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/library/how-to/reference/what-is-plagiarism/ In addition to the support which is integrated into your study programme (e.g. guidance and feedback given to you in seminars, meetings with your Academic tutor, written feedback on your coursework assignments) you can also contact Joanne Wood, our Faculty Learning Developer, or sign up for a meeting with one of our Writing Mentors in the Writing Space. All the information you need about the Writing Space and other support that is available is on the site FASS Effective Learning Module site Contact Joanne on: studyadvice.fass@lancaster.ac.uk

15

Learning Development The University Learning Development Team have launched a study blog. There are features from a fantastic team of student bloggers, who offer their experience on everything from preparing for University, settling in, getting to grips with reading lists, and eating well! You can also view new interactive resources on Learning Independently – critical thinking, literature searching, academic reading and writing https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/library/learn-independently/#

Essay Submission and Return Essays should be submitted BOTH electronically AND in hard copy.

One hard (printed) copy of each essay should be submitted via the Essay Box in the breakout area on B floor (close to the PPR admin offices). Please do not submit your essay directly to the course tutor. You should also attach a completed cover sheet to your essay - you can obtain these from above the essay box or from the PPR Resources Page (http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/ppr/about-us/student-resources/postgraduate-resources/). The essays will be date-stamped when collected from the box each weekday at 4pm. The essays will not be marked unless you also have submitted an electronic copy via the ‘MOODLE’ system (‘Virtual Learning Environment’) dedicated to the MA programme. You will be given precise instructions on this in due course. This electronic copy can then be automatically checked for instances of plagiarism. We aim to return coursework promptly. When returned, essays will show the provisional mark, and will be accompanied by a set of comments from the internal marker(s). After being marked internally essays are made available to the External Examiner. Your marks will be released through your transcript on the Student Portal. When the marks have been released you can collect your essay and feedback from markers from the PG Co-ordinators Office during office hours.

Late Submission Penalties Because the coursework essays are such an important part of formal assessment for the MA, there are strict deadlines for submission. It is the student’s responsibility to hand his or her essays in by the deadline. The late submission of essays is only permitted under exceptional circumstances; e.g. sickness or bereavement (see below). Essays which are submitted late (i.e. without prior approval) will automatically be penalised according to the following rules:

• work submitted after a deadline but within the time limit of an approved extension shall not be subject to penalty;

16

• work submitted up to three days late without an agreed extension will receive a penalty of 10 percentage points (for example a mark of 62% would become 52%) and zero (non-submission) thereafter.

Saturdays and Sundays are included as days in this regulation. However, when the third day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, students will have until 10:00 a.m. on Monday to hand in work without receiving further penalty.

Extensions Extensions are only given in exceptional circumstances such as serious personal or family issues or prolonged ill health. Please also see ‘Mitigating Circumstances’ section below. Extensions will not be granted for the following reasons:

• Events which are known in advance (e.g. family celebrations or overseas trips). • Reasons such as ‘too many deadlines’ or ‘pressures of work’ (These issues should be

discussed with the PG Studies Co-ordinator or your Director of Studies and solved in advance). As a PG student, it is important that you manage your time effectively.

• Computer problems (e.g. laptop problems, ‘losing’ work, printer failure). Always keep regular back-ups of any work you prepare. A good method is to use LU Box

• Any other reason that is judged to unnecessarily disadvantage other students.

Extensions will not normally be granted retrospectively except in exceptional circumstances such as serious illness or bereavement.

• If the extension request is for an additional five days or less, completion of the ‘Extension Request Form’ (see above) is all that is required.

• If the extension request is for more than five days (i.e. you have been ill for more than five days), you must also supply a medical note from your doctor or other relevant supporting evidence (see ‘Mitigating Circumstances’ below).

• Where exceptional circumstances may have led a student to miss a stipulated deadline

(which may be an already extended deadline), the student should make those circumstances known to the department. They should inform the department within 48 hours of the missed deadline unless prevented from doing so by acceptable circumstances in which case students should inform the department as soon as possible. Students should provide an ‘Extension Request Form’ and any supporting evidence of the exceptional circumstances to the PPR PG Office as soon as they are able. Notification later than 48 hours after a deadline will not normally be taken into account unless circumstances have prevented you from notifying the PG Office. In this context, exceptional circumstances are defined by University regulations as actions or events outside the control of the student which result in any circumstances which are

17

thought reasonably to have caused an individual student to fail to complete all the required assessment for a programme or contributing module by a stipulated deadline (eg. Missed exam or coursework deadline).

Extensions are normally only granted for the equivalent number of days that studies have been affected. If illness occurs several weeks before a deadline, students will be encouraged to try to keep to the published deadline as far as possible. Requests for an extension should be forwarded to the PG Co-ordinator sheila.constantine@lancaster.ac.uk and made at least one working day in advance of the coursework deadline and all requests must be made on the ‘Extension Request Form’ available on the Resources Page Requests for extensions should not be arranged with the module organiser, since it is the responsibility of the PG Office to grant extensions and to keep a record of all extensions and revised deadlines. Extension requests for Law modules should be made through the Law Department, Law School Coordinator Shana Henriques s.henriques@lancaster.ac.uk using their forms and procedures. You should complete an extension request form which can be obtained from the Law Moodle page. When completed it should then be returned to the Law School Administrator. The same procedure will apply in respect of all Law coursework including the Dissertation.

Backing up your work

Please be aware that you can not request an extension to your deadlines due to computer failure.

LU Box provides secure cloud storage. Files are accessible from anywhere via www.lancaster.ac.uk/box , mobile apps and on your PC or Mac using Box Sync. Please see: http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/iss/services/ug-pg-storage/ for further information.

Mitigating Circumstances (including illness) If you miss lectures, seminars or practical sessions due to ill health or other mitigating circumstances, you MUST record your absence on the ‘Student Portal’. You should also email the academic member of staff running the session, out of courtesy. If you are ill for more than 5 consecutive days during your studies and this affects your ability to complete assignments on time or attend important elements of the programme, then you MUST go to the Health Centre or your registered doctor, and request a doctor’s note. Please note that most surgeries will charge for this. If you experience difficult personal circumstances during your studies you will be asked to supply supporting evidence to support any claim that your performance and achievements have been adversely affected. Any medical certificate or other supporting evidence should be forwarded to the PG Office as soon as possible, to be added to your student file.

18

CRITERIA FOR AWARDS A copy of the full postgraduate assessment regulations can be found in the University’s Manual of Academic Regulations and Procedures (MARP) https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/academic-standards-and-quality/marp/

Pass, Merit, Distinction The pass mark for taught Masters degrees, postgraduate diplomas and postgraduate certificates shall be 50%, with credit for a module being awarded when the overall mark for the module is 50% or greater. There will be three classes of awards: distinction, merit and pass. Where the overall average, calculated to one decimal place, falls within one of the following ranges, the examination boards will recommend the award stated: 70.0%+ distinction 60.0-69.9% merit 50.0-59.9% pass Below 50.0% fail Where the overall average falls within two percent points of the range (68%, 58% or 48% respectively) the degree classification will be raised if the majority of the modules (as determined by credit value) have final marks in the higher class.

Condonement & Resubmission of Failed Work A student who fails any module at any point in the degree programme will have one opportunity for reassessment for that module within the same academic year. Unless otherwise stated, the resubmission will be required within one month of being notified of the fail. If the mark for the module is below 40% then reassessment is compulsory; otherwise it is optional. Where for administrative or logistical reasons it is not possible for a student to complete the reassessment requirements to the published time (for example with a resubmitted dissertation) and an alternative form of assessment cannot be devised, the examination boards may propose an alternative date for reassessment. Such alternative reassessment arrangements will not give advantage or disadvantage compared with the original form of assessment. Marks for all reassessed modules will be capped at the pass mark of 50%. Where a student after all opportunities for reassessment has failed a module, the exam board should, subject to the learning outcomes for the programme being met, normally condone credit whereby said credit will be available as an element of either progression or final classification requirements of the award, subject to the maximum number of condonable credits as indicated below. Condonation may take place whether or not the student has taken advantage of the opportunity for reassessment. For the purposes of averaging, the mark obtained in any condoned module stands.

19

For Masters programmes, up to a maximum of 45 credits should normally be condoned where the mark after all opportunities for reassessment is at least 40% (30 credits for Postgraduate Diplomas and 20 credits for Postgraduate Certificates). The dissertation must be passed with a minimum mark of 50% –it is not possible for the Board of Examiners to condone a failed dissertation. A failed dissertation may be resubmitted once.

GRADE CRITERIA FOR THE AWARD OF MARKS The definitions below (which are common across the Faculty of Arts and Social Science) are intended to give you some guidance as to the criteria used by tutors in determining the appropriate marks for essays. They suggest the kinds of things you need to concentrate on in order to do well in your written work. Essays, dissertations and project reports should present material clearly with the minimum of grammatical, spelling or typographical errors and provide appropriate footnotes or endnotes and a bibliography set out in a disciplined scholarly manner. Marks may be deducted for slipshod presentation. Below is a list of aspects of students’ work which may be taken into account during assessment, as appropriate

Relevance of material in the essay to the title of the assignment. Relevance to the content of the course. Understanding of issues or problems under discussion. Knowledge and understanding of relevant readings. Critical discussion of relevant readings. Use of suitable data. Clarity and depth in the analysis of theory, data and issues under discussion. Coherence of argument. Clarity and relevance of introduction and conclusion. Clarity and precision of expression. Use of appropriate and consistent conventions for referring to other people’s work. Clarity of presentation (layout, including use of paragraphs and tables, for example). Clarity of writing including grammar, punctuation, spelling and sentence construction. Compliance with published regulations on the completion of assessed work by the

coursework deadline The above criteria are organised below in the three categories of Argument, Understanding, and Style.

70+ (=Distinction)

A piece of written work in the 70+ range is one of exceptional quality, requiring a high level of conceptual ability and an extremely thorough and conscientious approach to study. Work in this range will clearly demonstrate the capacity to proceed to a higher research degree. It is distinguished by: Argument

1. A clearly expressed and convincing argument which is used to develop a coherent and logical framework within which to answer the question or address the topic, and which is well

20

grounded in existing theory and research, leading to a reasoned conclusion fully supported by the foregoing material.

2. A capacity to relate consistently the theoretical and empirical material to the conceptual framework.

3. Substantial evidence of independent research. 4. The absence of irrelevant or extraneous material.

Understanding

1. Thorough understanding of the topic and its implications. 2. A clear and consistent focus on the issues raised by the question/topic. 3. An insightful argument showing signs of originality.

Style

1. Good grammar, punctuation, spelling and sentence construction. 2. Thorough use of conventions of referring to other people’s work

Marks within this classification may vary due to–

An original capacity to develop arguments beyond those available in the literature. The depth and sophistication of the conceptual argument. The level of familiarity with the theoretical and research literature.

60-69 (Merit)

A piece of written work of a good to very good standard requiring clarity of thought and expression. It will display an ability to handle the relevant literature in an analytical manner. It will be more than a good description of the various theories and/or studies relevant to the question – it will demonstrate a marshalling of relevant information by means of analysis and interpretation. It will not necessarily have a water-tight argument, but it will be clearly structured and its conclusions will not take the reader by surprise. Such a piece of work will generally show less independence of thought and mastery of detail that is required for a mark of 70 or over. There may be some errors or misjudgements with regard to issues which are not central to the argument. It is distinguished by: Argument

1. A logical, coherent framework within which to answer the question or address the topic. 2. An ability to organise the data in a way that provides a clear and logical answer to, or

discussion of, the question/topic. 3. A clearly expressed theme or argument developed from a critical consideration of relevant

literature. Understanding

1. A good understanding of the topic and its implications. 2. Familiarity with the relevant literature and empirical data. 3. The avoidance of irrelevant or extraneous material. 4. Evaluation of competing arguments. 5. Conclusion supported by the body of the argument and evidence. 6. Some evidence of independent research. 7. Avoidance of unsubstantiated assertions.

Style

21

1. Good grammar, punctuation, spelling and sentence construction. 2. Good use of conventions of referring to other people’s work

Marks within this category may vary due to–

The clarity and cogency of the overall argument. The level of familiarity with the relevant literature and data. The depth and coherence of the answer.

50-59 (Pass)

A piece of written work of a moderate to good standard. It will be descriptively strong. It is distinguished from the 60-69 piece by the level of analysis displayed and by the coherence with which the material is organised. There may be some significant errors, misjudgements or omissions of important details. It is characterised by: Argument

1. An attempt to answer the question or address the topic. 2. A conclusion not entirely supported by or relevant to the body of the essay. 3. A failure to adequately organise an answer into a coherent whole.

Understanding

1. A reasonable understanding of the topic and its implications. 2. A level of empirical knowledge and relevant reading which demonstrates a conscientious

attempt to tackle the question/topic. 3. The intrusion of some extraneous material. 4. A failure to grasp at least some relevant points or address some relevant literature.

Style

1. Adequate grammar, punctuation, spelling and sentence construction. 2. Referencing that is incomplete or fails to observe some conventions for referring to other

people’s work. Marks within this category may vary due to–

The level of empirical and theoretical knowledge displayed. The seriousness with which an attempt has been made to answer the question or address the

topic. The number of major points that have been covered. The coherence of the essay. The degree of unsubstantiated assertion. Written style (grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence construction).

40-49 (fail – with possibility of condonation within Faculty rules)

A piece of written work in this category shows signs of engagement with the question or topic, but has inadequacies at Master’s level. It signals a failure to give sufficient thought to the work in hand, displaying inconsistent argument, unsubstantiated assertions, and a patchy acquaintance with the relevant literature. It may lack a convincing conclusion and it is likely to include significant errors, omissions and misunderstandings. It is characterised by: Argument

22

1. A failure to order this material so as to provide an adequate answer to the question. 2. An ability to pick out some of the points required for a satisfactory answer. 3. Inadequate conclusion.

Understanding

1. Some knowledge of appropriate empirical material. 2. The intrusion of irrelevant material. 3. An inadequate familiarity with relevant literature.

Style

1. Sub-standard grammar, punctuation, spelling and sentence construction. 2. Inadequate use of conventions of referring to other people’s work

Marks within this category may vary due to–

The level of empirical knowledge displayed. The extent to which an effort has been made to answer the question or address the topic. Evidence of conscientious effort. The degree of unsubstantiated assertion. Written style (grammar, punctuation, spelling and sentence construction).

Marks below 40 (Fail – without possibility of condonation)

Marks in the 30 - 39 range indicate that the piece of written work is inadequate in every respect with pronounced errors and misunderstandings. It is characterised by:

1. Some empirical knowledge. 2. Some evidence of study in the area concerned. 3. An inability to develop any but the flimsiest answer to the question. 4. Problematic conclusion.

Marks below 30 (a poor Fail)

A mark below 30 means that the student has not given sufficient attention to study, has a lack of basic knowledge and an inability to tackle the question or topic. It is characterised by:

1. Inadequate knowledge of relevant literature. 2. Inadequate understanding of relevant literature. 3. No or totally flawed attempt to examine the issue(s) posed in the question. 4. No or totally confused attempt to answer the question. 5. Little or no structure in the presentation of argument. 6. No, or irrelevant conclusion.

Marks below 20 will be given to work demonstrating almost no knowledge or understanding of the literature and of the subject area. Any knowledge displayed will be completely misinterpreted.

NOTIFICATION OF FINAL DEGREE MARKS The External Exam Board meets in late October to recommend awards. Final marks will be released to students as soon as possible thereafter. Please note that the University Regulations state that written confirmation of results, provisional and final, may not be released to students who are in debt to the University.

23

Release of Dissertation Marks We do not publish the dissertation marks until after the Formal Board of Examiners have met in the last week of October. We know that everyone will be eager to know their final results and therefore endeavour to get these to you as soon as we possibly can after the Boards. This is usually around the first week of November. Please do not email us chasing the marks as we will be very busy preparing the necessary paperwork for submission to the Registry. Once the Registry receive our documentation they are usually very quick in sending out transcripts and final degree certificates.

Graduation : Masters Students The Postgraduate Degree Ceremony for Masters Students will be on Wednesday 9 December 2020. Information regarding Graduation will be sent to you from the University Ceremonies Office. Please note that it is essential that you keep your contact details address up-to-date in order to receive the relevant graduation mailings.

Graduation : PhD Students The Postgraduate Degree Ceremony for PhD Students will now be conferred in both July and December ceremonies. You will be invited to a ceremony in July or December after you have been awarded your PhD. Your thesis title will be read out in the ceremony when you are presented for your award. Graduation dates are July 2020 and Wednesday 9 December 2020. Information regarding Graduation will be sent to you from the University Ceremonies Office and the Student Registry. Please note that it is essential that you keep your contact details address up-to-date in order to receive the relevant graduation mailings.

Prizes Each year a number of prizes are awarded to Masters students to reward their achievement over the year. The prizes are awarded by the Exam Boards at the end of the programme.

• The Mahindra Naraine Award for the Best MA Student in Politics and International Relations.

• The Richardson Institute Award for the best Dissertation in Peace and Conflict Studies.

• The Ninian Smart Prize for the best Dissertation in Religious Studies.

• The Frank Sibley Philosophy Prize for the Best Philosophy student

24

MA/MRES DISSERTATION The dissertation is a crucial part of the MA/MRes – in the final assessment it counts as the equivalent of four taught modules. Part of the importance of the dissertation lies in the fact that it is an opportunity for you to undertake an extended piece of research, working independently and on your own initiative. The Department will provide guidance and supervision during this process. You should be thinking about what you want to write your dissertation on from the moment you begin your MA studies. Individual dissertation supervision with assigned tutors takes place mainly in the summer term. Your supervisor will give you guidance on how to prepare your dissertation research (theoretically, empirically, and organizationally) so that you can successfully undertake this research on your own.

General Requirements These guidelines apply to all Taught PG programmes delivered within the Department. The dissertation accounts for 80 credits of the total assessment for the MA/MRes programme; it is thus equivalent to four taught modules; the mark for the dissertation is based on the dissertation alone, and follows the normal scale for the MA; students are required to complete the dissertation to a satisfactory standard (pass mark 50%) in order to complete the MA. The dissertation is 20,000 words in length (absolute maximum), the only exclusions being the appendix, bibliography, footnotes used solely for references (if annotated footnotes, these are included in the word count). The dissertation is normally completed during the period between the completion of your final coursework and the first week of September. However, you should begin thinking about your dissertation topic from the moment you begin your MA programme, if not before. The formal dissertation process starts at the end of the Lent term, and the dissertation submission deadline for those finishing their studies in 2020 is 16:00 TUESDAY 1st SEPTEMBER 2020. If the dissertation is submitted late without good cause, this will result in a penalty being imposed at the discretion of the examiners’ board.

Word Length and Penalties for Dissertations For PPR Dissertations

The dissertation should be no less than 18,000 and no more than 20,000 words in length (exclusive of appendices, bibliography, footnotes used solely for references).

Dissertations below 18,000 words will be penalised by 5 marks for every 500 words short of this lower word limit. Dissertations that exceed 20,000 words will be penalised by 5 marks for every 500 words over this upper word limit.

For Law Dissertations

The dissertation (including footnotes but excluding appendices and bibliography) should be 20,000 words. It must be typed, double spaced; single sided and should be presented in a scholarly manner.

25

The word limit imposed on the coursework for this element of the programme is an important part of the assessment concerned. In assessing the mark to be awarded examiners will be taking into account the extent to which a word limit has been exceeded (or not met) in judging how a student has complied with the requirements of the assessment. Where the word limit has been exceeded by the student (other than minimally) examiners will take this into account when awarding a particular mark.

Planning and Writing the Dissertation The purpose of the dissertation is to enable students to demonstrate their capacity to carry out a substantial piece of independent academic work on a selected topic. Students will be assessed on their capacity to define a topic for examination, to articulate a coherent scheme for examining this topic, to gather the necessary information, and to analyse and present this information in a way which satisfactorily assesses the topic which they have set themselves. Students should have decided on their provisional dissertation topic by the beginning of Term 2 (Lent term), when formal dissertation work begins. The dissertation topic should be concerned with part of the subject-matter of the student’s MA programme, but need not be explicitly assigned to any of the modules which the student has taken. Students are encouraged to select dissertation topics in which they are interested, and which reflect their own reasons for taking the MA. Topics should be clearly defined and limited in scope: a piece of work carried out over 3-4 months, to a maximum of 20,000 words, can only provide scope for a limited amount of analysis, and the narrower the subject of the dissertation, the greater the opportunity to produce an interesting and independent piece of work. Supervisors will advise students, should their initial choice of topic appear to be too broad (or too narrow) for the requirements of an MA dissertation. In Term 2 (Lent term), students are required to complete a Dissertation Outline Form. Supervisors will then be allocated by the Director of Postgraduate Studies. Following discussion and approval of the plan with the supervisor, students will then carry out the programme of research required, and write up the results. Since the dissertation is substantially longer than an essay, it is particularly important for students to take notes accurately and file them carefully, in order to ensure that they have access to the right information at the right time. It is good practice to keep a list of sources consulted, and to file notes either by sources, or according to the place at which the material is to be used in the dissertation; where word-processing makes it easy to make duplicate copies of notes, it may be helpful to do both. The final deadline for submission of your dissertation (for students finishing their studies in 2020) is 16:00 TUESDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER 2020.

Choice of dissertation for MA/LLM Diplomacy and International Law students Students registered for the LLM award will be contacted by Law, and must choose a dissertation topic from Law. Students registered for the MA can choose a topic with PPR OR Law. If choosing a dissertation in law, it is important that you talk to Law at the beginning of Term 2 in order that they are aware that you should be included in all their dissertation correspondence and processes. The topic must be approved by the supervisor concerned. Although we try to accommodate most wishes, topics can only be approved if the University has sufficient resources for the research and the School has the necessary expertise available for supervision.

26

You should think carefully about possible topics, and discuss your ideas with possible supervisors. Once you have fixed a topic, please submit your dissertation outline form to the Law School Coordinator Shana Henriques s.henriques@lancaster.ac.uk the deadline as indicated on the Law Moodle page and the Study Skills page (this will be mid March but please check).

A supervisor will be appointed for each student by the end of Lent term. While you will be giving some thought to the dissertation during the Lent term, it is expected that your research will begin in earnest by the summer term. During this term, it is expected that you will carry out the research necessary to write the dissertation and that you will meet regularly with your supervisor.

Please note that students may not progress to the dissertation element of the programme until they have satisfactorily completed the coursework element of the scheme.

The Role of the Supervisor Each student will be assigned a supervisor for the dissertation who is familiar with the subject matter of their proposed dissertation. The responsibilities of the supervisor are as follows:

(a) to discuss the dissertation plan with the student; (b) to help the student with any problems and difficulties which arise in preparing to research

their dissertation; (c) to read and comment on a draft outline of the dissertation and detailed chapter plans –

provided this is supplied in good time and within the allocated supervision time; Overall, the role of the supervisor is to get students to the point of being able to conduct independent research for themselves; it is not the role of the supervisor to see students through the dissertation process from beginning to end. The supervisor does not have any responsibility for the preparation of the dissertation itself, for the ideas and material that it includes, or for the standard that it attains; the dissertation must be entirely the student’s own work, and the help given by the supervisor must necessarily be limited. It is the responsibility of student to ensure that they negotiate a schedule of supervision with their supervisors early in the summer term. Students are entitled to 6 dissertation supervision sessions with their assigned supervisor of up to ½ hour each – whether face-to-face or in substantial email correspondences and telephone conversations. Students have a right to have at least one of these supervision sessions (and no more than two), during the summer holidays – but this is subject to arranging such supervision with the supervisor BEFORE the end of the summer term. Please note, however, that supervisors have the right to refuse to supervise students who have not handed in their dissertation outline form. Should this result in inadequate time for students to receive their full quota of dissertation supervisions, this is the responsibility of the student and not the supervisor, and no additional allowances will be made in these cases. If you have chosen to do a Law Dissertation then your procedure for supervision is different to those who do PPR dissertations. When students have submitted their Term 2 essays, they need to contact their appointed supervisor via e-mail, who will then be able to advise further as to how they are to

27

proceed with the dissertation. During the summer months (April-September) students must contact their supervisor for a minimum of three supervisions. Students can expect a maximum of five supervisions, although tutors may well be available outside of these times, but there can be no guarantee of this. Equally after June it may be difficult to contact your tutor, so please ensure you have had your mandatory three supervisions before the end June/early July and arrange any further meetings in advance. Supervisors will usually be prepared to read drafts of students’ work, but these need to be submitted in advance of the supervision so the supervisor has a chance to review the work in time for the meeting.

Presentation The presentation of the dissertation in a clean and correct form is an important part of the dissertation writing process, and examiners will take it into account when awarding marks. The final text should be carefully examined for grammar and typing errors before it is submitted. One bound copies of the dissertation should be handed in for marking, and will be retained by the Department; students are advised to make an additional copy or copies for themselves. An electronic copy of the dissertation should also be submitted through the Department’s MOODLE page. You will receive precise instructions on how to do this. Dissertations will not be marked unless this electronic copy has been submitted. All material in the main part of the dissertation, excluding only footnotes, tables and bibliography, should be 1.5-spaced or double-spaced. Pages can be printed single or double sided. A Dissertation Cover Sheet can be found on the PPR Resources page should be completed and submitted with the dissertation. It should not be bound but can be slipped in front of the dissertation cover. The dissertation will only be marked if this signed declaration sheet accompanies it. The dissertation should include the following elements:

(a) Dissertation cover sheet (as above). See Appendix A.

(b) Cover (unless the binding has a transparent plastic cover, in which case the Title Page will be visible): This should state the title of the dissertation, the name of the student, the degree scheme for which it is submitted, and the date.

(c) Title Page: This should give the same information as on the cover, together with the

statement: "This dissertation is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of XXX at Lancaster University", followed by the date.

(d) Table of Contents: This should list the contents of the dissertation by chapters, with

sections where appropriate, and the page number for each, together with the page number for the notes, bibliography, and any maps, figures or tables.

28

(e) Abstract: This should provide a brief statement, of not more than two hundred words, of the main themes or findings of the dissertation.

(f) Acknowledgements: Students may wish to acknowledge any help that they have received

in the preparation of their dissertation. (g) Main Text: Each major section (i.e. chapters, references, bibliography) should start on a

new page; sections within main headings may continue on the same page. (h) References: Footnotes or endnotes should be numbered in sequence within each chapter,

starting afresh at the start of each chapter; the references to which they refer should be placed in order either at the bottom of the page (footnotes), or, if you use endnotes, at the end of the chapter or the end of the whole text (but before the bibliography). If you use the Harvard system of referencing, the references will be in brackets in the main text, but you can still use footnotes/endnotes to add brief additional comments.

(i) Bibliography: The bibliography should list all works used in the preparation of the

dissertation, including all those noted in the references. See further guidance in the Guidance on Written Work.

GUIDANCE ON WRITTEN WORK AND ACADEMIC CONVENTIONS Because written coursework (e.g. essays) are such an important part of the assessment for post-graduate programmes, and also because some students (including PhD students) may not have had recent experience of writing academic coursework, we give here some basic guidance about how to approach academic writing and on a number of technical matters to do with presentation, etc. This will also be useful for the dissertation, for which the same academic conventions apply. Further support is available from Faculty-based learning support (Learning Development Officer) and CELT. Before moving on, it is worth spending some time reading the university’s statement on academic integrity, and especially the definition of plagiarism that follows.

Academic Integrity “Core values of academic integrity (honesty and trust) lie at the heart of our academic enterprise, and they underpin all activities within the University. The University values a culture of honesty and mutual trust, and it expects all members of the University to respect and uphold these core values at all times, in everything they do at, for and in the name of the University. Academic integrity is important because, without honesty and trust, true academic discourse becomes impossible, learning is distorted and the evaluation of student progress and academic quality is seriously compromised. Consequently, the University is committed to –

a. defending the academic credibility and reputation of the institution b. protecting the standards of its awards c. ensuring that its students receive due credit for the work they submit for assessment d. advising its students of the need for academic integrity, and providing them with guidance on

best practice in studying and learning

29

e. educating its students about what intellectual property is, why it matters, how to protect their own, and how to legitimately access other people’s

f. protecting the interests of those students who do not cheat.”

Plagiarism: the university’s definition Plagiarism is understood to include, in whatever format it is presented, including written work, online submissions, group work or oral presentations, the following:

(a) the act of copying or paraphrasing a paper from a source text, whether in manuscript, printed or electronic form, without appropriate acknowledgement (this includes quoting directly from another source with a reference but without quotation marks);

(b) the submission of all or part of another student’s work, whether with or without that student’s knowledge or consent;

(c) the commissioning or use of work by the student which is not their own and representing it as if it were;

(d) the submission of all or part of work purchased or obtained from a commercial service;

(e) the submission of all or part of work written by another person, whether by another member of the University or a person who is not a member of the University;

(f) reproduction of the same or almost identical own work, in full or in part, for more than one module or unit of assessment of the same or another Lancaster University programme of study or for another institution’s qualification/award of credit. This does not include those programmes of study where the student is permitted or required to develop previously assessed work into a larger argument for the dissertation/thesis;

(g) directly copying from model solutions/answers made available in previous years.

Why plagiarism is unacceptable

1. It involves unacceptable practices, particularly literary theft (stealing someone else’s intellectual property, and breach of copyright) and academic deception (in order to gain a higher grade).

2. It involves poor or careless academic practice (including poor note-taking and poor procedures for preparing academic work).

3. It prevents the student who plagiarises from knowing how well he or she has performed (by yielding a false grade), thus denying them the opportunity to learn lessons, improve their study skills, and improve their knowledge and understanding.

4. If plagiarism goes undetected and unpunished, it effectively penalises and can demoralise those students who do not plagiarise.

Detection and Penalty Academic markers will be making a positive effort to identify possible plagiarism, using a variety of means, including electronic systems such as Copycatch and Turnitin.com. Where apparent plagiarism is detected, the matter is investigated, the student’s previous record on plagiarism examined and, if

30

necessary, a panel is arranged to discuss the matter with the student. Plagiarism can attract a number of different penalties, depending on the severity of the offence and how many offences the student has committed. Penalties range from a formal warning and note on student records, through the awarding of a mark of zero, to appearance at Standing Academic Committee, with the recommendation for exclusion from the University. When submitting coursework, it must be your own work and any assistance must be correctly acknowledged.

The University gives comprehensive guidance on Plagiarism on the website. If you have any doubt about plagiarism, it is your responsibility to discuss with your tutors, Director of study or any other relevant staff prior to any submission of coursework.

Practical Guidance

Style and Structure: The kind of essays you write for our modules is not of the form where there is a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer; rather, what you are expected to do is to analyse the issues involved, showing your knowledge of relevant factual and critical literature and assessing the various lines of argument or interpretation that have been put forward. You may also wish to give your own views on aspects of the topic, but what matters is not what particular views you hold, but your ability to analyse complex material and to marshal evidence to support particular lines of argument. It is worth studying the grade definitions since these will indicate the qualities we expect to find in a good essay. When you begin work on an essay, you should first of all read the essay question carefully and make sure you understand what it is asking you to do. Pay attention to key words such as ‘contrast’, ‘analyse’, or ‘account for’. When you are certain that you understand what the question is asking for, you should review your notes, from lectures, books, or journals, to determine which are relevant to your needs. As soon as you have some ideas on how you are going to address the topic, plan your whole essay. Initially you should focus on the overall structure. An essay should have a recognisable structure and it should be logically organised with, at the very least, a beginning, a middle and an end. The introduction, which should not be too long, should state briefly the topic you are going to deal with, how you will set about it, and the main line your argument will take. In the main body of the essay you should present your ideas in a reasoned and dispassionate manner, producing argument and evidence to support your case. Finally there should be a conclusion which synthesises and summarises your views. A conclusion is not necessarily something that provides a ‘solution’. It must, however, sum up the case you have made and conclude your argument. Once you have decided on the structure of the essay as a whole you should then plan your essay in more detail by listing the topics for each section. As you come to write your essay, remember to be both relevant and concise. You must stick to the subject of the essay and the essay should not contain any unnecessary ‘padding’. Added length does not of itself gain extra marks, and indeed is likely to be penalised if it is to no good purpose. (In this context make sure you observe the word limitations specified: 5,000 words for essays and 20,000 for the dissertation.)

31

Do not write as if you are speaking. Essays should be written in clear, correct, and fluent prose. Although you are not being tested on your ability to write English as much as on your ability to formulate a coherent argument, the one is very much dependent on the other. It is a good idea, especially when you are out of practice, to write a first rough draft, before producing a final fair copy. In writing the first draft you can concentrate on getting the shape and content of your argument right; in the final version you can check technical things like references (see below) and also make sure your spelling, punctuation and grammar are good. What we look for principally in essays is structure, coherence, quality and continuity of argument, with the author demonstrating a capacity to write concisely and directly to the main topic being addressed. Treat your essay as an opportunity to show that you have read and thought carefully about the subject and formed your own conclusions, supported by evidence drawn from your reading.

Grammar, Spelling, etc. The presentation of written work is important. Aim to write clear, grammatical English and make sure that your spelling is correct – bad grammar and spelling make a poor impression. This is not a question of prioritising of form over substance. Mistakes in spelling, punctuation and syntax (sentence structure) have a number of consequences: (a) they may cause confusion as to what you intend to say; (b) they are extremely ‘user-unfriendly’ (remember that a written presentation is totally different from an oral one: your reader does not have the benefit of hearing your intonations and seeing your expression or your hand movements, and therefore needs to rely wholly on the written ‘signals’ you provide); (c) in an environment where tutors have to wade through stacks of essays – very time consuming at the best of times – it is inevitable that an argument presented in an immediately accessible and non-confusing format will find a more sympathetic hearing; and (d) when you get to the stage where you have to produce a piece of writing for outside employers, a newspaper, or a job application, such mistakes will often ensure that it is rejected out of hand. Abbreviations should normally only be used in the case of corporate names, but even then only after you have given the full version of the name at the first occurrence (for example: ... the International Monetary Fund (IMF)...). You should not use unnecessary abbreviations such as it’s (for it is) or can’t (for cannot), and you should not use slang expressions.

Headings and Subheadings While for larger pieces of work such as a dissertation you will inevitably use chapter and section headings, as well as sub-headings, this may not always be necessary in the essays, precisely because they are shorter and thus easier to follow even without those extra signposts. They may nevertheless be useful: 5,000 words makes, after all, a fairly substantial piece. If you feel that the use of headings and subheadings in an essay makes the structure clearer and easier to read, then by all means introduce them.

Quotations and Paraphrasing Your essays should, of course, be written in your own words, but as in any solid academic piece of research you shall refer to the work of others, or to other sources of information. This is good academic practice – but when you do so, it is extremely important that your source is acknowledged. It is often useful, sometimes necessary, to quote briefly from recognised authorities or primary sources (such as laws or official documents, for instance), whether to illustrate a particular point, to give an authoritative opinion or definition, or to present a piece of primary textual evidence. Quotations should always be put in quotation marks (or, for quotations of more than three lines, in a hanging text bloc, often in smaller font, that stands out from the rest of the paragraph). A reference must be given

32

which would allow the reader to find the original source. You will find guidance on how to go about referencing (footnotes, endnotes, etc.) in the section on References below. Quotations should generally be brief and be kept to a minimum. You should avoid at all costs writing an essay which simply strings together large chunks of other people’s work with a few sentences of your own. A second way in which you may use the work of others is in paraphrasing. When you do this you must ensure that the summary is in your own words, and you must also again acknowledge the author both in the text of your essay and in a footnote. For example, you might wish to give an account of S. Huntington’s interpretation of politics in developing societies. In such cases the source should be acknowledged, usually in the text (e.g. “According to Huntington ...”, or “as Huntington argues, …”), and there should be a full reference to the source in a note. Again, you must not write essays which are large sections of paraphrasing joined by a few sentences of your own. You may want to use statistical evidence to illustrate or back up an argument. If you do so, it is important to indicate where the statistics come from by giving an appropriate reference, following the procedure outlined below.

References (footnotes/endnotes or in-text notes) Footnotes (which appear at the bottom of the page) or endnotes (which appear at the end of a piece) can be used for two main purposes. One is to elaborate, qualify, or support a point made in the main body of the essay. If you do this your notes should be short and should certainly not be used as a way of writing a complementary essay. Proper references, in acknowledgement either of direct quotations or of ideas or data found in a particular source, are an essential element of a piece of academic work. They can take a variety of forms, but should always allow the reader to trace your sources, down to the specific bit of text you have quoted or are relying on. So remember that references are not only for quotes or paraphrases, but for all instances where you are basing yourself on other people’s work or specific sources of data: do not claim insights or ideas as your own when they are not, and always support statements or assertions about facts or events by referring to such sources (except where it concerns matters of general knowledge). OTHERWISE YOU ARE COMMITTING PLAGIARISM. You can choose between two main systems of referencing: the ‘traditional’ one (footnotes or endnotes); or the ‘name-year-page’, or ‘Harvard’ system (where the reference is inserted in brackets in the text, giving only the author’s name, year of publication, and page). Both are explained in detail below.

Footnotes or Endnotes Full notes (either at the bottom of the relevant page, or at the end of the piece of work) should give the following details: (a) for books: author(s) or editor(s); title (underlined or italics); edition (if other than the first); place of publication; publisher; date of publication; specific page(s) of the citation or the material relied on. for example:

3 S. Finer, The Man on Horseback (London: Pall Mall Press,1962): pp. 70-71.

33

4 S. Huntington (ed.), Changing Patterns of Military Politics (Glencoe, Illinois: Free Press, 1962), p. 33.

(b) for chapters in edited volumes, or articles in journals: author(s); title (in single quotation marks); full details of the book (presented as above) or of the journal (title underlined or italics; Volume, year and number); the pages where the chapter or article is to be found in the book or journal; specific page reference to the quote or the material relied on. for example:

5 A. Jones, ‘Forms of Military Attack’, in A. Roberts (ed.), Strategy of Civilian Defence (London: Faber and Faber, 1967), pp. 17- 38: at p. 20. 6 C. Johnson, ‘Civilian Loyalties and Guerrilla Conflict’, in World Politics, Vol. 14, No 4 (July 1962), pp. 646-672: at p. 650.

(Note, by the way, that where the abbreviation (ed.) is used after a name, this means that the named person is not her/himself the author of the whole book, but has ‘put the book together’, that is ‘edited’ it.) (c) for material drawn from websites:

The same principles apply: after all, what you find on websites will often be electronically published books or monographs (e.g. in PDF format), articles, or primary materials. So the required information (author or issuing institution, title, location, date of publication, etc.) remains the same. The only difference will usually be that instead of a physical place of publication you have a web address, and that in some cases the document will not have ‘normal’ page numbers. If there is no particular date on the document itself, it is advisable to specify the date on which the website was accessed. The numbers of the notes refer to the same numbers inserted in the text itself, usually in superscript. Most word processing programmes have an automatic foot/endnoting facility, which will both insert a superscript number in the text, and create a space (at the bottom of the page or at the end of the piece) where you can fill in the text of the note. When references to the same work follow each other, without any intervening reference, the abbreviation ibid. (ibid.) can be used, followed by the page number(s). However, when referring to a work previously cited, but following an intervening reference to a different work, you would then give the author’s surname followed by the abbreviation op. cit. (op. cit.) and the relevant page number(s). For example:

3 S. Finer, The Man on Horseback (London: Pall Mall Press,1962): pp. 70-71. 4 Ibid., p. 85. 5S. Huntington (ed.), Changing Patterns of Military Politics (Glencoe, Illinois: Free Press, 1962), p. 33. 6Finer, op. cit., pp. 22-24.

Note that you are not obliged to use the ibid. and op. cit. forms all they do is shorten the reference, since you have already mentioned the same work before. An alternative way of shortening is simply to use a shorter version of the title (the first few words – but not so short that it is not recognisable anymore!)

34

The ‘Harvard’ System (or ‘name-year-page’) in-text references This system does not use numbers for references to the literature, but instead inserts, in brackets, the name of the author, the year of publication, and the specific page reference. Thus, note 3 above would become: (Finer, 1962: 70-71), while note 5 would become simply: (Huntington, 1962: 33). This is only possible when all the other details of the publication are fully listed in the bibliography at the end of the essay (see below). If the bibliography contains two works by Finer published in 1962, you would mark the first one ‘a’ and the second one ‘b’. If you are using the NYP system, you can still use numbered footnotes/endnotes in order to make additional comments. Other useful abbreviations frequently employed in footnotes/endnotes are: cf. ‘compare’, or ‘see’ ff. ‘and in the following pages’ passim ‘in various places in the text’ Note: italics can be used throughout instead of underlining. DO NOT USE BOTH IN THE SAME PIECE OF WORK: they are alternatives.

Citing of Legal Resources (Law dissertations and essays) Students should refer to the LLM Handbook for details on how to cite legal resources. Law expects students to use the Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities (OSCOLA) system. The LLM Handbook can be found on the main LLM page. Contact the Law School Coordinator Shana Henriques s.henriques@lancaster.ac.uk if you require further information.

Bibliography At the end of every essay (or dissertation) there should be a bibliography – a list of books, articles, or other sources which have been used in writing the essay or which are referred to in the text. (This is not the same as the footnotes/references). Here the full details of each book, article, or other source should be found. The bibliography should be in alphabetical order by surname of the author or editor. For books you should indicate the author(s) or editor(s), the title (underlined or in italics), the edition if other than the first, the place of publication, publisher, and date of publication. For example:

S. Finer, The Man on Horseback (London: Pall Mall Press, 1962). S. Huntington (ed.), Changing Patterns of Military Politics (Glencoe, Illinois: Free Press, 1962).

For chapters in edited volumes or articles in journals:

You should indicate the author(s), the title (in single quotation marks), full details of the book (as above) or of the journal (title, volume, number, and year), and the pages where the chapter or article appears. For example:

C. Johnson, ‘Civilian Loyalties and Guerrilla Conflict’, in World Politics, Vol. 14, No 4 (July 1962), pp. 646-672. A. Jones, ‘Forms of Military Attack, in A Roberts (ed.), Strategy of Civilian Defence (London: Faber and Faber, 1967), pp. 17-38.

If your references follow the NYP system, it is customary in the bibliography to place the date of publication immediately after the author, so as to make it easier for the reader to find the publication which your reference (Finer 1962a) refers to. In this case the item in the bibliography would look as follows:

35

S. Finer (1962a), The Man on Horseback (London: Pall Mall Press) For material drawn from websites: The same principles apply, so the required information (author or issuing institution, title, location, date of publication, etc.) remains the same. The only difference will usually be that instead of a physical place of publication you have a web address, and that in some cases the document will not have ‘normal’ page numbers. If there is no particular date on the document itself, it is advisable to specify the date on which the website was accessed. The bibliography should distinguish between secondary sources (published work by other authors, whether in the form of books, articles, chapters, or web-based publications) on the one hand, and primary sources on the other. Primary sources, which should be listed separately, can include, for instance, official documents, interviews you have conducted (list name, place and date), your own or unpublished survey data, official statistics, etc.

RESEARCH ETHICS (for Master and PhD) Research Ethics Whether conducted by students or staff, all research projects should meet recognised ethical standards. If the research for your dissertation/thesis is to involve any empirical data collection, however informal, then it is essential that you discuss the implications with your supervisor at the planning stage. This requirement covers any plans to interview/talk to people as part of your research, to conduct discussion groups, send out questionnaires or to collect data on-line, for example through existing networking sites or by emailing groups or individuals. If your research is entirely literature based, using published work, then you do not need ethical approval but if in doubt check with your supervisor. The main requirement is that you obtain informed consent from any research subjects; i.e. ensure that the subject understands what information you will be asking for, how you will be collecting it, how the data will be analysed, stored and used. This will involve writing a straightforward information sheet and a consent form for subjects to sign that should include arrangements for confidentiality/anonymization. Research involving children necessitates consent from legal guardians (usually parents), as well as agreement from the child. If children are approached through school, clearance from the Criminal Records Bureau (CAB) will normally be required by the school prior to undertaking the research. This is not intended to discourage you from undertaking this type of research but to ensure you speak to your supervisor early on in order to obtain the necessary ethical approval.

PhD Ethics Guidance PhD students are required to submit a full ethics application to the FASS-LUMS Research Ethics Committee well in advance of the planned data collection start date. The application should be filled out in consultation with the Supervisor(s). Please see the Ethics Guidelines online for details of procedure. The FASS Research Training Programme (RTP) offers the FASS.522 module, which introduces PhD students to the Research Ethics process at Lancaster University. It is strongly

36

recommended that any students undertaking human participant research enrol in this module in their first year.

PPR Masters/MRes Research Ethics Guidance Masters students are required to submit a Research Ethics application to their supervisors. Please see guidelines and application form on the PPR Resources page. Other than exceptional cases ethics clearance applications for taught MA programmes will be at the level of department supervisor and not referred to the Department Ethics Committee. The Department Ethics Committee meet early in the summer term and supervisors will refer any cases that require their input and comment.

RISK ASSESSMENT (for Masters and PhD) Guidance is provided by the University to ensure the safe management of activities when working overseas. If you are uncertain whether the guidance applies to your proposed work activity please download the flowchart available from the Safety page. For any research activities that take place outside University please discuss any possible health and safety/risk issues with your course tutor, dissertation/PhD supervisor or the PPR PG Office.

THE MPHIL AND PHD PROGRAMMES The essential element of the research degree programmes is an extended dissertation (thesis). However, all research students are expected to undertake a period of preparatory research training – shaped to fit their needs and prior background – and this will largely be completed during the first year of study. In accordance with University regulations, research students normally register initially for either the MRes (see PGT Handbook), MPhil or PhD degree. Those not registering for the MRes programme will be expected to register initially for the MPhil or PhD. Students work with their supervisor to determine what research training they require to allow them to embark on the MPhil or PhD.

MPhil and PhD Programmes These notes, which are for guidance only, are informed by and aligned with the University code of practice for research students. They outline the role of the supervisors and the student in the research process, from starting the thesis through to submission and examination. Although the completion of a satisfactory MPhil or PhD thesis is the ultimate responsibility of the student, both supervisors and students have responsibilities, duties and legitimate expectations to uphold during the period of study.

37

1. An Overview of the Supervisory Process Students will be allocated two co-supervisors; the balance of focus between the supervisors will be the subject of an initial discussion between supervisors and student and may be revisited as study progresses. In all circumstances, the different roles of the two supervisors, including who is taking the lead on specific issues including research training and writing progress reports, must be made clear to the student and the Department. Where appropriate, cross-departmental supervision may also be arranged within the University; in such cases, it is expected that the supervisor from the student's home Department will take the lead role. The student and his/her supervisors will meet regularly during the period of research. Normally notes of the discussion are completed by the student after each supervisory session and a copy sent for approval to the supervisor. The dates of all meetings should be kept. Students are also expected to maintain a record recording all significant agreements and developments regarding research training, supervisory outcomes and general progress towards meeting objectives.

2. The Initial Stages of Supervision 2.1. The preliminary identification of the topic of the thesis is the student's responsibility, and this will normally be done prior to admission into the Department. The student’s outline proposal should make clear the overall aims and objectives of the thesis; the substantive, theoretical, empirical and methodological issues raised by the work proposed; the key questions or hypotheses to be researched; and the practical and methodological requirements of the work. Students should be clear on their own agenda: what is it that they are trying to find out and why; what theoretical frameworks or ideas might be helpful in organising their work; what kinds of evidence they would need to answer their question(s); and how might they seek to collect such evidence? Students also need to establish a clear timetable for their future research plans. 2.2. Students and Supervisors must agree appropriate frequency and duration of supervisory meetings, although the Code of Practice states that, “a full-time student is entitled to at least an hour a fortnight with the supervisor(s) and a part-time student to at least an hour a month”. 2.3. Where candidates are registered as ‘away students’ it is expected that supervisor/s establish an agreed supervisory schedule of face-to-face meetings, a note of which is held on file. 2.4. In the initial meetings, the main job of the supervisor will be to: • Undertake a training needs assessment with the student and, with reference to the University and Faculty Research Training Programme or other training programmes available, determine how those needs are best met.

38

• The agreed outcome of this assessment, as with other agreements and developments throughout the life of the research, should be recorded by the student, for submission as part of their Post Graduate Appraisal. • Discuss the proposal and offer advice and guidance on the overall direction and management of the topic; comment on the relevance of the theoretical framework(s) identified and suggest modifications where appropriate; give assistance with identifying the relevant literatures to review as well as the role of other relevant sources; comment on the proposed methodology as well as discuss any practical or ethical issues which are likely to arise in the conduct of the research; • Discuss and agree a plan and timetable of work with the student for the first year of the PhD together with a more general timetable for the research as a whole. 2.5. After the first six months of full-time study (one year part-time), students should normally have completed, or be near completing, a final research proposal. This should be a definitive statement of aims and objectives of the thesis; the key research questions or hypotheses to be researched; the identification of relevant theoretical framework(s); and the nature of the methodology and sources to be used. It should also include an outline of the structure of the thesis (planned chapter headings, balance of coverage, and so on) together with a realistic timetable for the rest of the research, including fieldwork (if applicable) and writing up. At this stage, the student should also have started, or be ready to begin, a preliminary literature review or another relevant piece of work, for example, a draft chapter. As detailed in the timeline further on, the proposal is essential for the 1st year presentation and the preliminary chapter is required for the first year progress panel. 2.6. It is expected that during the lifetime of the research, the student participate in the research culture of the Department. For example, attending research seminars and, eventually, presenting papers in workshops and conferences. Help and advice from supervisor/s can be expected in this respect and some departmental and faculty level financial support for conference attendance and paper presentation may be available.

3. Continuing Supervision and Postgraduate Appraisals 3.1. Research students are expected to keep and regularly update a Progress File in which they maintain a record of the activities they undertake, along with their reflections and commentary on their personal development. The University has developed an online monitoring system called Postgraduate Appraisals, which is accessed through Moodle. In PPR you will normally undertake an annual appraisal in May. You will be prompted to upload various documents to the system (thesis plan, draft chapter and any other work details) and be asked to confirm the dates you have been in touch with your supervisor. A Panel consisting of your supervisor and two other assessors from the department will consider the documentation you have submitted and you will attend a Panel meeting to discuss. Some students will have an upgrade panel if appropriate during month 12 of their studies. 3.2 Research Training Programme - Full-time research students are expected to spend the equivalent of 10 days each year on activities related to developing their skills and competencies, and to their personal development. Part-time students are expected to spend around half this time. Accreditation can be given for appropriate prior learning, at the discretion of the supervisor.

39

Each faculty runs its own Research Training Programme, which includes more discipline-specific activities as well as a broader range of generic skills based activities. Each faculty has an RTP Director who co-ordinates the faculty programme. The PGR website is a good place to start to find out about research training at all levels across the University.

4. Submission and Completion For full-time students the minimum period of registration for the degree shall normally be thirty-six calendar months from the date of commencement of studies to the date of submission of the thesis. The maximum period of registration shall be forty-eight months. For part-time PhD the minimum is 48 months and the maximum is 72 months; for part-time MPhil it is 36-60 months. If a student needs to take time out during their period of registration for legitimate reasons, there are procedures to be followed for intercalation or for suspending registration. If a student is unable to complete their work within the maximum period of registration, and they need extra time, there are also procedures for granting an extension. Extensions will only be granted if there are good reasons, and they must be sought in advance; retrospective extensions will not be granted. The decision when to submit a thesis for examination is the student’s, but it should be informed by the views and advice of the supervisors. In the first instance two soft bound copies of the thesis should be submitted to The Base. You will be asked to complete a form on submission. The soft bound copies are sent out to the examiners. When you have submitted your thesis, it will be examined by an internal examiner (another member of the staff of Lancaster University and usually someone within PPR, but not your supervisor) and by an external examiner (from another university, who will normally be an expert on the subject of your research). Your supervisor will appoint your internal and external examiner, and will consult with all parties concerned regarding the date this will take place. While students are not able to choose their external examiner independently, supervisors will normally consult the student on potential and appropriate examiners, including disclosure of any prior contact between the student and a proposed examiner. The viva normally takes place within 3 months of the date of submission. Often corrections may be required which can be minor (spelling, punctuation) or more major (requiring extra work), which will have to be carried out before the thesis can be hard bound. If you are given corrections your examiners will be expected to detail these to you and your supervisor. Corrections have to be checked by the examiners and approved before you can submit the corrected and hardbound thesis (red cover) to the University Postgraduate Office. Once the changes have been verified by the examiner(s), in accordance with Lancaster University regulations, all successful research students are now required to provide a hardbound copy of their final thesis to the University and an electronic copy to the Library. Full details of how to deposit your thesis can be found on the Library website. The Library also publish information for researchers on Disseminating Research.

40

Binding can be done by the University Design, Photography and Print Department or you can choose to have your thesis bound elsewhere. You may want to check with your lead supervisor if they also require a copy. You can find the full official Lancaster University regulations on theses in MARP. See Appendix B : Form completed at The Base (Student Registry) when submitting your thesis. See Appendix C : Receipt received from The Base on submission.

5. Examination The viva remains the standard way of examining research degrees, and this involves an internal and at least one external examiner. One of the responsibilities of supervisors is to help their research students to prepare for their viva, and one useful way of doing this is to hold a mock viva which is formal, searching and structured in the same way as a real viva. Once the choice of an External Examiner has been agreed, it is the responsibility of the Internal Examiner, in consultation with the student, supervisor/s and External Examiner, to set the date of the viva. It is the responsibility of the Internal and External examiners to ensure that an examination report and recommendation are produced in a timely manner.

6. Complaints and grievances If the student has a complaint or grievance concerning the nature of research supervision, this should be raised in a timely manner with the Director of PG Studies in the first instance (or another designated senior member of staff where the Director is the supervisor). If the Director of PG Studies is unable to resolve the issue to the satisfaction of all concerned, the matter is passed to the Head of Department. Less serious concerns can be raised with the Postgraduate Student representatives. These arrangements do not prejudice any other rights the student has in relation to the University's grievance procedures.

7. Postgraduate teaching Depending on financial constraints, the Department offers opportunities for PGRs to teach on modules within the Department. Most opportunities to teach are on undergraduate Part 1 programmes. In order for students to teach on this programme they must: • Have the approval of their supervisor • Have passed the PGR First Year Progress Panel (or the equivalent) Details of any vacancies in the department will normally be circulated in May, with interviews taking place in June. The allocation of teaching on Part 1 programmes will be carried out through consultation between the Part 1 Co-ordinator(s), Director of Human Resources and the Head of Department. Further

41

details are found in the Postgraduate Teaching Opportunities on Part 1: Code of Practice. Other teaching opportunities may be available, but these vary significantly from year to year.

8. Responsibilities of supervisors and research students (from the Lancaster University Code of Practice) ‘The supervisor(s) is expected to: • explore fully the student's background at the outset, and identify areas where further training

(including language training) is needed; • give guidance on: the nature of research and the standard expected; the planning of the

research programme; attendance at appropriate courses; literature and sources; laboratory techniques; sources of information on intellectual property rights.

• be aware of the particular difficulties faced by many overseas students, who may initially need very frequent contact and advice on facilities, training courses, language tuition, etc.;

• check on the student's progress at regular intervals; • allocate a reasonable period of time for supervisory sessions: a full-time student is entitled to

at least an hour a fortnight with the supervisor(s) and a part-time student to at least an hour a month. Supervisors should ensure that as far as possible supervision sessions are uninterrupted by telephone calls, personal callers or departmental business;

• deal with urgent problems as soon as possible, either over the telephone, via e-mail, or through a meeting arranged at short notice;

• read and provide constructive comments on any work submitted by the student within a reasonable time period;

• ensure that the student is made aware if either progress or the standard of work is unsatisfactory, and arrange any necessary supportive action. If the lack of progress is due to a personal problem a suspension of registration may be appropriate, and this possibility should be discussed with the student;

• carry out an annual review of the student; • take steps to ensure that the student is given proper guidance on the use of specialist

equipment and techniques; • take an active part in introducing the student to meetings of learned societies, seminars and

workshops and to other research workers in the field, and give advice on writing up the research for publication;

• put the student in touch with specialists inside or outside the University if the student's work goes significantly outside the supervisor's field;

• inform the student of any periods of absence from the University, so that the student can plan accordingly;

• make supervision arrangements for students whose normal place of research is somewhere other than Lancaster, and liaise with any external supervisors.’

‘The student is expected to: • tackle the research with a positive commitment, taking full advantage of the resources and

facilities offered by the academic environment and in particular contact with the supervisor, other staff and research students;

• discuss with the supervisor the type of guidance and comment believed to be most helpful, the training which might be required, and agree a schedule of meetings;

• attend supervision sessions, meetings, seminars, lectures and laboratory sessions as required by the supervisor or Head of Department;

42

• aim, by the end of the first year (or 2 years for part-time students), as well as having completed a broad programme of relevant work and training, to have defined the area of research, become acquainted with the background knowledge required and the relevant literature, and have a framework for the future progress of the research with a timetable for the next 2 or 3 years (3 or 4 years in the case of part-time students;

• maintain the progress of the work in accordance with the stages agreed with the supervisor, and take note of the guidance and feedback from the supervisor;

• agree with the supervisor(s) any periods of absence from the University; • take responsibility for seeking out the supervisor; • discuss any problems, such as those of access, or conflicting advice, with the supervisor(s) at

the time - early discussion and resolution of problems can prevent difficulties later on. (If the student feels unable to raise the problem with the supervisor(s), he or she should discuss the difficulty with a senior member of the Department - normally the Head of Department or Postgraduate Tutor. If for any reason this is not felt to be possible, the student should contact the Director of the University Graduate School, via the Student Registry)

• decide when to submit the thesis, taking account of University regulations on minimum and maximum periods for submission, and the supervisor's opinion.’

LENGTH, STYLE, LAYOUT AND PRESENTATION OF PHD THESIS For information on the length, style, layout and presentation see MARP, Postgraduate Research Regulations, Appendix 2. The thesis should normally be printed single sided unless you have permission to do otherwise, 1.5 to 2 line spacing. There are some PhD thesis in the PG Co-ordinators office if you wish to have a look, and the Library will also have copies. The maximum length of the thesis is 80,000 words as indicated in MARP. Candidates are required to make a declaration at the front of the thesis that the word-length conforms to the permitted maximum. If it exceeds this, the declaration must also include confirmation that this has been approved on behalf of the University (currently by the PVC of Education). Your supervisor would need to get approval for this in advance of your submission. There is no minimum length stated in MARP. Your supervisor should advise you based on academic practice. The thesis needs several declarations

• A declaration of the world length of the thesis and confirm that it does not exceed the permitted maximum. If it does, the declaration should include confirmation that this has been formally approved by the body or officer with delegated authority form Senate (see above).

• The author’s full names and degrees, the title of the thesis, the degree for which the thesis is submitted and the month and year of submissions shall appear on the first leaf of the thesis and the top of the abstract.

• Each thesis shall be preceded by an abstract not exceeding 300 words typed as specified in MARP in a form suitable for use in major abstract indices.

43

• The author shall provide as an integral part of the thesis a comprehensives list of contents, diagrams, appendices, etc.

• Candidates should include a declaration along the lines of :

I declare that the thesis is my own work, and has not been submitted in substantially the same form for the award of a higher degree elsewhere.

This should be signed.

• You can also add a page for ‘acknowledgements’ and ‘dedication’ if you wish.

See also Appendix D of this handbook.

UNIVERSITY CODE OF PRACTICE FOR RESEARCH STUDENTS Lancaster University has a Code of Practice for Research Students, which covers all activities relating to the selection, admission, supervision, training and examination of research students. The Code outlines what you can expect from Lancaster University as a research student, and also outlines your responsibilities to the University.

TIMELINE OF 1st TO 3rd YEAR FULL-TIME GRADUATE ACTIVITIES Year One

Welcome Week • The week before the academic year begins is Welcome Week. Most students arrive during this

time and begin to get acquainted with the University. A wide variety of general social events occur during this week.

• Postgraduate Induction Event • During Welcome Week, the Department will organise a special Induction event for all

Postgraduate Research Students. During this meeting students will be given further information about the Department, their programme of study and other relevant material (e.g. the Faculty research methods programme). All new students are expected to attend.

Supervisory Meetings

• During Welcome Week, you should have your initial meeting with your Supervisor to discuss your choice of research methods modules, your general project plan, your on-line Progress File and development needs and how you will organise regular meetings with each other. As noted in the University Code of Practice (p.6) “a full-time student is entitled to at least an hour a fortnight with the supervisor(s) and a part-time student to a least an hour a month”.

• During supervisory meeting students should discuss with their supervisor research ethics and risk assessment (see Page.24 for further information).

Department Seminars & Events

• Throughout the academic year, the Department organises a Research Seminar Series. This series ranges widely over different topics and types of speakers. All First Year PGR students are strongly encouraged to attend. This is seen as part of broadening the postgraduate experience and creating a sense of a Lancaster PPR community.

44

• Other research events are offered by the various subject specialisms which make up PPR. Details of these events will be posted on the Postgraduate notice board or forwarded to you by email.

1st Year Progress Panel

• At the end of their first year, all MPhil and PhD students are required to review their progress over the past year and to present a project plan and one chapter of their project work to the First Year Progress Panel. Progress Panels are usually composed of three academic staff members is and occur in Summer Term. The Progress Panel is seen as a chance to review and evaluate the student’s progress. Students who successfully pass the Progress Panel will be allowed to continue. Students who fail the Panel may be required to downgrade their status (for example from PhD to MPhil) or discontinue their studies.

Year Two • Post-Summer Supervisor Meeting

Before term begins students should hold a post-Summer meeting with their supervisor. In particular, this meeting should review development needs, Progress File and research training needs, set the framework for student-supervisor meetings for the forthcoming year and evaluate any Faculty Research Methods modules that the student should take during the Second Year.

• Attend Department Seminars & Discipline Events • 2nd Year Progress Panel

At the end of their second year, students are required to present an overview of their recent work to the Second Year Progress Panel.

• Full-time MPhil Students should complete their thesis or move on to “writing up” at this time Year Three

• Post-Summer Supervisor Meeting Before term begins students should hold a post-Summer

meeting with their supervisor. In particular, this meeting should review development needs, Progress File and research training needs, set the framework for student-supervisor meetings for the forthcoming year, evaluate any Faculty Research Methods modules that the student should take and discuss the possibility and timing of giving a seminar in the Departmental Seminar.

• Attend Department Seminars & Discipline Events • 3rd Year Progress Panel

At the end of their third year, all students are required to present an overview of their recent work to the Third Year Progress Panel.

• Full-time PhD Students should complete their thesis or move on to “writing up” status at this

time.

45

RESOURCES FOR RESEARCH STUDENTS Office Space – Only full-time PhD students studying at the University are eligible for office space. Masters students can use open access PC labs located around campus. The PC labs provide a wide range of software, printers (colour and monochrome) and scanning facilities. All lab PCs are connected to the campus network and internet. Office space is allocated by the department. The allocation of desks is determined by the PG Coordinator, relative to need and availability. Allocated desks remain associated with a particular student until such time as the student and PG Coordinator liaise to arrange otherwise – on transparent, fair and clearly stipulated grounds. Materials left on a desk should not be touched or moved by anyone other than their owner or a member of PPR staff. At the end of each academic year when we assess the space we have available – students leaving/writing up, new students starting - we try and keep consistency in the office and desk you have been using from Year One of your studies. However there are occasions when occupants may be asked to relocate and we would appreciate your cooperation in vacating the space you are asked to leave in a timely fashion, emptying desk space, shelves and storage units of your personal belongings and returning all keys to the PG Coordinator. As members of the academic community desk allocation within offices is left to the discretion of the occupants, occupants are asked to ensure that respect, care and consideration for all students and staff working in the department is considered, in line with the University Student Charter. Any questions, please see the PG Coordinator.

The success of the Library Refurbishment Project means that the study space in the Library has been further improved, with the installation of additional workspaces in the Reading Room, Postgraduate Study Area and on A Floor. Some informal sofa seating in the Silent Area on C Floor has been replaced with formal desking, in line with the study preferences of library users.

Power will soon be delivered to every desktop in the Reading Room and Wi-Fi has been upgraded throughout the building.

City Centre Study Space for Postgraduates The Postgraduate Study Hub, based in The Storey, is available to all Lancaster University postgraduate students and boasts two rooms – a quiet study area and a group space with a large monitor. It has capacity for up to 46 people, access to eduroam WiFi and is open six days a week. Postgraduate students can access the facility using their library cards. It is open Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.

PURE : Research Profiles for PhD Students If you are a registered PhD student, whether based on campus or a distance learner, you may register to Pure to produce a web profile about your research interests, project collaborations and publications. This will appear on the department web site under Research Students. A guide on using PURE can be found here. See the section for PhD students. Further assistance on using PURE can be sought with Helen Caton, a member of the PPR administrative team h.caton@lancaster.ac.uk

46

Photocopying and Printing The new 'pull-print' service enables you to send your work from a wide range of devices, and visit any printer on campus to print it out using your University card. The new printers are available in the Library, Learning Zone, PC Labs and Colleges. Further details can be found here. Research students are eligible for a limited printing and photocopying allowance. Details from the PG Co-ordinator.

Mail Room Should Postgraduate Research Students wish to receive you post in the department there are mail trays in B21. Please see the Postgraduate Co-ordinator for further information on the above and access.

IT services and Library Access on submission of Thesis When you submit your thesis, you are given up to 6 months further access to the library from your submission date. For example if your 4 year submission date is September and you submit in July, you would have access till end of December, if you submit in September, you would have access till end of March. However this date is affected by the outcome of your viva. If you pass with no amendments or corrections then you will be awarded your PhD - the date this award is recorded is your leaving date and the date at which your library access is stopped. If you are required to do corrections, you will be given up to 3 months extension or your access will be shortened. For example (based on March end date), viva in January, given access till end of April, viva in November, access till February. The same is for corrections but based on 6 months and for resubmission but based on 12 months. On completion of the amendments/corrections/resubmission you will be awarded your PhD and your access will stop on the date of that award. However, to use the print materials you can enrol with Alumni status and there is the Walk-in user access service which allows use of electronic resources. Please see the Library guide for further information for graduate access.

Post Graduate Email access & IT account You have access to these for 3 months after you submit the hard copy of your thesis and are awarded your PhD/Masters by Research. For further information please see IT page about moving on from Lancaster. Details on email, Wi-Fi, file storage, IT accounts, Moodle, Training, Web Space, etc. can be found on the Information System Services (ISS) pages. Information Systems Services (ISS) also provides other IT services to students, including IT workshops and courses. It is also possible to access University services remotely e.g. from home, or via a smart phone.

47

The ISS Service Desk can be contacted if you require any general computing-related assistance.

Learning Zone The Learning Zone is a space that provides relaxed surroundings for students to work in a variety of environments, allowing solo or group work. It is located in Alexandra Square and is accessible 24-7. It has a number of ‘pods’ for students to book and use. Facilities include MACS, printers, projectors, smart boards and Wi-Fi.

Resources for Current Postgrads : Handbooks, forms, etc. The PPR resource pages contains important documents for PG students, including handbooks and extension forms, ethics, conference funding, etc.

STUDY SUPPORT Support in your Department Your lecturers and seminar tutors have weekly office hours when you can drop in and discuss particular courses and assignments. Office hours are displayed on office doors.

Effective Learning Support In addition, the FASS Effective Learning Team provides a range of support in effective and critical reading, good referencing practices, etc. Details can be found at the FASS Effective Learning Module page. Your contact is Joanne Wood, Learning Developer for FASS studyadvice.fass@lancaster.ac.uk For help with your writing and studies there are some useful resources on study support at the Studying at University pages. It is essential that all indebtedness to the work of others (such as the quotation or paraphrasing of published work or other material used) should be indicated clearly, fully and explicitly with appropriate quotation marks and references. Please see plagiarism guidelines in this document. See also the What is Plagiarism guide. The University Learning Development Team have launched a study blog. There are features from a fantastic team of student bloggers, who offer their experience on everything from preparing for University, settling in, getting to grips with reading lists, and eating well! You can also view new interactive resources on Learning Independently – critical thinking, literature searching, academic reading and writing.

Extensions for PhD Students Under normal circumstances, research students are expected to complete within the maximum period for registration as outlined in their offer letter issued by the PG Admissions Office. An extension can be requested if you are in need of additional time to complete your studies (normally writing-up). If you feel you may need an extension, you should speak to your Supervisors and/or the

48

PG Co-ordinator in the first instance. If it is agreed that this will be the best course of action for you, you will need to supply relevant supporting evidence so that a formal extension request can be made on your behalf.

DEPARTMENT RESEARCH SEMINARS You are invited to the regular Department Research Seminars to which guest speakers from relevant disciplines are invited and at which PPR staff may also deliver a paper. The Seminars are usually scheduled for Wednesday afternoons, 4.00–6.00pm. The location of the Research Seminar Series will be announced when established. In addition to the weekly Department Research Seminars, other postgraduate events are offered across the Department. Details of these events will be posted on the Postgraduate notice board and/or forwarded to you by email.

E-LEARNING: MOODLE VLE You will need your University login and password to access the e-learning services. MOODLE Virtual Learning Environment provides information and resources to support your learning. Lecturers utilise MOODLE in a wide variety of ways to deliver learning materials (handouts, presentations, bibliographies etc), engage you in active learning (exercises and online tests, discussion spaces and learning logs) and update you with information about your programme.

CAREERS INFORMATION It is important that students use their final year of postgraduate study to investigate potential career paths and to acquire the skills and knowledge demanded by employers. A Master’s degree provides you with opportunities to develop a successful career, but should not be regarded as a guarantee of future professional employment. It is the responsibility of each individual student to use the services and resources available at Lancaster University so that they are able to realise their career ambitions after graduating. The University’s careers service offers an extensive service tailored to your needs. Their professional staff includes specialists in careers information, employer liaison, event management and careers guidance. They work closely with other staff within the university, the Students Union, professional bodies and a broad range of national and international employers to provide a variety of opportunities to help you progress your career goals. Careers are located in the Base, just off Alexander Square. TARGETconnect is an online system administered by Careers and provides students with access to student and graduate vacancies, details of careers events, an appointment booking system to see a careers adviser and the online careers query system. Careers information including online

49

psychometric testing and video resources are available online through Moodle: sign up via Moodle to access these services. When you graduate, as alumni of Lancaster University you can benefit from on-going Careers Support to help you progress and develop your future career. Dr Amalendu Misra is the PG PPR Careers advisor, and can be contacted on a.misra@lancaster.ac.uk

STUDENT REPRESENTATION AND SUPPORT The interests of PG students are represented by designated student representatives who will attend a termly Postgraduate Committee and, where relevant, the Department Meeting. Non-personal issues affecting or of concern to students should be communicated to the relevant student representative who will then raise the matter at the relevant meeting. You will also have opportunity to offer feedback through formal evaluations conducted at the end of each module. Contact details for all Student Reps, plus a schedule of dates for the meetings will be made available on the department noticeboard.

PERSONAL MATTERS If you are experiencing problems with your studies or with matters that have a bearing upon your studies and participation, don’t let them build up or get unduly worried about them. If you find that you are having problems, whether as a result of illness, family or personal difficulties, or lack of motivation, please contact the PG Co-ordinator or the PG Director as soon as possible. However, there are many other people and agencies to whom you might turn for advice and support. The Counselling and Mental Health Service are based on ‘A’ floor of University House, and can be contacted through ‘The Base’. Staff there will be able to make appointments with specialist staff when needed. There is also a resources page where students can find mental health and counselling information online, giving details of how to access local support services. The online resources include information of how to cope with stress, anxiety and depression, advice on starting university and dealing with exam stress, etc

Graduate College CWO (College Welfare Officer) Anna Lewis - gradcollwelfare@lancaster.ac.uk College Wellbeing Officers can help with welfare issues such as housing, social or academic worries. Lancaster has a student-centred approach in which access to high quality support across a range of areas is provided by different agencies in a way which best meets each student's individual circumstances and needs. Further information can be found on the Student Registry web page.

50

Please do not forget that it is your degree and your responsibility to seek help if you are experiencing difficulties.

Intercalations This is an approved period of suspension of your studies lasting between one month and twelve months. The maximum length of a single period of intercalation or deferral of assessment is 24 consecutive months. Between two instances of interruption a period of continuous study should be undertaken for at least 12 months. For taught students, the maximum period of absence through ill health without intercalation is 30 consecutive days. Plus, in exceptional circumstances, an extension of a further 30 days can be requested through the department who if they choose to support the proposal will make a case to the Student Registry for final approval. If you are considering intercalating, you should contact the PG Administrator. You will need to supply relevant supporting evidence so that a formal intercalation application can be made to Student Registry on your behalf. Requests for intercalation are only approved if they meet agreed criteria and are supported by appropriate evidence. Whilst this option can be of benefit to some students, it is not without its drawbacks: one of the major ones being the fact that students are not permitted by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Housing Benefits Offices to claim benefits if they would normally be excluded under the full-time education rules. The DWP and Housing Benefit Offices regard intercalating students as continuing students on the grounds that they intend to resume their studies. If postgraduate students are intercalating the Library can offer you a free external borrower account which allows them to borrow 6 books during their intercalation period. Further information from the Library.

Withdrawals If you feel uncertain about carrying on at Lancaster, it is important that you talk it through with the Director of PG Studies or one of the other support services such as your college personal tutor or someone in the Student Registry. It may be, for example, that you need time to adjust to a new and unfamiliar lifestyle. Should you decide to leave, it is essential that you do not just walk out. You should contact the Postgraduate Co-ordinator who will discuss your plans with you. If you have any books on loan from the Library or are in possession of any university equipment or property, please ensure you return these – it will save you and us a lot of unnecessary letters and telephones calls. In order to safeguard your entitlement to funding for any future course you should seek advice as soon as possible. Full details on this, and information regarding a transfer to another course/college, may be obtained from the Student registry. Please be aware of the fees implications if you do leave before completing your studies. The withdrawal policy can be found on the student-based services website.

51

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES, MEDICAL CONDITIONS & SPECIFIC NEEDS You are admitted to the University on your academic record. The University welcomes all students and has an array of support services to ensure no student feels disadvantaged. This Department follows University Policy and strives to make itself an inclusive department. It is possible that you have already had support from the Disabilities Service as part of your admission process. Debbie Hill in the Disabilities Service will continue to provide guidance and support by working with the Department to ensure your learning support needs are met, especially with regards to exams and assessments. There is also financial help that is available You can contact the Disabilities Service at any time in your time here is you feel you might need advice (for example you might want to be assessed for dyslexia). Liaise with the Department for any issue concerning disability, equal opportunities or unfair treatment (including harassment) by contacting the PG Coordinator who can direct you to the right person. If you have any medical concerns or mental health issues that impact on your studies that you would like the Department to take into account you should contact the Director of Postgraduate Studies or the Postgraduate Co-ordinator. If using the library is an issue because of dyslexia, a disability or medical condition, get in touch with Fiona Rhodes, f.rhodes@lancaster.ac.uk, for advice and help. Confidentiality: If it is useful for you, do talk in confidence to any of the staff named here, but please remember that you may not be able to access all the support available to you unless we can inform other staff involved in support arrangements. You may also find it helpful to look at some of the following web pages for local and national background Lancaster Disabilities Service You can also easily reach the two sites above via the alphabetical list on the University home page. Lancaster Equal Opportunities web page.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS A wide range of support is available to all students. For academic and personal support see http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/student-based-services/international/ and https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/study/life-at-lancaster/

English for Academic Purposes (EAP) The English for Academic Purposes (Study Skills) Programme is for international students intending to study at Lancaster University, and who need to improve their language and study skills before

52

starting their main course of study. There are also a limited number of places available for students who have been accepted into the University without being required or recommended to take one of these courses. If you have received an "unconditional offer" and are interested in enrolling in one of the courses, please contact the Summer Programmes Administration Coordinator Cara Pinder-Emery lael@lancaster.ac.uk for further details.

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE All registered students of Lancaster University can complain by following the Student Complaints Procedure. Information provided will explain the procedure and what you can and cannot complain about.

53

ACADEMIC STAFF 2019-20 http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/ppr/about-us/people/ Dr Rahaf Aldoughli Email: r.aldoughli@lancaster.ac.uk Rahaf Aldoughli’s research primarily centres on the study nationalism and the emergence of nation-state in the Middle East. Her areas of research expertise include identifying the ideological borrowings between European and Arab nationalism, the rise of the nation-state in the Middle East, the Syria crisis, militarism and the construction of masculinity in the Arab world. Her research also focuses on the association between the rise of nation-states in the Middle East and the perpetuation of militarism, despotism and fundamentalism, analysing militarism in the Arab context not only as an institution used by the state, but also as an ideology that perpetuates masculinity and gender bias. Aldoughli is currently a visiting fellow at LSE Middle East Centre, carrying out research on state nationalism, Syrian war and politics of domination. Her monograph, based on masculinity in Syrian nationalism, is currently under review by Cambridge University Press. Dr Patrick Bishop Email: p.bishop@lancaster.ac.uk Patrick Bishop teaches Political Theory and Public Sector Management. His main research interests are theories of democracy, Enlightenment thought, and the ethics of both local and central government. His publications include Management, Organisation and Ethics in the Public Sector. Dr Brian Black Email: b.black@lancaster.ac.uk Brian Black’s primary area of research is Indian religious narrative, particularly in the Upanishads, Mahabharata, and the Buddhist Nikayas. He is also interested in comparative philosophy, gender studies, and theory & method in the Study of Religions. His current research is on narrative and ethics in the Mahabharata. Dr Andrew Chubb Email: a.chubb@lancaster.ac.uk Andrew Chubb is a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at Lancaster University. A graduate of the University of Western Australia, his teaching and research focus on China’s politics and foreign policy. His current research project examines the role of domestic public opinion in international crises in East Asia. Dr Sam Clark – PGT Director Email: sam.clark@lancaster.ac.uk Sam Clark is interested in the self; in good and bad lives it might lead; in its reflexive powers and practices; in the roles of experience, reflection, and institutions in its development and success; and in how to do philosophy so as to advance our understanding of these issues. These interests have lead him to think, write, and teach about capitalism and anarchism; utopias, dialogues, and autobiographies; well-being, pleasure, and self-realization; self-knowledge, self-interpretation, and self-command; the lives and experiences of monks, soldiers, hermits, and solo travellers; and the transformative effects of work and war. His current work is philosophy of and through autobiography, and as part of it he has published articles in journals including Inquiry, Ratio, Res Publica, The Journal of Applied Philosophy, and Philosophy and Literature. He is currently writing a book about autobiography, narrative, and self-realization, under the working title Good Lives.

54

Erica Consterdine Email: e.consterdine@lancaster.ac.uk Erica Consterdine’s research centres on public policy with a focus on the politics of immigration and immigration policymaking. Her areas of research expertise include British politics, the role of political parties, the political economy of immigration, immigration governance and new institutional approaches to studying public policymaking. Erica's book Labour's Immigration Policy: The Making of the Migration State was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2018. Prior to joining the Department of PPR Erica was a Research Fellow at the University of Sussex where she conducted EC funded research on the Common European Asylum System (CEASEVAL) and Temporary Migration (TEMPER). She has also been a Research Fellow at the Institute for Employment Studies where she conducted research on UK labour market policy and the gig economy. Nic Coombs Email: n.coombs@lancaster.ac.uk Nic Coombs was a career diplomat with the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), mostly working in or on the Middle East. He joined the FCO on graduation, and studied Arabic at the School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS), London, and then in Cairo. His postings included (two tours in) Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and covering the hostage crisis in Beirut. His particular areas of interest are the practical realities of engagement with the contemporary political scene in the Middle East, diplomacy, and questions of identity. Dr Rachel Cooper Email: r.v.cooper@lancaster.ac.uk Rachel Cooper’s research interests are: Philosophy of Science (especially human sciences) and philosophy of medicine (especially psychiatry). To date, she has written three books on the philosophy of psychiatry, Classifying Madness (Springer, 2005), Psychiatry and Philosophy of Science (Acumen, 2007), and Diagnosing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (2014). She is currently working on a monograph on the concept of disease. This will investigate what it is that makes something a disorder, as opposed to, say, a normal variation or a vice. Professor Andrew Dawson – Head of Department Email: andrew.dawson@lancaster.ac.uk Andrew Dawson is Professor of Modern Religion and researches the relationship between religious transformation and modern society in various parts of the world. He is trained in religious studies, theology and social science and teaches/supervises in the areas of Religion and Modern Society, Sociology of Religion and New Religious Movements. Dr Karolina Follis Email: k.follis@lancaster.ac.uk Karolina Follis is a political anthropologist interested in borders, citizenship and non-citizenship, human rights and new security technologies. She studies the European Union, in particular its governance of justice and home affairs, including immigration and asylum. She conducted ethnographic fieldwork in Poland and Ukraine to understand the human consequences of the transformation of the border between those two countries into an external border of the EU. The outcome of this project is her book Building Fortress Europe. The Polish-Ukrainian Frontier published by University of Pennsylvania Press in 2012. Her current research follows up on these interests by interrogating the ongoing digitalization of borders in the European Union and beyond, a process which

55

unfolds under the banner of 'smart borders.' She is presently developing a project which asks how 'smart borders' transform the everyday practices of border policing, and what are the ramifications of this process for human rights and the politics of citizenship and non-citizenship in Europe. John Foster Email: j.foster@lancaster.ac.uk John Foster thinks and writes about philosophical problems in relation to environment and sustainability issues, including applications in policy, economics and education. Among his publications are The Sustainability Mirage and After Sustainability: Denial, Hope, Retrieval as well as several edited collections, most recently Post-Sustainability: Tragedy and Transformation (forthcoming). Dr Mark Garnett Email: m.garnett@lancaster.ac.uk Mark Garnett teaches UK politics and the government and politics of the European Union. His main research interest is the relationship between ideas and practice in UK politics. Among his many publications are the textbook Exploring British Politics. Dr Brian Garvey Email: b.garvey@lancaster.ac.uk In philosophy of biology his research interests include: the concept of innateness, and issues connected with evolutionary psychology and human nature. He has also worked on philosophical issues relating to psychoanalysis and psychotherapy; in particular, the nature of interpretation, and connections between psychoanalysis, cognitive science, and evolutionary psychology. He is also interested in the problem of free will, and in particular the implications of scientific findings for it. He would be interested in supervising postgraduate work in any of these areas, or on the work of Ryle, Austin, Davidson or Dennett.

Dr Basil Germond Email: b.germond@lancaster.ac.uk Basil Germond teaches International Relations, Diplomacy and Foreign Policy. His research is cross-disciplinary and aims at understanding human, social and political interactions at, from, within, and with the sea. He favours mixed methods and approaches, ranging from corpus linguistics to content analysis to the application of IR theories. His specific research interests cover the maritime dimension of the European Union, maritime security, maritime strategy and maritime geopolitics, the concept of seapower, ocean governance, climate change dimensions in maritime security, the European Union's geopolitics (including its geopolitical vision, actorness and discourse), and frontiers in IR. He has developed cross-disciplinary research within social sciences (e.g. linguistics, human geography) and beyond, notably with marine sciences. Professor Robert Geyer Email: r.geyer@lancaster.ac.uk Robert Geyer is Professor of Politics, Complexity and Policy. He teaches comparative politics, international relations and the government and politics of the European Union. He is the author of several books, including Exploring European Social Policy (2000), Complexity, Science and Society (2007) and Complexity and Public Policy (2010) and Handbook on Complexity and Public Policy (2015). His primary focus for the past 15 years has been on trying to apply the framework of complexity theory and thinking towards a range of policy areas including: health policy, drug regulation, education,

56

foreign policy and aspects of development. He has also created 6 videos on complexity and policy that are available on Youtube. Dr Julie Hearn Email: j.hearn@lancaster.ac.uk Julie Hearn's research interests include NGOs, social movements, civil society, the diaspora, trade unions, as well as grassroots and state-led alternatives to neo-liberalism, within the historic and contemporary context of North-South relations, focusing on sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Her ESRC-funded doctoral research examined the relationship between US foreign policy and US evangelical NGOs in Kenya. She has undertaken further research in Uganda, Ghana and South Africa on a collaborative DFID-funded research project, 'Foreign Political Aid, Democratisation and Civil Society in Africa' at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex. Her current work focuses on Ecuador’s development model. She has taught development studies at MA level at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, and at the LSE. She has published in the following journals: Development and Change, Third World Quarterly, Review of African Political Economy, Journal of Religion in Africa, Race and Class. Dr Donald Holbrook Email: d.holbrook@lancaster.ac.uk Donald Holbrook is currently especially interested in the interplay between beliefs, ideas and international security. He has looked both at the way in which terrorist movements frame their message in order to mobilise perceived constituents, publishing for instance on right-wing extremism and Al-Qaeda, and how convicted terrorists have interacted with this content prior to arrest. He is also interested in ways in which research can have an impact on policy and practice. Dr Gavin Hyman Email: g.hyman@lancaster.ac.uk Gavin Hyman is a specialist in continental philosophy and religious thought, and has a interests in: debates in contemporary theology between 'radical orthodoxy' and 'secular theology'; the dialectical tradition in philosophy and theology (Hegel and post-Hegelian thinkers such as Gillian Rose, Charles Taylor, Rowan Williams and Slavoj Zizek); religion and psychoanalytic thought (especially in the work of Freud and Michel de Certeau); religion and political thought, particularly the origins and development of the Christian Socialist tradition; the philosophical and cultural history of atheism and secularism; and contemporary debates on the nature of atheism and secularism. Dr Anderson H M Jeremiah Email: a.jeremiah@lancaster.ac.uk Anderson Jeremiah’s research primarily centres on the study of World Christianity and the socio-cultural implications of the shift of Christianity to the global south. His areas of academic expertise include Christian Theology in Asia, Postcolonial Approaches to Theology, Anglican Communion, Dalit Studies, Contextual Theologies, History of Christianity, Modern Missionary Movements, Inculturation and faith, Biblical Hermeneutics, Economics and Liberation Theology, Encounter between Christianity and other Religions, Inter-Faith Understanding, Religious fundamentalism and Politics, Poltics and Society in India. Dr Matthew Johnson Email: m.johnson@lancaster.ac.uk Matthew Johnson's research interests lie in examining the possibility of making cross-cultural judgements (Evaluating Culture, Palgrave, 2013), exploring the notion of ‘good culture’ through ‘A

57

Cross-Cultural Working Group on “Good Culture” and Precariousness’, a collaborative project between academics and non-academic community co-researchers from Ashington, Northumberland, and Aboriginal communities around Brisbane, South East Queensland, aimed at identifying and fostering cultural responses to precariousness capable of promoting wellbeing. He is the Editor of Global Discourse: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Current Affairs and Applied Contemporary Thought. Dr Richard Johnson Email: r.johnson10@lancaster.ac.uk Richard Johnson is Lecturer in US Politics and International Relations. His work focuses on race and democracy in the United States. Through the lens of American racial politics, his research interests include political communications and campaign strategies, elections and electoral systems, representation and public policy, urban politics, and party regimes and polarisation. His recent work has studied black candidates in predominantly white contexts, the political thought of liberal Republicans, racially polarised partisanship under the Obama and Trump presidencies, and the impact of political structures such as voting systems and legislative apportionment on the representation of political and ethnic minorities. Current projects include studies about civil rights policy during the Reagan presidency and the implications of recent state-level partisan change on racial segregation in American schools. In a British context, he has written widely about the Labour Party and its history. He has taught US politics and comparative politics. Dr Hiroko Kawanami Email: h.kawanami@lancaster.ac.uk Hiroko Kawanami is a social anthropologist and a Buddhist studies scholar. She is interested in the relationship between the Buddhist monastic community and wider society in areas of Buddhism and the political process, Buddhist law and intra-communal relations, religious gift and social donations. She has also written widely about Buddhist gender relations, ordination of Buddhist nuns, humanitarian work and NGOs in Southeast Asia. Professor Kim Knott Email: k.knott@lancaster.ac.uk Kim is interested in how religion, the secular and post-secular are constructed and represented in public discourse, in what separates them and what they have in common. She has identified various theoretical and methodological resources for breaking open the secular and for exploring the boundary between religion and non-religion, including research on the 'sacred' as a cross-cutting category. She leads a programme on ideological transmission in social context for CREST, the Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats. Dr Mark Lacy Email: m.lacy@lancaster.ac.uk Mark Lacy’s research focuses on new security challenges such as cybersecurity and new media technologies in global politics, examined through the lens of European social and political thought and thinkers such as Paul Virilio and Zygmunt Bauman. More broadly, he is interested in debates about war, security and the ‘pace of change’ in global politics. Dr Benjamin Lee Email: b.lee10@lancaster.ac.uk Benjamin Lee is a Senior Research Associate with the Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats (CREST). Benjamin's background is in political science and political communication although his current main research interests are in the extreme-right, terrorism, radicalisation,

58

and countering violent extremism. Benjamin has published work in Democracy & Security, International Journal of Press/Politics, Politics, and New Media & Society. Benjamin's co-edited volume The New Extremism: Readings in Violence, Radicalisation and Extremism in the Digital Space will be published next year by Palgrave. Dr Anna-Sophie Maass Email: a.maass@lancaster.ac.uk Anna-Sophie Maass teaches Theories and Concepts in Diplomacy and Foreign Policy. Her main research interests are EU-Russian relations, the EU’s foreign policy with the post-Soviet space and Russian politics. Her monograph examining the reasons for the deterioration of EU-Russian relations between 1999 and 2015 was published by Routledge. Her current research examines EU-Russian and NATO-Russian engagement in Kaliningrad. Dr Simon Mabon Email: s.mabon@lancaster.ac.uk Simon’s work falls somewhere within the intersection of Middle East Studies and (International) Political Theory. He is particularly interested in sovereignty, space, and nomos and has published in journals including: Review of International Studies; British Journal of Middle East Studies, Middle East Journal, Third World Quarterly, Middle East Policy and Politics, Religion and Ideology amongst others. His latest book Houses built on sand: Violence, sectarianism and revolution was published by Manchester/Oxford University Press. He is currently working on The Struggle For Supremacy (forthcoming with Cambridge University Press) which looks at the impact of the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran across the Middle East. Dr Christopher Macleod Email: c.macleod@lancaster.ac.uk Christopher Macleod works mainly on the philosophy of John Stuart Mill: the foundations Mill offers for his theory of practical and theoretical reason and his connections to the Kantian, post-Kantian, and Romantic traditions of philosophy. Christopher has a wide range of interests in philosophy and political theory, however, he is also currently working on the Philosophy of Law. Dr Neil Manson Email: n.manson@lancaster.ac.uk Neil Manson's research is in applied philosophy, with a special focus on issues to do with communication and knowledge including questions about what consent is, what we need to know in order for consent to be "valid", how deception undermines the force of consent, how we should best think of privacy rights, whether there are kinds of knowledge we should not seek. He is the author (with Onora O'Neill) of Rethinking Informed Consent and numerous papers on consent and other topics in applied philosophy. Dr Sarah Marsden Email: s.marsden@lancaster.ac.uk Sarah is Lecturer in Protest and Radicalisation in a Digital Age. She is interested in contentious politics, social movements, terrorism, and collective violence with a particular focus on religious nationalism and global jihadism. Her research has examined the political, social, and cultural outcomes of political violence in the Middle East; the losses and gains achieved by different sides in the 'Global War on Terror'; the individual processes associated with disengagement from violence; and the ideological and cultural constraints that influence the form and subject of violence. Sarah is also interested in the relationship between space, place, and protest, and how the urban environment influences the shape of contention in cities.

59

Professor Christopher May – PGR Director Email: c.may@lancaster.ac.uk Christopher May is Professor of Political Economy. He has been researching the link between political economy and the law for over twenty years; his earlier work focused on intellectual property rights, and his more recent research is concerned with the rule of law as the common sense of global politics (the title of his 2014 monograph published by Edward Elgar). He has also maintained an ongoing interest in global corporations and technological change and is currently working on a book on corporations. While working as Associate Dean he developed the faculty’s engagement agenda (including Campus in the City) and was the university’s representative on the board of Lancaster & District Chamber of Commerce. Before becoming an academic Chris worked in the music business, as a bookseller and for the political pressure group Charter 88. He recently completed an MA in Art History with the Open University. Dr Amalendu Misra Email: a.misra@lancaster.ac.uk Amalendu Misra’s primary research encompasses the interrogation of violence in the political. His other subsidiary inquiry concerns theories of nationalism and religious radicalism. He uses an interdisciplinary approach in his investigation. He is the author of five research monographs: Towards a Philosophy of Narco Violence in Mexico (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017); The Landscape of Silence: Sexual Violence Against Men in War (Hurst, 2015); The Politics of Civil Wars (Routledge, 2009); Afghanistan: The Labyrinth of Violence (Polity 2004) & Identity and Religion (Sage 2004). He has written over twenty-five essays in various refereed journals on aspects of ethno-national politics, civil wars, minority rights, and peace processes in multinational states. He is currently working on a monograph tentatively titled On Killing… Dr Kunal Mukherjee Email: k.mukherjee1@lancaster.ac.uk Kunal's research interests revolve primarily around the International Relations, Politics and Security concerns of the Asia Pacific. He is interested in both South Asia (primarily India) and East Asia (primarily China). Dr Shuruq Naguib Email: shuruqnaguib@lancaster.ac.uk Classical Exegesis of the Qur'an (Intertextuality and Hermeneutics); The Representation of Women in the Qur'an and Exegesis; Ritual Ethics in Islam, Genderin Islamic thought; Contemporary Women Interpreters of the Qur'an (Muslim Feminism); Dis/continuities between traditional and contemporary Islamic thought; Bint al-Shati': the First Sunni woman exegete and hermeneutician. Dr Astrid Nordin Email: a.nordin@lancaster.ac.uk Astrid’s research interests fall in the intersection of contemporary Chinese politics and international relations, broadly conceived, and critical theories of global politics. She is particularly interested in the contemporary deployment of concepts drawn from Chinese history, such as harmony (hexie), friendship (youyi), hegemony (baquan), or All-under-heaven (Tianxia). She has written on alternative conceptions of time, space and world order; relational theorising and the 'Chinese school' of IR; Chinese foreign policy; Chinese censorship and resistance throughout history; Chinese discourses of online resistance and wordplay; the policy concepts of 'harmonious world' (hexie shijie) and 'harmonious society' (hexie shehui); soft power; the politics of mega events; and the Belt and Road Initiative. She is the Director of Lancaster University China Centre.

60

Professor Christopher Partridge Email: c.partridge@lancaster.ac.uk Occult and paranormal cultures; drugs and mystical experience; popular music, culture and society; religion and popular culture; countercultures and protest. Professor Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad Email: c.ram-prasad@lancaster.ac.uk Professor Ram-Prasad is Distinguished Professor of Comparative Religion and Philosophy, and Fellow of the British Academy. His books are Knowledge and Liberation in Classical Indian Thought (Palgrave, 2000), Advaita Metaphysics and Epistemology: Outline of an Indian Non-Realism (RoutledgeCurzon, 2001), Eastern Philosophy (Weidenfield and Nicholson, 2005), India: Life, Myth and Art (Duncan Baird, 2006), Indian Philosophy and the Consequences Of Knowledge (Ashgate, 2007), Divine Self, Human Self: The Philosophy of Being in Two Gita Commentaries (Bloomsbury, 2013; Best Book 2011-2015, Society for Hindu-Christian Studies), and Human Being, Bodily Being: Phenomenology from Classical India (Oxford University Press, 2018). He is currently writing a book on emotion and philosophical anthropology. He has also published over fifty papers on a wide variety of topics. He has been PI and CI on many grants, including from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Economic and Social Research Council, and the Templeton Foundation. He is on the editorial board of several journals, and sits or has sat on many academic advisory boards, including the Working Papers of the India-China Centre at the New School, the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, etc. Areas of research and supervisory interest include Indian and comparative epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of mind/consciousness, political philosophy, and philosophy of gender; comparative theology; contemplative studies; religion and politics; South Asian religious identities in contemporary Britain; the conceptual sources of contemporary Indian life and beliefs. Dr Martin Steven Email: m.steven@lancaster.ac.uk Dr Martin Steven’s research interests lie in the area of EU politics, especially parties, elections and the European Parliament. He is presently researching the political activities of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), the party grouping in Strasbourg most associated with promoting the free market and NATO (Manchester University Press, 2020). He has also published in journals such as 'Representation' and 'The Political Quarterly', and is a research associate at the Manchester Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence. Professor Alison Stone Email: a.stone@lancaster.ac.uk Alison Stone mainly works in continental philosophy, feminist philosophy, history of philosophy and aesthetics. She has published the following books: Petrified Intelligence: Nature in Hegel’s Philosophy (2004), Luce Irigaray and the Philosophy of Sexual Difference (2006), An Introduction to Feminist Philosophy (2007), Feminism, Psychoanalysis and Maternal Subjectivity (2011), The Value of Popular Music (2016), Nature, Ethics and Gender in German Romanticism and Idealism (2018) and Being Born: Birth and Philosophy (2019). In addition, she edited the Edinburgh Critical History of Nineteenth-Century Philosophy (2011) and co-edited the Routledge Companion to Feminist Philosophy (2017). She is currently working on several projects recovering the history of women’s contributions to nineteenth-century philosophy. Dr Ngai-Ling Sum Email: n.sum@lancaster.ac.uk Ngai-Ling Sum’s research interests include cultural political economy, Marx, Gramsci and Foucault; international political economy; the French regulation approach; globalization and the changing world

61

market; BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, and China); competitiveness; China/Hong Kong. She was awarded (with Bob Jessop) the Gunnar Myrdal Prize by the European Association of Evolutionary Political Economics (EAEPE) for their co-authored book, Beyond the Regulation Approach (2006). In 2013, she co-authored with Bob Jessop a companion volume titled Towards a Cultural Political Economy. She publishes in journals like Economy and Society; Critical Policy Studies; Development Dialogue; New Political Economy; Critical Asian Studies; Competition and Change; Capital & Class; Distinktion: Scandinavian Journal of Social Theory; Revue de la Régulation; Urban Studies; Journal of the Knowledge Economy; Globalizations; and Language and Politics. She has also contributed chapters and essays to many edited collections and handbooks. Dr Cain Todd Email: c.todd@lancaster.ac.uk Cain Todd’s interests are: Analytic aesthetics, metaethics, and certain areas of philosophy of mind and epistemology. He is currently working on issues surrounding the nature of aesthetic and ethical judgement and value, and on objectivity, imagination, and emotion. Dr Nick Unwin Email: n.unwin@lancaster.ac.uk Nick Unwin’s interests are: Metaphysics, including causation; epistemology and philosophy of science; logic and philosophy of language, including problems concerning truth and realism; ethical theory, particularly expressivism, divine command theories and the Frege-Geach problem; philosophy of mind, including colour perception and the mind-body problem. Professor Stephen Wilkinson Email: s.wilkinson2@lancaster.ac.uk Stephen Wilkinson's recent research concerns the ethics of human reproduction. A book on this topic (Choosing Tomorrow's Children, Oxford University Press) was published in 2010. He is presently the holder of a Wellcome Trust Investigator Award which supports further work on the ethics of human reproductive donation. A previous phase of research focussed on the commercial exploitation of the human body and culminated in his first book, Bodies for Sale (Routledge, 2003). Since 2018, he has been Associate Dean for Research for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dr Garrath Williams Email: g.d.williams@lancaster.ac.uk Garrath’s interests fall into two main areas. 1. Moral and political philosophy, especially: the philosophy of responsibility; philosophy of social science; and some history of philosophy (Kant, Nietzsche, Foucault, Hannah Arendt). 2. Applied ethics and public policy, including: research ethics; childhood, food and health; business corporations and their regulation. He edited Hannah Arendt: Critical Assessments of Leading Political Philosophers (Routledge, 2006, 4 volumes) and is co-author of Childhood Obesity: Ethical and Policy Issues (OUP, 2014). Dr Nicola Williams Email: n.williams2@lancaster.ac.uk Nicola Williams’ research interests lie in the fields of normative and applied ethics and she has particular interest in questions reproductive ethics, transplantation ethics, and intergenerational justice. Much of her recent work has focussed on ethical questions surrounding reproductive tissue donation as part of the Wellcome Trust funded project ’The Donation and Transfer of Human Reproductive Materials, and she has, since May 2019 been conducting research into the philosophical

62

and policy questions raised by novel forms of organ and tissue transplantation, as part of a fellowship funded by the Leverhulme Trust. Professor Linda Woodhead MBE FaCSS Email: l.woodhead@lancaster.ac.uk Linda Woodhead researches religion, culture and values in contemporary societies. Her books include That Was the Church That Was: How the Church of England Lost the English People (with Andrew Brown, 2016), Religion and Change in Modern Britain (with Rebecca Catto, 2012), A Sociology of Religious Emotions (with Ole Riis, 2010), and The Spiritual Revolution (with Paul Heelas, 2005). She has written and edited several textbooks arising from her teaching in Lancaster including Christianity: A Very Short Introduction (2014) and Religions in the Modern World (with Chris Partridge and Koko Kawanami, 2009).

63

Appendix A

Masters Dissertation Cover Sheet

The dissertation will only be marked if this signed declaration sheet accompanies it (it does not have to be bound, but can be slipped in front of the dissertation front cover). Declaration I confirm that I have read and understood the University’s regulations relating to Plagiarism (as stated in the student handbook). I declare that this submission is entirely my own work. It has not been written or composed by any other person. I confirm that all sources, (including internet ones) have been appropriately referenced and acknowledged. I agree that this work may be checked by plagiarism software. AND I agree* / do not agree* to this dissertation and marker’s comments being used for Study Skills teaching purposes (please delete as appropriate and sign below) Student Name (please print): _________________________ _______________________________ (first name(s)) (last name) Student Signature:_________________________________ Student Number:________________ Dissertation Module No: PPR.405 Dissertation Supervisor: ___________________________________________ Word count: ______________ (excluding appendix, bibliography, footnotes used solely for references) Date Dissertation Due: ______________ Date Dissertation Submitted:__________________ Electronic version submitted? Yes / No Date:______________________ Wordcount : _____________________________ The following penalties will be applied to any coursework that is submitted after the submission date without an approved extension: Up to 3 days late: 10% deducted More than 3 days late: mark of zero For PG Office use only: Date Received:________________________ Submitted on time: Yes / No Extension: Yes / No Extension Date:_______________________

64

APPENDIX B Form completed when submitting to the The Base, Student Registry

65

APPENDIX C : Receipt from Registry after submission of thesis

66

APPENDIX D : Thesis format

THE FORM, SUBMISSION AND DEPOSIT OF THESES

1. The following rules shall apply to theses submitted for the degrees of PhD, DClinPsy, DMgt, EngD, MD, MPhil and LLM/MA/MSc by Research. Departmental requirements for the binding of dissertations submitted as part of the requirements for taught Masters awards may vary in detail and candidates are advised to seek early advice.

Submission and deposit: Doctoral theses

2. Candidates shall submit to the Student Registry:

For candidates registered prior to October 2011

(a) copies of the thesis (one per examiner) in a secure adhesive binding; (b) if necessary, an application to restrict access to the thesis (see (d) below).

For candidates registered after October 2011

(c) copies of the thesis (one per examiner) in a secure adhesive binding; (d) a Thesis Access Declaration form.

3. After the viva voce examination has taken place and any necessary amendments have been

approved, two copies of the thesis must be hard bound according to the specifications in paragraphs 7-10 below and deposited with the Student Registry. For students registered during or after 2011 one copy of the final version of the thesis must be deposited electronically in the institutional repository, one copy of the thesis must be hard bound according to the specifications in paragraph 7-10 below and deposited with the Student Registry to be forwarded to the Library.

4. A thesis for which approval has been granted for submission in an Alternative Format shall

include:

(a) an introductory chapter covering the whole of the background and context of the research and demonstrating the overall unity of approach(es) and theme(s);

(b) a final chapter summarising the achievements and conclusions of the whole of the research;

(c) a full statement of authorship for each multi-authored publication, accompanied by written certification by the other authors of each publication of the proportion for which credit is due the candidate for carrying out the research and preparing the publication; and

(d) where appropriate a consolidated bibliography, in addition to these elements as they appear in individual paper-format chapters.

Note: a candidate may be advised to include a comprehensive methodology chapter, in addition to these elements as they appear in individual paper-format chapters. Further advice may be found in the guidelines published by the department of registration.

5. All items submitted for the degree of PhD by Published Work with the exception of books, shall

be submitted for examination in a secure binding, with each of the three sets of publications

67

being fixed securely between covers, together with the covering paper. A frontispiece, giving the author's name, the name of the degree and year of submission, shall be included. If the degree is awarded, one print copy of the submission is required for deposition in the University Library. For students registered during or after 2011 unpublished material contained in the thesis must be submitted as an ‘edited thesis’ as an electronic deposit.

Submission and deposit: MPhil theses

6. Candidates shall submit to the Student Registry copies of the thesis (one per examiner) in a secure adhesive binding. After the examiners’ recommendations have been made known to the student and any necessary amendments have been approved two copies of the thesis must be hard bound according to the specifications below and deposited with the Student Registry. For students registered during or after 2011 one copy must be deposited electronically in the institutional repository, one copy of the thesis must be hard bound according to the specifications in paragraphs 7-10 below and deposited with the Student Registry to be forwarded to the Library.

General information

7. For students registered prior to October 2011 one copy of a thesis shall normally be retained for public use in the University Library, save as provided in 9 below, and a second copy shall be retained by the department principally responsible for the candidate's work. These copies shall be submitted to the Student Registry, which will then distribute them to the University Library and the student’s administering department.

8. For students registered during or after 2011, one electronic copy of the thesis will normally be

deposited in the institutional repository; an additional bound copy of a thesis shall normally be retained for public use in the University Library, save as provided in 9 below.

9. The candidate, in consultation with the supervisor and head of department, shall instruct the

Library if the thesis is not to be made available immediately for general public use. No thesis normally shall be withheld from public use for more than five years.

10. A candidate who is required by the examiners to make corrections to the thesis shall complete the

corrections within three months of receiving, from the internal examiner, notice of the corrections to be made. A candidate who is required by the examiners to make minor amendments to the thesis shall complete the amendments within six months of receiving, from the internal examiner, notice of the amendments to be made. The degree shall not be awarded until the thesis has been corrected or amended to the satisfaction of the examiners and the revised hardbound copies have been submitted to the Student Registry.

Length, style, layout and presentation

11. A thesis for the degree of LLM/MA/MSc by Research shall not normally exceed 35,000 words. A thesis for the degree of MPhil shall not normally exceed 60,000 words (including any footnotes and appendices but excluding the bibliography); a thesis for the degree of PhD shall not normally exceed 80,000 words (including any footnotes and appendices but excluding the bibliography), without prior approval from the body or officer with delegated authority from Senate. Candidates shall make a declaration of the word length of the thesis and confirm that it does not exceed the permitted maximum. If it does exceed the permitted maximum, the declaration shall include confirmation that this has been formally approved by the body or officer with

68

delegated authority from Senate. Theses shall be written in English save where, in exceptional circumstances, the Head of Department has given prior permission to present the thesis in another language and reported this approval to Student Registry.

12. Theses for the degrees of MPhil and PhD, submitted as part of the doctoral programme in

Educational Research or Linguistics, or for creative writing or theatre studies, or within the Division of Health Research, vary from these word lengths.

13. Candidates must avoid typographical, spelling and other minor errors. If any such errors are made,

the candidate must correct them to the examiners' satisfaction before a degree is awarded.

14. The author's full names and degrees, the title of the thesis, the degree for which the thesis is submitted and the month and year of submission shall appear on the first leaf of the thesis and at the top of the abstract. Each thesis shall be preceded by an abstract not exceeding 300 words typed as specified below in a form suitable for use in major abstract indices.

15. The text of the thesis shall be word processed on good quality A4 paper (210 mm x 297 mm),

leaving a left hand margin of 38 mm, and a margin of 25 mm on the other three sides. Diagrams and illustrations shall be reproduced or mounted on similar paper; any which cannot be folded on A4 size must be submitted in a suitable portfolio which shall bear the particulars listed in 2.4 above.

16. The author shall provide as an integral part of the thesis a comprehensive list of contents,

including diagrams, illustrative matter and any appendices; bibliography comprehending all materials cited or referred to in the whole submission; and must indicate if any part of the thesis is bound separately.

17. Pagination shall extend to the whole of each volume, including any diagrams, appendices, or other

matter. For preliminary matter roman numerals may, if wished, be used. If chapters have numerical subdivisions these shall be recorded in the contents list.

18. Candidates must make a declaration that the thesis is their own work, and has not been submitted

in substantially the same form for the award of a higher degree elsewhere. Any sections of the thesis which have been published, or submitted for a higher degree elsewhere, shall be clearly identified. If the thesis is the result of joint research, a statement indicating the nature of the candidate's contribution to that research, confirmed by the supervisor(s), shall be included.

19. Students registered during or after 2011 must make a declaration granting the institutional

repository a number of permissions and conditions with respect to online access to their work. If any subsidiary material owned by third party copyright holders has been included, candidates must declare permission has been sought and obtained to make it available in digital format.

20. Note: in respect of a thesis submitted under the regulations governing a PhD by coursework and thesis the wording of the cover page shall be: 'This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy'.

Form of theses

21. Candidates’ theses should conform to British Standard 4821 1990 Presentation of theses and dissertations, which is available in Lancaster University Library.

69

22. General guidance on the preparation and presentation of a thesis may be found in the books listed in Lancaster University Library’s online guide to Study and Research Skills Books.

23. Guidance on Citing references is available on Lancaster University Library’s website. There are

links to the main styles (Harvard, APA, Chicago and Vancouver) and lists of useful up-to- date books. However some departments have their own rules on citations and candidates should seek guidance from their supervisor.

Binding of theses – specifications

24. Pages, which should be trimmed on all edges, should be bound in a fixed permanent binding, rounded and backed (samples may be seen in Brady Bookbinders, located on campus):

(a) boards to be of a quality strong enough to support the volume when standing on the shelf

and having a square on all edges; (b) covering material to be of a cotton woven library buckram or rexine with a washable

surface; (c) cloth colours to be dark green (MA), burgundy (MRes), black (MSc), brown (LLM), dark

blue (MPhil), bright red (PhD), dark brown (DClinPsy, EngD, MD and DMgt) and mid green (DSc/DLitt);

(d) lettering to be in gold. In capital letters reading down the spine, candidate's surname, followed by initials; across the lower half of the spine, title of degree, the word 'LANCASTER', and the year of submission;

(e) photographs and other mounted illustrations should be added after the thesis has been bound. Where mounted material is to be used a system of permanent guarding must be provided.

Binders

25. The University’s Design, Photography and Print team offers a binding service, who can carry out work of a suitable standard. For recommendations as to the mounting and guarding of illustrations binders will give advice. Allow for the possibility of delays in July, August and September. Candidates should ensure that their theses are presented to the binders as perfect copies. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure that the pagination is correct when submitted for binding.