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Contents
How to use this Guide ...................................................... 3
New for 2015/16 .............................................................. 6
Important Dates ............................................................ 11
Preparing for the start of the teaching term .................... 20
Teaching begins ............................................................. 32
Teaching locations ......................................................... 40
Timetables 2015/16 ....................................................... 49
Progressing through the years of study ........................... 67
End of teaching terms and reading weeks ....................... 71
Personal/Study Support ................................................. 75
Penalties ........................................................................ 86
Have Your Say ................................................................ 97
Assessments ................................................................ 103
Social Diary .................................................................. 117
Extra-curricular Activities ............................................. 123
Fees, Scholarships and Bursaries .................................. 129
Self-test Exercises ........................................................ 132
3
How to use this
Guide
4
How to use this Guide
CONCORDO is the brand name for a series of reference
guides to all key events and personnel associated with
taught programmes of study in the School of Law at
Birkbeck, University of London. Unlike other guides which
tend to contain different information depending on the
constituency toward which they are directed, Concordo is to
be used by students, academic staff, administrative staff
and teaching and scholarship staff. Concordo aims to ensure
that all groups within the School of Law are given a common
core of knowledge about principles, policies and protocols
governing taught programmes of study, including standards
of academic performance, standards of conduct and extra-
curricular and social activities. Concordo guides are
structured according to the student journey – from the
point of acceptance of a place on the programme, through
teaching, assessment and eventual graduation. This
structure will allow readers to easily reference information
relating to any particular point in the academic cycle. All
Concordo guides contain self-test exercises intended to help
readers assess how well they understand the principles,
rules and protocols contained in the guide.
5
Concordo (Legum Baccalaureus) is a guide exclusively for
students and staff on the School’s qualifying law degree.
Students and staff following/involved in the LLM version of
the QLD must refer to Concordo (Legum Baccalaureus).
Concordo aims to provide a quick reference to information
contained in other sources, such as the LLB and LLM Student
Handbooks 2015/16.
6
New for 2015/16
7
New for 2015/16
Leave of absence
The following members of Academic staff are on research or
other approved leave and will not be contactable during the
term indicated:
Patrick Hanafin (autumn term)
Michelle Everson (autumn term)
Stewart Motha (autumn term)
Adam Gearey (autumn and spring term)
Daniel Monk (spring term)
Maria Aristodemou (spring term)
Zeina Ghandour (autumn term)
Maximum pass rate for modules re-assessed after a failed
attempt or non-submission
Following a decision of College Academic Board, all
Academic Schools and Departments must adapt their
marking and assessment schemes so as to ensure that any
element of assessment that is submitted as a reassessment
(second attempt after a failed attempt or non-submission)
and for which no application for consideration of mitigating
8
circumstances has been accepted will be awarded a mark of
no more than 40% (LLB modules) or no more than 50% (LLM
QLD modules), which is the minimum percentage pass rate
for respectively undergraduate modules and postgraduate
taught modules. This new marking and assessment rules
applies to all students taking any assessment for the first
time in the current academic year (2015/16) and applies to
all LLB and LLM QLD modules. The rules does not apply in
cases where a student has failed an undergraduate or
postgraduate module and is directed to re-take the module
by attending, for a second time, the classes relating to the
failed module.
New Equalities officer Sarah Keenan (Email: [email protected]; Telephone: 020
3073 8137) has taken on this new academic role. Sarah will
be responsible for ensuring that the School’s teaching and
learning strategies for all programmes are consistent with
equalities principles and legislation. Academic support for
students with disabilities is a particular focus of Sarah’s role.
Sarah will Chair a newly established Equalities Working
Group, which will meet once a term to decide policy and
make decisions around individual student needs.
9
Learning Development Tutor - Academic Skills: Christina
Delistathi: ([email protected] / 020 7631 6513 / Office
Location: 2.02, 18 Gower Street) Christina provides
individual support and general workshops on a range of
subjects, including essay writing/exam preparation/dyslexia
support, best management of time, oral presentations and
preparing for exams. She helps develop the higher order
academic skills needed for Law study, including analysis,
synthesis and evaluative critical thinking.
Professional Skills Learning Development Tutor
Jonathan Thorpe ([email protected]) has taken on the
role of Professional Skills Learning Development Tutor and
will be responsible for working with colleagues in the School
of Law to provide students with a range of opportunities in
which to develop professional skills relevant to the fields of
law and criminology, including Moots and Mock Trials.
Friends House Liaison
Luis Belmonte will take on a new role during the teaching
period for the QLD. Luis will be on-site at Friends House
during the Induction period (29 September 2015 to 15
October 2015) and thereafter an average of one day per
week (autumn/spring) rotating between Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday. With this role, which will have
10
significant interface with students on-site, it is expected that
administrative queries classically dealt with in the office will
be reduced. Luis is also charged with responsibility for
alerting the Equalities Officer (Sarah Keenan) of any
disability access issues or technological problems that may
impact negatively on the student experience of students
with disability needs, or needs relative to other protective
characteristics.
11
Important Dates
12
Important Dates
Teaching Term Dates
Autumn Term
Monday 28 September to Friday 11 December 2015
Spring Term
Monday 4 January 2016 to Friday 18 March 2016
Summer Term
Monday 18 April 2016 to Friday 1 July 2016
School Administration/College Closure Dates
Christmas Closing
Thursday 24 December 2015 to Friday 1 January 2016.
College will close at 6pm on Wednesday 23 December 2015,
and normal services will resume from 9am on Monday 4
January 2016.
13
Easter Closing
Thursday 24 March 2016 to Tuesday 29 March 2016. College
will close at 6pm on Wednesday 23 March 2016, and normal
services will resume from 9am on Wednesday 30 March
2016.
Reading weeks
Autumn Reading Week
Monday 2 November 2015 to Friday 6 November 2015
Spring Reading Week
Monday 8 February 2016 to Friday 12 February 2016
Induction Staff Induction Dates Academic Staff 30 September 2015 Teaching & Scholarship Staff 16 September 2015
14
Student Induction Dates New Students Tuesday 29 September to Thursday 8 October 2015, 6pm –
9pm, Friends House, Large Theatre (173 Euston Road,
London NW1 2BJ)
Continuing students Wednesday 30 September 2015, 6pm – 9pm, Friends House,
Small Theatre (173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ)
Coursework submission deadlines Autumn Term Submission
Wednesday 06 January 2016 at 04.30pm
Spring Term Submission
Monday 18 April 2016 at 04.30pm
September Submission
Wednesday 24 August 2016 at 11.30am
15
Legal Systems and Methods assessment submission dates
LLB students Assessment 1: 30 October 2015 at 4.30pm Assessment 2: 18 March 2016 at 4.30pm LLM QLD students Assessment 1: 30 October 2015 at 4.30pm Assessment 2: Dissertation Skills Exercise. The first exercise is due on 26 February 2016 at 4.30pm. The second exercise is due no later than 3 June 2016 at 4.30pm.
Examination Periods
Examinations take place annually in May/June (standard sit) and September (re-sit). Specific dates are published by College in March and August, respectively. As approximate timings, in 2015 the exams were running from 12 May 2015 to 28 May 2015 and from 1 September 2015 to 11 September 2015.
16
Staff and student liaison committees (Student representatives only) Autumn Term: Friday 13 November 2015, 6.30pm – 8.30pm Spring Term: Friday 19 February 2016, 6.30 – 8.30pm School Board meetings (Full-Time Staff, Teaching & Scholarship Staff Representatives, and Student representatives) Wednesday 25 November 2015, 10.00am – 1.30pm Wednesday 03 March 2015, 10.00am – 1.30pm
Mock and Moot Training, Trial and Competition Dates
Autumn term
Moot training, 17 October 2015
Moot competition, 31 October 2015
Mock trial training, 21 November 2015
Mock trial competition, 28 November 2015
Spring term
Moot competition, 30 January 2016
Mock trial competition, 6 February 2016
Summer term
Moot competition, 4 June 2016
Mock trial competition, 11 June 2016
17
Events and meetings protocol The School recognises that its student body is comprised of
individuals combining full or part time study with paid work
and/or family and other commitments. It recognises also
that academic and administrative staffs in the School are
required to manage School-based activities with College
level and/or external activities, including research and
outreach engagement activities. With these considerations
in mind, the School will make every reasonable endeavour
to follow the protocol (below) in connection with School
events and meetings.
Protocol
1. The School diary will be published no later than 1
September in any academic year
2. Notice of formal School Committees at which
students are represented will be published on the
School website by the first day of the autumn term.
3. Once the diary is published meetings and events will
not be scheduled other than as detailed in the diary-
except in exceptional circumstances
4. Regularly occurring events, such as staff/student
liaison meetings/ School Board, will be diarised as
far as possible each year in the same date/time slot.
18
5. In addition to diary notification, notification of core
events relating to the teaching and learning agenda
of the School will be notified to relevant persons
within 14 days of the occurrence of the event
6. Where a diary event is to be rescheduled,
immediate notification should be given that the
existing diary slot is cancelled or postponed.
Notification to relevant parties should not await an
alternative slot unless the alternative will be found
within a short period – i.e. within 7 days.
7. When notifying of a rescheduled event, care should
be taken to advise relevant parties that the date
notified constitutes a change to the published
schedule.
8. Regularly occurring events should not be cancelled
except in exceptional circumstances. Alternatives
will be found, such as finding a substitute Chair.
Modes of communication
Whenever possible, multiple modes of communication will
be used, especially where communication involves
cancellation/postponement. The School uses a range of
modes of communication, including direct E-mail,
notification in the My BBK profile system, moodle notices
19
and announcements in seminars. Announcements in
lectures/seminars will only be made to supplement other
modes of communication and are not considered sufficient
modes in themselves.
20
Preparing for the
start of the teaching
term
21
Preparing for the start of the
teaching term
Between the time of accepting a place to begin study at the
School of Law (or progressing from one year of study to
another) and the start of the autumn term of teaching,
there is much that prospective students, academic staff and
administrative staff can/will do. Much of the work that
leads to a successful start to the teaching term is
concentrated between the periods July to September.
Taster events are 2 - 3 hour events staffed by a rota of
academic and administrative staff during which new
students can meet with others and begin to familiarise
themselves with the School of Law; our Twitter and
Facebook accounts are used to provide regular updates
about these events;
The Online Legal Systems and Methods (LSM) module is a
component of a compulsory module that all first year QLD
students (LLB and LLM QLD) must complete. New students
can begin the online module from the moment at which
they accept a place on the LLB/LLM QLD. The LSM Module
Convenor for both terms of the LLB and Term 1 of the LLM
QLD (Robert James, email: [email protected]) will be
available from August to assist with academic queries. New
22
students will have received login details for these exercises:
https://moodle.bbk.ac.uk/. Module Convenor for the
second term of LSM for the LLM QLD (Eddie Bruce-Jones,
[email protected], telephone: 020 7631 6500) will
be available from the beginning of autumn for academic
queries. If technical difficulties of a purely administrative
nature are encountered, please contact our administrators
Colin Mitchell (email: [email protected], telephone: 020
7631 6516) or Sophia Khalid (email: [email protected],
telephone: 020 7631 6236).
Pre-Reading and exercises: if a module recommends that
students read material or complete an exercise before
teaching on that module commences, instructions as to
reading/exercise material will be found in the module guide.
Cumberland Lodge Weekend, annually held in the third
weekend of September, is a weekend of talks organised by
a rota of academic and administrative staff (with guest
speakers) and is an ideal event for new and continuing
students wishing to meet new students and staff and renew
old acquaintances.
Module Guide update: 15 July to 15 September is the
period during which academic staff updates existing module
guides and develops new ones, and during which
administrative staff organises online and prints distribution
of module guides. Electronic versions of the Guides will be
23
available to all users from 15 September. Printed versions
will be available from 1 October. Guides from the preceding
academic year are available before publication of new
module guides but students must be prepared for the fact
that these guides may not contain up to date information
about reading sources, structure of teaching or (in some
cases) mode of assessment.
Information Portals operate throughout the calendar year
and contain useful updates. By mid-August at the latest,
staff and students should be continually checking emails
from the School and Birkbeck, MyBirkbeck profile, Moodle
and the website of the School of Law for course updates.
September Assessment Period operates for the minority of
students who do not submit assessments or who do not sit
examinations during the standard January/April
coursework and/or May/June (examinations) assessment
periods, or who are required to re-sit one or more module.
The September assessment period is usually for a two week
period between 1 and 12 September. Students should check
Birkbeck emails, MyBirkbeck Profile, and Information Portals
for updates on September assessments from 15 July of any
given year.
The QLD is the single largest set of programmes in the
College and one of the few to offer opportunities for first
sit/re-assessment in September. It is not possible to
24
support the September assessment period with more than
the minimum of academic and administrative staff.
Students sitting in September must also be prepared for
some delay in their allocation to seminar classes and
modules, since this can only be done after results of
September assessments have been approved and recorded.
Academic staff occupying the following roles will be
contactable (by email/telephone or in person) during the
September assessment period:
Chief Examinations Officer:
Victoria Ridler
[email protected] / 0203 073 8120
Office location: Room 203, 4 Gower Street
Deputy Examinations Officer:
Nathan Moore
[email protected] / 020 3073 8111
Office location: Room B03, 4 Gower Street
Learning Development Tutor - Academic Skills:
Christina Delistathi
[email protected] / 020 7631 6513,
Office Location: Room 2.02, 18 Gower Street
25
Co-directors of the QLD
Director of the LLB
Nadine El-Enany
[email protected] / 020 3073 8121
Office location: Room 202, 14 Gower Street
Director of the LLM QLD
Eddie Bruce-Jones
[email protected] / 020 7631 6500
Office location: Room 102, 12 Gower Street
Enrolment: Students can normally enrol onto the QLD
programme at any time from late August in any academic
year. Before enrolment, new and continuing students are
entitled only to an electronic version of core module guides,
and new students are given access to the online LMS
module. Access to all other learning resources is dependent
on formal enrolment. These learning resources include, but
are not limited to:
Lectures
Seminars
Printed copies of core module guides
Electronic and printed copies of optional module
guides
Moodle information portal
26
Other study facilities: in addition to the above, enrolment
gives students access to the following study facilities:
Within Birkbeck
Library access and loan facilities;
Student Union membership;
Optional modules offered by other Birkbeck
Schools/Departments - subject to availability, timetabling
and conditions imposed by other Schools/Departments. If
you are an LLB student and would like to take an option
from another Birkbeck School/Department, please contact
the Co-directors of the QLD, Nadine El-Enany (n.el-
[email protected]; telephone: 020 3073 8121; office
location: 14 Gower Street, Room 202) or Eddie Bruce-Jones
[email protected] ; 020 7631 6500; office location:
12 Gower Street, Room 102).
Academic Development workshops, Study Skills
workshops, and a large variety of workshops and
training courses on all the tools required for a
successful completion of your studies. These can be
booked through the MyBirkbeck portal of the
Birkbeck website.
27
Within other Law Schools of the University of London
Optional modules. These are subject to availability,
timetabling and conditions imposed by those
institutions. The module must not be one that is
available for study in the Birkbeck School of Law or
in other Birkbeck School/Department. If you are an
LLB student and would like to take an option from
another Law School of the University of London,
please contact the Director of the LLB, Nadine El-
Enany (Email: [email protected]; telephone:
020 3073 8121; office location: 14 Gower Street,
Room 202);
Access to other Libraries. As a Birkbeck student or
member of staff you are entitled to use many other
libraries, both in London and throughout the UK.
Birkbeck is member of various access schemes,
some of which are detailed in the Birkbeck Library
website.
Within University Square Stratford (USS)
USS is an educational facility jointly owned by Birkbeck and
the University of East London. It offers a range of facilities
and student support services on campus, including a student
helpdesk, a specialist education advice and guidance team,
IT helpdesk, café and the Weston Learning Centre — a space
for independent and group study and learning. You can
learn more by visiting the USS website.
28
Choosing Optional subjects: From the second year of study,
students can choose two 15 credit or one 30 credit option to
study alongside their compulsory subjects. The Options Fair,
which takes place annually in the evening of the second
Friday of June (Friday 10 June 2016), begins the process of
student’s selection of options, and this continues into the
summer until all continuing students are allocated to
modules around 20 September. The Options Fair is staffed
by a rota of academic and administrative staff. Continuing
students must select options according to requirements of
the course. Modules attracting fewer than 10 students may
not run. Oversubscribed modules will be allocated to
students on a first-come, first-served basis. Students wishing
to follow options in other Law Schools of the University of
London must select their desired option(s), follow the
procedures of the relevant Law School, and inform our
administrator Sophia Khalid at the Birkbeck School of Law
before the start of the academic year ([email protected] /
020 7361 6626);
Staff Induction: students are not the only group to need
induction into School processes. All staff (new and
established) will receive a copy of Concordo Legum
Baccalaureus and are expected to be thoroughly conversant
with its content. All new full-time academic staff and all
Teaching and Scholarship staff must attend an induction
event. This event takes place in the week before the
29
academic year starts, and is organised by the academic and
administrative staff holding the following roles:
Professor Patricia Tuitt Professor of Law and Executive Dean Email: [email protected] Telephone: 020 7631 6505 Office location: 16 Gower Street, room 202 Stewart Motha Deputy Dean Email: [email protected] Telephone: 020 3073 8130 Office location: 12 Gower Street, room 202
Sarah Lamble Assistant Dean for Criminology Email: [email protected] Telephone: 020 7631 6017 Office location: 4 Gower Street, room G01 Natasha Trivedi Team Leader Email: [email protected] Telephone: 020 7631 6508 Office location: 14 Gower Street, room G02 Admissions: needless to say, all students arrive at the School
of Law after a formal, rigorous admissions process.
Admissions queries are received throughout the year, with
the UCAS timetable structuring the most intense period of
30
admissions. Students may have admissions queries right up
to the start of term. The following administrators can assist:
LLB Full-Time – Sam Tewkesbury
Office location: 14 Gower Street, room G02 Email: [email protected] Telephone: 020 7631 6626 LLB Part-Time – Leila Johnson (please note that Leila is in the office on Wednesdays and Thursdays only) Office location: 14 Gower Street, room G02 email: [email protected] Telephone: 020 7631 6515
LLM QLD – Leila Johnson (please note that Leila is in the office on Wednesdays and Thursdays only) Email: [email protected] Telephone: 020 7631 6515 Office location: 14 Gower Street, room G02
Accredited Prior Learning (APL)
Accredited Prior Learning (APL) is where the School allows a
student to be exempted from the requirement to complete a
module (or modules) on the programme in which he/she is
enrolled. Exemption will usually be granted on the basis that
a student has previously passed a module with similar
content on a programme of study taken elsewhere, but it can
also be given for work experience of a level equivalent to
31
study. The maximum number of APL credits for
undergraduate programmes is normally 180 credits
(minimum of 120 credits at level 6) must have been studied
at the College). Whether exemption is granted is matter
judgment for the programme director and/or Board of
Examiners.
If a student transfers from another Institution, we are
required to show where the student started their degree
studies. APL enquiries should be directed to the following
admissions tutors:
Admissions Tutor, Full-Time LLB - Craig Reeves
Email: [email protected] Telephone: 020 7631 6662 Admissions Tutor, Part-Time LLB - Craig Reeves
Email: [email protected] Telephone: 020 7631 6662
Admissions Tutor, LLM QLD - Eddie Bruce-Jones Email: [email protected] Telephone: 020 7631 6500
32
Teaching begins
33
Teaching begins
The design of the qualifying law degree: The teaching and
learning structure of the qualifying law degree is kept under
constant review. Significant changes to teaching and
learning are initiated/approved by the School Executive,
which is chaired by the Executive Dean (Patricia Tuitt) and
which meets once a month. The School Board
approves/ratifies Executive proposals/decisions. The School
Board is also chaired by the Executive Dean (Patricia Tuitt),
meets once in the autumn term and once in the spring OR
summer term, consists of all permanent academics and
administrators and has representatives from the teaching
and scholarship staff and from students on each programme
taught within the School of Law, including the qualifying law
degree programme. Incremental changes/developments
that affect teaching on the qualifying law degree are
approved by another formal Committee of the School,
namely the School Teaching and Quality Enhancement
Committee (STQEC). This Committee is chaired by the
Assistant Dean for Teaching and Learning (Oscar Guardiola-
Rivera), meets three times per year (once per term) and
includes membership of the Co-directors of the Qualifying
Law Degree programmes (Nadine El-Enany and Eddie
Bruce-Jones), the Chair/Deputy Chair of Exams (Victoria
Ridler and Nathan Moore, respectively) and ONE year tutor
– to be determined on an annual rota (for 2015/16, Fred
34
Cowell). There is no student representation on STQEC but a
student representative can request the Chair of STQEC to
consider an item. Such a request would be made through
the Staff / Student Liaison Committee. The Staff / Student
Liaison Committee meets once in the autumn term and
once in the spring term, is chaired by the Co-directors of the
QLD (Nadine El-Enany or Eddie Bruce-Jones) and is
attended by all year tutors and a Team Leader of the School
administration.
What is expected in terms of study? Teaching on the
qualifying law degree generally takes place weekly, Monday
to Thursday between 6pm and 9pm. Seminars and lectures
for compulsory subjects are taught in one hour slots.
Option seminars are taught in one and a half hour slots.
Compulsory lectures are scheduled between Tuesday and
Thursday (inclusive). The majority of seminars for
compulsory subjects also take place between Tuesday and
Thursday (inclusive) but a small number take place on
Mondays - usually for students following the full time LLM
or LLB pathway. Additionally, LLM QLD students have
mandatory LSM and dissertation-related seminars on three
Fridays in the first year and two Fridays in the second year.
For LLBs, the majority of option subjects are scheduled on
Mondays but a few are offered on Fridays and/or Saturdays.
Attendance is usually over three or four nights a week,
depending on the individual timetable of each cohort.
35
All module guides contain a section which details the
minimum study expectations required for the module.
Essentially, students are expected to attend lectures and
seminars, cover the minimum level of preparatory reading
for seminars and (where required) lectures, to participate in
seminars, and to complete all elements of the assessment.
Whilst we take account of the fact that the majority of our students are in full-time employment or otherwise committed during the day time, we do monitor attendance.
Electronic Attendance System: The School of Law will be
operating an electronic attendance system in Friends House
and most of other teaching locations where optional
modules take place; students will need to bring their
Birkbeck ID to every teaching event (lectures and seminars)
that they attend. The teaching rooms will have electronic
card readers inside the room clearly marked E-Registers and
with the Birkbeck logo. Convenors and seminar tutors are
asked to remind students to use their cards to touch-in to
the E-Register system. Until the system embeds, tutors will
be required to take a paper register at seminars. Seminar
tutors and students should ensure that, until otherwise
notified, double registration will operate for seminars –
touch-in with electronic card readers and signature on the
paper registers. During the period of operation of paper
registers, seminar tutors are required to return paper
registers within one week to Sophia Khalid
36
([email protected] / telephone: 020 7631 6236) or Colin
Mitchell ([email protected] / telephone: 020 7631 6516)
who will ensure that these are passed to the relevant
attendance monitoring staff so that non-attendance can be
followed up.
For further details about the E-Register system visit the
College website.
37
Paper Registers: Paper registers will be taken throughout the year irrespective of whether the teaching location has been equipped with E-Registers. Option convenors and seminar tutors are required to take paper registers for all classes and to return these within one week to Sophia Khalid ([email protected] / telephone: 020 7631 6236) or Colin Mitchell ([email protected] / telephone: 020 7631 6516) who will ensure that these are passed to the relevant attendance monitoring staff so that non-attendance can be followed up.
The minimum attendance will vary depending on whether
you are:
An international student, subject to Tier 4
requirements (For Tier 4 visa students,
attendance monitoring is required by the UK
Visas and Immigration. If you require further
information on this, please contact the Birkbeck
International Student Administration - see
College website - or alternatively the Co-
directors of the QLD Nadine El-Enany, n.el-
[email protected], 0203 073 8121 and Eddie
Bruce-Jones, [email protected], 020
7631 6500 or acting Assistant School Manager,
Shabna Begum [email protected], 020
3073 8172).
38
A student on a Full-Time programme (minimum
of 60% attendance) ;
A student on a Part-Time programme
(minimum of 60 % attendance).
Teaching staff are asked to draw to the attention of
classroom participants (not individual students) the
attendance requirement but do not have the power to
exclude any student from class or (whether through direct
or indirect means) to exclude a student from taking an
assessment on the basis of threatened or actual non-
compliance with attendance rules.
Failure to meet minimum attendance requirements may
result in:
Exclusion from the course, if in breach of Tier 4;
Compulsory re-take of the year if an assessment
is failed;
Poor reference, if a record of attendance is
required in a reference.
Timetables/MyBirkbeck profile: Students and teaching staff
do not receive final confirmation of teaching timetable until
published in their MyBirkbeck profile – for students, this
occurs after enrolment. However, lectures on the QLD all
take place in Friends House according to a fixed schedule
each year, as detailed in the yearly timetables (see next
section of this Guide). Students can also identify the slots in
39
which seminars for core and optional modules take place
but must await allocation to specific seminars by the School
administration.
40
Teaching locations
41
Teaching locations
Teaching takes place in a range of locations. Staff and
Students must consult their individual MyBirkbeck Profile
for specific locations, but the full postal address of the main
teaching locations used by the School of Law are:
Anglo Educational
45 Russell Square, London WC1B 4JP
Birkbeck, University of London
Malet Street (MAL): main Birkbeck building (entrance via Torrington Square), London WC1E 7HX
Dept of Geography, Environment and Development Studies (GEDS), 32 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9EZ
Clore Management Building, Torrington Square, London WC1E 7JL
School of Arts, 43 Gordon Square (GOR), London WC1H 0PD
School of Social Sciences, History and Philosophy, 26 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DQ
42
British Medical Association (BMA)
Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9JP
Brunei Gallery (BRU)
10 Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1B 0XG
Friends House (FRH)
173-177 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ
Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS)
17 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DR
London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE)
Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT
G2/G3/G4: 50 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP
101/102: 49 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP
15-17 Tavistock Place, London London, WC1H 9SH
School of Pharmacy (SOP)
29-39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX
43
Senate House (SEN)
Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU
Stewart House (STB)
32 Russell Square, London WC1B 5DN
Student Central
Malet Street, WC1E 7HY
University College London (UCL)
Anatomy and Medical Science Building: Gower Street, Main UCL Campus, London WC1E 6BT
Bedford Way: 26 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0DS Chadwick Building: Gower Street, Main UCL
Campus, London WC1E 6BT Christopher Ingold Building: 20 Gower Street,
London WC1 0AJ Cruciform Building: Gower Street, Main UCL
Campus, London WC1E 6BT Darwin Building: Gower Street, Main UCL Campus,
London WC1E 6BT Drayton House: 30 Gordon Street, London WC1H
0AX Foster Court: Gower Street, Main UCL Campus,
London WC1E 6BT Ingold: 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ Malet Place Engineering Building: Gower Street,
Main UCL Campus, London WC1E 6BT
44
Medical Science Building: accessed from the Malet Place entrance to UCL campus, off Torrington Place
Pearson Building: Gower Street, Main UCL Campus, London WC1E 6BT
Remax House: 31/32 Alfred Place, London WC1E 7DP
Roberts Engineering Building: Torrington Place, London WC1E 7JE
Rockefeller Building: 21 University Street, London WC1E 6DE
Taviton: UCL SSEES Building, 16 Taviton Street, London WC1H 0BW
188 Tottenham Court Road: 188 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7PH
UCL School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies (SSEES): 16 Taviton Street, London WC1H 0BW
Windeyer Building: 46 Cleveland Street, London W1P 6DB
USS (Stratford)
1 Salway Road, London E15 1NF
The Wesley
81-103 Euston Street, London NW1 2EZ
Westminster Kingsway College (WKC)
211 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8RA
45
Woburn House
20 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9HQ
Main academic contacts: The following academics are
convenors for core modules and will be the main point of
contact in terms of the taught programme of study:
Year one
Victoria Ridler, [email protected], 0203 073 8120 /
Craig Reeves, [email protected], 0207 631 6662
(Contract Law);
Marinos Diamantides, [email protected],
0207 631 6503/ Stewart Motha (on sabbatical in
autumn term), [email protected], 0203 073 8130
(Constitutional and Administrative Law);
Robert James, [email protected], 0207 631 6377
(Legal Systems and Methods);
Patricia Tuitt, [email protected], 02076316505 /
Fred Cowell, [email protected], 0207 631 6507
(Law of Obligations II - Tort, full-time students only).
Year two
Elena Loizidou, [email protected], 0203 073
8115 / Daniel Monk, [email protected], 0203 073
8127 (Criminal Law);
46
Patricia Tuitt, [email protected], 02076316505 /
Fred Cowell, [email protected], 0207 631 6507
(Law of Obligations II - Tort, part-time students
only);
Nathan Moore, [email protected], 020
3073 8111 / Sarah Keenan [email protected] /
020 3073 8137 (Land, full-time students only)
Piyel Haldar, [email protected], 0207 631 6514
(Equity, full-time students only).
Year three
Nathan Moore, [email protected], 020
3073 8111 / Sarah Keenan [email protected] /
020 3073 8137 (Land, part-time students only);
Piyel Haldar, [email protected], 0207 631 6514;
Michelle Everson, [email protected], 0203 073
8119 / Eddie Bruce-Jones, [email protected]
/ Nadine El-Enany, [email protected], 0203 073
8121 (EU Law, Full-Time students only);
Anton Schütz, [email protected], 02076316509 /
Maria Aristodemou (on sabbatical in autumn term)
[email protected], 0203 073 8110 (Legal
Theory, full-time students only).
47
Year four
Michelle Everson, [email protected], 0203 073
8119 / Eddie Bruce-Jones, [email protected]
/ Nadine El-Enany, [email protected], 0203 073
8121 (EU Law part-time students only);
Anton Schütz, [email protected], 02076316509 /
Maria Aristodemou (on sabbatical in autumn term)
[email protected], 0203 073 8110 (Legal
Theory, part-time students only)
Main administrative contacts: two full time administrators
are dedicated to the QLD. For 2014/15 they are Sophia
Khalid ([email protected] / 020 7361 6626) and Colin
Mitchell ([email protected] / 020 7361 6516). Sophia
deals with Years 3 and 4 of the LLB and Colin with Years 1
and 2 of the LLB and all Years of the LLM QLD.
Induction Programme: New students will begin on the
Tuesday of the last week in September/first week in
October. Induction consists of a two-week course,
combining an introduction to the School of Law with a short
course on the Elements of the English Legal System.
Academic/administrative contacts for Induction co-
ordination:
New students: Robert James
Email: [email protected] Office Location: 16 Gower Street, room G03
48
All Students:
Co-Directors of the QLD: Nadine El-Enany (Director
of the LLB)
[email protected] / 0203 073 8121 or Eddie
Bruce-Jones (Director of the LLM QLD); e.bruce-
[email protected] / 020 7631 6500
49
Timetables 2015/16
50
Timetables 2015/16
Induction and Elements of the English Legal System
51
52
Below are timetables for each year/study mode on the QLD programme.
Year 1 LLB Full-Time
MON TUES WED THURS
18.00 – 19.00
SEMINAR Tort
(Obligations 2)*
SEMINAR
Constitutional and
Administrative Law **
SEMINAR
Contract Law (Obligations 1)
***
CORE
LECTURE Contract Law
(Obligations 1)
19.00 – 20.00
SEMINAR
Tort (Obligations
2)*
SEMINAR Constitutional
and Administrative
Law **
CORE
LECTURE Constitutional
and Administrative
Law
CORE LECTURE Contract Law
(Obligations 1)
CORE
LECTURE Tort
(Obligations 2)
20.00 – 21.00
CORE
LECTURE Tort
(Obligations 2)
SEMINAR
Contract Law (Obligations
1)***
CORE LECTURE
Constitutional and
Administrative Law
* The asterisk means that some students attend seminars at 6.00pm on Monday and other students attend seminars at 7.00pm on Monday ** The double asterisk means that some students attend seminars at 6.00pm on Monday and other students attend seminars at 7.00pm on Monday *** The triple asterisk means that some students attend seminars at 6.00pm on Tuesday and other students attend seminars at 8.00pm on Wednesday
53
Year 2 LLB Full-Time
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
18.00 – 19.00
DA
Y F
OR
OP
TIO
NS
(A li
mit
ed
nu
mb
er
of
op
tio
ns
will
ru
n o
n
Frid
ays
and
we
eke
nd
s)
C O R E L E C T U R E E q u i t y
CORE LECTURE
Equity
CORE LECTURE Criminal Law
19.00 – 20.00
SEMINAR
Equity
CORE LECTURE Criminal Law
SEMINAR
Criminal Law
20.00 – 21.00
SEMINAR Land Law
CORE LECTURE
Land Law
CORE LECTURE
Land Law
54
Year 3 LLB Full-Time
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
18.00 – 19.00
DA
Y F
OR
OP
TIO
NS
(A li
mit
ed
nu
mb
er
of
op
tio
ns
will
ru
n o
n F
rid
ays
and
wee
ken
ds)
19.00 – 20.00
CORE
LECTURE Legal
Theory (1 & 2)
SEMINAR
Legal Theory (1 & 2)
CORE
LECTURE European Union Law
20.00 – 21.00
CORE
LECTURE European Union Law
CORE
LECTURE Legal Theory
(1 & 2)
SEMINAR European Union Law
55
Year 1 LLB Part-Time
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
18.00 – 19.00
SEMINAR
Constitutional and
Administrative Law
CORE LECTURE Contract Law
(Obligations 1)
19.00 – 20.00
CORE LECTURE Constitutional
and Administrative
Law
CORE LECTURE Contract Law
(Obligations 1)
SEMINAR
Contract Law (Obligations 1)
20.00 – 21.00
CORE LECTURE Constitutional
and Administrative
Law
56
Year 2 LLB Part-Time
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
18.00 – 19.00
DA
Y F
OR
OP
TIO
NS
(A li
mit
ed
nu
mb
er
of
op
tio
ns
will
ru
n o
n F
rid
ays
and
wee
ken
ds)
CORE
LECTURE Criminal Law
19.00 – 20.00
SEMINAR
Tort (Obligations
2)
CORE
LECTURE Criminal Law
CORE
LECTURE Tort
(Obligations 2)
20.00 – 21.00
CORE
LECTURE Tort
(Obligations 2)
SEMINAR
Criminal Law
57
Year 3 LLB Part-Time
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
18.00 – 19.00
DA
Y F
OR
OP
TIO
NS
(A li
mit
ed
nu
mb
er
of
op
tio
ns
will
ru
n o
n
Frid
ays
and
we
eke
nd
s)
CORE
LECTURE Equity
CORE
LECTURE Equity
SEMINAR Land Law
19.00 – 20.00
20.00 – 21.00
SEMINAR
Equity
CORE
LECTURE Land Law
CORE
LECTURE Land Law
58
Year 4 LLB Part-Time
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
18.00 – 19.00
DA
Y F
OR
OP
TIO
NS
(A li
mit
ed
nu
mb
er
of
op
tio
ns
will
ru
n o
n F
rid
ays
and
wee
ken
ds)
SEMINAR European
Union Law*
SEMINAR
Legal Theory (1 & 2)**
19.00 – 20.00
CORE
LECTURE Legal
Theory (1 & 2)
SEMINAR European
Union Law*
CORE
LECTURE European Union Law
20.00 – 21.00
CORE
LECTURE European Union Law
CORE
LECTURE Legal Theory
(1 & 2)
SEMINAR
Legal Theory (1 & 2)**
* The asterisk means that some students attend seminars at 6.00pm on Wednesday and other students attend seminars at 7.00pm on Wednesday ** The double asterisk means that some students attend seminars at 6.00pm on Thursday and other students attend seminars at 8.00pm on Thursday
59
Year 1 LLM Full-Time
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
18.00 – 19.00
SEMINAR
Tort (Obligations 2)
SEMINAR
Contract Law (Obligations 1)
CORE
LECTURE Contract Law
(Obligations 1)
19.00 – 20.00
CORE
LECTURE Constitutional
and Administrative
Law
CORE
LECTURE Contract Law
(Obligations 1)
CORE
LECTURE Tort
(Obligations 2)
20.00 – 21.00
CORE
LECTURE Tort
(Obligations 2)
SEMINAR
Constitutional and
Administrative Law
CORE
LECTURE Constitutional
and Administrative
Law
LLM QLD students in the first year must attend three seminars on
dissertation skills in Term 2, as part of the Legal Systems and
Methods course. These will be held from 6pm – 9pm on the
following dates: Friday 29th January, Friday 26th February, and
Friday 18th March.
60
Year 2 LLM Full-Time
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
18.00 – 19.00
SEMINAR Criminal
Law
CORE
LECTURE Equity
CORE
LECTURE Equity
CORE
LECTURE Criminal Law
19.00 – 20.00
SEMINAR Land Law
SEMINAR
Equity
CORE
LECTURE Criminal Law
CORE
LECTURE European Union Law
20.00 – 21.00
SEMINAR European Union Law
CORE
LECTURE European Union Law
CORE
LECTURE Land Law
CORE
LECTURE Land Law
61
Year 1 LLM Part-Time
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
18.00 – 19.00
SEMINAR
Contract Law (Obligations 1)
CORE
LECTURE Contract Law
19.00 – 20.00
CORE
LECTURE Constitutional
and Administrative
Law
CORE
LECTURE Contract Law
20.00 – 21.00
SEMINAR
Constitutional and
Administrative Law
CORE
LECTURE Constitutional
and Administrative
Law
LLM QLD students in the first year must attend three seminars on
dissertation skills in Term 2, as part of the Legal Systems and
Methods course. These will be held from 6pm – 9pm on the
following dates: Friday 29th January, Friday 26th February, and
Friday 18th March.
62
Year 2 LLM Part-Time
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
18.00 – 19.00
SEMINAR
Criminal Law
SEMINAR Land Law
CORE
LECTURE Criminal Law
19.00 – 20.00
SEMINAR
Tort (Obligations
2)
CORE
LECTURE Criminal Law
CORE
LECTURE Tort
(Obligations 2)
20.00 – 21.00
CORE
LECTURE Tort
(Obligations 2)
CORE
LECTURE Land Law
CORE
LECTURE Land Law
63
Year 3 LLM Part-Time
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
18.00 – 19.00
CORE
LECTURE Equity
CORE
LECTURE Equity
19.00 – 20.00
SEMINAR
Equity
CORE
LECTURE European Union Law
20.00 – 21.00
CORE
LECTURE European Union Law
SEMINAR European Union Law
64
Opt-out route for part time students only
Year 2 Part-time LLB students who wish to confine their
classroom studies to 3 days maximum per week may take
Tort Law and TWO 30 credit or FOUR 15 credit options, one
at level 5 and one at level 6. The study of Criminal Law will
be deferred to the third year. Any student wishing to opt
out of the standard part time second year diet (now
delivered over four days of the week), must do so by email
to Colin Mitchell before the course starts. For planning
purposes, a decision to opt out cannot be revoked.
Year 3 Part-Time LLB students who wish to confine their
classroom studies to 3 days should take Land Law and TWO
30 credit or FOUR 15 credit level 6 options. The study of
Equity and Trusts will be deferred to the fourth (final) year.
Any student wishing to opt out of the standard part time
third year diet (now delivered over four days of the week),
must do so by email to Sophia Khalid before the start of the
course. For planning purposes, a decision to opt out cannot
be revoked.
Recording of lectures: The College has installed equipment
in the two Lecture Theatres in Friends House and in the
majority of all other teaching locations for optional
modules, which enables audio and/or video recording of
lectures. Whilst all core QLD lectures (including application
lectures) will be recorded in audio format, it is a matter for
the person delivering any one particular lecture to decide
65
whether the audio format recording should be augmented
with a video format recording. Whilst lecturers are expected
to use the equipment to record lectures, it is a matter for
the tutor delivering any one particular seminar to decide
whether to record a seminar. In general, the School does
not encourage recording of parts of teaching events that
consist of significant contribution from students, such as
seminars. Students with disabilities in possession of ISSAs
may be permitted to record in circumstances where the
School or an individual tutor would not permit a recording
of a teaching event. To activate the recording device, the
lecturer is required to turn on the button on the recording
device at the beginning of the lecture and turn off the same
button at the end of the lecture.
Rescheduling of lectures and/or seminars: Except in case of
illness or other unavoidable event affecting the course
convenor and/or seminar tutor, there will be no alteration
in the schedule of lectures and seminars. In the event that
rescheduling becomes necessary, tutors are required to
contact a dedicated line/email inbox, as soon as feasible.
Sophia Khalid, email: [email protected], Telephone: +44
(0) 20 7631 6626, and Colin Mitchell, email:
[email protected], Telephone: 020 7631 6516 will notify
students of the rescheduled teaching events through direct
email, Moodle announcements and MyBirkbeck Profile.
66
If you have any queries about the timetable, please contact
the year tutor/QLD Director:
Year One: Victoria Ridler
[email protected] / 0203 073 8120
Year Two: Fred Cowell
[email protected] / 0207 631 6507
Years three and four: Craig Reeves
[email protected] / 0207 631 6662
Co-Directors of the QLD:
Nadine El-Enany (Director of the LLB)
[email protected] / 0203 073 8121
or
Eddie Bruce-Jones (Director of the LLM QLD);
[email protected] / 020 7631 6500
67
Progressing through
the years of study
68
Progressing through the
years of study
Provided you have completed all administrative
requirements for enrolment, you will be enrolled on a
minimum of two 30 credit modules or a maximum of four 30
credit modules, depending on your chosen pathway. In order
to move from one academic year to another (for example, to
move from year one to year two of the full time LLB) you will
need to pass assessments for all of the modules on which
you are enrolled. Pass marks are 40 per cent (LLB) and 50 per
cent (LLM QLD).
Compensated Fail: At the discretion of the Board of
Examiners, a compensated fail may be awarded where a
student has attained a mark between 35% and 39% (LLB),
and between 45% and 49% (LLM QLD). Such a pass will be
noted on the degree transcript. Only one subject can be
compensated in the course of the entire degree. A subject
would not normally be compensated until the final year of
the studies, except when a failure to compensate will result
in a student’s exclusion from the degree.
Elements of an assessment: If a module has more than one element of assessment you will be required: a) to pass each
69
element, or b) attain an average pass mark across all elements, or c) attain an average pass mark across all elements with each element over a minimum threshold mark of 30. The module guide will contain details of pass requirements for particular modules. If you do not pass all modules, you remain in the year to which the module relates until you pass all modules. For example, a student who has enrolled on 3 modules, may score a pass of 70 in two modules and fail one module at 38 (LLB) or 48 (LLM QLD) and will normally have to take the year out to re-sit the failed module. Students in such situations will be referred automatically to a Year Tutor, QLD Director, or the Chair/Deputy Chair of Exams. Exceptionally, a student may be permitted to carry forward one 30 credit module (or equivalent in 15 credit modules. Such an exception is unlikely to apply in cases where the module in question was failed with a mark below that required for a compensated fail (35 for LLB and 45 for LLM QLD). Except for students with a valid mitigating circumstances claim, modules must normally be passed during the May/June assessments. Queries over progression should be directed to one of the following:
Chief Exams Officer: Victoria Ridler
[email protected] / 0203 073 8120
Deputy Exams Officer: Nathan Moore
70
[email protected] / 020 3073 8111
Year One Tutor: Victoria Ridler
[email protected] / 0203 073 8120
Year Two Tutor: Fred Cowell
[email protected] / 0207 631 6507
Years Three and Four Tutor: Craig Reeves
[email protected] / 0207 631 6662
Director of the LLB: Nadine El-Enany
[email protected] / 0203 073 8121
Director of the LLM QLD: Eddie Bruce-Jones;
[email protected] / 020 7631 6500
71
End of teaching
terms and reading
weeks
72
End of teaching terms and
reading weeks
There are 3 weeks between the end of the Autumn Term
and the beginning of the Spring Term. There are 4 weeks
between the end of the Spring Term and the beginning of
the Summer Term (Revision classes only). In addition, there
is a reading week commencing 2 November 2015 and a
reading week commencing 8 February 2016. During these
periods there are no lectures or seminars, and other routine
meetings and arrangements will also cease, such as office
hours. During these periods students write assessments
and catch up on reading. During these weeks, course
convenors and seminar/personal tutors are engaged in
research and teaching preparation. All course convenors
are required to be contactable by email or provide
information of when and how they can be contacted.
Convenors and seminar tutors are asked not to arrange
teaching during these weeks but exceptionally - for
example, where a convenor or seminar tutor has had to
reschedule a seminar or lecture due to illness or other
unavoidable absence - classes may be scheduled during
these periods.
73
The administrative office will continue to operate according
to the standard schedule and will close only during formal
College closure dates. The Main Admin Office opening
times are:
Phone queries:
Monday to Friday: 11.00am – 2.00pm and 3pm – 6pm
Visits in person:
Monday to Friday: 12 noon – 2pm and 4pm – 6pm
You can email the Programme Administrators at any time.
Responses to email enquiries will be from 11.00am –
2.00pm and 3pm – 6pm.
74
Staff Name
Programme
Contact Details
Sophia
Khalid
LLB Years 3
and 4
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 020 7631 6236
Colin
Mitchell
LLB Years 1
and 2
LLM QLD
Email:
Telephone: 020 7631 6516
75
Personal/Study
Support
76
Personal/Study Support
Personal tutor system: The personal tutor system links full
time academic staff with students. Students will be able to
identify their personal tutor from the My Birkbeck profile.
The personal tutor system helps to provide students with
support and assistance in relation to the following:
Writing references;
Personal issue that affect your study;
Representation in the unlikely event that a student
is accused of unfair academic practices and/or a
breach of discipline;
Academic Office Hours: All full time members of academic
staff hold a drop-in/call-in office hour each week. These
range from 9am to 9pm. Full details of individual staff office
hours can be found through the School of Law web site.
Because these are not by appointment, students must be
prepared to wait or re-arrange. Academic office hours have
two main functions:
Personal tutor enquiries (in which case you must go
to the hour set aside by your personal tutor);
Subject specific enquiries (you must check that you
attend the hour set aside by the appropriate subject
specialist for your enquiry).
77
Tuition Line: In 2011, with the support of a City Educational
Trust grant, the School created the infrastructure to provide
one to one tuition for a compulsory qualifying law degree
subjects by telephone with a subject specialist - a specialist
who is also a seminar tutor. This has proved particularly
popular during assessment periods. The Tuition Line
number is 020 7580 2436: dial 1 for Contract, Tort and
Equity; dial 2 for Criminal, EU and Constitutional Law; dial 3
for Legal Systems and Methods and Land Law. Students will
receive notification by email and on Moodle when tuition
line is due to run and reminders when the line is actually
running.
Learning Development Tutor - Academic Skills: Christina
Delistathi: ([email protected] / 020 7631 6513 / Office
Location: 2.02, 18 Gower Street) Christina provides
individual support and general workshops on a range of
subjects, including essay writing/exam preparation/dyslexia
support, best management of time, oral presentations and
preparing for exams. She helps develop the higher order
academic skills needed for Law study, including analysis,
synthesis and evaluative critical thinking.
Meetings with Christina are strictly by appointment, which
must be arranged by email at [email protected].
Learning Development Tutor: Professional Extra-curricular:
Jonathan Thorpe (Email address: [email protected] /
Office Location: Room B03, 16 Gower Street)
78
The Learning Development Tutor (professional extra-
curricular) is responsible for working with colleagues in the
School of Law to provide students with a range of
opportunities in which to develop professional skills
relevant to the fields of law and criminology, including
Moots, Mock Trials and visits to Courts and Prisons.
Equalities Officer The Equalities Officer is Sarah Keenan (Email:
[email protected] / Telephone: 020 3073 8137 / Office
location: 14 Gower Street, Room 201)
Her role is to ensure that the School’s teaching and learning
strategies for all programmes are consistent with equalities
principles and legislation, with a special emphasis on
disability related issues. Sarah’s remit covers design of
alternative assessment, accessibility of learning materials
and classroom protocols to aid students with disabilities. To
facilitate progress on equality issues, Sarah will chair the
Equalities Working Group, which will meet once a term. The
Working Group will receive administrative support from the
School’s Disability Support Officer, Sue Baines.
79
Disability Support Officer The School’s Disability Support Officer is Sue Baines (Email:
[email protected] / Telephone: 0203 073 8149/ Office
location: Room G02, 12 Gower Street)
Sue will assist students with disabilities to access suitable
learning and teaching support, including facilitating special
seating arrangements in lecture theatres and seminars and
converting module guides and reading material into
accessible formats. Sue is responsible for all logging of
decisions relating to particular students with disabilities, and
communication of the same to students.
Students with disabilities For students with disabilities, the Equalities Officer (Sarah
Keenan) and the Disability Support Officer (Sue Baines) are
the first point of contact for academic and administrative
related disability enquiries, respectively. Disability related
issues that may negatively impact on a student’s academic
progress are decided by the Equalities Committee. Students
whose progress is interrupted by non-disability related
issues will be decided by the mitigating circumstances panel.
Below are examples of the kinds of support these officers
can offer:
80
Academic
Liaise with programme directors/seminar tutors over alternative assessment for students with disabilities
Be responsible for updating generic handbooks and other materials on teaching and learning matters to ensure they are consistent with disability equality principles
In consultation with programme directors, year and the Chair of Assessments, take decisions relating to adjustments to the learning environment of students with disabilities
Liaise with library to agree access adjustments for students with disabilities
Contribute to Induction of academic and teaching and scholarship staff on disability related issues.
Administrative
Liaise with College Estates and staff in main teaching
locations to ensure disability access at seminars and
in lectures – especially in Friend’s House.
Disseminate ISSAs to appropriate persons
Liaise between College Disability Office and students
in the School of Law over assessments for Individual
Support Agreements (ISSA);
81
Disability Support: Depending on the nature of the
disability, the following support is available:
Assessments: additional time on standard
assessments/special assessments (non-standard
forms, such as oral assessment/take-home exam
paper);
Learning materials: specially produced (e.g. Larger
font; adjustment to standard electronic production);
Lectures: specially allocated places in the lecture
theatre;
Seminars: specially allocated rooms/places within
the seminar room;
Students wishing to record seminars will require an
ISSA specifying that requirement;
Disabled access rooms and facilities at the annual
Law School visit to Cumberland Lodge, which takes
place during the second weekend of September.
Year Tutors: Each student cohort has a year tutor assigned
who will convene at least one module on the core qualifying
law degree. The Year tutor deals with issues that are
generic to the particular year of study (not specific to
individual students), such as:
Requests for adjustments of coursework deadlines
affecting all students in a module;
82
Complaints about teaching and other resources
affecting all students in a year or a particular group
of students (e.g students with disabilities);
Supporting year representatives - especially in
making representations at the term student and
staff liaison committees, which is the main place at
which concerns generic to the student body or
particular years or groups are discussed.
Year One Tutor: Victoria Ridler
[email protected] / 0203 073 8120
Year Two Tutor: Fred Cowell
[email protected] / 0207 631 6507
Years Three and Four Tutor: Craig Reeves
[email protected] / 0207 631 6662
Mitigating Circumstances Panel: The mitigating
circumstances panel will consider whether you are entitled
to special consideration as a result of unexpected and
compelling factors that may adversely affect your
performance. The mitigating circumstances panel operates
83
during assessment periods and consists of the following
members of academic staff:
Chief Exams Officer: Victoria Ridler
[email protected] / 0203 073 8120
Deputy Exams Officer: Nathan Moore [email protected] / 020 3073 8111
Year One Tutor: Victoria Ridler
[email protected] / 0203 073 8120
Year Two Tutor: Fred Cowell
[email protected] / 0207 631 6507
Years Three and Four Tutor: Craig Reeves
[email protected] / 0207 631 6662
Co-directors of the QLD: Nadine El-Enany
[email protected] / 0203 073 8121
Eddie Bruce-Jones [email protected] / 020
7631 6500
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Compelling personal circumstances may:
Give you an extension of time on an assessment
Allow you to take a special assessment (different in
kind from the standard assessment)
Allow you to defer your May/June assessment to
the September examination period
Exempt you from the College policy relating to
maximum marks of 40 for any reassessed module.
There are two stages to the decision of whether a student
can rely upon mitigating circumstances:
1. Does the situation fall within a category of
mitigating circumstance – has the student
confronted an unexpected and compelling
situation?
2. Did the mitigating circumstances adversely affect
the student's performance?
For example, a student who suffers a sudden, serious illness
during an examination period and scores 50% in the
examination will not be granted any concession if they
scored 50% in all or some of the assessments for which they
did not claim mitigating circumstances. In such a case, the
Panel is likely to decide that whilst the student can establish
the first stage of the mitigating circumstances test, he/she
85
has failed to establish the second - viz that the situation
adversely affected his/her performance.
Friends House Liaison
Luis Belmonte will take on a new role during the teaching
period for the QLD. Luis will be on-site at Friends House
during the Induction period (29 September 2015 to 15
October 2015) and thereafter an average of one day per
week (autumn/spring) rotating between Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday. With this role, which will have
significant interface with students on-site, it is expected that
administrative queries classically dealt with in the office will
be reduced. Luis is also charged with responsibility for
alerting the Equalities Officer (Sarah Keenan) of any
disability access issues or technological problems that may
impact negatively on the student experience of students
with disability needs, or needs relative to other protective
characteristics.
College Counselling Services: The Counselling Service
provides assistance to those experiencing emotional
difficulties which may be impacting upon their studies or
overall experience at Birkbeck. More information can be
found in the MyBirkbeck online portal.
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Penalties
87
Penalties
Failure to meet the requirements of the Solicitors
Regulation Authority / Bar Standards Board: To obtain a
Qualifying Law Degree, students must have passed the
examinations and assessments in the Foundations of Legal
Knowledge, as set by the School of Law at Birkbeck. Over
the period of studies, a student will have acquired the
foundations through attendance in lectures and seminars
for the following subjects:
Legal Systems and Methods
Law of Obligations 1
Constitutional & Administrative Law
Criminal Law
Law of Obligations II (Tort)
Property Law I
Property II (Equity)
European Union Law
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The School is required to inform the Solicitors Regulation
Authority and BVC providers of those law graduates who
have:
(a) failed one or more of the foundation
subjects (pass mark 40 LLB and 50 LLM QLD)
(b) received compensated fail in only one
foundation subject [35 to 39 (LLB), 45 to 59
(LLM QLD)]. Students with only one
compensated fail in a foundation subject
may be able to proceed to the vocational
stage of legal training with a letter of support
from the Executive Dean (Patricia Tuitt
[email protected] / 02076316505; or Deputy
Dean, Stewart Motha [email protected] /
020 3073 8130).
The Six Year Rule: Students will not normally obtain a QLD if
they take more than six years to complete their studies. This
applies to all programmes and pathways. Students who
complete their degree after the six year period may be able
to proceed to the vocational stage of legal training with a
letter of support from the Executive Dean (Patricia Tuitt
[email protected] / 02076316505; or Deputy Dean Stewart
Motha [email protected] / 020 3073 8130).
89
Class of Degree: please note that the Bar Standards Board
requires students wishing to study for the Bar Professional
Training Course (BPTC) and qualify as a barrister to gain a
minimum of a lower second class degree.
Attendance: A minimal level of attendance at lectures and
seminars is normally required before a student is permitted
to enter an assessment for a core or optional module. To
facilitate attendance and attendance monitoring, academic
and teaching and scholarship staff are expected to attend
regularly and punctually and take attendance registers or
ensure that other means of monitoring attendance are
facilitated. Periods of sickness or other valid reason for
absence will not result in any penalty.
Electronic Attendance System: The School of Law will be
operating an electronic attendance system in Friends House
and most of other teaching locations where optional
modules take place; students will need to bring their
Birkbeck ID to every teaching event (lectures and seminars)
that they attend. The teaching rooms will have electronic
card readers inside the room clearly marked E-Registers and
with the Birkbeck logo. Convenors and seminar tutors are
asked to remind students to use their cards to touch-in to
the E-Register system. Until the system embeds, tutors will
be required to take a paper register at seminars. Seminar
tutors and students should ensure that, until otherwise
90
notified, double registration will operate for seminars –
touch-in with electronic card readers and signature on the
paper registers. During the period of operation of paper
registers, seminar tutors are required to return paper
registers within one week to Sophia Khalid
([email protected] / telephone: 020 7631 6236) or Colin
Mitchell ([email protected] / telephone: 020 7631 6516)
who will ensure that these are passed to the relevant
attendance monitoring staff so that non-attendance can be
followed up.
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For further details about the E-Register system visit the
College website.
Paper Registers: Paper registers will be taken throughout the year irrespective of whether the teaching location has been equipped with E-Registers. Option convenors and seminar tutors are required to take paper registers for all classes and to return these within one week to Sophia Khalid ([email protected] / telephone: 020 7631 6236) or Colin Mitchell ([email protected] / telephone: 020 7631 6516) who will ensure that these are passed to the relevant attendance monitoring staff so that non-attendance can be followed up.
The minimum attendance will vary depending on whether
you are:
An international student, subject to Tier 4
requirements (For Tier 4 visa students,
attendance monitoring is required by the UK
Visas and Immigration. If you require further
information on this, please contact the Birkbeck
International Student Administration - see
College website - or alternatively the Co-
directors of the QLD Nadine El-Enany, n.el-
[email protected], 0203 073 8121 and Eddie
Bruce-Jones, [email protected], 020
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7631 6500 or Shabna Begum
[email protected] / Telephone: 020
3073 8172);
A student on a Full-Time programme (minimum
of 60% attendance) ;
A student on a Part-Time programme
(minimum of 60 % attendance).
Teaching staff are asked to draw to the attention of
classroom participants (not individual students) the
attendance requirement but do not have the power to
exclude any student from class or (whether through direct
or indirect means) to exclude a student from taking an
assessment on the basis of threatened or actual non-
compliance with attendance rules.
Failure to meet minimum attendance requirements may
result in:
Exclusion from the course, if in breach of Tier 4;
Non-entry to assessment or a compulsory re-
take of the year if an assessment is failed;
Poor reference, if a record of attendance is
required in a reference.
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Late Submission of course work assessment: Coursework
submission dates are Wednesday 6 January 2016 at
4.30pm, and Monday 18 April 2016 at 4.30pm.
Exceptionally, a student may submit coursework on
Wednesday 24 August 2016 at 11.30am. For students
without valid mitigating circumstances, a submission
outside of these dates but within three weeks of the
January/April dates and within one week of the September
date will result in a maximum pass mark of 40% (LLB) or 50%
(LLM QLD). Submission outside of this period will result in a
failed mark.
Multiple fail of a core or optional module: For students
without valid mitigating circumstances, a failure in any one
module (core or optional/30 or 15 credits) on 3 occasions
(LLB) or 2 occasions (LLM QLD) will result in the
recommendation that the student is excluded from the
degree.
Non-submission/non exam sitting (without mitigation): For
students without valid mitigating circumstances, a failure to
submit coursework will count as a fail in the subject and the
student will lose one of his/her three (LLB) or two (LLM QLD)
attempts at the module. Similarly, a failure to attend an
examination (without valid mitigating circumstances) will
result in a fail in the subject and the loss of one attempt at a
module.
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Unfair Practices: The most common of these is plagiarism –
failure to attribute expression of ideas to their source – and
cheating in examinations – copying another’s
work/introducing unauthorised material into an
examination. The general rule in relation to proven
allegations of unfair practices is that the penalty must be
greater than would be applied if a student had merely failed
an assessment. In practice this means that an individual
found to have committed an unfair practice during the
assessment of an optional module is likely to lose a sitting
and be debarred from the particular module on which an
unfair practice occurs. If the unfair practice occurs during
the assessment of a core module, the offending student will
lose a sitting and be held back a year. In extreme cases the
offending student may be excluded from the course, but
this cannot happen without the School reporting the
student to College.
Maximum pass rate for modules re-assessed after a failed
attempt or non-submission
Following a decision of College Academic Board, all
Academic Schools and Departments must adapt their
marking and assessment schemes so as to ensure that any
element of assessment that is submitted as a reassessment
(second attempt after a failed attempt or non-submission)
and for which no application for consideration of mitigating
95
circumstances has been accepted will be awarded a mark of
no more than 40% (LLB modules) or no more than 50% (LLM
QLD modules), which is the minimum percentage pass rate
for respectively undergraduate modules and postgraduate
taught modules. This new marking and assessment rules
applies to all students taking any assessment for the first
time in the current academic year (2015/16) and applies to
all LLB and LLM QLD modules. The rules does not apply in
cases where a student has failed an undergraduate or
postgraduate module and is directed to re-take the module
by attending, for a second time, the classes relating to the
failed module.
Breach of Academic Conventions: includes unintentional
copying of material without attribution and/or using large
sections of quoted materials – leaving little to the student’s
own words. In such cases, students will fail with a mark
between 30 and zero, depending on how extreme is the
breach of academic conventions. However, the student will
be able to repeat an assessment during the next available
assessment period. If the breach of conventions occurs in
the May/June assessment period the student may
submit/sit the assessment during the September
examination period. If the breach of conventions occurs
during the September examination period, the student
would normally be put back a year.
96
Breach of Code of Discipline/Conduct: This applies to
conduct unrelated to academic performance – such as
discriminatory acts/statements/aggressive behaviour or
statements. The School takes a very serious view of
breaches of the code of discipline and will invariably report
such instances (after ascertaining whether the breach is
denied or admitted) to the College where a range of
penalties can be imposed, including exclusion from the
course.
Payment of fees: It is the responsibility of each student to
ensure that their tuition fees are paid to the College by the
appropriate deadlines. Students who do not adhere to
College payment policies may have their access to academic
support (including library, Moodle, release of results and IT)
removed during the year and they may be unable to
graduate or return to study until the debt is cleared in full.
Students should contact the Fees Office to discuss any
payment queries or difficulties as early as possible by e-mail.
Further details are available on the College website at
www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/finance.
Bursaries and hardship payments: are not available from
the School of Law. The College has a range of support
available to assist students who are in financial difficulty.
Further information can be found on-line in the MyBirkbeck
portal.
97
Have Your Say
98
Have your say
Student/Staff Surveys: Year-long modules are evaluated by
students twice a year by means of course survey and termly
courses are evaluated once a year. The course survey can
be completed in paper copies that will be distributed during
lectures and optional seminars and students are encouraged
to complete the anonymous survey in the lecture/seminar
to ensure that the School benefits from the widest
participation in the survey.
The following academics are involved in the course survey
process:
Module convenors are responsible for evaluating
the feedback and reporting results to students on
their module
Year tutors are responsible for reviewing the results
of modules for the year and reporting back to the
School Teaching and Learning Committee and the
Student/Staff Liaison Committee
The QLD Co-directors and Deputy Dean will jointly
agree any actions that result from the course survey
outcome - reporting to STQEC and/or the School
Executive.
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Student Representatives: Representatives are entitled to
attend two major School Committees: School Board and
Staff/Student Liaison Committee. Their role is to report
back concerns/commendations from the student body over
any aspect of the student experience. New representatives
are elected each year. Representatives are elected in some
of the core QLD lectures during October. Students will
receive an email to announce when the election will take
place. Representatives are inducted by the QLD Team
Leader in their roles soon after being elected.
Student/Staff Liaison Committee: This Committee meets
once a term on a Friday evening and provides an
opportunity for staff and students to exchange views and
(where possible) agree actions relating to all aspects of the
student experience. Notice of the meeting will be given to
student representatives by direct email from the Assistant
School Manager.
The Committee consists of the following:
All QLD student representatives;
Learning Development Tutor: Christina Delistathi
[email protected] / 020 7631 6513
Disability Liaison officer: Sue Baines
[email protected] / 020 3073 8149
Assistant School Manager: Shabna Begum [email protected] / 020 3073 8172
100
Year One Tutor: Victoria Ridler
[email protected] / 0203 073 8120
Year Two Tutor: Fred Cowell
[email protected] / 0207 631 6507
Years Three and Four Tutor: Craig Reeves
[email protected] / 0207 631 6662
Director of the LLB: Nadine El-Enany
[email protected] / 0203 073 8121 (Chair)
Director of the LLM QLD: Eddie Bruce-Jones;
[email protected] / 020 7631 6500 (Chair)
School Board Representation: Twice a year, the full team of
academic and administrative staff meet to discuss and agree
policy relating to all aspects of the QLD and other taught
programmes in the School. The meeting is chaired by the
Executive Dean (Patricia Tuitt [email protected] / 0207 631
6505). All QLD year representatives are entitled to attend
the Open Agenda of the School Board meeting. Their roles
are to report on concerns/commendations in relation to all
aspects of the student experience. Dates for School Board
are published to student representatives no later than 30
September each year. Representatives will also be given
101
three weeks’ reminder notice of the meeting and will
receive the agenda and papers for the open meeting.
National Students Survey: is for final-year undergraduate
students, and runs annually. Birkbeck performs very well in
the league table and the contribution of Birkbeck Law
students went a long way to securing success. A prize draw
is open to Birkbeck students who are eligible to take part in,
and who have completed, the Birkbeck Student Survey or
the Postgraduate Student Survey. Once completed, students
will be automatically entered into the prize draw.
Complaints: The School aims to resolve any concerns as
swiftly and informally as possible. However, in the event of
an issue that requires more formal intervention, the
following process should be followed:
Module related matters: initially to course
convenor unless the convenor is the subject of the
complaint in which case the year tutor and then
QLD Co-directors;
Generic teaching and learning matters: to the year
tutor, the QLD Co-directors/Deputy
Director/Executive Dean;
Personal matters: personal tutor in the first
instance, or other tutor who may volunteer to act
102
(Deputy Dean Stewart Motha [email protected] /
020 3073 8130 / Patricia Tuitt [email protected] /
02076316505).
Complaints can also be made through representatives who
will raise before the School Board and/or the Student/Staff
Liaison Committee.
If an issue is not resolved at School level, a student is
entitled to pursue a complaint at College level. College
complaints are governed by College policies – the details of
which are beyond the scope of this guide. The relevant
information is available in the My Birkbeck website, under
Student Services / Rules and Regulations.
103
Assessments
104
Assessments
Formative assessments are practice tests, intended to help
students to improve their performance in the final exam.
Details of any formative assessment will be found in module
guides. Formative assessment can be voluntary but is
usually a non-assessed requirement - meaning that a
student must complete the formative assessment to be able
to pass the module but that the mark for the formative
assessment does not count toward the student's final grade
for the module.
Summative assessments are the final, compulsory
assessments, the mark for which determines whether the
assessment is passed or failed.
Scheme of Assessment for core QLD assessment
Legal Systems and Methods For LLB
Assessment 1 Online Exercise - short
answer questions
Assessment 2 Essay questions
105
Legal Systems and Methods For LLM QLD
Assessment 1 Online Exercise - short
answer questions
Assessment 2 Dissertation Skills Exercises
Law of Obligations 1
Assessment 1 50% essay
Assessment 2 50% essay
Constitutional &
Administrative Law
Assessment 100% seen/unseen
examination
Criminal Law
Assessment 100% written or open book
examination
106
Law of Obligations II (Tort)
Assessment 100% seen / unseen
examination
Property Law I
Assessment 1 Written problem assessment
50%
Assessment 2 Written essay assessment
50%
Property II (Equity)
Assessment 100% seen / unseen written
examination
107
European Union Law
Assessment 1 Project 50% (LLB)/ Take
home question 60% (LLM
QLD)
Assessment 2 Exam 50% (LLB) / Seen
Exam 40% (LLM QLD)
Legal Theory 1 & 2 FOR LLB ONLY
Assessment 1 (Legal Theory
1)
100% unseen examination
Assessment 2 (Legal Theory
2)
100% unseen examination
Compulsory Dissertation FOR LLM QLD ONLY
Assessment 100%
108
Mitigating circumstances: A student confronted, during a
period of assessment, with a sudden and compelling
situation which adversely impacts on his/her performance in
the assessment may ask for:
An assessment attempt to be discounted;
A failure to attempt an assessment discounted; An assessment attempt discounted and a further
attempt at an assessment which the student has
passed.
Exemption from the College policy relating to
maximum marks of 40 for any reassessed modules.
Claims for mitigating circumstances must be submitted to
[email protected] within three weeks of the date of the
assessment, which means within three weeks of the
coursework submission dates (Autumn Term Submission:
Wednesday 6 January 2016 at 4.30pm; Spring Term
Submission: Monday 18 April 2016 at 4.30pm) and within
three weeks of the date of the May/June exam to which the
mitigating claim relates. For the September re-sits, claims
for mitigating circumstances must be submitted to
[email protected] within one week of the date of the
assessment, which means within one week of the
coursework submission date [September Submission (for
exceptional cases): Wednesday 24 August 2016 at 11.30am]
and within one week of the date of the September exam to
which the mitigating claim relates. A claim that is not
109
supported by independent evidence will not be considered,
except where no independent evidence is reasonably
accessible. Where a student argues that independent
evidence is not reasonably accessible, the mitigating
circumstances claim must be accompanied by a detailed
statement as to why the evidence is not accessible and,
whenever possible, should be accompanied by independent
evidence of the fact that the evidence supporting the
mitigating circumstances claim is not accessible.
Mitigating circumstances claims will be considered at a
mitigating circumstances panel at which the academic and
administrative staff holding the following roles will be
present:
Chief Examinations Officer:
Victoria Ridler
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: 0203 073 8120
Office location: 14 Gower Street, Room 303
Deputy Examinations Officer:
Nathan Moore
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: 020 3073 8111
Office location: 4 Gower Street, Room B03
Learning Development Tutor:
110
Christina Delistath
Email: [email protected] Telephone: 020 7631 6513 Office location: 18 Gower Street, Room 2.02
Director of LLB:
Nadine El-Enany
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 020 3073 8121
Office location: 14 Gower Street, Room 202
Director of LLM QLD:
Eddie Bruce-Jones
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 020 7631 6500
Office location: Room 102, 12 Gower Street
In exceptional circumstances, a Chair/Deputy Chair of the
Law Sub-Board/Co-Directors of the QLD can make a decision
on mitigating circumstances outside of the Panel. Two
weeks after the panel has met, students will be notified by
the Chair of the Panel of the decision on their mitigating
circumstances claim. Appeals against a decision on
mitigating circumstances are considered appeals against the
Sub-Board of Examiners and therefore they are subject to
111
the College Appeals process, details of which can be found
in the College website.
Coursework Submission: a proportion of core qualifying law
degree modules and the majority of optional subjects are
assessed by way of coursework essay. Module guides will
indicate how many essays are required for each module, the
word count and any other special characteristics of the
assessment. Autumn Term Submission is Wednesday 6
January 2016 at 4.30pm, Spring Term Submission is
Monday 18 April 2016 at 4.30pm, and September
Submission (for exceptional cases) is Wednesday 24 August
September 2016 at 11.30am. The penalty for late
submission (without mitigation), for a student who achieves
a pass, is a mark of no more than 40% (LLB) or 50% (LLM
QLD).
Students must submit through Moodle no later than 4.30pm
(in the case of January and April submissions) and no later
than 11.30am (in the case of September submission) on the
relevant submission date. Students will receive their
coursework with marks and comments after five weeks of
the January and April submission dates and within three
weeks of the September submission date.
Academic management of coursework: for coursework
submitted in January-April, course convenors are
responsible for ensuring that coursework is returned to the
administration within three weeks of submission. In case of
112
alleged unfair practices or breach of academic conventions
this period might be prolonged. Every item of coursework is
marked by two subject specialists. Course convenors must
ensure that all coursework is second marked before it is
returned to administrators. External examiners (academics
employed in other, comparable Law Schools) will assess a
sample of coursework from all grade categories (including
failed marks) from the entire submission. Course convenors
are responsible for ensuring that coursework is returned to
administrators, who distribute marked coursework to
students, within two weeks of the return date.
Administrative management of coursework: submission of
essays is through Moodle. The process is as follows:
1. Visit the Birkbeck Moodle page
2. Enter your login details
3. Click on the relevant module page
4. Scroll down until you find the link for submission
5. Upload your electronic file from your computer or
any other electronic device
Students must be fully familiar with the use of Moodle.
Submission through email is not allowed, as this causes
administrative confusion to the detriment of the student.
Essays must be submitted with the number of the student
inserted in the cover. Essays must NOT include the name of
the student, as the marking requires anonymising. Essays
113
are returned to the students through the student pigeon
holes, located in the basement of the School. Students will
receive an email to notify them that they can collect their
essays. Essays will be returned to students within two weeks
after administrators receive the marked coursework from
module convenors.
Exam Attendance: a proportion of core qualifying law
degree subjects and a small proportion of optional subjects
are assessed wholly or partly by way of examination. As
approximate timings, in 2015 the exams were running from
12 May 2015 to 28 May 2015, and from 1 September 2015
to 11 September 2015. There are a variety of examination
modes (unseen written/seen written/open-book written)
and the module guide will identify the mode of assessment
applicable to the module in question. Unless supported by
mitigating circumstances, a failure to attend an examination
will lead to the student receiving a mark of zero.
Academic management of examinations: every individual
item of an examination is marked by two subject specialists
and a sample taken from the entire cohort of assessments is
reviewed by external examiners. Students are not entitled
to receive back the original or a copy of their examination
script.
Administrative management of examinations: results from
the May/June examination period will be released on or
114
after 31st July 2016. Results from the September
examination period will be released on or after the 1st
October 2016.
Academic and administrative staff are not permitted to
allow students to take completed examination scripts away
from the Law Offices. Official results will be made available
via the MyBirkbeck profile page and are not available
through any other means, such as via telephone.
Assessment feedback is provided by written summary to all
students in the case of coursework assessments. Where the
assessment is by coursework, students receive back a copy
of their essay containing (at a minimum) a short summary of
the student’s performance and a completed grid that
assesses the student’s performance against specific criteria,
such as research and structure of argument. Where the
assessment is by end of year examination, generic feedback
is provided, which is accessible to all students on a given
module. Because examination papers are not duplicated,
the School cannot return examination scripts to students.
Individual feedback to all students is not possible because of
the size of the cohort of students taking examinations.
Course Convenors will decide on whether feedback is
required – prioritising students who have failed modules,
students with disabilities and student who express a desire
to appeal against their result. For the May exams, students
can request feedback only during August, and for the
115
September exams, students can request feedback only
during October.
Law Sub Board of Examiners: It is a necessary part of the
process of feedback for students to receive marks for
assessments throughout the academic year. However, all
marks are subject to change until the Law Sub Board of
Examiners makes decisions or recommendations in respect
of the marks and the decisions and recommendations are
approved by the College Board of Examiners - which has
delegated authority to make decisions/recommendations to
Sub Boards (like the Law Sub Board of Examiners - which is
made up of all members of academic staff and law
specialists from other comparable Law Schools). The Law
Sub Board sits twice annually in the last week of June or first
week of July and in the third or fourth week of September.
Results are announced by College Registry. To facilitate
early release of results, the examinations officers in the
School undertake to report results to College Board of
Examiners within two weeks of the Law Sub Board
meetings.
The following academics lead on examination board
arrangements:
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Chair of Law Sub Board (June/July) Chief Exams
Officer: Victoria Ridler, [email protected] / 0203
073 8120
Deputy Chair of Law Sub Board: Nathan Moore,
[email protected] / 020 3073 8111
The following administrator leads on examination board
arrangements:
Team Leader: Natasha Trivedi Email: [email protected] Telephone: 020 7631 6508 Appeals/challenges Against Assessment Grading: the
judgment on the merits of an exam paper or coursework
assessment is not amenable to scientific certainty. Every
effort is taken (by way of marking / moderation / external
examination process) to ensure that judgments are a fair
representation of a student's performance. No appeal
against academic judgment is allowed. Appeals on the
grounds of administrative error or procedural irregularity
are allowed. Any appeal must be made to the College
within 6 weeks of notification of results.
117
Social Diary
118
Social Diary
Cumberland Lodge Weekend, annually held in the third
weekend of September, is a weekend of talks organised by
a rota of academic and administrative staff (with guest
speakers) and is an ideal event for new and continuing
students wishing to meet new students and staff and renew
old acquaintances;
Induction and Returning Students’ Socials: a social event
with drinks and light snacks is provided for NEW students on
the evening of the first day of Induction – this is usually the
last Tuesday in September or the first Tuesday in October.
The event is held in the main teaching location for the
Qualifying Law Degree – Friends House – and alcohol is not
permitted on the premises.
School Prize Giving: the following are examples of the range
of prizes available to students on the qualifying law degree:
Best performing student of each year, separate
prizes for LLB and LLM QLD
Pizza Paradiso Prize for significant contribution of
the social life of the School
Helena Kennedy Prize for Best Critical Essay
Tim Hutchings Prize for Perseverance
119
Every effort is made to announce prize winners at the
College Graduation event in November (LLB) and April
(LLM). A School prize giving event will take place in the
evening of Friday 08 January 2016 for all students in the
School of Law.
College Graduation: the ceremony for graduates takes place
in Logan Hall, Institute of Education (20 Bedford Way,
London WC1H 0AL) on 2 November 2015 at 11.00am for
LLB, and April 2016 for LLM QLD.
Annual Law Lecture Reception: an event with drinks and
light refreshments is held after the lecture given by a
distinguished academic. The Lecture takes place on 6
November 2015. The lecture and reception are hosted by
the Executive Dean of the School of Law.
February Law and Film Screening: join us for our annual
screening of a film addressing contemporary legal themes.
The event takes place annually on the first Friday in
February and is scheduled for 5 February 2016.
Law on Trial opening and closing reception: a reception
with drinks and light refreshments is offered during the
opening Monday (13 June 2016) and closing Friday (17 June
2016) nights of Law on Trial. The event takes place annually
during the second or third week of June and sees
academics, practitioners and activists debate an important
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and topical area of law. The first night is often devoted to a
Professorial inaugural lecture.
End of year party: the annual summer party, which takes
place usually on the first Friday of June, this year 3 June
2016 – is a special feature of the School’s diary of social
events. Weather permitting the summer party is held in the
Gower Street Gardens – immediately behind the School
academic and administrative offices at 14 Gower Street.
Options Fair: an event with drinks and light refreshments is
organised in the second Friday of June (10 June 2016) which
staff offering optional modules present their specialist
modules. A booklet with titles and a short summary of each
option will be available to students 5 working days before
the date of the options fair. Students have the opportunity
to discuss options with staff but are not able to select
option modules until the options portal is opened and
announced by email and/or via moodle – this would
normally occur within 7 working days of the date of the
options fair.
The following academic and administrative staffs are
responsible for co-ordinating the options event:
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Co-directors of the QLD
Director of LLB: Nadine El-Enany
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 020 3073 8121
Office location: 14 Gower Street, Room 202 or;
Director of LLM QLD: Eddie Bruce-Jones
[email protected] / 020 7631 6500
Office location: 12 Gower Street, Room 102
Years 2-4 Tutors
Fred Cowell
Email:[email protected]
Telephone: 0207 631 6507 Office location: 18 Gower Street, Room 2.01
Craig Reeves
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: 0207 631 6662
Office location: 18 Gower Street. Room 2.04
QLD administrators
Colin Mitchell
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 020 7631 6516
Office location: 14 Gower Street. Room G02
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Sophia Khalid
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 020 7631 6236 Office location: 14 Gower Street. Room G02
Student Law Society events held jointly with the School
Some events may be subject to change:
Christmas Party, held on Friday 11 December 2015.
Law Ball, held in the second half of July 2015.
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Extra-curricular
Activities
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Extra-Curricular Activities
Booker Prize initiative run by the School of Arts: this takes
place in Friend’s House. All new students are to the event
invited and given the booker prize nominated novel. The
event takes place annually in November/December/January.
Full details are to be found in the website of the School of
Arts.
Annual Law Lecture: This event occurs 6 November 2015
and sees the School host a talk given by a distinguished
academic on a law-related theme. The event attracts large
numbers of undergraduate students.
Mooting & Mock Trials: Mooting and Mock Trials are one of
the best ways of learning law. The School takes part in a
number of competition and organises regular internal
events. If you are interested in taking part in moots or mock
trials, email Jonathan Thorpe: [email protected]
Law Clinics: the School of Law is in collaboration with the
University of London and two other partners: HCL Hanne &
Co, a London based solicitors firm, and the River House
Trust, an organisation providing services to people living
with HIV and AIDS. To express interest in this project please
contact Eddie Bruce-Jones, [email protected] / 020
7631 6500 / Office location: Room 102, 12 Gower Street.
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For students interested in discussing the School’s range of
clinical options, please contact Eddie Bruce Jones, e.bruce-
[email protected] / 020 7631 6500 / Office location: Room
102, 12 Gower Street, and/or Bill Bowring,
[email protected] / 0207 631 6022 / Office location:
Room B03, 14 Gower Street. Dr Bruce Jones and Professor
Bowring support and harmonise academic and extra-
curricular offerings that include legal practice components.
Judicial conversations: occasionally, the School of Law puts
on a series of events that brings together leading judicial
figures, scholars and students. To see any updates on the
Judicial Conversations, visit the School of Law Regular
Events page.
Legal practice conversations: these events take place once
a term, this allows students to meet solicitors and barristers
and learn more about how law works. They generate
conversation between legal academics and legal
practitioners. To see any updates on the Legal Practice
Conversations, visit the School of Law Regular Events page.
Alumni network: Eddie Bruce-Jones, Email: e.bruce-
[email protected] Telephone: 020 7631 6500. Office
location: Room 102, 12 Gower Street, is the liaison to the
External Relations and the Birkbeck Careers Office, working
particularly to deepening relationships with School of Law
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alumni and developing external partnerships that will foster
career-development opportunities for students.
For more information on how you benefit as an alumni of
Birkbeck visit the College web site.
Careers events: the School organises a number of events
that will help students develop their careers, including talks
from practitioners and CV writing workshops. The School’s
careers contacts are: Eddie Bruce-Jones, e.bruce-
[email protected] / 020 7631 6500 / Office location: Room
102, 12 Gower Street, and Sue Baines, [email protected] /
020 3073 8149 / Office location: Room G02, 12 Gower
Street.
Conferences and workshops: Law on Trial is a week-long
series of lectures and workshops in which academics,
practitioners and activists debate an important and topical
area of the law. The event takes place annually during the
second or third week of June (13-17 June 2016). The event
attracts significant numbers of enrolled and prospective
QLD students.
Birkbeck Research and Public Engagement Institutes are
internationally renowned research institutes, committed to
offering most of its events free and open to the public. It is,
however, on occasion necessary to charge for some events
to keep all the others free.
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The Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities (BIH) is co-
directed by Professor of Law, Costas Douzinas. Please visit
the College website for details of conferences, workshops
and masterclasses.
Postgraduate Research Students’ Conference: QLD
students who are thinking of continuing their academic
studies may be interested in attended the annual
conference organised by scholars who are pursuing their
doctoral studies – many of whom teach seminars on the
qualifying law degree. The two day (Friday/Saturday) event
takes place during the first week of June (3 and 4 June
2016).
Cumberland Lodge Weekend, annually held in the third
weekend of September (16-18 September 2016), is a
weekend of talks organised by a rota of academic and
administrative staff (with guest speakers) and is an ideal
event for new and continuing students wishing to meet new
students and staff and renew old acquaintances.
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Mock and Moot Training, Trial and Competition Dates
Autumn term
Moot training, 17 October 2015
Moot competition, 31 October 2015
Mock trial training, 21 November 2015
Mock trial competition, 28 November 2015
Spring term
Moot competition, 30 January 2016
Mock trial competition, 6 February 2016
Summer term
Moot competition, 4 June 2016
Mock trial competition, 11 June 2016
Student Law Society events held jointly with the School
Some events may be subject to change:
Careers Events, scheduled for 15 January 2016, 22 April
2016 and 23 April 2016,
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Fees, Scholarships
and Bursaries
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Fees, Scholarships and
Bursaries
Payment of fees: It is the responsibility of each student to
ensure that their tuition fees are paid to the College by the
appropriate deadlines. Students who do not adhere to
College payment policies may have their access to academic
support (including library, Moodle, release of results and IT)
removed during the year and they may be unable to
graduate or return to study until the debt is cleared in full.
Students should contact the Fees Office to discuss any
payment queries or difficulties as early as possible by e-
mail. Further details are available on the College website at
www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/finance.
Bursaries and hardship payments: are not available from
the School of Law. The College has a range of support
available to assist students who are in financial difficulty.
Further information can be found on-line in the MyBirkbeck
portal.
Scholarships: the School has two Scholarships of £10,000
each as payment toward fees for the Legal Practice Course
or Bar Vocational Training Course. Scholarship awards are
made by lottery. To be eligible for the scholarship lottery, a
student must be in their final year of study, must apply, in
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writing to be included in the lottery, and must have an
average academic score of 67%. In addition, entry to the
lottery will usually be limited to students who have achieved
no less than 60% for all modules assessed at the time of
entry to the lottery. A student who secures a scholarship
through the lottery process will not be able to receive the
award unless he/she maintains, at graduation, the standard
of performance that determined his/her eligibility for the
lottery. The payment is made directly to the institution at
which the student is enrolled to study for the LPC or BPTC.
Please send your enquires to Luis Belmonte
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Self-test Exercises
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Self-test Exercises
Assessment Instructions
These exercises are designed to help readers to self-assess
how well they understand the principles and protocols
relevant to the QLD.
1. A member of your study group has become very
withdrawn and uncommunicative. After several
attempts to encourage her to confide in you, she
reveals to you that she is daily expecting to be
excluded from the programme on the grounds that
she has plagiarised a coursework assessment. She
tells you that she struggled with the coursework
question, ran out of time and produced a
submission that consisted mainly of quoted
material. She tells you that she is angry with herself
for including full references to all the material she
quoted because if the references/citations had not
been included in the coursework assessments, the
course convenors/markers may have assumed the
work to have all been produced in her own words.
Your study group friend is desperate for advice but
has never met with her personal tutor and does not
feel able to confide in him.
What advice would you offer?
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2. You have come to the end of your second year of
studies on the part time LLB programme. You
thoroughly enjoyed your study of Criminal Law and
Tort Law and received marks of 75% and 77%,
respectively – scoring the highest marks for those
modules among the whole student cohort. You are
eager to begin your third year of study but are
prevented from enrolling.
Why do you think you cannot enrol into year
three? Outline any alternative options and
identify from whom you would seek advice as to
your study options.
3. You are a part-time LLB student. On the morning of
your Legal Theory One examination, you woke up
feeling dizzy and cold. You planned a holiday in
September and could not face the thought of
deferring your examination to September. You
attended the Legal Theory One exam but half way
through the three hour paper you fainted and had
to be carried out of the examination room. You
scored 40% per cent in the examination and 62% in
European Union Law. You submitted a claim for
mitigating circumstances exactly three weeks after
the date of the Legal Theory One examination. You
wish to take the Legal Theory One paper in
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September - discounting the attempt. Your
mitigating circumstances claim was rejected on the
following grounds:
You had achieved a pass mark for Legal
Theory One
You scored more than 50% for Legal Theory
One as you did for European Union Law.
Having achieved such a score in half the
time as you had for European Union Law,
your performance in the Legal Theory One
examination was clearly not impaired by
reason of your illness and faint.
You are very unhappy and want to challenge Adam
Gearey’s decision. Outline the grounds on which
you will challenge the decision to reject your
mitigating circumstances claim. Identify any
additional information that might be relevant to
your challenge. To whom (or to which body) would
you address your challenge?
4. Identify (by providing the link or other reference) where
within Birkbeck you would find further information in
respect of ONE of the following:
Tier 4 attendance requirements
The classification of degrees
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The process for obtaining an ISSA (individual student support assessment)
In no more than 150 words, outline what you think is the most salient information relating to the topic of your choice.
5. Which of the following statements is correct? Give brief
reasons for your choice.
A mitigating circumstance is when a student
performs badly in an assessment because of the
occurrence of a sudden and unexpected serious
event
A mitigating circumstance is where a student fails an
assessment because of the occurrence of a sudden
and unexpected serious event
A mitigating circumstance is where a student's
performance in an assessment is impaired because
of the occurrence of a sudden and unexpected
serious event
6. Your ambition is eventually to become a legal academic.
Identify two extra-curricular activities which you think
would support your ambitions and (in no more than 150
words) justify your choice of extra-curricular activity.
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7. For what primary purpose would you approach the
following individuals? If you feel you will have no reason to
approach him or her, place an X against the name.
Marinos Diamantides
Craig Reeves
Pat Costall
Colin Mitchell
Slavoj Zizek
8. In no more than 150 words, explain how you would use ONE of the following to support your studies:
The office hour system
The tuition line
Audio/video lectures
Seminars
9. How might you respond to the following? Include details
of who you might need to contact. If you think that you
should not respond in any particular way, place an X across
the option:
You submit your coursework late and are informed
that, although the quality of the essay is first class,
the mark will be capped at 40%
You receive a mark of 80 per cent for your course
work but receive no comments in relation to the
marked assessment.
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You are a class representative and you have been
asked to convince the management of the School of
Law to put on more career related events.
You asked for (and were granted) desk facilities at
the Friends House lecture theatre but the desk you
have been allocated is always used by other
students.
Your first choice of option module is
oversubscribed, so you were offered your second
choice.
10. Answer yes, no or maybe to the following questions,
giving reasons for your answer:
I will study European Union law
Victoria Ridler will play a decisive role in whether or
not I progress to the next level of my studies
Tort law is a first year subject
Anton Aristodemou teaches Legal Theory
I can decide to take my assessments in September
instead of May/June
The pass mark for all QLD assessments is 40%
Luis Belmonte is a character in a novel
I can take options in non-law subjects
I am not required to take option subjects
I can go on to study for the Bar Vocational Training
Course provided that I receive no more than one
compensated fail
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