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Department of Politics
Undergraduate Programme Handbook
BA Global Politics and International Relations
2014-2015
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Contents
Introduction to BA Global Politics and International Relations
Introduction Useful
contacts Structure of the
degree Teaching
arrangements The
dissertation
Break in Studies Policy and Withdrawal from a Module or Programme
Results
Repeating modules and intermediate awards
Introduction to the Department of Politics
History of the Department
Full-time academic staff
Emeritus and visiting staff
Professorial Fellows
Administrative Staff
Aims and objectives
The Centre for the Study of British Politics and Public Life
Location
Access
Department website
Departmental blog and twitter
Keeping in touch
Student Support and Disability Advice
Student Support
Study Support
English language support for non-native speakers
Disability Statement
The Disability Office
Access at Birkbeck
The Disabled Students Allowance
The Personal Assistance Scheme
Support in your School
Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia)
Examinations
Further information
Annex
Disclaimer and useful links
Useful contacts
Criteria for the award of the degree
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Introduction to the BA Global Politics and International
Relations
Introduction
How did the contemporary international political and economic system come about? What is its future? This innovative course looks at the nature of politics at the global
level and covers international relations, political economy, and war and security
studies. You will gain the skills necessary for political, sociological, historical and
economic analysis in a learning environment that is supportive, radical and exciting.
You will also develop and practice skills of communication, presenting, analysing and
evaluating social science evidence and arguments, and academic writing. If you
choose to write a dissertation, you will develop an ability to conduct independent
research.
Useful contacts
The programme director is Dr Ali Burak Güven
(Email:[email protected]; Tel: 020 7631 6697)
The programme administrator is Irene Breckon ([email protected])
Structure of the Degree The BA Global Politics and International Relations programme is an Honours
degreethat requires three years’ full-time or four years’ part-time study. All students
must complete twelve modules during the degree.
i. Five compulsory modules;
ii. Seven option modules; students may, in lieu of their seventh option
module, choose to submit a dissertation.
PART-TIME (FOUR YEARS) FULL-TIME (THREE YEARS)
YEAR ONE
The Study of Politics (Level 4)
Introduction to Global Politics (Level 4)
Political Transformations (Level 5)
YEAR ONE
The Study of Politics (Level 4)
Introduction to Global Politics (Level 4)
Political Transformations (Level 5)
One Level 5 option
YEAR TWO
Intro to Int. Political Economy (Level 5)
Two Level 4 options*
YEAR TWO
Intro to Int. Political Economy (level 5)
Two Level 4 options*
One Level 5 or Level 6 option
YEAR THREE
War and Modern Society (Level 6)
One Level 5 or Level 6 option
One Level 5 or Level 6 option
YEAR THREE
War and Modern Society (Level 6)
Three Level 6 options or Two Level 6
options + dissertation
YEAR FOUR
Three Level 6 options or Two Level 6
options + dissertation
* Students can substitute one or both of these Level 4 option modules with Level 5
or Level 6 option modules if they have obtained a grade of at least 50% in each of
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the two compulsory Level 4 modules taken the previous year (The Study of Politics
and Introduction to Global Politics).
Students are required to make their option module choices by the end of August.
For full details about how to complete the BA options form, descriptions of the
modules and timetables for Politics, please see:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/politics/study-
here/PoliticsModulesBooklet20145finalversion3.pdf
Teaching Arrangements All lectures and classes are held between 6.00pm and 9.00pm in the evening. Each
module on the programme amounts to between thirty-forty hours of teaching (lectures
and seminars). Each 30-credit level 5 and level 6 module meets one night a week
during both the autumn and spring terms. Teaching on level 4 modules takes place
over the course of a single term and for three hours per class. The degree involves
attendance, on average, on two or three evenings a week for 20 weeks per year in
part-time study, and four evenings a week for 20 weeks per year in full-time study. In
Level 4 modules, students are often assessed throughout the semester via various
assignments and tests. In Level 5 and Level 6 modules, students are examined at the
end of the year and via coursework submitted during term time.
Dissertations
In the final year of study, and with the agreement of the Department, students may
choose to submit a dissertation in lieu of one Level 6 option module. The dissertation,
which must be between 8,000 and 10,000 words in length, offers an opportunity to
research a subject in depth, and to prepare a substantial, argued piece of work.All BA
dissertations must be submitted by May15th. Dissertations are to be submitted on
Moodle and one hard copy must be presented to the Politics Departmental Office at
10 Gower Street between the hours of 10.00 and18.00.
Students who wish to do a dissertation rather than an option module must
indicate so on their BA options form, which must be submitted by 31 August.
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/politics/current-students/undergraduates/ba-option-choices
Once students have chosen to do a dissertation, they must submit a completed
dissertation proposal form by 31 October. The purpose of this form is to identify a
research topic for your dissertation on the basis of which you will be allocated a
Dissertation Supervisor by the undergraduate dissertation coordinator, Dr Alejandro
Colas ([email protected]).
Dissertation proposal forms and full guidelines on writing an undergraduate
dissertation are available from the Department of Politics website:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/politics/current-students/undergraduates
If you wish to do a dissertation you should contact your Programme Director in the
summer term prior to commencement of the fourth year to discuss possible topics. You
must then submit a dissertation proposal form to your Programme Director in the
spring term (January) of your final year of study. This document can, in most, cases
by submitted via the Moodle portal for your dissertation.
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All research that is carried out by Birkbeck students that involves intervention or
interaction with human participants, or the collection and / or study of data derived
from living human participants (e.g. conducting research interviews), requires ethical
approval. Dissertation proposal forms and ethical proposal forms along with more
detailed guidance on writing dissertations are available from the Department website:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/politics/current-students/undergraduates
Break in Studies Policy and Withdrawal from a Module or Programme
Withdrawing from a module Students who wish to withdraw from the examination for a module should inform their
Programme Director in advance of the examination. Students who do so without
claiming mitigating circumstances that are then accepted by the Politics Exam Board
will fail the module and be given two additional attempts to pass the module via re-
take or reassessment (see section of repeating modules below). Students who withdraw
from a module and claim mitigating circumstances that are approved by the Politics
Exam Board will be offered either alternative assessment (see section of repeating
modules below) or three additional chances to pass the module at the discretion of the
Politics Exam Board. Please note that where a first-year, part-time student withdraws
from a module, it falls to the Politics Exam Board to decide whether this module must
first be passed before the student can proceed to the second year of study. For further
details on mitigating circumstances, please see:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/administration/assessment/exams/mitigati
ng-circumstances
Withdrawing from your dissertation
Students who wish to withdraw from their dissertation must inform their Programme Director before the dissertation is due. Students who do so without claiming mitigating
circumstances that are then accepted by their Programme Director will be given two
additional attempts to pass. Students who claim mitigating circumstances that are
approved by their Programme Director will be offered three remaining chances to pass
the dissertation. Deferred dissertations can be submitted by 15 May (or the Friday
before if 15 May is a Saturday or Sunday) or September 15 (or the Friday before if 15
September is a Saturday or Sunday) in the year following deferral.
For further details on mitigating circumstances, please see:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/administration/assessment/exams/mitigati
ng-circumstances
Break in Studies
College regulations permit a student to suspend studies for a maximum of two years
in total during their programme of study. Please see your Programme Director and the
Department Office if you are considering a break in studies. Further details on
relevant College regulations can be found here:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/rules/bis.doc/view
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Withdrawing from your programme
If for any reason you decide to withdraw from your degree on a permanent basis, we hope you will talk to us first. Students choose to withdraw for a wide range of reasons
and it may be that we will be able to make arrangements to help you complete your
course.
For further information, please see:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/administration/withdrawing
Please note that if you are requesting a refund, a medical certificate is required, where
applicable. Please note that the reimbursement policy is as follows:
A student who withdraws 15 or more days after the start of the first term of study, or
after they have completed enrolment (whichever is the later) is liable for payment of
tuition fees for the first term of their intended study, and all subsequent terms up to
and including the term in which they withdraw. Liability for tuition fees is divided
equally across all terms of study (with the exception explained in 20 below), e.g. for
study over three terms tuition fee liability is:
Term 12: 1/3 of total course fee
Term 2: 2/3 of total course fee
Term 3: All of total course fee
For full details, please see:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/rules/Terms%20and%20Conditions%202
013-14.pdf
Results When you submit coursework during the year you can usually expect to receive a
mark and feedback within three weeks. All marks are provisional until they are
approved by the Politics Exam Board, which meets in July of each year. Exam and
dissertation results are released after the July meeting of the Politics Exam Board.
These results will be made available to you via your My Birkbeck Profile
(http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/) but please note that it can take up to several
weeks after the Exam Board meets until marks for all students are entered on this
system.
Repeating modules and intermediate awards
If you fail a module you will be offered two additional attempts to pass the module.
This second attempt will take the form of a ‘re-take’, ‘re-assessment’ or ‘alternative
assessment’ at the discretion of the Politics Exam Board. A re-take requires attendance
at the module’s lectures and seminars as well as another attempt at the assessment,
whereas “re-assessment” is where a student attempts only the failed element(s) of a
failed module. Please note that students who retake the module will be liable to pay
fees for this course. Alternative assessment allows a student to submit additional
coursework in lieu of a second attempt at an exam and may be offered only in those
cases where a student has applied for mitigating circumstances and this claim has been
accepted by the Politics Exam Board. Any offer of alternative assessment is made only
after a consideration of the student’s overall progression for the year and is
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not an automatic entitlement. For further details on mitigating circumstances, please
see:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/administration/assessment/exams/mitigati
ng-circumstances
Intermediate awards can be offered by the Examinations Board when a student fails to
complete the full requirements for the degree.
Qualification Credits needed
Certificate in Higher Education 120
Diploma in Higher Education 240
(including 120 at level 5 or above)
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Introduction to the Department of Politics
History of the Department
Birkbeck College was founded in 1823 as the London Mechanics Institute, and was admitted as a constituent School of the University of London in 1920. Its mission is to
provide programmes of study to meet the needs of adults who are engaged in earning
their livelihood. Nearly 18,000 students studied at Birkbeck in 2010-2011 (4,683
undergraduates, 5,075 postgraduates, and 8,064 certificate students), the
overwhelming majority (roughly 90%) of whom studied part-time.
The Department of Politics was founded in 1972. It initially offered inter-disciplinary
degrees at the postgraduate level, but now also offers undergraduate and single
subject programmes in Politics. Located at 10 Gower Street, it is one of seven
departments in the School of Social Sciences, History and Philosophy. The
Department currently has approximately 20 full-time members, several part-time
lecturers, and a number of distinguished visiting Professors and Fellows. It teaches
both part-time and full-time students. Classes are taught in the evening in fulfilment
of the College’s mission.
Over the years, the Department has acquired a reputation for teaching and research of
which it is justly proud. It is unusual among UK politics departments in two respects.
Firstly, it is genuinely interdisciplinary, recognising no intellectual boundaries between
politics, political history, political theory and sociology, and its degrees transcend
these distinctions. Secondly, its primary teaching commitment remains the provision of
top-quality undergraduate and postgraduate education to part-time students in full-time
employment. Teaching and learning arrangements have been designed accordingly to
meet their needs. The Department attracts a body of students whose diverse
professional experience, personal backgrounds and maturity, mean that they bring to
the classroom tremendous breadth and depth of knowledge, often in fields relevant to
the subjects under study. This enriches the intellectual life of the Department for
students and staff alike.
Full-time academic staff
Samantha Ashenden, BA (Kingston), MPhil (Cantab), PhD (Lond.)
Senior Lecturer in Sociology
Edwin Bacon, BA (Sheffield), MSocSc (Birmingham), MBA(London) PhD
(Birmingham)
Reader in Comparative Politics
Antoine Bousquet, BSc (UCL), MSc (LSE), PhD (LSE) Senior Lecturer in Politics & International Relations
Rosie Campbell, BA, MSc (Southampton) PhD (Lond)
Reader in Politics
Alejandro Colás, BSc (Bristol), MSc/MRes (LSE), PhD (LSE) Reader in International Relations
Diana Coole, BA (Wales), MSc (London), PhD (Toronto) Professor of Political and Social Theory, Head of Department
Dionyssis Dimitrakopoulos BA (Athens), Lic Spec (Brussels), PhD (Hull) Senior Lecturer in Politics
Jason Edwards, BA (Oxon), MSc (Lond.), PhD (Lond.) Lecturer in Politics
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Ali Burak Güven, BSc, MSc (Middle East Technical University), PhD (Toronto)
Lecturer in International Relations and International Political Economy Dermot Hodson BA (TCD), MA (College of Europe) and PhD (LSE)
Senior Lecturer in Political Economy Eric Kaufmann, BA (U. Western Ontario), MSc/MRes (LSE), PhD (LSE)
Professor of Politics Joni Lovenduski BSc, MA (Manchester), PhD (Loughborough)
Anniversary Professor of Politics Deborah Mabbett, BA (Victoria University of Wellington), D.Phil (Oxon)
Professor of Public Policy Robert Singh, BA (Oxon), DPhil (Oxon)
Professor of Politics David Styan, BA (SOAS), DEA (University of Bordeaux), PhD (LSE)
Lecturer in Politics
Matthijs van den Bos, MA (University of Amsterdam), MA (Utrecht University), PhD
(University of Amsterdam)
Lecturer in International Studies
Barbara Zollner, MA (Bonn), PhD (SOAS) Lecturer in Islamic Studies
Ben Worthy BA, MA, PhD (Manchester) Lecturer in Politics
Emeritus and visiting staff
Helen Bolderson Hussein Kassim
Dr Sarah Childs
Peter John
Anne Showstack Sassoon Sami Zubaida
Professorial Fellows
Tony Wright
Administrative Staff
Jane Halstead, Assistant School Manager
Irene Breckon, Team Leader Nina Dartford, Administrator
James Harding, Administrator
Simon Abbott, Administrator
Jean Dhanji, Administrator
For an up to date list of staff members, including sessional teaching staff, see:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/politics/our-staff
Aims and objectives
The Department’s principal aims are:
• to enable mature students in full-time employment to undertake undergraduate
and postgraduate study in Politics in fulfilment of the mission of the College;
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• to enable students to develop and deepen their understanding of the conceptual
and theoretical bases of the disciplines, their methods of inquiry, and their
domains of knowledge;
• to offer students the opportunity to develop and deepen their skills of critical
evaluation and analysis;
• to enable students to develop and extend their key skills as a foundation for
personal development, employment or further academic study; and
• to contribute to the needs of local, national and international communities. Against
the backdrop of these objectives, all graduating students from the Department
will:
• be able to demonstrate the ability to apply critically the main theories, models
and concepts used in the study of politics to the analysis of political ideas,
institutions, processes, practices, developments and events;
• have developed an understanding and substantive knowledge of political
processes and/or social and political theory;
• have extended and developed their analytical, evaluative and critical
capacities;
• have developed transferable skills, including the ability to take responsibility
for their own learning, learning how to learn, making oral and written
presentations, planning and producing written assignments, working
independently, and using information technology; and
• have developed, where they complete a dissertation, the ability to undertake
independent research.
The Centre for the Study of British Politics and Public Life
The Department of Politics is home to the Centre for the Study of British Politics and Public Life. The Centre aims to engage with key issues in British politics and public
life through public debates, conferences, lectures, seminars and seminar series, and
workshops. For further details please see: http://www.csbppl.com
Location
The Department is located at 10 Gower Street, and the Department Office on the ground floor is open for enquiries between 10:00 and 18:00 every weekday. Please
press the buzzer for the Department Office for access. Members of staff have offices
in 10 Gower Street or adjacent buildings. Much of the teaching is held in Birkbeck’s
main building in Malet Street.
Access
You will need your Birkbeck ID card throughout your time at Birkbeck, since it acts
as your College ID card, library card and access card. Once you have completed your
enrolment, you will be entitled to an ID card. The simplest way to get your ID card is
by ordering it via your My Birkbeck profile. Just upload a recent image of yourself
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and submit your order. Alternatively, visit the My Birkbeck Helpdesk where they can
take a photo of you and produce a card. Please note you may be required to queue
during busy periods. The ID card will remain valid for the duration of your studies,
and you will not be issued with a new card for each subsequent academic year. See the
following link for further details:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/you/cards
If you lose or damage your Birkbeck student card, a replacement can be ordered for a
non-refundable fee of £10.00. See the following link for further details:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/you/cards/replacement
Departmental website The Department website (www.bbk.ac.uk/politics) carries information about the
Department, the staff, students and courses, and a notice board. Also available are
learning resources, such as guidelines on essay and dissertation writing, course
materials (access to which may require a password and username), and links to sites
of particular interest to students in Politics. Students are advised to familiarise
themselves with the website and to visit it regularly.
Departmental blog and twitter
See the departmental blog (www.10-gower-street.com) for updates by scholars from
Birkbeck and beyond on political research in progress and commentary on current
affairs. You can also follow the Department on twitter
(https://twitter.com/bbkpolitics).
Keeping in touch
Please check the Department website (www.bbk.ac.uk/politics) regularly for notices.
Email is the main method by which we will contact you, so it is important that we get
your email address right. Please check your My Birkbeck profile to ensure that we
have the correct email address for you (http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck).
Change of address
You must inform the Registry if you change address at any time while studying at
Birkbeck. You can do so online by logging into your 'MyBirkbeck Profile'
(http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/).
Student Support and Disability Advice
Student support
As a Birkbeck student, you can get access to a range of support facilities including:
Accommodation services
Career services
Counselling service
Financial support
Health services
Nursery
Students' Union
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For more details, please see: http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/facilities
Study support
Birkbeck’s Centre for Transformative Practice in Learning and Teaching also offers a range of academic development workshops for students. Some courses are initially
only available to first year undergraduates, but other students can join a standby list.
All workshops are free of charge unless stated otherwise. Topics covered in these
modules include:
Moodle
Reading skills
Note taking
Time Management
Essay writing
Academic English
For more details, please see: http://www.bbk.ac.uk/learning-and-teaching/supporting-
learning/students-skills-development
The Learning Development Tutor The Learning Development Tutor for the School of Social Sciences, History and Philosophy is Helen Fuller. Helen is available for 1-to-1 meetings to provide support and advice, and can help students with a range of study skills including: • organisational skills • time management • critical reading • note taking • essay planning • writing • referencing • exam preparation Helen also provides workshops on these topics which run throughout the year. Details for these workshops can be found on the My Birkbeck website at http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/ To contact Helen email [email protected] or telephone 0207 631 6693. To make an appointment for a 1-to-1 tutorial please log in to Moodle and click on the link to the School of Social Sciences, History and Philosophy module.
English language support for non-native speakers The Academic English module offered by the Centre for Transformative Practice in
Learning and Teaching (see above) is open to native and non-native speakers. For a
module aimed specifically at non-native speakers, the College runs a range of short
modules designed for students who are about to start a university degree or are
already studying at undergraduate or postgraduate level. An additional fee is charged
for attending these modules.
For further details, please see: http://www.bbk.ac.uk/study/2014/short-
courses/subject/english_language/
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Disability Statement
At Birkbeck there are students with a wide range of disabilities including dyslexia, visual or hearing impairments, mobility difficulties, mental health needs, medical
conditions and respiratory conditions. Many of them have benefited from the advice
and support provided by the College’s Disability Office.
The Disability Office
The College has a Disability Office located in room G12 on the ground floor of the Malet Street building. We have a Disability Service Manager, Mark Pimm, a Disability
Administrator, John Muya and a Mental Health Advisor, Elizabeth Hughes. We will
shortly be appointing an SpLD Advisor.
All enquiries should come to the Disability office, who will determine the appropriate
referral to specialist staff. They can provide advice and support on travel and parking,
physical access, the Disabled Students Allowance, special equipment, personal
support, examination arrangements etc. If you have a disability or dyslexia, we
recommend you come to our drop in session where we can discuss support and make
follow up appointments as necessary. The drop-in sessions are between 4pm and 6pm
Monday to Thursday.
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The Disability Office can also complete an Individual Student Support Agreement
form with you, confirming your support requirements and send this to your School
and relevant Departments at the College so they are informed of your needs.
Access at Birkbeck
Birkbeck's main buildings have wheelchair access, accessible lifts and toilets, our reception desks have induction loops for people with hearing impairments and we
have large print and tactile signage. Disabled parking, lockers, specialist seating in
lectures and seminars and portable induction loops can all be arranged by the
Disability Office.
The Disabled Students Allowance
UK and most EU students with disabilities on undergraduate and postgraduate courses
are eligible to apply for the Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA). The DSA usually
provides thousands of pounds worth of support and all the evidence shows that
students who receive it are more likely to complete their courses successfully. The
Disability Office can provide further information on the DSA and can assist you in
applying to Student Finance England for this support.
The Personal Assistance Scheme
Some students need a personal assistant to provide support on their course, for
example a note-taker, sign language interpreter, reader, personal assistant, disability
mentor or dyslexia support tutor. Birkbeck uses a specialist agency to recruit Personal
Assistants and they can assist you with recruiting, training and paying your personal
assistant. Please contact the Disability Office for information on this scheme.
Support in your School
The provision which can be made for students with disabilities by Schools is set out in
the Procedures for Students with Disabilities. This is available from the Disability
Office and on the disability website (see below).
As mentioned above your School will receive a copy of your Individual Student
Support Agreement from the Disability Office. This will make specific
recommendations about the support you should receive from the School. If you
experience any difficulties or require additional support from the School then they
may also be able to assist you. They may be contacted through the School Office or
the Disability Office.
Support in IT Services and Library Services
There is a comprehensive range of specialist equipment for students with disabilities in IT Services. This includes software packages for dyslexic students (e.g. Claroread
and Inspiration), screen reading and character enhancing software for students with
visual impairments, specialist scanning software, large monitors, ergonomic mice and
keyboards, specialist orthopaedic chairs etc. For advice and assistance please contact
Disability IT Support. There is also a range of specialist equipment in the Library
including a CCTV reading machine for visually impaired students as well as specialist
orthopaedic chairs and writing slopes. The Disability Office refers all students with
disabilities to the Library Access Support service who provides a comprehensive
range of services for students with disabilities.
Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia)
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Mature students who experienced problems at school are often unaware that these
problems may result from their being dyslexic. Whilst dyslexia cannot be cured, you
can learn strategies, which make studying significantly easier. If you think you may
be dyslexic you should contact the Disability Office who can screen you and where
appropriate refer you to an Educational Psychologist for a dyslexia assessment. These
assessments cost £225. Some students can receive assistance in meeting this cost from
their employer. In exceptional cases students may receive assistance from the Access to
Learning Fund.
Examinations
Students with disabilities and dyslexia may be eligible for special arrangements for
examinations e.g. extra time, use of a word processor, amanuensis, enlarged
examination papers etc. In order to receive special arrangements a student must
provide medical evidence of their disability (or an Educational Psychologists report if
you are dyslexic) to the Disability Office. For School examinations you should
contact your Programme Director to request special arrangements at least 2 weeks
before the examination. For main College summer examinations you are given the
opportunity to declare that you require special provision on your assessment entry
form. Students who require provision should then attend an appointment with the
Disability Office to discuss and formalise the appropriate arrangements. The closing
date for making special examination arrangements in College examinations is the 15th
March and beyond this date consideration will only be given to emergency cases.
Further information
Full information on disability support can be found at:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/facilities/disability
For further information or to make an appointment to see the Disability office, please
call the Student Centre on 020 7631 6316 or email [email protected].
Alternatively you can go to the Disability Office in room G12 between 4pm and 6pm
Monday – Thursday for during their drop-in hours.
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Annex: Useful contacts
Academic staff
Samantha Ashenden [email protected]
Edwin Bacon [email protected]
Antoine Bousquet [email protected]
Rosie Campbell [email protected]
Alejandro Colás a.colá[email protected]
Diana Coole [email protected]
Dionyssis Dimitrakopoulos [email protected]
Jason Edwards [email protected]
Ali Burak Güven [email protected]
Dermot Hodson [email protected]
Eric Kaufmann [email protected]
Joni Lovenduski [email protected]
Deborah Mabbett [email protected]
Rob Singh [email protected]
David Styan [email protected]
Matthijs van den Bos [email protected]
Ben Worthy [email protected]
Sami Zubaida [email protected]
Barbara Zollner [email protected]
Administrative staff
Irene Breckon 020 7079 0755 [email protected]
Nina Dartford 020 7631 6780 [email protected]
James Harding 020 7631 6789 [email protected]
Jean Dhanji 020 7631 6780 [email protected]
Simon Abbott 020 7631 6789 [email protected]
Politics
Department Office
020 7631 6780 [email protected]
Other useful numbers
College
Switchboard
020 7631 6000
Registry 020 7631 6390/6309
College Library 020 7631 6239
Students Union 020 7631 6335
Student Financial
Support
020 7631 6362
Disability Office 020 7631 6336
ITS Reception 020 7631 6543
Telephone numbers are liable to change from time to time – please phone the
Department Office (020 7631 6780/6789) or the Birkbeck Switchboard (020 7631
6000) in case of difficulties.
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Annex: Disclaimer and Useful links
Regulations, procedures and codes of practice:
Ever effort has been made to ensure that the information provided in this programme
handbook is accurate at the time of going to press. For full, up-to-date information
about College regulations, please see:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/reg/regs
Other useful links
Department of Politics
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/politics
Moodle:
http://moodle.bbk.ac.uk
Regulations, procedures and codes of practice:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/reg/regs
Regulations for Taught Programmes of Study:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/rules/casregs.pdf
Mitigating Circumstances Policy, Procedure and Guidance:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/rules/mitcircspol.pdf
Break-in-Study Policy:
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/rules/bis.doc
College Policy on Plagiarism and other Assessment Offences
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/rules/assmtoff.pdf
Disability and dyslexia support
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/facilities/disability
Birkbeck data protection policy
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/hr/policies_services/policies_az/data_protection_policy
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Annex: Criteria for the Award of Honours
1. In order to obtain an Honours Degree in Global Politics and International Relations,
students must accumulate a total of 360 credits, where each module is worth 30 credits.
Students must therefore normally pass 12 modules in order to be awarded the degree,
except in cases where credit for prior study has been approved.
2. Students normally take 120 credits (4 modules) at level 4, a minimum of 60 and a
maximum of 120 credits (2 to 4 modules) at level 5, and a minimum of 120 and a
maximum of 180 credits (4 to 6 modules) at level 6.
3. The Study of Politics, Introduction to Global Politics, Political Transformations,
Introduction to International Political Economy, and War and Modern Society are all
designated as compulsory modules. Students must attend and take all assessment for these
modules. If any of these modules are failed in the first instance, students must retake or be
reassessed for the module (up to a total of three failed attempts).
4. A passing grade for a module is recorded when a student achieves an overall module
result of 40% or above.
5. If a student achieves an overall module result of between 30-39%, their grade is
recorded as a fail. Students may be reassessed for the failed elements of their assessment
on the module, up to a total of three failed attempts.
6. A student failing a module by a narrow margin may be awarded a Compensated Fail.
No more than two 30 credit modules designated as Compensated Fails may contribute
towards the 360 credits required to obtain a degree. No more than 30 credits Compensated
Fail (i.e. one module) contributing towards the final credit total can be at Level 6.
7. A student achieving a module result of less than 29% will be deemed to have failed the
module with an unsatisfactory performance. No credit will be awarded for the module and
students cannot be reassessed. Students may only retake the entire module, which requires
that they attend all scheduled contact sessions and complete all assessment on the module
on the next occasion that it runs.
8. The Politics Exam Board determines whether a student failing with an overall module
result between 30-39% is to be reassessed for the failed elements of assessment, or is
required to retake the entire module.
9. When calculating final degree classification, only Level 5 and Level 6 modules
contribute. The final classification is a weighted average of Level 5 and Level 6 modules;
Level 5 weighted at 1, and Level 6 at 2.
9.1 The College sets the class of Degree that may be awarded as follows:
First: 70% or above for the average weighted module results
Upper Second: 60% or above for the average weighted module results
Lower Second: 50% or above for the average weighted module results
Third: 40% or above for the average weighted module results
9.2 Where a student’s average result is within 2% of the next (higher) degree classification
the Politics Exam Board should consider the number of modules and credit for which the
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assessment falls within a particular class. If a candidate has preponderance of module results
in a higher class than that determined by the aggregate result, the higher degree may be
awarded.
9.3 A student may obtain a Pass classification if they have accumulated 300 credits, with
at least 120 credits at Level 6, and no more than 60 credits as Compensated Fail (of which
no more than 30 can be at Level 6).
9.4 A student may NOT attempt further modules above a total of 360 credits in order to
improve his/ her average result.
9.5. The Politics Exam Board may take into account such additional factors as may have
affected candidates’ performance and any special difficulties the candidate may have
experienced, such as illness. Discretion will be used to the benefit of the candidate and not
otherwise.