University of Warwick
MA in Translation, Writing and Cultural Difference
Student Handbook 2009-10 MA in Translation, Writing and Cultural Difference Academic Calendar, 2009-10.
Term 1 Date For Students For Staff Mon-Tue 5-6th October Fist meeting for Module Induction of new students 2009 (Week 1) Intellectual Contexts I, Monday 5th Induction Meeting in H202 Tuesday 2pm to 3pm. Mon- Fri, Monday 5th – 9th Attend general Oct (week 1) postgraduate meetings in English, French, German. Attend first sessions in term 1 modules. Friday 16th October Chose term 2 modules from (end week 2) the updated list. Check these are running with tutors. Get option choices to German Dept and onto OMR system. Wed 18th November Postgraduate Open Day: JH to coordinate and MA in TWCD presence. Date and time to be Staff Student Liaison Staff Student Liaison confirmed Committee (SSLC) Committee meeting meeting. Representatives sought! Friday 11th December By now you should have (end of week 10) selected a dissertation topic, approached and confirmed an MA dissertation supervisor from the relevant department. A working dissertation title is required: please inform German Department.
2 Term 2 Date For Students For Staff 12 noon, Friday 15th Assessed essays from January 2010. term 1 modules to be handed in to German Dept. Office. Except German module (see below). January 2010. Graduating MA students German Dept to coordinate from last year (2007-08) to where necessary. graduate at Winter ceremony Date and time t.b.c 2nd SSLC meeting SSLC meeting Throughout term 2 Continue to meet with dissertation supervisor. Finalize dissertation title by week 7, Friday 19th Feb. Please notify the German Department
Term 3 and Summer 2010 Date For Students For Staff 12 noon, Monday 10th Term 2 Module May 2010 assessment work to be handed in to German Department. Time and place TBC Final SSLC meeting and report June date ‘Crossing Borders’ submission deadline – Monday 28th June if you have done this module: hand in to English department June-Aug 2010 JH to liaise with external examiner over final organisation Monday Aug 16st 2010 Dissertations handed in German Dept to distribute to German Dept by 12 dissertations to internal noon. markers (first and second) Monday 13th Sept 2010 * JH to post essays to external: to arrive 15th/16th September * Monday 27st Sept 2010 * MA Exam Board *
3 *Dates to be confirmed.
Welcome to the MA. We hope you will have an excellent year with us!
This is an innovative and interdisciplinary twelve-month full-time (24 months part-time) programme of study leading to an MA. The aim of the course is to examine translation between English and either German, French or Italian in a cultural context, and develop communicative, imaginative and critical abilities related to literary writing. Students are encouraged to develop their interest in intercultural communication and combine the study of theoretical models with active translation work and creative writing
The MA is run collaboratively by a number of units in the Faculty of Arts, including the departments of English and Comparative Literature, French, German, and Italian.
Please remember that, whatever your language specialism, for administrative purposes you should always refer in the first instance to the Department of German;
the Departmental Secretary is Mrs Marie Lucas (Room H205, ext. 24419, e-mail warwick.ac.uk); the Course Co-ordinator is Dr James Hodkinson (room H216, ext. 50387, e-mail [email protected]).
Term Dates 2009-2010
WARWICK TERM DATES 2009/2010
Autumn Term Monday 5 October 2009 – Saturday 12 December 2009
Spring Term Monday 11 January 2010 – Saturday 20 March 2010
Summer Term Monday 26 April 2010 – Saturday 3 July 2010
Taught Postgraduate students are expected to continue with their studies outside the stated term dates. MA programmes for full-time students include work equivalent to a notional 45 weeks within the year.
What to do first
As soon as you can, take two passport photographs of yourself to Mrs Marie Lucas, room H205, second floor of the Humanities Building, and complete an address card. Secretarial office hours are normally Monday-Friday, 9:30-13:00 and 14.30-17:00. If you change your address during your time at Warwick, please let the secretary know, otherwise it may be difficult to contact you.
4 Contd.
How to find us
All units involved in the MA are situated in the Humanities Building. German is on floor two, French and Italian on floor four, and English on floor five. All staff have rooms along the corridor of the relevant floor. Office hours are posted on the doors during term time. Please try to keep to these times if you need to see a tutor. Out of term time the arrangements may vary, so make sure you know what the arrangements are for the person you want to see. If you need to see a staff member urgently, use e-mail or contact the relevant department’s secretary. E-mail addresses are listed below.
Communication
All important messages will be sent to you via your Warwick e-mail address, so be sure to check it on a daily basis. The pigeonholes opposite the lift on 2nd floor (on the side of the German department) are used for letters and paper communication. Check the notice boards outside relevant departments regularly for further information on Visiting Speakers, Conferences at Warwick and in other Universities, Fellowships, etc.
Contact Staff
These are the members of staff who will be your main contacts in each department. You will also need to get contact details for tutors of individual modules.
For all general MA matters
Support staff: (German) Marie Lucas, Departmental Secretary, room H205 (tel. 024-765 24419), [email protected]
Academic co-ordinator: Dr James R. Hodkinson, Department of German Studies, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL. Room H216, tel. 024 76150387; e.mail: [email protected]. In Term 2 (Spring) The coordinator will change and will most likely be Professor Rob Burns ([email protected])
Departmental contacts:
Italian:
Support: Harpal Singh, Department of Italian University of Warwick, COVENTRY, CV4 7AL; Telephone No: 02476 524126; Fax No: 024 76528174; e.mail: [email protected]
5 Academic: Loredana Polezzi, Department of Italian University of Warwick, COVENTRY, CV4 7AL; Telephone No: 02476 523253; Fax No: 024 76528174;e.mail: [email protected]
English:
Support: Cheryl Cave, room H545 (tel 024 76523665), [email protected]
Academic: Michael Hulse, room 544 (tel 024 76522335), [email protected]
John Gilmore
French:
Support: Sylvia Howell, Departmental Secretary, room H442 (tel. 024-76523013) [email protected]
Academic: Pierre-Phillippe Fraiture, Room H437 (tel. 024-76523013 ), [email protected]
German: See ‘general MA’ matters above
All academic members of staff will have office hours, normally posted on their doors. If in doubt, contact the relevant departmental secretary/support staff for an appointment.
Library contacts
You may want to contact subject librarians for specific areas of studies; these are Peter Larkin for French and English and Italian, and Richard Parker for German.
Registration Information regarding registration will already have been sent to you by post, and is also set out in details at http://www.warwick.ac.uk/AcademicOffice/postgrad/Enrolment. Any queries regarding registration should be e-mailed to [email protected] , or telephone either Tracey Williams on 024 76526100 or Faye Emery on 024 76522755.
The Graduate School (http://www.warwick.ac.uk/services/gradschool) The principal aim of the Graduate School at Warwick is to support the academic departments and centres of the University in providing the best possible research environment and educational experience for postgraduates. At Warwick, the Graduate School has an office located on the first floor in University House. This Office is responsible for all aspects of administration relating to postgraduate students and courses. The Graduate School website offers a range of information about graduate study at Warwick, and a copy of the university’s postgraduate handbook can be downloaded there.
6 Core and optional modules
Modes of Study
Award Period of Registration Period of Registration Number of Credits – Full Time – Part Time MA 12 Months 24 Months 180 Credits
All students will take the following modules.
Core Module (Term 1):
. Translation Studies in Theory and Practice (English/ Translation Studies)
Language specific Core Module (Term 1):
. Intellectual Contexts I: Intercultural Transactions (Department of French Studies) . Translation and Cultural Difference between German and English (Department of German Studies)
The Writing Core Modules (Term 2):
. Crossing Borders: Writing, Language, Cultural Transfer (Department of English/ Trans)
One Option Module (Term 2) selected from the list of postgraduate modules offered by all the participating departments.
Option modules change annually, and an updated list is available at the beginning of the Autumn term. Modules available For 2009/10 will most likely include:
Issues of Cultural Transfer English/ Trans. Literary Translation and Creative (Re-)Writing in a Global Context English/ Trans. Advanced (guided) Study Option French Self and the Others German
7 Contd. Dissertation
You should agree a dissertation topic and be assigned a supervisor by no later than the end of the first term. The final title must be confirmed by Friday 19th Feb 2010. Please inform the German Department of this information, as it is decided upon. See pages 11-12 for further details.
The dissertation will be approximately 15,000 words and may be a translation with a commentary (normally up to 1/3 translation to 2/3 commentary), a comparative commentary on existing translations, or a dissertation essay on a topic related to translation studies or intercultural difference.
Choosing your option for term two
To help you to choose which option courses you wish to take, we suggest you discuss these with relevant contact staff in each department. You need to decide all your options by Friday of week 2 – week 1 for English options. However, you should contact departments and discuss option availability as soon as possible: some options may be filling up already, while others might not be running because of low numbers of students expressing an interest. If you can’t make up your mind you will be assigned to an option by the course co-ordinator. Options attracting fewer than 3 students will not take place. Numbers will be limited to 12 students per option (15 if the course is also a core course). We will do our best to see that everyone gets their first choice but please be prepared to be flexible. You may be refused a place on a course if the number of registered students exceeds 12 on option courses and 15 on core courses.
Finalize your first and second choices for term two option and return the titles in writing to the German Department office before 12.00 noon on Friday of week 4 (Friday of week 1 for English options).
Personal Tutors
You will be assigned a personal tutor during the first meeting of the MA (see ‘Timetable for week one’, below). The personal tutor will normally be in one of the departments you will be studying with (English, relevant Language Department). You should see your personal tutor at least twice per term, but you can also arrange additional meetings if you need to discuss any academic or personal issues.
Remember that the personal tutor system is there to support you and that personal issues will be treated confidentially. Your personal tutor will usually be able to help, or may refer you to other University support services, such as the Senior Tutor and Counsellors – but we can only help if you stay in touch with us!
For 2009/10 all students will be assigned to Dr Pierre-Philippe Fraiture in the Dept. of French Studies.
8 What you need to do in the first week
Timetable for week one
Monday 5th October 2009
If in the German stream, you might wish to attend the meeting for German Postgraduates in H202 at 4pm. If you are taking the French module Intellectual Contexts I, then please be aware that this module starts today on the first Monday of term.
Tuesday, 6th October
COMPULSORY first meeting 2.00 -3.00 p.m., Room H202 for all students on the MA; you will receive further information on modules, timetables, etc, and you will also have a chance to meet contact staff from the units involved in the MA.
Please note that you are also encourages to attend meetings arranged by individual departments for their PG students. You should note, however, that some of the information given at these meetings may not be entirely relevant to you. If in doubt: ask!
Wednesday 7th October
All students attend Translation Studies in Theory and Practice Core Course 10:00 -12:00 in H102.
Thursday 8th October
The German Stream taking the module Translation and Cultural Difference between German and English will have its first meeting with Dr Hodkinson in H216, 11.00 - 13.00.
Friday 9th October
Library Training Session in the 1.00- 2.00 pm Seminar Room (Library floor 2). The training session is very important and compulsory! Please contact Richard Parker, saying who you are, what your course is, and confirming that you will attend: [email protected]
Finally
During week one, arrange to meet your personal tutor. Your personal tutor will help with problems of a personal or general academic nature, but not with the content of your work. Agree a meeting time during Tuesday’s first MA encounter or e-mail your tutor to arrange a time.
9 French: students following the French Stream are invited to the reception for new graduate students offered by the H.o.D, in week 1. Please make yourselves known to either the French secretary, Prof. Seán Hand, Dr Ingrid de Smet, or Dr P-P.Fraiture on the first few days of week1 for details.
English Department
Feel free to contact Michael Hulse if you want to discuss any of the Writing Programme or English Department modules available in term 2.
Preparing for Work
Studying at University has been likened to paying a subscription to a Gym. For your money you expect excellent facilities, personal attention, regular classes and dedicated instructors, but if you don’t do the exercises you won’t achieve results!
Students are entitled to: Students are expected to:
1. Coherent, well taught and well resourced 1. Prepare for, participate in and contribute to courses lectures, seminars and tutorials
2. Timely information on course and module 2. Take notice of requirements and due dates, inform requirements, essay submission dates and other department of unavoidable absences and the relevant arrangements tutors of academic or personal problems
3. Adequate information on the progress of their 3. Respond practically and positively to feedback by work and prompt warning if this is thought to be investigating ways to improve work unsatisfactory. This includes access to marks for essays and the results of examinations
4. The return in good time of written work, both 4. Submit all assessed and non-assessed work in assessed and non-assessed, together with suggestions good time and good order for improvement and an opportunity to discuss matters of concern
5. Opportunities to discuss academic work in general 5. Take advantage of the opportunities provided to with individual module tutors or personal problems get advice on academic and personal matters at least with Personal Tutors at advertised office hours or other once or twice a term. Respect the times provided mutually convenient times unless the matter is very urgent.
Time Management
Postgraduate study involves a great deal of work on your own. There will be a considerable amount of general reading as well as preparation and follow up for each seminar and lecture. You should be spending six hours reading/preparing for every one contact hour. Expect to be even busier when preparing assessments! Time management is very important. You will be given a diary which will help you to monitor your academic progress. Make entries on a weekly basis listing the following:
The number of lectures and seminars you have attended The number of study groups, support classes and tutorials with your supervisor
10 The number of self-study hours you have done (Library, your own reading) Cultural events (film, theatre, exhibitions, travel in the UK and abroad, field trips etc) Guest lectures, talks, conferences
Take your diary to classes. Use your diary to plan your work for the week and keep a list of things you need to do in it. We may ask you to present your diary to your Personal Tutor at some stage during the year in order to assess your progress and help you with your time-management. The diary will also help to compile a personal development profile of what you have achieved while at Warwick. Please, be assured that the contents of the diary will not be disclosed to other students.
Get organised
Make sure you have everything you need for your study. Buy the books you are recommended to buy – you will need to use them constantly. Keep a list of books you have read with a brief note of their contents. Investigate the library’s e-learning resources. Whether English is your mother tongue or not, make sure your competence is as good as it can be. Read books and articles in English, read English newspapers and magazines, watch English TV, mix with other English students by joining clubs. If you need extra help go to the in-sessional courses at CELTE, they are free.
Peer Support
Graduate work by its nature is often a solitary activity. Support from your classmates can be very helpful. Why not join the Postgraduate association, or use the Graduate space (top floor of the Humanities Building) as an available meeting place. It has a comfortable seating area and useful notice boards. You might consider forming a reading group to read a specific text each week and then meet to discuss it. Think about working with a fellow student and exchanging ideas about your seminar preparation, your essay research and your writing. Read each other’s work and offer constructive suggestions
Academic Research and Writing Skills
In the English department, Cathia Jenainati runs sessions throughout term 1 designed to help overcome the problems commonly encountered in writing essays and dissertations. Please contact English for details.
11 Assessment
(Part-time students please also consult the additional information below.)
Requirements In order to be awarded a degree you need to attend the prescribed number of courses, to attend the required special training sessions, guest lectures and seminars and to produce written work of acceptable academic quality.
Module assessment
Modules are assessed by a 5000-7000-word essay, or a translation with a commentary, or a commentary on the publication history/reception of a translated text.
Writing Core Modules taught in Term 2 are assessed by a 7000-word essay or a writing portfolio.
In the summer term students will work on a 15,000-word dissertation. This may be a translation with a commentary (normally up to 1/3 translation to 2/3 commentary), a comparative commentary on existing translations, or a dissertation on a topic related to translation studies or intercultural difference. You will be given specific details of assessment requirements and relevant deadlines at the start of each module.
Dissertation
Your dissertation will relate to your taught courses, but you will be able to choose your own topic within those confines, in consultation with your supervisor. We strongly suggest that you keep your dissertation at the back of your mind throughout the first term and make a note of possible avenues of study as you go along. It is quite difficult to identify a research area, narrow down a suitable topic and collect material if you leave everything until the last minute. You should also think about who might be most suitable to help you with your dissertation topic.
Each staff member involved in the MA will be able to supervise a limited number of students. Discuss your research project with the person you have identified as a suitable supervisor as soon as you can.
By Friday 11th December (end of week 10 in term 1) you should have selected a dissertation topic, approached and confirmed an MA dissertation supervisor from the relevant department.
A working dissertation title and the name of the supervisor are required by this Friday deadline: please inform German Department in writing.
Finalize the dissertation title by week 7 of term 2, Friday 19th Feb. Please notify the German Department
12 Your next stage will be to work closely with your dissertation supervisor, agree your work plan, time-scale and organise your own research and reading time-table. Students should aim to see supervisors every 4 weeks for full time and 4-8 for part time. During holiday periods, if direct contact with the supervisor is not available, supervisions can take place via email or telephone. Students can expect to receive guidance from supervisors on the nature of research and the standards expected (including standards of presentation), the planning of the research programme, literature and sources. However, it is the students’ responsibility to consult a current MHRA Style Book (published by the Modern Humanities Research Association) for guidelines on the presentation of the thesis: grammar, spelling conventions, bibliography, references etc.
Length of dissertation should not exceed 15,000 words, excluding bibliography, but including footnotes. If students wish to add additional appendices, they are advised to get permission first from the course co-ordinator.
Essay and dissertation drafts
Module tutors and supervisors will be more than happy to read and comment on a draft of your written work, but well in advance of the drafts deadline. Please allow at least a week for this process. It is unreasonable to expect comments on work that you have handed in or e-mailed the day before, and even more unreasonable to bring work to a tutorial and expect instant feedback! Your supervisor will not be able to read the same piece more than once and no work will be read if submitted less than ten days before the deadline. After this date you may still discuss ideas and get suggestions or advice from your supervisor, but he/she will not be able to read anything more.
After the end of term office hours may vary and tutors may take some holiday as well as undertake research trips, so be sure you know the vacation arrangements for your dissertation supervisor. In an emergency any member of staff will be happy to help. Never leave work in pigeon holes. Either hand in to the office or e-mail (with the permission of your supervisor).
Part-time students
Part-time students must submit 50% of their written work in the first year of study, with the remaining 50% to be submitted by the date specified in August of the final year of study. Normally, part-time students produce two essays for the option modules in their first year of registration and two further essays plus a dissertation for the core courses in the second year.
Descriptive Marking Scheme for Taught Courses in the Arts (assessed and examined work)
These guidelines assume a pass mark of 50 for the MA and 40 for the Diploma/Certificate
Some of the qualities listed below apply only to examinations, some only to assessed work and some to both.
80+: (Distinction): Work which, over and above possessing all the qualities of the 70-79 mark range, indicates a fruitful new approach to the material studied, represents an advance in scholarship or is judged by the examiners to be of a standard publishable in a peer-reviewed
13 publication.
70-79: (Distinction): Methodologically sophisticated, intelligently argued, with some evidence of genuine originality in analysis or approach. Impressive command of the critical/historiographical/theoretical field, and an ability to situate the topic within it, and to modify or challenge received interpretations where appropriate. Excellent deployment of a substantial body of primary material/texts to advance the argument. Well structured, very well written, with proper referencing and extensive bibliography.
60-69: Well organised and effectively argued, analytical in approach, showing a sound grasp of the critical/historiographical/theoretical field. Demonstrates an ability to draw upon a fairly substantial body of primary material, and to relate this in an illuminating way to the issues under discussion. Generally well written, with a clear sequence of arguments, and satisfactory referencing and bibliography.
50-59: A lower level of attainment than work marked in the range 60-69, but demonstrating some awareness of the general critical/historiographical/theoretical field. Mainly analytical, rather than descriptive or narrative, in approach. An overall grasp of the subject matter, with, perhaps, a few areas of confusion or gaps in factual or conceptual understanding of the material. Demonstrates an ability to draw upon a reasonable range of primary material, and relate it accurately to the issues under discussion. Clearly written, with adequate referencing and bibliography.
40-49(Fail/Diploma): This work is inadequate for an MA award, but may be acceptable for a Postgraduate Diploma [although some departments may wish to set the pass mark for a diploma at a level higher than this]. Significant elements of confusion in the framing and execution of the response to the question. Simple, coherent and solid answers, but mainly descriptive or narrative in approach. Relevant, but not extensive deployment of primary material in relation to the issues under discussion. Occasional tendency to derivativeness either by paraphrase or direct quotation of secondary sources. Some attempt to meet requirements for referencing and bibliography.
39-(Fail): Work inadequate for an MA or Diploma award. Poorly argued, written and presented. Conceptual confusion throughout, and demonstrates no knowledge of the critical/historiographical/theoretical field. Failure to address the issues raised by the question, derivative, very insubstantial or very poor or limited deployment of primary material.
NB – Pass with Merit. It is also possible to be awarded the MA with ‘Merit’, a category located between ‘Pass’ and ‘Distinction’. Please note that this category is not an official faculty term and will not, unfortunately be printed on your MA degree certificate. It will however appear in a letter of award from the departments participating in this MA and referred to in any references written for you by course tutors. Passes with Merit will be awarded according the following criteria:
Four individual marks are at the level of distinction and all other marks are 65 and above.
Three individual marks are at the level of distinction and all other marks are 67 and above.
14 Presentation of Written Work
Writing an Academic Essay at Masters level
For guidance on all matters of writing style, from punctuation to setting out bibliographies, please consult the MHRA Style Book regularly. It is the standard guide for producing academic work in the Humanities. There is a free, downloadable Style Book available at www.mhra.org.uk/Publications/Books/StyleGuide/download.shtml.
Language
Essays and dissertations must be consistent in presentation, typography and referencing, and they should show mastery of the conventions for presenting scholarly work. Although your supervisor will correct some language errors she/he may find in your work, it is not his/her responsibility to do so. The task of copy-editing and proper referencing is the responsibility of the student, not the supervisor. Remember that inadequate presentation of postgraduate work can mean failure.
Help with language and writing
The University offers courses devoted to some aspects of academic English. The website of the Centre for English Language Teacher Education (CELTE) will give you details. English will provide academic writing sessions devoted to the presentation of written work. Please see above under ‘Academic research and writing skills’. It is essential that you attend all these sessions. See also the courses provided by the University at: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/study/csde/
Use of sources
Try to have a variety of sources for your written work. Use mainly books and articles and make limited and judicious use of the Internet. If an article or book you are reading quotes another person’s work, try to find the original piece of work and do not rely on secondary sources. There are several readers or anthologies available that reprint the most important primary sources. If you use material from a foreign language source you should provide the original quote as well as a translation and be sure to reference the quotation properly. Please consider the following points before you decide to use material on the Internet for your research:
How reliable is the information? Is it supported by other sources, preferably printed? Are the views represented unbiased, or does the site have some ideological purpose? Have you referenced the Internet source properly, including date of access? Have you printed off the relevant pages to include in an appendix?
Referencing
15 It is essential that your written work should be properly referenced to avoid suspicion of plagiarism (see also the section on plagiarism). Referencing conventions are set out in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, sixth edition, edited by Joseph Gibaldi (ISBN 0-87352- 986-3) (obtainable from the University Bookshop), and students must ensure that their essays and dissertations conform to the conventions in this booklet. A Basic Guide to MLA Documentation Style can be found on the Current Students/Postgraduate page of our website. You are also recommended to consult F.W. Bateson, The Scholar-Critic: An Introduction to Literary Research, and George Watson, The Literary Thesis: A Guide to Research.
Submission of essays
Students should use a clear plastic folder. The essay should be submitted personally to H205 in three hard copies, each with a completed title page clearly visible for easy recognition. The essay should be submitted personally to H205 in three hard copies, each with a completed title page clearly visible for easy recognition.
A list of deadlines for submission of work will be provided at the beginning of the academic year.
Please note that the mark for work submitted late, without prior approval of an extension, will be reduced by 3% (i.e. 3 marks) per day or part of day.
Marking and feedback
Your work will be marked anonymously by two markers, one of whom will normally be your supervisor. Marks will be agreed by the two markers but may be changed by the external examiner. We hope to deliver essay marks and feedback within four weeks of submission. You will receive your mark and feedback sheet via your pigeonhole. If you wish, you may then collect your corrected essay from H205, but you must return it within the week so that it can be sent to the external examiners. When you have read the markers’ comments thoroughly, you may make an appointment to see your supervisor or your personal tutor to discuss your mark. We suggest you consult the marking scheme before you write your assessment.
Submission of dissertations
Dissertations should be “soft bound”, an example of which may be seen in H205. Three hard copies together with one Assessed Work Cover Sheet each should be submitted personally to H205. Students are reminded that in order to achieve successful binding, the paper weight should not be less than 80 gm and should be submitted in good order. Please allow sufficient time for binding as other departments may have the same deadline and demand for services may be high.
Please note that the mark for work submitted late, without prior approval of an extension, will be reduced by 3% (i.e. 3 marks) per day or part of day.
Extensions
Applications for extensions must be made through the Course Co-ordinator (Dr James Hodkinson) using the Extension Request form (Appendix C). When such a form is submitted for the first time
16 in any given module, it must be accompanied by a statement detailing mitigating circumstances, and/or supporting documentation, as must requests for any further extension(s). An extension will not normally be considered unless there are medical grounds or comparable circumstances. Where the length of extension means that a candidate’s work cannot be considered at the Exam Board during the third week of September, graduation may be delayed for one year.
Deadlines for coursework extensions will be made clear to the student and to all staff concerned with the assessment of the piece of coursework in question. All documentation regarding extensions will be kept on file in the German Department.
Failed Coursework Failed coursework essays for this programme can normally be resubmitted on one occasion only. All resubmitted coursework for this programme must be handed in to the Departmental Secretary, Department of German, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL. NOTE: the maximum mark for resubmitted work is 50%.
Exam board and results
The Board of Examiners for the MA includes the relevant external examiner(s), who have the right to raise or lower marks at the exam board meeting. Consequently any mark received before the exam board meeting must be considered provisional. Results may be requested from the secretary by e-mail on or after the examiners’ meeting (date to be confirmed during summer term each year).
Return of work
Students wishing to collect one copy of their essays or dissertation may do so between 1st October and 12th December following the end of their MA registration. After 12th December return of students' work will not be possible for administrative reasons.
Appeals For details please see the Warwick Postgraduate Student Guide which can be found at http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/academicoffice/ourservices/examinations/appeals/
17 Plagiarism
What is plagiarism?
All written work produced for assessment must be entirely your own. You must not ask other people to do your work for you, and you must not present other people’s thoughts, words or ideas as if they are yours.
If you do, you will be guilty of cheating and will receive a mark of zero.
Your work will be based on your reading and what you have covered in lectures and seminars. You are expected to demonstrate familiarity with critical views and debates, but these must all be referenced. If you summarise another person’s ideas, points of view, figures, software or a table, you must make a reference to that person in the text and the work referred to must be included in the bibliography. Use of unacknowledged information downloaded from the internet also constitutes plagiarism.
Any quotation from the published or unpublished works of other persons must be clearly marked as such by the use of quotation marks, and you should identify your sources as accurately and fully as possible.
A compilation of short quotations from several sources, if not clearly identified as such, constitutes plagiarism just as much as does a single unacknowledged long quotation from a single source.
Don’t forget to include your own response to the question and say how you position yourself in relationship to the current debates on your topic.
How to avoid plagiarism
In order to avoid unintentional plagiarism follow these procedures while you are studying:
always make a detailed reference for each text that you read and take notes from while copying quotations, make sure you clearly mark them as quotations in your working notes and make sure you copy them correctly gather and use your own examples whenever you want to support a particular view
An interactive learning page on how to avoid plagiarism is available on the Current Students/Postgraduate page of the Centre website.
Self-plagiarism
18 Besides ensuring that all essays you submit are your own work, you must also avoid self- plagiarism. This means that you must not submit the same piece of work, or use the same material (with or without stylistic variation) more than once.
Detection and consequences
As you have read, you are required to submit your essays and a dissertation as two hard copies and on a CD for each assessed piece of work. The CD will be used if there is a suspicion that part of the work is plagiarised. The University has access to a very sophisticated search engine that will easily identify printed as well as electronic sources that students use in their work. The university regulation covering cheating can be found at: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/gov/calendar/section2/regulations/cheating/
Item B clearly spells out how individual Departments and the University will deal with cases of cheating and plagiarism.
All students are requested to declare on the submission cover sheet that their work is all their own.
Useful reading
Joseph Gibaldi, MA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. New York: The Modern language Association of America, 1999 and subsequent editions, pp 30-34 Rowena Murray, How to Write a Thesis. Buckingham: Open University Press, 2002, pp. 114-116 Wayne Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, The Craft of Research. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2003, pp.201-207 Thomas Mallon, Stolen Words. New York: Harcourt Inc, 2001.
19
General
Staff Student Liaison Committee (SSLC)
This consists of one or more members of staff and a student representative from each of the language streams. It provides a forum in which to exchange ideas and feed-back about the progress of the MA and other issues concerning the academic life of the students. Notices regarding the SSLC will be circulated by e.mail. Please note that you will be invited to nominate your student representative within the first few weeks of the course. S/he will then canvass your opinions on particular issues, represent your views and interests at subsequent meetings and will report back to you on all SSLC developments.
Remember, the effectiveness of the SSLC does not depend on the teaching staff's goodwill, but on your commitment to improve the quality of your education. An effective SSLC needs the energetic support of all students. The university's recommendation is that SSLC should meet four times a year, and we hope that you will make full use of these opportunities for constructive discussion.
In 2009-2010 the Staff-Student Liaison Committee staff representative will be Dr James Hodkinson.
Module and Programme Evaluation At the end of both the first and second terms (December and March), students are required to complete a Module Evaluation Form. Evaluation forms for the taught programme as a whole will be distributed and returned in the spring of 2010. Evaluation forms for the dissertation will be distributed and returned in September 2010. These forms will be used along with your comments and feedback from the SSLC to help the academic staff plan and improve future versions of the programme. All these forms can be answered anonymously if you wish.
Extra-curricular activities
The Departments involved in the MA have a varied programme of extra curricular activities. Guest Lectures and Seminars run throughout the year. The Humanities Research Centre of the Faculty also offers a variety of academic events. Students are also encouraged to organise their own outings and gatherings. We hope that you will show an active commitment to maintaining the cultural vitality of the Faculty by attending and contributing to these events. Please keep a note of their dates in your diary.
Other Commitments
You should always keep in mind that the MA will be your main commitment during your period of study. Especially for full-time students, it is important that other commitments, such as part-time work, extra-curricular courses, etc., should not impinge on the MA’s core activities…
20 21 Preparatory Reading
Below you will find a brief description and core bibliography relating to all compulsory modules students may take (depending on language stream) during the course of the MA. You are advised to start reading some of this material during the summer:
Term 1:
Core Module (all students):
Translation Studies in Theory and Practice
This course introduces and develops the theoretical foundations of translation studies and shows what factors play a major role in the process of textual transfer between two cultures.
Week 1 - Why study translation? Susan Bassnett
Week 2 - The equivalence debates Cristina Marinetti
Week 3 - Issues of un-translatability John Gilmore
Week 4 – Translating Poetry John Gilmore
Week 5 - Translating across time John Gilmore
Week 6 - Manipulating texts Manav Ratti
Week 7 – Translation and world literature Manav Ratti
Week 8 – The cultural turn of the 1990s Cristina Marinetti
Week 9 - Problems of drama translation Cristina Marinetti
Week 10 - Translation and difference Cristina Marinetti
Preliminary reading:
Baker, Mona (ed.) Routledge Encyclopaedia of Translation Studies. London: Routledge, 1998 (and subsequent editions) Bassnett, Susan, Translation Studies. 3rd edition. London: Routledge, 2002 Bassnett, Susan and Trivedi, Harish, Postcolonial Translation. London: Routledge, 1999
22 Gentzler, Edwin, Contemporary Translation Theories. Revised 2nd edition. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 2001 Kuhiwczak, Piotr and Karin Littau, A Companion to Translation Studies. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 2007 Munday, Jeremy, Introducing Translation Studies. London: Routledge, 2001 Venuti, Lawrence (ed.) The Translation Studies Reader. 2nd edition. London: Routledge, 2004 Williams, Jenny and Chesterman, Andrew, The Map. A Beginners’ Guide to Doing Research in Translation Studies. Manchester: St Jerome, 2002.
Plus ONE of the Language Specific Core Modules:
Either
French: Intellectual Contexts I: Intercultural Transactions Convenor: Dr Ingrid De Smet ([email protected]) Tutors for 2007-08: Ingrid De Smet; Kate Astury, Siân Miles; Oliver Davis
Intellectual Contexts I: "Intercultural Transactions" forms the optional core module for students on the French stream of the interdepartmental MA in Translation, Writing and Cultural Difference. The module aims to equip students with some of the complex intellectual and conceptual tools for the advanced study of French culture and thought, both within the field as such, and in its interactions with other cultures (through translation, dialogue, reception...). It will also have scope for the concrete, comparative study of transcultural and/or transtemporal translation practices from the French. Intercultural Transactions is taught by a team of tutors from the French department whose interests range from the Early Modern period to the Present. Some will share with you their own professional experience as published translators of French texts. The syllabus and reading list can be found on the postgraduate pages of the French department’s website: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/french/pg/culturethought/modules/intellcontexts/#Intercultu ral%20Transactions.
Or
German: Translation and Cultural Difference between German and English
Reading lists available from Dr James Hodkinson.
23 Term 2 (all students)
The writing core module:
Crossing Borders
Convenor: Michael Hulse (H544) Tutor: Michael Hulse Spring term: Thursday 10.00-12.00 p.m. in H507
In this course, we spend five sessions reading texts that cross borders of a linguistic and/or cultural nature, and follow each session with a workshop devoted to original texts written by the course members out of the encounter with these border crossings.
Weeks 1 and 2
In the first session we read W. G. Sebald’s account of Conrad’s response to the Congo, in Chapter V of The Rings of Saturn. A familiarity with Conrad’s Heart of Darkness will be an advantage.
Weeks 3 and 4
This session looks at encounters with the Ottoman Empire, the Near East and India in travel writings by Alexander Kinglake (from Eothen), Robert Byron (from The Road to Oxiana) and J. R. Ackerley (from Hindoo Holiday). Extracts from these texts will be made available in photocopy.
Weeks 5 and 6
In this session we focus on the relationship between travel across and between historical and geographical frames, using Amitav Ghosh’s In an Antique Land, a travelogue-cum-memoir set in Egypt.
Weeks 7 and 8
Turning to that most difficult of borders to cross, the border that separates us from the past, we read extracts from the first volume of Elias Canetti’s autobiography, The Tongue Set Free. Extracts will be made available in photocopy.
Weeks 9 and 10
In our final session we return to W. G. Sebald, and read one of his great narratives concerning the unknowability of the past: the fourth section, ‘Max Ferber’, of The Emigrants.
READING As indicated above.
ASSESSMENT The submission must consist of the following: a portfolio of narrative fiction or non-fiction of between 5,000 and 6,000 words, plus a critical commentary of 1,500 words on the cultural and creative processes involved in the portfolio. Submissions are due on Monday 28th June 2010.
24 Background Reading S. H. Duncan, Writes of Passage: Reading Travel Writing, 1999 Terry Eagleton, The Idea of Culture, 2000 Paul Fussell, Abroad, 1980 Peter Hulme and Tim Youngs (eds.), The Cambridge Companion to Travel Writing, 2002 Mary Louis Pratt, Imperial Eyes: Travel Writing and Transculturation, 1992 Salman Rushdie, Imaginary Homelands, 1991 Edward Said, Culture and Imperialism, 1993 Eliot Weinberger, Karmic Traces, 2000
Term 2 (options)
French:
Advanced Study Option II
The Advanced Study Option II (term 2) aims to equip you with advanced knowledge and understanding of a chosen area in French and francophone Studies. The modules provide you, as an individual student, with the opportunity to extend your coverage in the discipline (in particular, filling in gaps) as well as your experience of research techniques of information retrieval and organisation. In combination with the other elements of the MA for Research in French and Francophone Studies (or any other Master's programme on which the option is made available), the Advanced Study Option helps to lay the foundation for further doctoral study.
The module thus enables you to
. undertake close textual analysis of French and/or francophone texts [professional skills] . identify, and provide a meaningful and sustained discussion, of one or more complex issues in the history, culture, thought of politics of France (and cognate areas) [professional skills; key skills] . demonstrate awareness and appropriate understanding of one or more selected issues or trends in the discipline of French and francophone studies, or a cognate area or discipline (e.g. modern literary theory; contemporary cultural studies; the history of ideas) . demonstrate the ability to deploy research skills in French and/or francophone studies as appropriate to the chosen area of study (e.g. ability to use appropriate electronic resources, to use a critical edition with an apparatus of variant readings…) . present material effectively both orally and in a scholarly written format [oral communication skills; written communication skills; literacy; IT-skills]
Teaching and learning methods The Syllabus for the Advanced Study Option II consists of a personalized reading (or where appropriate viewing / multimedia-based) programme to be conducted under a tutor’s guidance, through weekly tutorials for the duration of term I (and respecting the department’s ‘reading week’ in week 6, when as a rule no taught MA classes take place). In addition to the tutorials and any independent reading and study of materials (in print, electronic, or other multimedia format)
25 relevant to your chosen area of French and francophone Studies, you may also be encouraged to audit taught classes (where relevant).
The module may typically be structured as follows:
Week 1: introductory meeting with module tutor and initial design of individually tailored reading programme
Week 2: tutorial [text 1]
Week 3: tutorial [text 2]
Week 4: tutorial [text 3]
Week 5: tutorial [text 4]
Week 6 [no classes]
Week 7: tutorial, [text 5] including discussion of possible essay title
Week 8: tutorial [text 6]
Week 9: tutorial [text 7], including firming up of essay title
Week 10: tutorial [text 8 / conclusions]
The Syllabus will be comparable in volume and level to those of other MA modules, such as those taught on the MA in French Culture and Thought (e.g. ‘Books, Subversion and the Republic of Letters’; ‘Postmodernity in Theory, Film and Fiction’; ‘Conflict, Coercion and Violence in Modern French Politics’; ‘Nation and Nationalism in Modern French Politics’; ‘Image, Identity, Exchange: French Cinema at Home and Abroad’…).
Tutors and students may find it helpful to graft or model the Advanced Study Option’s individually tailored reading programme on the syllabus of existing MA modules (which for instance may not be running as a regular taught module in a given year) with alterations appropriate to the student’s needs and interests. In certain specialist areas (e.g. if a student wishes to work on the French Wars of Religion, or Surrealism) inspiration may also be drawn from appropriate final-year undergraduate modules which the student has not previously followed but which represents a meaningful area of further development or for ‘filling gaps’, as long as the reading programme is altered to suit M-level study.
Assessment: The Advanced Study Option is assessed by a 5,000 word essay. The weighting and assessment may vary if the option is taken in the context of another MA programme. Contact the course convenor or Director of Graduate Studies for more information.
26 German:
GE432: The Self and the Others: Identity, Gender and Ethnicity in German Culture around 1800
This module is built on the view that the modern notion of identity, be it the nature of human subjectivity, gender or ethnic identity, were all shaped by intellectual, social, scientific and aesthetic processes and movements from the Enlightenment onwards: moved by the concept of reason, the Enlightenment placed a great deal of faith in its own ideal of the individual’s intellectual and social freedom and its inherent moral integrity. Yet feminist and post colonial theories of culture have shown how these benefits were very often not extended to the ‘other’, ultimately excluded groups of women or non-whites, non-Christians and non-Europeans.
The module examines a range of German language texts by men and women from the key period of 1750 to 1830 from historical and contemporary theoretical perspectives. The module’s themes receive both progressive, and at times limiting, conservative treatments in the texts chosen. Both these stereotypes of self, gender and ‘race’ and the creative challenges put to them by these writers remain with us today and enrich us by deepening our understanding of the historical processes that led to how we understand ourselves and our others and help inform our insights into these issues in the present and for the future.
The reading and timings below are only an indication of how the module will run: some changes may occur, though students opting for the module will be informed of these in good time.
Key Texts:
Primary Literary Texts:
G.E Lessing, Nathan der Weise (Reclam edition)
Handout containing Schiller’s ‘Der Tempel zu Sais’ and other poems, as well as a selection of Goethe’s poetry: available in Warwick.
Novalis, chapters 1,3,4 and 5from Heinrich von Ofterdingen (Reclam).
E.T.A Hoffmann, Das Sanctus, available in Warwick as handout.
Caroline Augusta Fischer, William der Neger. (Available on module website – download)
Heinrich von Kleist, Die Verlobung in St Domingo (Reclam)
Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, Die Judenbuche (Reclam)
Theoretical Texts:
Stuart Hall, 'The Spectacle of the 'Other', in Hall, ed., Representation. Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices (Sage 1997),
Paul du Gay et al., ed., Identity: a Reader (Sage 2000),
Simon Malpas and Paul Wake, eds., The Routledge Companion to Critical Theory (Routledge 2006),
27 Silvia Bovenschen, Die imaginierte Weiblichkeit (Suhrkamp, 1979),
Sigrid Lange, Ob die Weiber Menschen sind. Geschlechterdebatten um 1800 (Reclam Leipzig, 1992),
Edward Said, Orientalism (Penguin, 2003)
SEMINAR TOPICS
TEACHING:
Teaching will consist of nine two-hour seminars in term 2. The first hour will usually involve a (partially interactive) lecture and the second hour will involve seminar-style group discussions and student presentations.
The weekly breakdown of topics and textual foci is as follows:
Week 1: Lecture: Introduction: Enlightenment and its Others Key texts: excerpts from Stuart Hall, 'The Spectacle of the 'Other', in Hall, ed., Representation. Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices (Sage 1997), Paul du Gay et al., ed., Identity: a Reader (Sage 2000), Simon Malpas and Paul Wake, eds., The Routledge Companion to Critical Theory (Routledge 2006), Silvia Bovenschen, Die imaginierte Weiblichkeit (Suhrkamp, 1979), Sigrid Lange, Ob die Weiber Menschen sind. Geschlechterdebatten um 1800 (Reclam Leipzig, 1992), Edward Said, Orientalism (Penguin, 2003).
Week 2: Lecture: Enlightened Cosmopolitanism? G.E. Lessing and Nathan der Weise. Seminar: Nathan der Weise part I Key text: Lessing’s Nathan der Weise
Week 3: Seminar: Nathan (Part II). Lecture: The Birth of the Subject and the Gaze at the other: Pre-Romantic selves in poetry by Schiller and Goethe Key text: Handout of Goethe and Schiller’s lyrical poetry
Week 4: Seminar: The Feminine Other in Goethe’s poetry Seminar: Selves and Others in Goethe
Week 5: Lecture: Romantic Encounters? Selves and Others in Novalis Seminar: Novalis and Heinrich von Ofterdingen
Week 6: Reading Week
Week 7: Lecture: Christians, Muslims and Otherness: E.T.A Hoffmann, Das Sanctus Seminar: Hoffmann’s Das Sanctus.
Week 8: Lecture: Man – Woman – Black – White: Discourses of Alterity in Romanticism
28 Lecture: Heinrich von Kleist and Caroline Auguste Fischer: Writing and Identity
Week 9: Seminar: Kleist’s Die Verlobung in St Domnigo Seminar: Fischer’s William der Neger
Week 10: Lecture: Inscribing Boundaries: Gender, Jews and Gentiles in Annette von Droste-Hülshoff Seminar: Droste’s Judenbuche
English/ Translation Studies:
1. Issues of Cultural Transfer (Wednesdays 10:00-12:00, in H102)
Week 1 - Translation and travel writing Loredana Polezzi
Week 2 – Translation and migration Loredana Polezzi
Week 3 - Translating the Caribbean John Gilmore
Week 4 - Asia and cultural transfer John Gilmore
Week 5 - Postcolonialism and modernity Manav Ratti
Week 6 – Secularism Manav Ratti
Week 7 - Translation and feminism Manav Ratti
Week 8 - Sociology of translation Cristina Marinetti
Week 9 - Transnational life writing Cristina Marinetti
Week 10 - Translation, globalisation and new media Cristina Marinetti
*For the reading list, contact Dr John Gilmore (English)
2. Literary Translation and Creative (Re-)Writing in a Global Context
*For the module outline and reading lists, please contact Dr John Gilmore (English)
Appendix A:
29 MA in Translation, Writing and Cultural Difference Assessed work cover sheet
Student No. ………………………………… Course tutor’s name …………………
Degree course ………………………………………………… Year………………....
Option for which essay is submitted ……………………………………………………
Title of essay …………………………………………………………... .………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………
Approximate number of words …………………………
Your work must meet each of the conditions below. Please check : Title page with your student number, degree course, title of essay, module and tutor’s name One side of paper only to be used Double spacing Pages numbered Wide margin on left-hand side of page Full bibliography of all books and articles mentioned References in the form required by the Centre’s instructions
Please note : Each piece of assessed work must be accompanied by one copy of this form Your work must be legible We are required, by University regulation, to retain all assessed work for a statutory period. You are required to submit three copies of each piece of written work, one of which may be collected after the final Board of Examiners meeting.
I confirm that I am aware of the University’s Regulation governing Cheating in a University Test (Regulation 11) and of any further guidance issued by my department concerning plagiarism and proper academic practice, and that the assessed work now submitted is in accordance with this Regulation and guidance.
You may not submit any work which has previously been submitted either in whole or in part for another qualification at this or any other institution, unless you have the prior approval of your department to do so.
Failure to comply with either of the above may make you liable to proceedings under Regulation 11.
I declare that the accompanying piece of assessed work, which is being submitted for a University test, is my own. Please tick the box below.
Date ……………………………………..
30 Appendix B: Example of Title Page
Your Student Number
Degree Course 2009-10
Title
Name of module Supervised by:
31 Appendix C:
Coursework Extension Request Form
APPLICATION FOR AN EXTENSION OF TIME FOR THE SUBMISSION OF A DISSERTATION
To be returned in person to: Department of German, Room H205
______
SECTION ONE To be Completed by the Applicant
NAME:
REGISTRATION NUMBER:
ADDRESS:
TELEPHONE NUMBER: Home: Work: PROGRAMME OF STUDY: (e.g. Degree/Subject)
IS THIS THE FIRST EXTENSION? YES NO WHAT IS THE CURRENT DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION?
STATE THE NEW SUBMISSION DEADLINE DATE YOU REQUIRE?
SUPERVISOR/TUTOR:
TITLE OF DISSERTATION/PROJECT or MODULE (Title/Code):
32 Please report progress to date (indicating how many chapters are complete for dissertation)
Reasons for requesting an extension (requests based on medical grounds should be accompanied by a medical certificate)
Please set out a proposed timetable after discussion with your tutor to enable completion by the new submission date. THIS SECTION MUST BE COMPLETED
Signed:______Date: ______
Note: If the application is not approved, the candidate is required to submit their dissertation within three months of the letter notifying the outcome.
______
33 SECTION TWO: To be completed by the Dissertation Supervisor/Module Tutor
Comments
I support/do no support* the application: ______[*Please delete as appropriate]
SECTION THREE: Approval by Course Co-ordinator
*I approve the application on behalf of the Postgraduate Committee/Undergraduate Committee*
*I do not approve the application. (Please indicate reasons below) [*Please delete as appropriate]
Signed: ______
Date: ______
34