Current Students| | English UCC

The School of English uses a variety of assessment methods, including take-home essays, in-class essays and end-of-year examinations. In seminar courses you may also be assessed on presentations, group projects and exercises such as journals. As a general rule, you will find that in second and third year, your year's work is in two parts. Lecture modules you take in Teaching Period 1 are assessed through one in-class test and one take-home essay. Lecture modules you take in Teaching Period 2 are assessed through an end-of-year exam in which, usually, you will answer two questions. If you are taking seminar courses, you may take your module in TP1 or TP2, or as a whole-year module. In seminar modules, attendance is compulsory and your participation will form part of your assessment and your overall mark.

Plagiarism Policy

‌The School of English operates a strict anti-plagiarism policy.

If you are unsure about any aspect of this policy, please contact the School’s Plagiarism Officer, Dr Anne Etienne (a.etienne@ucc.ie), prior to submitting any essays. You are responsible both for knowing what constitutes plagiarism and for ensuring that you have not plagiarised. Ignorance will not be accepted as an excuse. With a view to making sure that your submitted work has been done in accordance with this policy, you will be required to complete and submit a coversheet with each essay (see below).

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is presenting another person’s words or ideas as your own work. If you draw on someone else’s words and do not put quotation marks around them and give the writer or speaker credit by revealing the source in a citation, then you are plagiarising. If you revise or paraphrase the words of someone else or just use their ideas, and do not give the author credit in a note you are also plagiarising. Plagiarism can occur in take-home essays, in-class tests, class presentations or examinations; in every case it will be penalised according to University policy.

For full details of what constitutes plagiarism, what the penalties are, and how to avoid it, please consult the Plagiarism Policy of the School of English.

Plagiarism Policy Updated 2014 (36kB)

Supports and Services

‌‌Year Committees and Staff-Student Meetings

Within the School, it is the responsibility of certain staff members to oversee each year group and to ensure that the teaching and assessment for all the courses in each year is administered and delivered efficiently and effectively. The Year Committees also arrange for students to act as representatives for the year group by attending staff-student meetings. Staff-Student meetings are an important way for students to voice their opinion and give feedback so why not consider becoming a rep? And do always remember that you should find out who your reps are, and let them know of any issues you think are important and need to be brought to the attention of the School.

First Year Committee: contact Dr Anne Etienne a.etienne@ucc.ie

Second Year Committee: contact Dr Barry Monanhan b.monahan@ucc.ie

Third Year Committee: contact Dr Ken Rooney k.rooney@ucc.ie

Teaching Officer

Dr Heather Laird (h.laird@ucc.ie) is the Teaching Officer, and one of her responsibilities is to advise students who may be having difficulty with their studies due to illness, family circumstances, etc.