The quality of the teaching is very important to the staff - and to you! As your tutors will include leading figures in their disciplines, their teaching will reflect the current state of knowledge in the study of society.
In short, we seek to combine excellence in research with excellence in teaching. Students' views are very important in helping us to improve our teaching methods. Students express their views through representation on School committees and in teaching evaluation questionnaires. We use lectures and small group seminars as the main means of teaching. You will develop skills in presentation and group work. You will also be encouraged to do research of your own, especially in your final year, as well as standard essay writing.
Getting a degree involves a lot of independent study. This means organising your time and setting your own priorities.
An important part of your work will involve developing your own ideas and critically assessing those of others. Many of resources for this are to be found in UEA's modern library with its extensive and expanding collection of books and journals. It contains a number of important archives, which you can use. It is at the forefront of developments in the use of electronic means of searching and storing information. Computer terminals throughout the university can be used to access CD-ROMs and the Internet, both vital resources for your studies.
Your degree is a product of the work you do. We run a system of continuous assessment, which enables you to monitor and improve the quality of your work. In choosing options for your degree, you can also take account of how they will be assessed. Assessment comes in a variety of forms - essays, oral presentations, examinations, projects and so on.
First year work does not count towards the class of your degree but you must complete it successfully in order to continue your studies. Your final degree classification is based on the work you do in the second and third years.
So that you can discuss how you are doing and make the best choices, we have a system of individual advisers to give you guidance and help. These advisers are members of faculty, whose job is to help you in choosing options and sorting out any difficulties you may have.
