Classwork

Since I've finally started getting some of my papers and other work back (yes, finally, in December, I'm getting my first graded assignments back), I thought I'd do a post specifically about the kind of work that is expected here.  Just a little disclaimer first that: 1) I don't know if this is how it is everywhere in the UK 2) I don't know if this is how it is for every class, even at the University of Glasgow.  This is just the setup for the three classes I am taking - I hope it helps (I know I was freaking out about what we would have to do before I got here... not sure if it'll help with that part).

Ok, so for all three of my classes, the coursework was faiiiirly similar.  Its definitely not like the US where we'll have different little assignments and all sorts of things that get factored into our final grades.  However, its also not as bad as what was told to me by UAlbany before I left. 

Just to put us all on the same page, I was told that:  You'd be given a huge reading list, with 100 books on it, and you'd have to look at the list and decide which books you thought would help you write the essay that you decided you wanted to write.  Before class even started - just generating your own essay topic, on a subject you hadn't taken before.  Freaked me out.  Also, it was noted that generally, local students will have already read everything there is to read before term even started.  Still don't know if this part is true but I never saw anything that jumped out at me as being this.

In reality, it was somewhat similar but definitely no where near as horrible.  In my politics class, for example, he had a "course guidebook" that listed everything you'd ever want to know about that class... when the essay was due, what format, what type of stuff we'd be talking about in class, plagiarism... basically a giant syllabus.  But it also included a week by week breakdown of the lectures.  And for each week, he would put the lecture topic, followed by his "essential reading", and then more "recommended reading" (the recommended reading, he told us, was for if we did our essays on the topic he lectured about that week).  Even the essential reading was still a bunch, but at least it was clearly marked out as such.  AND like I said, it was done on a week by week basis.  Not just, 'read as much as you can before the end of the term'.  Also, when essay topics were given out, there usually were a bunch of recommended books for each topic.  The same for my other classes.

As for what makes up the final grade, it was more than just a final exam, like someone had told me before I came here (just a side note, I have heard of people where their only grade for the entire semester comes from their final exam, but that isn't a "normal" situation).

For Archaeology, the grade is made up of two worksheets (25%), our essay (25%), and the final exam (I'm assuming 50%, but then I'm not sure where tutorial participation comes in... so 50%... or so)

For Politics, its the essay and the final exam (ooh, scary).  By the way, I just had my final for this class today (yes, today, Saturday).  I'll add a seperate section about that at the end.

And for History of Art, we had a test in November, an essay, and our final.  For all three of these, tutorial participation comes in somewhere but I'm not sure how.

Personally, I don't like the classes here for multiple reasons.  1) I find the lectures to be useless and so after awhile stopped going.  They don't give you information in any type of logical order, and they're only supposed to be "supplementary".  Also, I get messed up because there are different lecturers.  I don't like it.  2) Similar to online courses in the US, you're expected to learn everything on your own.  But honestly, I just can't learn like this.  I mean, I can wander around wikipedia and "learn" stuff, but I can't just go learn archaeology by myself.  If I could, I wouldn't be paying money to go to college.  Simple as that.  There was something else but I seem to have forgotten it at the moment.

Well thats all I can think of right now that might possibly be helpful to someone who, like me, is freaking out about book lists with 100 books on them.  Cheer up!  Its not [as] bad!  If anyone has any more specific questions, please, feel free to leave a comment and ask!  Seriously! :)  I'll do my best to answer but no guarantees.


Ok so about my final.  My mind is still boggled over the fact that I had my final today, on a Saturday, but... apparently thats normal so.  Quick side note about finals:  They do in fact tell you where and when finals are... I was told prior to coming here that finals could "be anywhere at anytime and no one will tell you about it, you just have to find out!".  Not true.  The school releases the info in mid-November or so.  (Also, by the way, all of these times that I'm saying 'I was told prior to coming here...', this is information I was told by my school, during orientation.  So, not just some random dude on the street.  Thanks UAlbany, for freaking me out!)

They take finals very seriously here, I guess.  I know that sounds stupid, like we don't take them seriously at home or something, but honestly, I was a little taken aback.  It was a somewhat similar setup to how high school Regents exams (that might just be a New York thing so, sorry for the obscure reference).  Each exam is assigned a hall - and in cases of large classes (or assumedly, small halls), they will split up the class based on last name.  My exam today was in Hunter Hall East.  It was a big room with a ton of individual desks.  You wait outside until right before the exam start time, and then they let everyone in.  You have to leave your bag at the front of the hall - so have pens in hand when everyone starts filing in.  We were allowed to have a bottle of water, so I'm assuming this is normal procedure.  We also had to have our school ID cards ("matric cards"), and yes, they checked them.  We even had to fill out this weird "attendance" form, with all of this information about ourselves, even what desk number we were sitting at.  Then the rest is somewhat similar to the US.  You have a sheet with the exam questions on it (this one was an essay test), and then two exam booklets.  They do this weird thing where you have to sign your name under this thing and seal it (they're big on not having your name visible near your work so that whoever is grading it isn't judging your work based on who you are).  The Invigilator (yes, thats what they call them! Scary!) explains all the rules and such.  The professors/TAs from the class are not there.  Another weird thing is that you can't leave for the first hour of the exam (its 2 hours long), and then you can't leave for the last 30 minutes.  Barely anyone left in that little 30 minute window.  Then at the end, they go around and collect all the papers - no passing papers forward.  And then the Invigilators counted the papers.  They even had to make us all sit there while they recounted because they thought someone hadn't turned in a paper.  And then, we could leave.  Phew.  Intense.  Anyway, just thought it would be good to get the procedure for finals up here. 

Two more and then I'm done!

Almost time to go home!