BA 2nd and 3rd year (2ème partie)

Here is your guide to the second and third levels of your studies. Please read it carefully and refer to it regularly. It is updated whenever necessary.

The second part of your studies consists of 50 credits overall, i.e. (a) level 2 modules that allow you to reinforce and also expand your knowledge (24 credits) and (b) level 3 modules that allow you to specialise in specific domains (26 credits).

Level 2 (24 credits) consists of 6 course modules:

• BA-ANG-2-1010-Survey of Anglo-American Literature Part 3 (2 credits; 1h lecture)

• BA-ANG-2-1020-Explication de Textes: Poetry (3 credits; 2h seminar)
Choose ONE of the offered seminars. Please note that seminars will be offered both in the autumn and the spring semester.

• BA-ANG-2-1030-Explication de Textes: Prose (3 credits; 2h seminar)
Choose ONE of the offered seminars. Please note that seminars will be offered both in the autumn and the spring semester.

• BA-ANG-2-1040-Medieval Literature (4 credits; 2h seminar)
Choose ONE of the offered seminars. Please note that seminars will be offered both in the autumn and the spring semester.

• BA-ANG-2-1050-Linguistics (4 credits; 1h lecture and 2h seminar)
This module consists of two parts, namely (a) a 1h lecture on the development of the English Language (1 credit) that takes place in the autumn semester and (b) a choice of seminars that focus on different topics in English linguistics (3 credits).

• BA-ANG-2-1060-Complementary courses (8 credits = 2 x 2h seminars of 4 credits each)
This module allows you to take extra courses that are on offer as part of the level 2 modules. You have to choose TWO seminars. Please note that seminars are offered in the autumn as well as in the spring semester. Make sure that your choice does not overlap with (your choices of) any of the other compulsory courses.

Note that the course credits (ECTS) - and thus the course requirements - can differ depending on whether a seminar has been chosen as part of a compulsory course module (1020, 1030, 1050 – 3 ECTS) or whether it has been chosen as complementary course (1060 – 4 ECTS).

Level 3 consists of 4 course modules:

• BA-ANG-2-2010-Courses (Enseignements) (20 credits = 5 x 4 ECTS)
This particular module consists of 6 sub-modules, which correspond to the 6 domains offered in the English department: English literature, American literature, Medieval literature, Comparative literature, English linguistics, and Gender Studies.
Students are not required to cover all 6 domains, but they must specialise in at least TWO of the domains, i.e. choose courses from at least two domains.
Students have to write a specialised essay (essai approfondi) for one of the sub-modules chosen (see  BA-ANG-2-2020-Specialised essay). As well as writing one required specialised essay in the module BA- ANG-2-2020, you have the possibility, if you choose, to write more specialised essays linked to the   seminars you follow. Each specialised essay is worth 2 credits, so in practical terms, you can choose   to write 2 extra specialised essays and thus replace one 4-credit class. You may only submit one    specialised essay per seminar.
Note that seminars are offered in the autumn as well as in the spring semester.

• BA-ANG-2-2020-Specialised essay (2 credits)
As pointed out earlier, you have to write a specialised essay that is linked to one of the chosen sub-modules (see BA-ANG-2-2010).
A specialised essay (also called an extended essay) should be around 4000-4500 words long (12-15 pages).  Specialised essays must be linked to Level 3 courses offered in module BA-ANG-2-2010 and cannot be related to a Level 2 course. The specialised essay must be on a different topic than the final essay for that course and from any exam taken on the same course. This is an independent piece of work.  Deadlines are up to the discretion of the instructor.

• BA-ANG-2-2030-Written exam (2 credits)
You have to do a written exam in one of the 6 domains offered in the English department, i.e. English literature, American literature, Medieval literature, Comparative literature, English linguistics, and Gender Studies.
Please note this exam must be linked to a Level 3 seminar offered in module BA-ANG-2-2010 and cannot be related to a Level 2 seminar. The seminar on which your written exam is based cannot also be the basis of an oral exam.
The basis for the exam is (a) the material covered in the seminar as well as (b) a personal bibliography compiled by the student which has to be approved by the respective examiner.
The written exam can be taken in the January session, the June session or the September exam session. You must register for the exam on the faculty website. Please check carefully the registration deadline for your chosen exam session.

• BA-ANG-2-2040-Oral exam (2 credits)
You have to do a spoken exam in one of the 6 domains offered in the English department, i.e. English literature, American literature, Medieval literature, Comparative literature, English linguistics, and Gender Studies.
Please note this exam must be linked to a Level 3 seminar offered in module BA-ANG-2-2010 and cannot be related to a Level 2 seminar. The seminar on which your oral exam is based cannot also be the basis of a written exam.
The basis for the exam is (a) the material covered in the seminar as well as (b) a personal bibliography compiled by the student which has to be approved by the respective examiner.
The spoken exam can be taken in the January session or the June exam session. You must register for the exam on the faculty website. Please check carefully the registration deadline for your chosen exam session.

Each course is assessed and validated in a different way. Your teachers will inform you of how you should proceed to satisfy their requirements, and as you complete them, they will enter the information into the Faculty database. You can view your academic record through my.unil.

In your essays, we expect you to apply everything that you were taught about essay-writing in your first year. Also, please keep your completed essay(s) as you may be asked to demonstrate that you have fulfilled the requirements.

• Literature: Different literature seminars will have different requirements - some teachers will require you to write an essay in order to pass the course, and others may give you a choice between an oral presentation and an essay, or other modes of assessment. You are strongly encouraged to write at least one essay in the context of modern English literature or American literature  in Level 2. (Depending on the seminars you choose, you may well write more than one essay.)
   
• Linguistics: You will also be required to write essays in your English linguistics seminars. These essays have to be based on the linguistics style sheet. Details will be given during the classes and can be found on the respective moodle sites.

The current versions of EDGE and the English Linguistics Manual can be found here.

Working with staff

Consult with your teacher about your focus, topic and (choice of text(s) in literature) before you start to write. You will find it helpful to discuss them with your teacher both during and after writing.

Attempts and grades

All essays receive a grade that will be entered in the system at the end of the semester (it might be combined with another grade, depending on whether the course has multiple assessments). If the essay is unsatisfactory and the grade below 4.0, you will not receive the credits for the seminar at this point. You are allowed one more attempt to rewrite your essay. If the grade entered for the second attempt is satisfactory, you will receive the seminar credits; if the grade is still below 4.0, the seminar credits will be 'lost' and go into your marge de tolérance (note that you are only allowed 10 such credits during your deuxième partie.

Deadlines

Teachers will specify the deadline for handing in essays in each course, allowing themselves time to read the work. In the case of a fail and second attempt, you will typically be asked to hand in your re-written essay before the following exam session (the date remains to be determined with your instructor).

Practicalities

Write your name, address, and email address at the top of the first page of your essay, and clearly identify the module that it relates to.
If for any reason you need to have your work returned to you by post, provide a suitably large, stamped, self-addressed envelope when you hand your essay in.

Identifying sources

Identify all information or ideas that you borrow. Use your own words whenever possible, rather than make long quotations from critics. At the end of your essay, append a bibliography listing your primary text(s) and all the articles and books you read or consulted (secondary sources) while preparing and writing your essay.

Plagiarism

Remember, unacknowledged use of someone else's ideas or phrasing and representing those ideas or phrasing as our own, either on purpose or through carelessness, is plagiarism - intellectual dishonesty - for which the penalties are severe (see below). EDGE provides you with strategies for avoiding plagiarism. If you have any questions about the concept of plagiarism or methods of proper documentation, request assistance from your teacher.

The penalties for plagiarism

The penalty for plagiarism involves failure for the essay and the corresponding module, which may threaten the completion of your studies. A student committing plagiarism will be required to write a replacement essay on another subject and thus take another module. In the event of a second offence, the student may be excluded from the section and even, depending on the gravity of the case, from the Faculty. Ignorance of the rules about plagiarism is no excuse, and carelessness is just as bad as purposeful violation.

Acknowledgement

The section on plagiarism was adapted from
http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/library/mla/plagiarism.shtml (2007) and
https://plagiarism.iu.edu/, last accessed 28 September 2021.