How you’ll study in the School of English and Drama this year

Dear Offer Holders in English and Drama

You should have received recently an email from Queen Mary explaining some of our plans for September. The Covid-19 pandemic has meant that we have been thinking carefully about how best to support you and your education.

Your safety is our first concern. With safety in mind, from September to January we will be offering an inclusive blended learning approach, drawing on insights and feedback from our current students. 

If travel restrictions mean that you can’t be here with us in London this September, you will be able to start your course online. If you are able to join us, we will ensure that our premises and activities follow government guidance and that we are Covid-19 secure.

What a blended approach to learning and teaching in English and Drama means for you:

Teaching & Student Support: In the School of English and Drama, a blended approach means that you’ll be able to access online your Semester 1 lectures, seminars and, for those studying Drama, practice-based workshops, as well as meetings with your teachers, advisor, and our student support staff. Our online teaching and student support will be supplemented with one-to-one meetings and small-group campus-based activities if it’s safe and possible to do so for staff and students. These opportunities will also be available online so that everyone can participate wherever you’re based.

Learning Resources: To support your learning, you’ll have access to online learning resources (e.g. presentations, e-books, journal articles, videos). The School has strong connections with writers, artists, and other arts professionals and we aim to programme guests as part of your online teaching and in extracurricular activities.

Assessment: You’ll be supported to complete a range of assessments that will be submitted online, including essays, presentations, creative writing portfolios and practice-based assessments, depending on your course. Practical assessments in Drama are also supported by our dedicated Technical Team. The work our students have submitted online this year has been inspiring!

Meeting Staff & Students, Study Skills & Careers Support: To help you settle in to studying in the School, we’ll be running a programme of online welcome events so you can meet other students and members of staff. Our courses build in opportunities for you to meet and work with other students and we also facilitate the Peer Assisted Study Support and Buddy schemes. We embed study skills in all our courses to help you with the transition to university-level study with its increased levels of independent work, and you’ll also have a timetable of activities for each week of the semester to help you plan your time. We also offer dedicated careers support in the School in collaboration with our colleagues in Careers and Enterprise. To help you prepare for your course, we’ll send you further guidance and advice over the summer.

Clubs & Societies: Beyond your studies, you’ll have opportunities to join sports clubs and societies through Queen Mary Students’ Union. The School is proud to support the dynamic Queen Mary Theatre Society, the English Society and Wonderer, an undergraduate literary journal, and to publish our students on our blog, All Things SED, and read their work in the arts and culture magazines, Cub, Peach and the new publication Diaspora Speaks, which gives space to work from students of colour.

We’ll confirm the School’s arrangements for Semester 2 as soon as we’re able, but our working assumption is that if the situation allows for it, we will return to teaching on campus.

We look forward to welcoming you to Queen Mary in September. 

Speak to us: If you have any questions, please complete this form, join our ‘Ask an Academic’ webinars on 10 June or book a call with an admissions tutor for English or Drama.

Kind regards,

Catherine

Dr Catherine Silverstone
Head of the School of English and Drama
School of English and Drama
Queen Mary University of London

sed-web@qmul.ac.uk

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All Things SED Editor

I am the Web and Marketing Administrator in the School of English and Drama. Amongst my various roles, I run the School's website (www.sed.qmul.ac.uk) and its Twitter feed (@QMULsed). I also manage the running of the School's Open Days and draft promotional materials.

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