Information for Students in Joe Lumsden's Classes

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Final Exam News for All Classes

ADVANCED GRAMMAR

EXAM WILL BE HELD AT 13.00 ON MONDAY 28th JANUARY

It seems that there is only one lesson left for this course, so the number of structures that I wanted to cover will obviously have to be decreased. Therefore, the final exam will consist of the following:

(1) everything that we covered before the mid-term exam
(2) passive structures
(3) conditional structures (next Monday) and extra Phrasal Verbs.


ADVANCED COMPOSITION

EXAM WILL BE HELD AT 13.00 ON FRIDAY 1st FEBRUARY

There are still a few vocabulary worksheets to get through, which I will give out to students this Friday (weather permitting!) or next week at the latest. Most students have finished the necessary 7 compositions for the coursework component of the course; others who have finished 6 will be awarded their highest mark for the 7th assignment, as one of the lessons missed was due to my personal situation. Students who have not even completed six assignments have only themselves to blame.
The final exam will be similar to the mid-term exam. Students will be expected to have learned all of the vocabulary from before and after the mid-term, and a composition based on a short text will be written during the exam.


THE RISE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENGLISH NOVEL

EXAM WILL BE HELD AT 9.00 ON MONDAY 4th FEBRUARY

Despite the missed lessons recently, there shouldn't be any problems here, as it is YOUR job to read the novels at home and the lecture notes are all on the internet. Class time will solely be used for discussion and summary. Your fourth written assignment should be given to me next time we meet, and the fifth assignment (optional) can be done during the last week of class.
For the final exam, I expect a 1000 word essay written during the two-hour exam at university. However, you will be able to either plan the essay at home, or write it completely at home, bring it to the exam and copy it onto the exam paper. I know that this seems childish, but the university refuses to allow me to give students homeworks for final exams. I think it's the best solution under the circumstances.
Your essays will be based on the two novels that we've read recently, and you will choose one of the following questions (OR ANOTHER IDEA OF YOUR OWN IF YOU CHECK WITH ME BEFORE THE END OF THE SEMESTER!)

(1) Compare an 'Austen heroine' with a 'Hardy heroine'. What views or morals do the authors attempt to express through the use of Elizabeth and Tess?

(2) Compare the worlds of Austen and Hardy. To what extent does the English countryside affect the lives of characters in the novels?

(3) Compare the novel-writing styles of Austen and Hardy. What do their writing aims seem to be?


MODERN ENGLISH AND AMERICAN DRAMA

EXAM WILL BE HELD AT 11.00 ON TUESDAY 29th JANUARY

The weather has caused serious problems with class time, particularly with 4B's classed on Tuesdays. However, students should be able to read 'Look Back in Anger' at home and also complete their fourth written assignment this week. The final play we're looking at is really not difficult, and I don't foresee any difficulties in interpretation. The final week should be sufficient to cover any difficulties that students face.

The final exam will be based on the plays that we've read since the mid-term exam. In other words, students are expected to have knowledge on Pinter's late plays, The Room and Look Back in Anger.

As with the Second Year Class, students can plan or write their final essays at home, bring them to class and copy them out during the two-hour final exam. Please don't try to cheat from the internet; such things are shameful and lower my opinion of students. I don't want that to happen again.

The final exam questions will be as follows. (ALTERNATIVE QUESTIONS ARE POSSIBLE IF YOU DISCUSS IT WITH ME BEFORE THE END OF THE SEMESTER AND IT INCLUDES ALL WORKS)

(a) How do Pinter and Osbourne analyse the idea of class divisions in English society? What happens to those at the base of society?

(b) How are the lives of individuals controlled in the works of Pinter and Osbourne?

(c) Analyse the different roles that 'anger' plays in the works of Pinter and Osbourne.

(d) How do Pinter and Osbourne discuss the concept of the 'educated but unsuccessful' man in society?


IF ANY STUDENTS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ATTENDANCE, EXAMS OR ANYTHING ELSE, CONTACT ME ON E-MAIL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I NEVER ALTER GRADES AFTER EXAMS, SO IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM, DISCUSS IT WITH ME IMMEDIATELY. I WON'T BE INTERESTED IN EXCUSES WHEN IT'S TOO LATE!

I don't think anyone will fail any course due to bad attendance. I don't believe in registers and I think that attendance should be optional. However, students who have not attended will, of course, have missed writing assignments and will therefore have a very difficult time passing the exam. That's entirely the choice and fault of the student and there is no possibility to make-up these assignments.

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