affiliate student handbook 2012-13 - the UCL School of Slavonic ...

SCHOOL OF SLAVONIC & EAST EUROPEAN STUDIES
`
AFFILIATE STUDENT HANDBOOK
2012-13
The School of Slavonic and East European studies (SSEES) is one of the world’s
leading specialist institutions, and the largest national centre in Western Europe for the
study of Central, Eastern and South-East Europe, and Russia. We offer a range of
courses and expertise, across four subject groupings unrivalled in the European
Union. We look forward to welcoming you to SSEES.

Contents
1. Introduction and Welcome from the Affiliate Tutor
2. Support, Advice and Lines of Communication
2.1 Affiliate Contacts
2.2 Student Administration Office
2.3 Programme Administrators
2.4 Other Useful Contacts
3. Information on College Terms
3.1 Term Dates
3.2 College Closures
4. Affiliate Study Guide
4.1 Study Methods
4.2 Some helpful terminology: an A – Z
4.3 Reading
4.4 Moodle
4.5 Coursework
4.5.1 Penalties for late submission of coursework
4.5.2 Penalties for over-length coursework
4.5.3 Extensions
4.5.4 Note on study skills and plagiarism
4.5.5 Attendance
5. Assessment Details
5.1 Assessment of non-language courses
5.2 Assessment of language courses
5.3 Examinations
5.4 ECTS and US Grades
5.5. Transcripts
5.6 Past examination papers

6. Choosing your courses
6.1 Online timetable
6.2 Courses outside of SSEES
6.3 Changing courses
7. Communication with UCL-SSEES
7.1 Email
7.2 Office Hours
7.3 Student Feedback
8. Experiencing Difficulties?
8.1 Health and Welfare Facilities
8.1.1 The UCL Health Centre
8.1.2 Student Psychological Services
8.2 UCL Union Nightline
8.3 Disability Centre
8.4 Dyslexia Assessment and Support Centre
8.5 Student Grievances
9. UCL-SSEES Activities
9.1 Student Common Room
9.2 Libraries
9.3 SSEES Computing and Photocopying Facilities
9.4 Clubs and Societies at UCL
9.5 UCL Students Union
9.6 University of London Union (ULU)
9.7 Student Residence Services
9.8 Seminars, Conferences and Workshops
10. What have previous Affiliates Said?
11. SSEES Course Options 2011-12
11.1 Language and Culture
11.2 History
11.3 Economics and Business
11.4 Politics and Sociology

1. Introduction and Welcome
“Welcome to the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London (SSEES-
UCL).
This handbook answers many commonly asked questions about what to expect as an affiliate student
in the department of SSEES. You should keep this handbook throughout your time at UCL as a
reference guide.
The School of Slavonic and East European Studies was established on 19 October 1915 by Tomáš
Garrigue Masaryk. Our mission ever since has been informed by research questions rooted in the
language, history, culture, economy and society of our region. This philosophy lies at the heart of all our
activities, including our teaching. The School has become one of the world’s leading specialist
institutions and is truly international in flavour, attracting applications from across the world. In 1999 we
merged with UCL – London’s Global University, thus becoming part of one of the world’s leading
universities and in October 2005 the new SSEES building was officially opened on the occasion of the
School's 90th anniversary.
SSEES consists of four undergraduate programmes: Language and Culture, History, Politics and
Economics and Business. Towards the back of this handbook you will find a summary of the
undergraduate modules offered within these programmes. Undergraduate study is of course only a
small part of the activity occurring at SSEES. SSEES is engaged in high quality and innovative
research; we sustain 5 distinct research centres, each with their own research projects and seminar
series, and 4 research groups; we have an active body of research students covering disciplines across
the school; we are engaged in partnerships at various levels with institutions and organisations across
Central and Eastern Europe and Russia and in SSEES library host a unique and extensive collection of
regionally relevant resources.
At SSEES, we pride ourselves on being a friendly and welcoming School, with a deep and long lasting
commitment to the UCL vision of ‘making a difference’ both to the students we work with and to the
wider world. We look forward to welcoming you to SSEES and are confident that your time here will be
rewarding. Please feel free to contact us in advance should you need any further information.”
Dr Eric Gordy
SSEES Affiliate Tutor

2. Support, Advice and Lines of Communication
2.1 Affiliate Contacts
SSEES Affiliate Tutor
UCL International Office
Dr Eric Gordy
SSEES, Room 323
16 Taviton Street
UCL
London
WC1H 0BW
Tel: +44 20 7679 8728
Fax: +44 20 7679 8777
Email: e.gordy@ucl.ac.uk
2.2 Student Administration Office
The Student Administration Office, Room 341, is located on the third floor of the SSEES building. Here
you can contact the Programmes Administrators if (for example) you need course information or want to
collect a marked piece of coursework. The office is open at the following times:
Monday
Tuesday
Thursday
Friday
Wednesday
UCL International Office
10am to 4pm
10am to 1pm
2.2.1 Programmes Administrators
Lina Kamenova
International Student Welfare Advisor
Email: l.kamenova@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +020 7679 2051.
Economics & Business Mr Matthew Brown
SSEES Affiliate Administrator
Miss Farha Ahmad
SSEES, Room 341
16 Taviton Street
UCL
London
WC1H 0BW
Tel: +44 20 7679 8770
Fax: +44 20 7679 8777
Email: farhat.ahmad@ucl.ac.uk
Rm 341
Tel: 020 7679 8772
Email: m.brown@ssees.ucl.ac.uk

History Ms Susie Rizvi Rm 341 020 7679 8774
Email: s.rizvi@ssees.ucl.ac.uk
Languages & Culture Mr Ben Chatterley Rm 341 020 7679 8771
Email:
b.chatterley@ssees.ucl.ac.uk
Politics Ms Sasha Aleksic Rm 341 020 7679 8773
Email: s.aleksic@ssees.ucl.ac.uk
Academic Administration
Manager
2.3 Other Useful Contacts
Faculty Tutor
Dean of Students
Mr Joe Dally-Fitzsimons Rm. 341 020 7679 8820
Email: j.dallyfitzsimons@ssees.ucl.ac.uk
Andrew Huxley
Building
Dr Ruth Siddall G6 Ground Floor
4 Taviton Street
UCL Counselling Service Jacynta Etienne 3 Taviton Street, 1st
Floor,
Rm 101
Rights & Advice Centre Hameera Saeed 15 Gordon Street, 1st
Floor, Bloomsbury
Theatre Building
020 7679 7732
020 7679 4545
Dean.of.Students@ucl.
ac.uk
020 7679 1487
j.etienne@ucl.ac.uk
020 7679 2998
h.saeed@ucl.ac.uk
Advisors to Women students Dr Hilary Richards 020 7679 0882
020 7679 0884
h.richards@ucl.ac.uk
UCL Students Union 25 Gordon Street 020 7387 3611
UCL Health Centre 3 Gower Place 020 7387 6306
Accommodation Offices University of London:
Basement,
Senate House, South
Block
UCL: 117 Gower St
Careers Service
Patrice Ware (for
SSEES)
Wednesdays in Room
503, 16 Taviton Street
Disability Co-ordinator Marian Hingston Lamb Room G16, Registrar’s
Registrar’s Division
Division
Nightline (6pm-8am) An all-night service for
students wanting help
3. Information on College Terms
020 7862 8880
ulao@accom.lon.ac.uk
020 7679 7077
residences@ucl.ac.uk
020 7866 3600
p.ware@ucl.ac.uk
020 7679 1343
disability@ucl.ac.uk
020 7436 5561

UCL operates over three terms – an autumn term, a spring term and a summer term. Main teaching
takes place in the autumn and spring terms and the summer term is used primarily for revision and
exams. Affiliate students can join SSEES for one of the following study periods:
a) For a full academic year of 9 months, September–June.
b) For the autumn term of 3 months, September–December.
c) For the spring and summer terms totalling 6 months, January–June.
Please note that not all courses operate in both teaching terms but that it is usually possible to take half
of a full year course.
3.1 Term dates
Academic Year 2012-2013
Term Date
First Term Monday 24 September 2012 - Friday 14 December 2012
Second Term Monday 7 January 2013 - Friday 22 March 2013
Third Term Monday 22 April 2013 - Friday 7 June 2013
3.2 College Closures
College Reading Weeks: weeks beginning Monday 5 November 2012 and Monday 11 February 2013.
Christmas: College closes on Saturday 22 December 2012 and re-opens on Tuesday 1 January 2013.
Easter: College closes on Thursday 28 March 2013 and re-opens on Tuesday 2 April 2013.
Bank Holidays:
• Monday 6 May 2013
• Monday 27 May 2013
4. Affiliate Study Guide
Most affiliate students find that their experience of studying at UCL is quite different from what they
have been used to at their home university. For some, this can be a source of frustration. However, this
should not be the case; rather the different styles of teaching and learning on offer should be one of the
fundamental reasons why you wish to study abroad. Your experience of the academic approach
employed in another country forms a significant part of your experience of that country’s culture. We
hope that reading what follows might help prepare you for some of this:

4.1 Study Methods
One of the main differences with studying in the UK is that, while you will receive a course outline and
reading lists, there is a much greater expectation that students will read around their subjects
independently, and be ready to apply their research through participation in tutorial classes. In addition,
the emphasis in class discussions, class presentations and essay writing is NOT on regurgitating
information given to you in the course, but instead, on using that information and that acquired from
your independent reading, to demonstrate understanding in particular contexts.
Students who demonstrate the capacity, in their assessments, to apply learning critically and logically to
particular issues tend to do better than those simply reproducing facts or quotes or figures learned by
heart.
Note: unless the course you are sitting is intended to teach you a foreign language (e.g. Russian,
Romanian etc) then all courses are taught and assessed in English.
4.2 Learning Agreements
Your learning agreement should be signed by the Affiliate Tutor (Departmental Coordinator) and the
International Office (Institutional Coordinator). The Affiliate Administrator will be able to stamp the form
for you. Please complete this exercise during term time. If you need proof of student status you should
contact UCL Student Records on the below contact details:
Room G9, Ground Floor, South Wing, Main Campus
UCL Registry
University College London
Gower Street
London
WC1E 6BT
Tel: 020 7679 7005 or: 020 7679 7920
Email: studentrecords@ucl.ac.uk
Opening hours: Monday - Friday 10.00am - 4.00pm
(except during October, Monday - Friday 10:00am - 3:00pm)
4.3 Some helpful terminology: an A - Z
Affiliate Tutor: Each UCL department has an Affiliate Tutor responsible for incoming students visiting
from abroad. At SSEES the Affiliate Tutor is currently Dr Eric Gordy. This is the person responsible for
advising you in your module choices and for making final decisions as appropriate. The Affiliate Tutor
will have weekly office hours and will be available to advise you on all academic and personal matters.
The Affiliate Tutor will act as your personal tutor during your time at UCL. If you are having medical,
personal or other problems, which you feel may affect your performance you should discuss these with
the Affiliate Tutor as soon as you feel able. At SSEES we treat the task of pastoral care particularly
seriously.
Classes, Tutorial Classes and Seminars: These are typically small group sessions and might be
referenced with any or all of the above names. Typically, the role of the student in these sessions is
much more proactive, requiring anything from presentations and discussions to group work and roleplay.
NOTE: the term ‘classes’ in the UK always refers to this small-scale interactive learning style and not to
‘lectures’, as for example in the U.S.

Class teacher: The class teacher may differ from the lecturer and may be a postgraduate research
student with expertise in a particular area.
College: When you hear people refer to the ‘college’ they are normally referring to UCL as a whole.
Course: This is the term we use to describe a particular option or module regardless of its length or
value in course-units (see below) e.g. I refer to my option in ‘European Economic Policy’ as a ‘course’
and it is worth 0.5 course-units.
Course-units: Course-units are the unit by which UCL measures its credits. An academic year at UCL
typically consists of 4 course-units (cu) for each student. A course running for one term usually has a
value of 0.5 cu (though some departments have year long courses worth 0.5 cu) and one running
throughout the year has a value of 1.0 cu. If you are here for a full academic year you should take 4 cu
and consider it as equivalent to 32 U.S. credits or the annual required ECTS of your institution if you are
an Erasmus student (normally 60 ECTS).
Lectures: Lectures refer to that part of the course which all students attend where it is typical for the
lecturer to play the predominant role in that session. Not all courses at SSEES are lecture based.
Lecturer: The lecturer is normally a full-time member of the academic staff involved in teaching and
research and will have been involved in designing and monitoring the course.
Office Hours: These are the hours during which academics make themselves available to you should
you wish to discuss your work with them. Office hours, held in the academics office are detailed on the
SSEES website: http://www.ssees.ucl.ac.uk/OfficeHours.pdf
Portico (www.ucl.ac.uk/portico): This is the name of the UCL Student Information Service which
contains your personal and contact details. It also contains your module selections and important exam
information, so should be checked on a regular basis.
Reading week: This is a week during the autumn and spring term in which no teaching is scheduled in
SSEES and some other departments in the college. Students are expected to use this week to read
around and research their current subjects in order to broaden their knowledge of the material covered
in each course.
Term: The UCL academic year is divided into 3 terms: an autumn term (12 weeks), a spring term (11
weeks) and a summer examination term (7 weeks). The equivalent terminology for these, in your home
university, might be ‘semester’.
Moodle (www.ucl.ac.uk/moodle): This is a web-based teaching resource used for some UCL courses. If
this applies to your module then you will receive instructions from the course tutor on how to access the
web facility. You may be required to submit your assessed coursework to Moodle and again the course
tutor will give you instructions.
4.4 Reading
You will normally be issued with a reading list at the start of each course and in some cases you will be
given weekly reading tasks. Where you are not given specific weekly reading the expectation is that you
will be pursuing your own reading around the topic. This approach helps you to become more
independent in your academic thinking and research.
4.5 Moodle
SSEES is making increased use of Moodle to facilitate communication among students and staff.
Moodle pages can feature a variety of materials, such as core course materials for download, a blog,
discussion boards, a wiki, training in the use of Moodle and other resources. To access Moodle, please
visit https://moodle.ucl.ac.uk/login/index.php. You will need to enter your UCL username and
password, and then select ‘UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies’.

4.6 Coursework
All courses have elements of coursework in the form of written assignments and essays, short
exercises and literary reviews. This coursework may be non-assessed or assessed. If it is nonassessed
coursework then it will not form part of your final course mark, whereas assessed coursework
will. In both cases though, the coursework will be marked and you will receive feedback. Whether
assessed or not submission of the coursework is compulsory and failure to complete coursework may
result in you not receiving a mark for that course.
4.6.1 Penalties for late submission of coursework
o The full allocated mark will be reduced by 5 percentage points for the first working day after the
deadline for the submission of coursework.
o The mark will be reduced by a further 10 percentage points if coursework is submitted during the
following six days.
o Coursework that is submitted later than seven days after the deadline, providing it is submitted
during the following six days.
o Where there are extenuating circumstances that have been recognised by the Affiliate Tutor, these
penalties will not apply until the agreed extension period has been exceeded.
4.6.2 Penalties for over-length coursework
o Ideally students should adhere to the prescribed word counts published in the course description. In
terms of penalties, however, assessed work that is more than 10% longer than the prescribed word
count should not be accepted for submission (i.e. it will not be date-stamped or otherwise recorded
as formally submitted), but immediately returned to the student with instructions to reduce the word
length. The work may then be resubmitted, noting that penalties for late submission will apply.
o For work which exceeds the upper word limit by 20% or more, a mark of zero will be recorded
although the assessment will be considered to be complete.
o If submitted work is subsequently found to have an inaccurately stated word count and to exceed
the upper word limit by at least 10% and by less than 20%, the mark will be reduced by ten
percentage points. However the mark cannot be reduced below the minimum pass mark, assuming
that the work merited a pass. (I.e. the penalty will not be used to fail a student because they have
exceeded the stated word count by more than 10% but less than 20%.)
o For discipline specific practices such as tables, pictures and graphs, whether these are recorded as
part of the upper word limit or how they will be counted will be stated in the course description.
4.6.3 Extensions
In the case of formally assessed coursework, requests for extensions to deadlines will only be
considered in cases of ongoing serious medical or personal problems, if supported by medical or other
written evidence. Such requests should be submitted, preferably well before the deadline, to the Affiliate
Tutor.
4.6.4 Note on study skills and plagiarism
A complete guide to study skills and plagiarism can be found here:
http://www.ssees.ucl.ac.uk/currentstudents.htm. However, we do draw your attention to the issue of
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is defined as the presentation of another person’s thoughts or words or artefacts or software
(including from the internet) as though they were your own. Any quotation from the published or
unpublished works of other persons, must therefore, be clearly identified as such by being placed inside
quotation marks, and you should identify your source as accurately and fully as possible.

The College treats the issue of plagiarism very seriously. Any detected cases are reported to the
college authorities and can result in exclusion from examinations.
4.7 Attendance
UCL has a duty to monitor the attendance, conduct and progress of all students. This is no different for
affiliate students. Attendance at lectures and classes is compulsory and is monitored by the Course
Tutor. Each term, your Course Tutor will be asked to comment on your work and attendance and to
notify the Affiliate Tutor when this is not satisfactory.
UCL regulations state that students may only be entered for examinations or assessments if their
teachers are able to confirm at least 70% attendance and that their performance on the course has
been satisfactory.
That is, to receive a grade for your course you must a) attend satisfactorily and b) submit coursework as
requested. You will be asked to explain and justify any absences from the college and a medical
certificate may be asked for if absences persist for more than one week. If your attendance or
performance is deemed unsatisfactory you will not be awarded credit.
5. Assessment Details
In general, at UCL SSEES, there are 3 types of work that you need to be aware of:
1. Examinations: these take place principally in the summer term though there are some oral
examinations at other times. September-December affiliates do not take exams.
2. Assessed coursework: these are set in both autumn and spring terms on some but not all
courses.
3. Non-assessed coursework: Often courses are 100% exam based and the coursework through
the year is non-assessed. It is still compulsory but will not count toward your final mark.
PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF HOW YOU ARE TO BE EXAMINED FOR EACH
MODULE YOU ARE REGISTERED FOR.
5.1 Assessment of non-language courses
a) Full-year students: examined as per SSEES students.
b) Term 2 students on term 2 courses: examined as per SSEES students.
c) Students on term 1 half-unit (0.5) courses: 2 pieces of work totalling to 5,000 words
d) Students doing half of a 1.0 course-unit course: 2 pieces of work totalling to 5,000 words
e) Students doing half of a half-unit course (0.25): 1 piece of work totalling to 2,500 words
5.2 Assessment of language courses
a) Full year students: assessed exactly as per SSEES students.
b) First term only students: assessment to include an oral examination plus a portfolio of that
term’s coursework. If no oral exam, the portfolio must include work additional to that done by
SSEES students during that term.

c) Second term only students: can only join the course if at an equivalent level to continuing
students. Therefore the assessment is as per SSEES students.
Whenever there is coursework – be it assessed or non-assessed – it is essential that you submit it if
you wish to gain credits for the unit.
Please make sure you follow the instructions on each course regarding how, where and when to submit
your work and you are advised to keep a copy of it to be on the safe side! You will be held responsible
should things go missing.
5.3 Examinations
The UCL examination period takes place during the third term of the year (May-June). Students
scheduled to take examinations must be in attendance at the college during this period. For affiliates
here during the first term only alternative assessment arrangements apply, as explained elsewhere in
this guide.
Your Portico record will detail your exam entry for each course. It is important that the information on
Portico is correct otherwise you may be entered for the wrong exam. Examination timetables are
published in March and will appear on your Portico record. Your timetable will list exam locations, times,
and regulations. Please check this very carefully and report any problems to the Affiliate Administrator
immediately
Students with disabilities, medical conditions or dyslexia, should consult the International Office in the
first instance. They may refer you to the university disability co-ordinator.
In examinations permitting the use of calculators you should familiarise yourself with the type of
calculators permitted. Two approved versions are available from the UCL shop: CASIO
FX83WA/FX83MS (battery) or CASIO FX85WA/FX85MS (solar)
If you are absent from an examination you must inform both the International Office and SSEES as
soon as possible. If you are absent due to illness or accident, you must submit medical documentation
immediately after the examination(s) in question.
If you feel your revision for exams is being disrupted through illness you must speak to the Affiliate
Tutor at that time and not after or during the exam period.
Examination marking: all UCL examinations are double marked and many are also externally marked.
Exam scripts are anonymous and marked by candidate number.
5. 4 ECTS and US Grades
Examination marks will be converted to US grades according to a standard scheme detailed for you by
the International Office. European students will have their performance credited formally through an
ECTS transcript.
The pass mark for exams is 40% and the overwhelming majority of students achieve marks between
40% and 70%. Achieving grades of over 70% is an indication of excellence.
UCL generally works to the following marking scheme:
Degree Class % Mark European Grade US Grade
First 70+ A A
2:1 Upper Second 60-69 B A- (65-69)
B+ (60-64)

2:2 Lower Second 50-59 C B (55-59)
B- (50-54
Third 40-49 D C+ (46-49)
Fail 0-39 F F
5.5 Transcripts
C (43-45)
C- (40-42)
UCL’s Examinations Office will produce and dispatch transcripts for all visiting affiliate students and any
enquiries relating to examinations should be addressed directly to it.
The Examinations Office will withhold transcripts of any students with outstanding debt to the university,
including overdue library books and fines, withheld residency fees and tuition fees.
5.6 Past examination papers
Past examination papers are held in the College Libraries and available on the SSEES website at:
http://www.ssees.ucl.ac.uk/currentstudents.htm.
6. Choosing your courses
Hopefully you have already pre-selected courses from the UCL Study Abroad Guide prior to your arrival
at SSEES. This will make the process of course selection and registering easier, although you will still
need to apply formally for your courses using a course choice form and have them approved by the
relevant Affiliate Tutor.
As affiliate students, you are obliged to take a full-time course load for the period you are here, that is:
• Autumn (Fall) Term: 2 course-units (equivalent to 16 US credits / 30 ECTS)
• Spring/Summer Term: 2 course-units
• Full-year (3 terms): 4 course-units
Each course/module is assigned a course-unit value that is either one (1.0) or a half (0.5) unit.
If you are registered solely with SSEES: You must take at least 50% of your courses within SSEES and
you are obliged to complete all scheduled assessments as prescribed for individual courses.
If you are registered jointly in two departments: You must take at least 50% of your course-units in your
first admitting department and at least 25% in the other. Once again you are obliged to complete all
scheduled assessments as prescribed for individual courses.
6.1 Online Timetable
The UCL Online Timetable lets you see your personal timetable week by week and can be used to find
out when things are being taught across UCL. Use it to select course-units which will fit in your

timetable. Your personal timetable will display all the course-units you are registered to attend including
lectures, seminars, tutorials, labs, film screenings, computer training and more. You must check it
regularly for changes to dates, times or locations.
Login with your standard UCL username and password to display your personal timetable, or select a
department or subject area, a degree programme, or individual modules and create a custom timetable,
to find out when things are scheduled to be taught.
Your timetable is available to view at (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/timetable). You must check carefully to
ensure that there are no problems with timetable clashes. If there are clashes please see the Affiliate
Administrator immediately.
TIP: Before submitting your course choice selection you must check the online timetable to make sure
there aren’t any clashes:
Step 1: Click ‘Custom’ and ‘Click to Start’
Step 2: Enter the module name and click ‘Search’
Step 3: Click on the module you wish to select
Step 4: Once you have made your entire selection click ‘Create Timetable’ to view the timetable.
Step 5: You can change the display to show full year, term 1 and term 2.
Step 6: Please note that you will normally only be required to attend the lecture and ONE of the tutorial
groups. Please ask if you are unsure.
Step 7: Once your courses are confirmed on Portico you will be able to login and view your personal
timetable.
NOTE: SSEES does not allow you to attend courses for which you are not registered for.
6.2 Courses outside of SSEES:
Should you wish to take courses outside of SSEES you will have to visit each individual department
during registration week (e.g. Philosophy, Economics etc) in order to sign up for a course in that
department. You will need to contact the relevant Affiliate Tutor from each department outside of
SSEES.
In this case, it is your responsibility to check that your selection of outside courses does not involve
timetable clashes with courses in SSEES.
During the UCL International Students Orientation Programme you will be referred to the UCL Study
Abroad Guide which lists all courses available throughout UCL.
The guide is available on line at:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/international-students/study-abroad/overseas-students-atucl/sag
Please be aware that courses across the college rapidly fill up – so choosing your SSEES courses prior
to arrival is a good idea.
6.3 Changing courses
Occasionally students may wish to change their course options because they find it does not meet their
expectations. Changing courses after induction week will require a) availability on the new course
selected b) the permission of the relevant Course Tutor and c) the permission of the Affiliate Tutor. In
the case of the Affiliate Tutor’s permission, this will only be granted to those people observing the
guidelines and deadlines of registration week.

7. Communication with UCL SSEES
7.1 Email
Within SSEES we will make extensive use of email to contact you so it is essential that you are
regularly checking your UCL email account. Please ensure that your details are up-to-date on Portico,
including your mobile telephone number and term-time address. It is probable that a wealth of important
information will be dispatched to you in this way, so check your email regularly.
7.2 Office Hours
All members of academic staff involved in teaching you hold weekly term time office hours during which
they are available to students. For details of when these are scheduled please see
http://www.ssees.ucl.ac.uk/OfficeHours.pdf. If you wish to see a member of staff outside of term/office
hours you should email them to arrange an appointment.
7.3 Student Feedback
At the end of your time at SSEES you will be asked to complete an anonymous course-unit
questionnaire for each course you studied. This is your opportunity to give feedback on areas of the
course you liked and to make suggestions on how the course might be improved. SSEES takes this
process very seriously.
8. Experiencing Difficulties?
Very occasionally students studying abroad may experience problems. In the main these are easily
solvable and occur during the ‘settling in’ period. However, for some problems it is useful to know that
help is available if needed. Whatever your problem is– financial, personal or academic – talking to
someone can help. The Affiliate Tutor is of course available to talk with you confidentially and anything
you say to any of the SSEES staff of a personal nature will be treated with strict confidentiality.
Support for students during the pre-arrival phase and during their stay at UCL is provided by the
Student Centre (Registry & Academic Services). The link below gives further information on Student
Centre services http://www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/student_centre_folder/index.
After a student has been offered admission and prior to their arrival at UCL, student enquiries should be
directed to newstudents@ucl.ac.uk
Once at UCL, students with any issues are encouraged to visit the Student Centre in person. For more
urgent enquiries the Manager of the Student Centre Tracey Smith may be contacted: Email:
tracey.p.smith@ucl.ac.uk Tel: +020 7679 2036
Students with welfare issues, both during the pre-arrival phase and during their stay at UCL, should
contact UCL’s International Student Welfare Advisor Lina Kamenova Email: l.kamenova@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: +020 7679 2051. Lina is also responsible for UCL’s International Students Orientation Programme.
There are also other services available within the college.
8.1 Health and Welfare Facilities
All affiliate students are entitled to access the free health and welfare services offered by the college.

8.1.1 The UCL Health Centre
Located at 3 Gower Place. The reception is located on the second floor. The practice is open from 9.00
am to 5.30 pm Monday to Friday. A ‘drop-in’ service is available on weekdays from 9.30 am to 10.30
am and 2.30 pm to 3.30 pm. For an appointment call 020 7387 6306.
8.1.2 Student Psychological Services
This is just down the road from us at 3 Taviton Street and can offer individual counselling sessions
lasting for 50 minutes. These sessions are for those students, who having spoken to the Affiliate Tutor,
still feel they require some additional support.
Talking to a counsellor can enable you to really identify your problems and their origins and may help
you to develop effective means for dealing with them. Counselling sessions are of course completely
confidential and information will only be shared with third parties with your permission. To arrange an
appointment contact Ms Jacyntha Etienne on 020-7679-1487 or visit number 3, room 101 on the first
floor.
Find more details on their website: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/studentcounselling/index_home
General informal regarding student support can be found at: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/currentstudents/support
8.2 UCL Union Nightline
UCL students themselves provide a support service in the form of UCL Union Nightline which provides
advice and/or just a person to talk to between 6pm and 8am. Nightline is located at ULU, Malet Street.
You can call them on 020-7631-0101 or email on listening@london-nightline.org.uk. Further details can
be found at http://www.nightline.org.uk/nl_calling.php.
8.3 Disability Centre
If you have any kind of disability there may be support available. The UCL Disability Centre is open
Monday-Friday, 10am – 4pm during term time and you can access advice on all available support there.
The centre is located in Room G16 South Wing, The Registry in the Main Building. You can call them
on 020-7679-0100, or email on disability@ucl.ac.uk and you can find out more on their website:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/disability/
8.4 Dyslexia Assessment and Support Centre
The UCL Dyslexia Assessment and Support Centre is located in the Department of Human
Communication Science in Chandler House. If you are dyslexic or even concerned that you might be
then email on dyslexia@ucl.ac.uk. This is potentially very important since, if you are a student with
dyslexia (or other disabilities) you might be eligible to receive vital examination support in the form of
special equipment, specific locations and/or additional time for the examinations. You can find out more
by visiting the website: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/disability/services/dyslexia-centre.
8.5 Student Grievances
In exceptional circumstance students, rightly or wrongly, perceive that they have been unfairly treated.
Examples include students who feel they have been harassed on sexual, racial or religious grounds; or
students that feel their assessment was not handled correctly or that their teaching was sub-standard in
some way.
In the unfortunate event that you feel that you have been treated unfairly – either by a member of staff
or by another student – you should raise your concern with the member of staff or student. If this is not

possible or does not resolve your concern, speak to the Affiliate Tutor and, if still not satisfied you
should approach the International Office.
9. Facilities at UCL/UCL SSEES
9.1 Student Common Room
Affiliate students are entitled to use the undergraduate junior common room for meeting other students,
reading newspapers and eating/drinking. The junior common room is located on the 4 th floor of the
SSEES building.
9.2 Libraries
The SSEES library is renowned across the academic world for the breadth and depth of its specialist
collection pertaining to Central and Eastern Europe. The library is located on the ground floor of the
SSEES building and you can access the library catalogue from http://library.ucl.ac.uk/F
UCL houses many other libraries in addition to the SSEES library. The main UCL library
(http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/ and the University of London Library (www.ull.ac.uk/), in Senate House,
are the two most commonly used libraries by UCL students but you can find a full list of the libraries to
which you have access at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/otherlib.shtml. Check the individual websites for
information on opening hours, which vary from place to place as well as over the course of the
academic cycle.
To enter the various libraries and to borrow books you will need your UCL ID card. Please note that you
will incur a penalty for the late return of books so please make a note of any due dates. UCL will not
release transcripts to students with outstanding debts, including library fees. Therefore, it is in your
interest to return books on time.
9.3 SSEES Computing and Photocopying Facilities
The computer cluster room in the SSEES Library is for the use of all SSEES students. The door to the
cluster room is fitted with a digilock and the entry code is available from the Issue Desk on production of
a current UCL SSEES ID. Please contact the library reception for further details.
SSEES provides its own printing and photocopying system that uses Flexicards. You can purchase a
Flexicard from the Issue Desk. Additional credit can be added manually at the recharging point in the
photocopying room on the Lower Ground Floor using £1 and £2 coins. In addition to the SSEES
Flexicard system, all UCL students have an annual allocation of 240 free pages of printing.
If there are problems with the Print Release Station, please contact the ISD Service Desk - Tel: 020
7679 5000 (x.25000 within UCL); e-mail: servicedesk@ucl.ac.uk
If there are problems with the computers or the SSEES-managed printers, please contact the Library
Enquiry Office on the Ground Floor.
9.4 Clubs and Societies at UCL
UCL has a Clubs and Societies Centre (CSC) (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-union/clubs-societies/). The
CSC is open from 10am to 9.00pm Monday to Friday during term time. More information can be found
at the UCL Fresher’s Fayre that takes place annually in late September.
9.5 UCL Students Union

UCL Student Union provides the main focus for student life at UCL. Your student ID will gain you
access to all of its many facilities (see www.uclu.org) – including bars, catering outlets, sports facilities,
fitness centres and much else besides. At the beginning of each academic year there is an annual
Fresher’s Fayre where the various societies and sports clubs provide information. UCL also owns the
Bloomsbury Theatre in Gordon Street which runs a full professional programme of events (see
http://www.thebloomsbury.com).
9.6 University of London Union (ULU)
UCL Union members are automatically members of the University of London Union (ULU) and thus
have access to its swimming pool, bars, shops and sports facilities. This is located on Malet Street, just
a few minutes walk from our building on Taviton Street (see http://www.ulu.co.uk).
9.7 Student Residence Services
The UCL Student Residents Office has information about the halls, dormitories and student houses
available to UCL and affiliate students. Contact: Tel +44(0)2076796322. Email residences@ucl.ac.uk.
9.8 Seminars, Conferences and Workshops
SSEES holds a large number of research presentations, seminars, conferences and workshops. This is
reflective of our active research environment and we encourage all of our students to take the
opportunity to engage in some of these events (see http://www.ssees.ucl.ac.uk/activity.htm for details).
10. What have previous affiliates said?
Sofia, Germany.
“It has been a great year for me at SSEES and I would recommend it to everyone who is interested in
the region, its people and its history. In particular, I enjoyed the international, or rather ‘inter-European’
atmosphere. An exchange of attitudes towards ‘Europe’ and the EU has been very inspiring in that
social context.”
Katerina, Poland
“….how the courses were designed, their concept, the variety of topics they covered and the provided
reading material was generally very convincing even if really hard work.”
Matthew, USA.
“SSEES, London and UCL are great but you really must stay a year to make the most of it.”
Eva, Czech Republic
“My time at SSEES and in London has been some of the best of my life. The courses and teachers at
SSEES are inspiring and I hope to come and do a postgraduate degree in the future.”
11. SSEES Courses Available to Affiliates 2012-13
Below is a list of SSEES course running in 2012-13. Please visit the relevant Programme Administrator
for further details.
11.1 Language and Culture (See Ben Chatterley)

Languages:
• Language Level 1, 2 or 3:Czech, Finnish, Polish, Romanian and Serbian/Croatian (Year, FT,
ST 1.0/0.5 cu)
• SERS1009 Russian 1 (A) (beginners) (Year, FT, ST 0.5 cu)
East European Literature and Culture:
• SEEE1002 Introduction to East European Literature in Translation: From the National Revivals
until the Present (Year, 1.0 cu)
• SEEE1002B Introduction to East European Literature in Translation: From the National
Revivals until the Second World War (ST, 0.5 cu)
• SEEE1003 Introduction to East European Literature in Translation: From the National Revivals
until the Second World War (FT, 0.5 cu)
• SEEE1005 Culture in Eastern Europe: Anthropological Approaches (FT, 0.5 cu).
• SEEE2005 Cinema in Eastern Europe (Year, FT, ST 1.0/0.5 cu)
• SEEF2003 Finland: Environment, Society and Culture (Year, FT, ST, 1.0/0.5)
• SEEE2006 How Words Work: Sounds & Sense (FT, 0.5cu)
• SEEE2007 How Words Work: Meaning & Modularity (ST, 0.5cu)
Russian Literature and Culture:
No knowledge of Russian required:
• SERS1010 Russian Short Prose (Year, FT, ST 0.5/0.25 cu)
• SERS1016 The Making of Modern Russian Culture (Year, FT, ST 0.5/0.25 cu)
• SERS1012 Representations of Russia (Year, FT, ST 0.5/0.25 cu)
• SERS1013 Russian Cinema: History, Politics, Society (Year, FT, ST 0.5/0.25 cu)
• SERS2012 Russian Cinema: Men and Women (Year, FT, ST 0.5/0.25 cu)
• SERS2020 The Person, Love and Utopia in Russian Thought (Year, FT, ST 0.5/0.25 cu)
• SERS4016 Russian Cinema: Innovation and Experiment (Year, FT, ST 0.5/0.25 cu)
Some knowledge of Russian required (at least one year):
• SERS2010 Russian Literature in the Nineteenth Century (Year, FT, ST 0.5/0.25 cu)
• SERS2011 Russian Poetry (Year, FT, ST 0.5/0.25 cu)
• SERS2013 Bulgakov (ST, 0.5 cu)
Good knowledge of Russian (at least three years):
• SERS4012 Dostoevskii (ST, 0.5cu)

• SERS4014 Pushkin (FT, 0.5 cu)
• SERS4010 Modern Russian Prose Fiction 1917-41 (Year, FT, ST 0.5/0.25 cu)
• SERS4017 Contemporary Russian Cinema (Year, FT, ST 0.5/0.25 cu)
• SERS4027 Russian Literature since the Death of Stalin (Year, FT, ST 0.5/0.25 cu)
11.2 History (See Susie Rizvi)
• SEHI6008 History of Russia to 1598 (1 cu)
• SEHI6011 Modern Germany 1815-1990 (1 cu)
• SEHI7005 Themes in Romanian History: From Dacians to Democrats (Term 2, 0.5cu)
• SEHI7008 The Balkans from Empires to Nation-States (Term 2, 0.5cu)
• SEHI7009 The Age of Extremes in the Balkans (Term 1, 05cu)
• SEHI7010 History of the Soviet Union (Term 2, 0.5cu)
• SEHI7011Society and Politics in late Imperial Russia (Term 1, 0.5cu)
11.3 Economics and Business (See Matthew Brown)
• SESS1002 Introduction to Business (Year 1.0 cu)
• SESS1003 Introduction to Microeconomics (FT 0.5 cu)
• SESS1004 Introduction to Macroeconomics (ST 0.5 cu)
• SESS2001 The Emerging Market Economies (Year and FT, 1.0/0.5 cu)
• SESS2005 Topics in Microeconomics (ST 0.5 cu)
• SESS2006 European Macroeconomics (FT 0.5 cu)
• SESS2009 Entrepreneurship and Small Business (FT 0.5 cu)
• SESS2010 Applied Econometrics (FT 0.5 cu)
• SESS3002 International Trade & Finance (FT 0.5 cu)
• SESS3005 Topics in Financial Management (ST 0.5 cu)
• SESS3001 Growth and Convergence (ST 0.5 cu)
• SESS3003 Industrial and Corporate Change (FT, ST or Year 0.5/1.0 cu)
• SESS3006 Political Economy of European Integration (FT, ST or Year 0.5/1.0 cu)
• SESS3007 Health, Economics and Policy (ST 0.5 cu)
11.4 Politics and Sociology (see Sasha Aleksić)
• SESS1102 Introduction to International Relations (Year, 1.0cu)
• SESS2101 History of European Political Ideas (Year, FT, ST 1.0 cu)

• SESS2102 Politics & Society in Central & Eastern Europe (Year, FT, ST 1.0/0.5 cu)
• SESS2103 Russian Politics and Society (Year, FT, ST 1.0/0.5 cu)
• SESS3101 Comparative Politics (Year, FT 1.0/0.5cu)
• SESS3102 Soviet & Russian Foreign Policy (Year, FT, ST 1.0/0.5 cu)
• SESS2105 Democracy & Democratization (ST, 0.5 cu) Term 1 only
• SESS3103 European Security (Year, FT, ST 1.0/0.5 cu)
• SESS2104 The Making of Modern Ukraine (Year, FT, ST 1.0/0.5 cu)
• SEES1202 Understanding Society: Introduction to Social Theory (0.5 cu, Term 1)
• SEES1203 Understanding Society: Introduction to Political Sociology (0.5 cu, Term 2)