Semester 2 is now fully underway but it feels as if January exams were only just last week! We are in fact almost half way through new modules with essay deadlines looming before the Easter break, and more importantly this Friday our summer exam dates are released! However, despite this mad rush before the end of term let me tell you a little bit about normal politics life at Newcastle.
For most people the start of semester 2 meant beginning 3 new modules, for me this meant new subjects of Contemporary Russian Politics, Africa and the Politics of Development and Research Methods. For each of these new modules you have 2 hours worth of lectures a week, sometimes they are in 2-hour blocks or spread out across the week. On average there are about 100 students in a lecture, and you generally make notes as your lecturer goes through and discusses PowerPoint slides.
On top of this you get a 1-hour seminar session a week per module, which normally takes place in the Politics building. Your seminar leader, who is often your lecturer, runs these and there can only be a maximum of 20 students in each group. This is your chance to talk in more detail about the subject of the lecture, ask any questions and see what your peers think about the topic. You are expected to have prepared for these discussions by reading journal articles and book chapters, which are outlined in the module guide. On occasion your seminar leader may ask you to prepare a small presentation for the group, or they might go through past essay papers to show you how to improve on your marks. Although the week consists of only 9 hours of direct contact time, it is almost a guarantee that beyond 1st year you will spend most of your free time in the library reading for seminars and working on assignments!
Frankie