MSc City Design and Social Science Handbook 2009 2010

Cities Programme Department of Sociology

Contents
Significant dates Welcome The Cities Programme Core teaching faculty Associated and visiting faculty MSc City Design and Social Science: Course requirements Core courses Option courses Formal assessment Regulations on assessment offenses Assessment criteria Postgraduate mark frame General info and contacts (Sociology dept) LSE School facilities A - Z: Accommodation - Catering Chaplaincy - Disability Equality Financial Support Office Health and welfare Internships Library LSE for You - Moodle Nursery References Student Services Centre School regulations Student tutoring scheme Students Union Student study support - Timetables University of London facilities Volunteer to represent LSE Page Number 3 4 5 6 8 10 10 13 14 14 15 17 18 19 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 28 29 30 31

Significant Dates 2009-2010

Cities Programme induction Start of Michaelmas Term Start of teaching

28 September 1 October 1 October 5 October

Candidate examination numbers allocated November/early December End of Michaelmas Term Start of Lent Term MSc thesis workshop Provisional abstract of thesis due End of Lent Term Announcement of examination timetable Start of Summer Term Examination period Final City Design Studio Review End of Summer Term Submission of dissertation Results published Graduation ceremony 11 December 11 January 2010 1 February 15 February 19 March End of Lent Term 26 April Mid-May-June 29 June 2 July Tuesday 31 August Mid-November Mid-December

Welcome
Welcome to the Cities Programme in the Department of Sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Congratulations on your success in gaining the opportunity to study city design in the context of the most exciting specialist university institution for the social sciences in the world. As a student at the LSE, you will be brought into direct contact with the most advanced contemporary research and scholarship in urban and social issues. This handbook provides an introduction to the Cities Programme and the facilities available in the School. It is also designed to help you understand the requirements of this Masters programme, and plan your course of study.

The LSE environment

The School is located in a complex of buildings in the centre of London, near the Aldwych. It is close to the Royal Courts of Justice, the BBC World Service and the financial heart of the City of London. West End theatres are all close by, along with the shops and markets of Covent Garden. The National Gallery is a short walk down the Strand, while the South Bank Arts complex (including the Royal Festival Hall, the Hayward Gallery, the National Theatre and the British Film Institute) and Tate Modern are located on the opposite bank of the river. Within the School there is an exciting mix of students from all over the world and this generates a great deal of intellectual energy and excitement. The geography of the School can seem complicated at first, but you will find direction signs spread around the buildings, and maps and diagrams in various School publications. See this page on the LSE website for maps of the campus and surrounding area: http://www2.lse.ac.uk/mapsAndDirections/Home.aspx

A year is a short time

A one-year Master's programme is intense, and it is recommended that you begin serious study at the outset of the programme. Previous students have gained the most from the Masters programme by starting their reading and writing as soon as courses begin.

If you need help

All students are allocated a personal tutor for the year. If you find that you need help, it is most important that you talk over your problems with your personal tutor or with the MSc Convenor. Tutors are intended to have a pastoral as well as an academic role. You can meet with your tutor on a drop-in basis during their weekly office hours, or by appointment. You should feel that you may, if you wish, discuss anything with your tutor that affects your ability to benefit academically from your time with us. You should certainly keep him or her informed of any medical difficulties or illness that may prevent you from studying or may affect your academic performance. If you have difficulties of a personal nature that you do not wish to discuss with your tutor, you may wish to make use of the Schools Student Health Centres counselling services, or the Advisors to Women Students and to Male Students. If you have difficulties, the golden rule is to tell someone within the Cities Programme or the School - they will usually know who to put you in touch with.

The Cities Programme

Location and Facilities
The Cities Programme is located on the third floor of St Philips Building South. The studio and teaching rooms are Y303 and Y315. All core courses for the MSc in City Design and Social Science are taught here. Other courses are held in various rooms throughout the campus. Computers are available for the specific use of the Cities Programme students in Y303. You will receive instruction in the use of these as part of the Design Studio course. The Student Salon in Kings Chambers (K building) is also available for study and the gathering of small groups of students for the purposes of studying.

Contact information
Address: Cities Programme London School of Economics and Political Science Houghton Street London WC2A 2AE United Kingdom Fax No: (+44) (0)2079557697 (sociology dept.)

Tel No: (+44) (0)2079556828 Email: cities@lse.ac.uk

Website: http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/cities/ Specific questions pertaining to the Cities Programme or MSc City Design & Social Science should be directed to the MSc Administrator, Anna Livia Johnston, Room Y312 or email A.Johnston@lse.ac.uk

Core teaching faculty

Ayona Datta: is Lecturer in the Cities Programme, Admissions Tutor for the MSc City Design and Social Science, and convenor of the Cities core course on Urban Environment. She has an interdisciplinary background in architecture, environmental design and planning. Her research interests include gender, space, and power; home, migration, and the city; urban politics and social agency; and politics of sustainability. She recently completed a British Academy Research on gendered agency, space and power in squatter settlements. Another research area explores how notions of home and the global city are shaped through the building activities of East European migrant workers arriving in London after EU expansion in 2004. Her most recent project explores the politics of mobility and sustainability along high-speed transport networks. Research in this area has been done in Turkey and further research will be undertaken in 2010 on the Mumbai-Pune expressway in India. She has published in a number of refereed journals and is currently completing a book on gender, place, and social agency in squatter settlements in Delhi. Another co-edited book Translocal Geographies: Spaces, Places, Connections is due out with Ashgate in 2010. She is on the editorial board of ACME: an international e-journal for critical geographies and of Open House International. Juliet Davis: is Cities Studio Tutorial Fellow, and a chartered member of the RIBA (2005). She was previously Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Interiors at the Canterbury School of Architecture, University College for the Creative Arts (2005-7), ran the first year of the BA (Hons) Architecture at Cambridge University, 2004-5, and lectured in architectural theory on the same programme in 2006 and 2007. Between 1999 and 2005 she worked in practice as Project Architect with Eric Parry Architects. Her recent publications include (Re)imagining Bishopsgate Goodsyard, Architectural Research Quarterly (ARQ), vol. 12, 2008: 12-25; Liverpool finds Energy in Art, Building Design no. 1740, September 29 2006: 20-21; Mastering his Universe, Building Design no. 1673, May 13 2005: 12; she has pieces forthcoming in ARQ and Urban Studies. Her current research in the Cities Programme focuses on the construction of the Legacy masterplan for the London Olympics, 2012. David Frisby: is Professor of Sociology and member of the Cities Programme, where he convenes the core course on Foundations of Urban Studies. His research interests focus upon metropolitan modernity, architecture and urban cultures, German social theory in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries and the social theory of Georg Simmel. He maintains an interest in critical social theories of modernity, originally developed in his Fragments of Modernity (Polity, third printing 2003) and elsewhere. His recent publications include Georg Simmel in Wien (WUV Universittsverlag, 2000), Cityscapes of Modernity (Polity, 2001), Georg Simmel. Revised Edition (Taylor and Francis, 2002). He is the editor of the third enlarged edition of Simmels Philosophy of Money (Routledge, 2004) and of volume 18 of Simmels collected works (2008). Current projects include a forthcoming study of Otto Wagners Vienna and, with Iain Boyd Whyte, a sourcebook on Berlin: 1890-1940. Suzanne Hall: is Cities Studio Tutorial Fellow, and has practiced as an architect and urban designer in South Africa, starting a practice a Cape Town in 1997. She has taught on the Asia Link Studio: Sustainable Human habitat in Developing Contexts in the Department of Architecture at the University of Cambridge (2005-6), and was course convenor of the Introduction to settlement planning and design in the Department of Architecture and Planning, University of Cape Town (2001-3), where she was also Studio Tutor in Architecture and Urban Design between 1997 and 2003. Her projects considering the role of market places, transport interchanges and inner city housing have recently been published and exhibited in 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die, (M. Irving, ed.) Quintessence Books, 2008: p.828; Urban Magic. A responsive approach to urban placemaking in a Cape township, in Matthew Barac (guest editor), South Africa, Architectural Review, vol. 221, no. 324 (2007): pp. 64-65; and Between Ownership and Belonging: transitional space in the Post-Apartheid metropolis, curated by Mphethi Morojele as part of the 2006 Venice Architecture Biennale on Cities, Architecture and

Society, subsequently exhibited at the RIBA in 2007. Her current research in the Cities Programme focuses on the ethnographic exploration of everyday experiences of identity and place on a South London street, and her recent publications include Narrating the City: diverse spaces of urban change, South London, Maurice Mitchell (guest editor), Open House International, vol.33 no.2 (2008): pp.10-17; and Urban Dialogues: Visions and Positions for Mumbai, in Urban Age Bulletin, January 2008. Philipp Rode: is Executive Director of the Urban Age research programme, and co-convenes the Lent term Studio on City-making: The Politics of Urban Form. As a researcher and consultant he is involved in interdisciplinary projects comprising urban governance, transport, city planning and urban design. Rode organised the Urban Age conferences in partnership with Deutsche Banks Alfred Herrhausen Society in New York, Shanghai, London, Mexico City, Johannesburg, Berlin and Mumbai, bringing together political leaders, city mayors, urban practitioners, private sector representatives and academic experts. Recent London-focused research includes Density and Urban Neighbourhoods in London (2005) and A Framework for Housing in the London Thames Gateway (2004). In 2007, Urban Age undertook a research programme in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Bangalore followed by the Urban Age India Conference in Mumbai, to understand and assess how these cities are responding to the challenges of growth, and to compare these approaches to those adopted in other cities throughout the world: the findings are collected in the report on Integrated City Making: governance, planning and transport, co-authored by Philipp Rode with Julie Wagner, Richard Brown, Rit Chandra and Jayaraj Sundaresan (www.urbanage.net/india_report/_ICMR.html). He has previously worked on several multidisciplinary research and consultancy projects in New York and Berlin and was awarded the Schinkel Urban Design Prize 2000. Robert Tavernor: is Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the Cities Programme. He is an architect with an active London-based urban planning consultancy advising on major urban design projects. His essay, From Townscape to Skyscape, (The Architectural Review, March 2004) summarises his recent urban research on the visual impact of tall buildings in London. His books focus on the classical tradition of European architecture and cities, body and building, and on the urban development of London. They include translations and introductions to the key architectural and urban treatises by Vitruvius (Penguin Classics, 2009), Alberti, and Palladio (The MIT Press). He is the author of Palladio and Palladianism (Thames & Hudson, 1991); On Alberti and the Art of Building, and Smoot's Ear: The Measure of Humanity (Yale UP, 1998 and 2007); and co-editor of Body and Building: Essays on the changing relation of Body to Architecture (The MIT Press, 2002). Fran Tonkiss: is Director of the Cities Programme and Convenor of the MSc City Design and Social Science. She convenes the City Design Research Studio and the core course on Cities by Design. She is Reader in Sociology, with core research interests in urban and economic sociology. In the field of urban studies her focus is on urban development, design and governance; space and social theory; social and spatial divisions. Her work in economic sociology is concerned with issues of globalisation; inequality and economic governance; trust and social capital; markets and marketisation. She is the author of Contemporary Economic Sociology: Globalisation, Production, Inequality (Routledge, 2006) and Space, the City and Social Theory (Polity, 2005), the co-author (with Don Slater) of Market Society: Markets and Modern Social Theory (Polity, 2001), and the co-editor of Trust and Civil Society (Macmillan, 2000). She is an editor of the British Journal of Sociology. Savvas Verdis: has been teaching in the Cities Programme since 2001, first with Professor Richard Sennett and currently with Professor David Frisby and Philipp Rode in subjects that include urban history, urban politics and urban economics. He co-convenes the Lent term Studio on City-making: The Politics of Urban Form. His studies and research in architectural history at Cambridge University, political philosophy at the New School for Social Research and urban economics at University College London look at major economic and political reforms in urban history. These include contemporary cities under structural adjustment, the urban reformers of

Victorian London, Hausmans 19th century Paris and Cleisthenes geopolitical reforms in classical Athens. Savvas is also the founder & director of Property Analytics Ltd, Londons leading property ranking company. He has been an Onassis Public Benefit Foundation scholar on two occasions and has previously managed a $50 million cultural framework for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

Associated and visiting faculty

Ricky Burdett: is Director of the Urban Age programme and Centennial Professor in Architecture and Urbanism, and founding director of the LSE Cities Programme. He is Principal Design Adviser for the London 2012 Olympics, and previously was architectural adviser to the Mayor of London (from 2001 2006), a member of the Greater London Authority's Architecture + Urbanism Unit, and sat on the City of Barcelona's Quality Committee. In 2007 he co-curated the Global Cities exhibition at the Tate Moderns Turbine Hall, London. Burdett was founder of the 9H Gallery and the Architecture Foundation in London. He was Director of the 2006 Architecture Biennale in Venice on the subject of Cities: architecture and society, and is co-editor (with Deyan Sudjic) of The Endless City (Phaidon Press, 2008). Adam Caruso: is Cities Programme Visiting Professor and the founding partner of the internationally acclaimed London-based practice Caruso St John Architects (www.carusostjohn.com). He has been Visiting Professor in Mendrisio, Switzerland; Bath, England; and taught at the GSD Harvard in 2005. He is currently Visiting Professor at ETH, Zurich. Kees Christiaanse: is Cities Programme Visiting Professor, Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the ETH Zurich, and the founder of KCAP, with offices in Rotterdam, Zurich and London (www.kcap.nl). He is a member of the Mayors Design for London Advisory Group and is curator of the 2009 International Architecture Biennale in Rotterdam, on [limited access] or the open city?. Gerald Frug: is Cities Programme Visiting Professor, and the Louis D. Brandeis Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. Specialising in local government law, he is the author of numerous works in the field including City Bound: How States Stifle Urban Innovation (Cornell, 2008 co-authored with David Barron), and City Making: Building Communities without Building Walls (Princeton, 1999). Professor Frug is Advisor and Contributor to the Urban Age research programme. Mark Kleinman: is Cities Programme Visiting Professor, and Director of London City Charter. He was previously Director of Regional, Urban and Economic Policy at the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG), Head of Housing and Homelessness at the Greater London Authority and Senior Policy Analyst in the Prime Ministers Strategy Unit. Prior to his move into government, Mark taught and researched housing, urban and social policy at the University of Cambridge, the London School of Economics, and was Professor of International Social Policy at the University of Bristol. He is the author or co-author of more than 100 books, articles and papers, including Housing, Welfare and the State in Europe: a comparative analysis of Britain, France and Germany (Edward Elgar, 1996) and Working Capital: Life and Labour in Contemporary London (Routledge 2002). Richard Sennett: is Professor of Sociology at the LSE and New York University and Bemis Professor of Social Sciences at MIT. Three of his recent books are studies of modern capitalism: The Culture of the New Capitalism (Yale, 2006), Respect in an Age of Inequality, (Penguin, 2003) and The Corrosion of Character, (Norton, 1998). Most recently, he has explored more positive aspects of labour in The Craftsman (Yale/Penguin 2008). Professor Sennett has been awarded the Amalfi and the Ebert prizes for sociology. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts

and Sciences, the Royal Society of Literature, the Royal Society of the Arts, and the Academia Europea. He is past president of the American Council on Work and the former Director of the New York Institute for the Humanities. Edward W. Soja: is Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning at UCLA, and teaches in the Cities Programme in Michaelmas term. Professor Soja has focused his research and writing over the past 20 years on urban restructuring in Los Angeles and more broadly on the critical study of cities and regions. His wide-ranging studies of Los Angeles bring together traditional political economy approaches and recent trends in critical cultural studies. His major publications include Postmodern Geographies (Verso, 1989), Thirdspace (Blackwell, 1996), and Postmetropolis (Blackwell, 2000).

Cities Visiting Fellows

Aysegul Baykan: is Senior Visiting Fellow from September 2009 to August 2010. Professor Baykan is on sabbatical from her post as Chair of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul. Catharina Gabrielsson: is a post-doctoral Visiting Fellow who arrived in September 2008 and will be here until August 2010. Dr Gabrielsson received her professional diploma in Architecture in 1992, and her PhD in 2007, both from the KTH School of Architecture, Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. As a cultural critic and senior lecturer, she has published and lectured extensively at sites of higher education and in different media since the mid 90s. Her present research, funded by the National Swedish Research Council (2008-2010) is a post-doc project tentatively called Beginnings: on the origin, creation and affects of architectural space. More information on Cities Faculty and Visiting Fellows can be found on the Cities Programme website.

MSc City Design & Social Science

Degree Programme Course Requirements
Duration of course of study: 12 months full-time; 2 or 3 years part-time. Degree requirement: A total of four units comprising three unit taught core courses: SO450 Foundation of Urban Studies SO451 Cities by Design SO452 Urban Environment One 1 unit design-based studio course: SO448 City Design Research Studio AND one other whole or two half unit options (refer to Option Courses below)

Core Courses
SO450 Foundations of Urban Studies (Half Unit) Teacher responsible: Professor David Frisby, Savvas Verdis Core syllabus: This course introduces key issues relating architectural and urban design to the sociology, politics and economics of cities. Although the emphasis is not on a literature review of urban studies, some of the major approaches to the study of cities will be presented. The course will focus upon how sociological analysis, broadly conceived, can contribute to the study of urban spaces, processes and formation. In so doing, it will explore major problems and difficulties that arise when we seek to connect physical design to social realities. Content: The course explores the relationship between the city and urban experience. The nature of the city is initially examined through modes of experiencing the citys architecture and spaces. The notion of the city as text and imaginary raises issues of mapping and legibility in everyday life and in planning and design, as well as a presumed primacy of vision over tactile experience of the city and its built environment. The production of that environment generates issues of urban capital, boundaries between public and private spheres and boundaries of difference and flows. The city as system of circulation will be explored both in relation to the nature of the street and the circulation of individuals, commodities and images, and the transformation effected by information flows and the global city. The regulation of movement requires a broader examination of regulatory practices that condition the parameters of social and political space in the city. Teaching: Teaching consists of ten one-hour lectures and ten two-hour seminars in MT. Topics covered in the lectures will be used as the basis for student presentations in the seminar sessions. Reading list: M Weber (trans D Martindale & G Neuwirth), The City, London, 1966; D Frisby & M Featherstone (Eds), Simmel on Culture, London, 1997; W Benjamin, The Arcades Project, Cambridge MA, 1999; L Mumford, The City in History, London, 1961; H Lefebvre, The Production of Space, Oxford, 1991; H Lefebvre, Writings on Cities, Oxford, 1966; D Harvey, Paris Capital of Modernity, ,London,2003; I Susser (Ed), The Castells Reader on Cities and Social Theory, Oxford, 2002; S Sassen, The Global City, Princeton, 2001; G E Frug, City Making, Princeton, 1999; N Leach (Ed), Rethinking Architectural Theory, London, 1997; R Sennett, The Fall of Public Man, Cambridge, 1977; R Sennett, Flesh and Stone, London, 1994; D Frisby, Cityscapes of Modernity, Oxford, 2001; S Kostof, The City Shaped, London, 1991; J Rykwert, The Idea of a

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Town, London, 1976; C Calhoun (Ed), Habermas and the Public Sphere, Cambridge, Mass, 1992. Readings may vary from year to year. Assessment: Assessment is by one 5,000 word essay to be submitted no later than 4.00pm on the first Tuesday of LT, two hard copies to be handed in to the Cities Administration Office, Y312; a third copy to be posted to Moodle. SO451 Cities by Design (Half Unit) Teacher responsible: Dr Fran Tonkiss Core syllabus: The course examines city design and development in its social and political contexts. The course requires students to engage with critical issues in spatial design, planning and policy in different urban settings. The assessment brings together theoretical, policy and research literature with visual material including maps, photographs and drawings, planning and design documents. Lectures and seminars will consider a range of urban contexts, with a focus on contemporary issues in Londons development and design, and on international issues in urbanism in the last part of the course. Content: Understanding city design; urban spaces and urban users;; contemporary urban design and development in London; current challenges of international urbanisation; inequality and informality in cities. Teaching: 10 lectures/seminars in MT. Coursework: One 1500-word formative essay to be submitted in MT Reading list: Carmona, M., Heath, T., Oc, T., and Tiesdell, S. (2003) Public Places Urban Spaces: the dimensions of urban design. London: Architectural Press; Larice, M. and Macdonald, E. (eds) (2007) The Urban Design Reader. London and New York: Routledge. A detailed readinglist will be distributed at the beginning of the course. Assessment: An illustrated course essay of not more than 5,000 words to be submitted by 4.00pm on the first Tuesday of LT, two hard copies to be handed in to the Cities Administration Office, Y312; a third copy to be posted onto Moodle. SO452 Urban Environment (Half Unit) Teacher responsible: Dr Ayona Datta, Core syllabus: To develop a critical understanding of the conditions and the politics of sustainability that shape the urban environment. Content: This is an interdisciplinary course that introduces students to a critical understanding of the conditions that shape urban environments. It makes connections between the social, physical, and environmental aspects of cities through a broad range of topics. The course is structured around four key themes: Conceptualisations of urban environments, Environmental and spatial justice, Politics of infrastructure, and Approaches to sustainable urban environments. The aim of the course is to introduce the students to the range of scales and social actors who imagine different kinds of urban environments, and the issues at stake for 'sustainability' in these imaginings. Teaching: Teaching consists of ten one-hour lectures and ten one-hour seminars in LT. Formative Coursework: A compulsory formative essay of no more than 2,000 words to be submitted in Week 8 of LT.

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Reading list: Key texts include: Harvey, D (1996) Justice, Nature, and the Geography of Difference, Oxford: Blackwell; Heynen, N., Kaika, M., and Swyngedouw, E. (2006) In the Nature of Cities: Urban Political Ecology and the Politics of Urban Metabolism, London: Routledge; R Rogers, (1998) Cities for a Small Planet, London: Faber press.; Barry J, Environment and Social Theory 1999, London: Routledge. Assessment: A course essay of not more than 5,000 words on an approved topic to be submitted at the beginning of the ST. Two hard copies of the essay should be submitted to the Cities Administration Office, Room Y312, no later than 4.00pm on the first Tuesday of the Summer Term; a third copy to be posted to Moodle. SO448 Research Studio (One and a Half Units) Teacher responsible: Dr Fran Tonkiss Core syllabus: The City Design and Social Science Research Studio course is the central unit of the MSc programme, linking the theoretical issues raised in the core and optional lecture courses, with the practical analysis of issues of city design and development processes. The course addresses design as a mode of research and practice that shapes urban environments, responds to urban problems, and connects visual, social and material forms in the city. It aims to integrate the economic, social political and cultural aspects of the city and demonstrate ways to communicate these visually, textually and verbally. The Studio course is closely co-ordinated with the other core courses, S0450 Foundations of Urban Studies, SO451 Cities by Design and SO452 Urban Environment. Content: The Studio is divided into three parts. In the first term, the course explores key approaches to spatial and social analysis in urban contexts with a practical focus on London. This includes methods for analysing design contexts and problems; social research methods; and methods of visual representation and documentation. During the second term, students continue to work independently in project teams with tutors on specific design, social and spatial issues in the London site, while formal teaching is centred on the Studio seminar in City-making: the politics of urban form (SO465) which examines urban politics and planning through a range of international cases. This term includes an international Studio field-trip. In third term, students complete independent design theses or research dissertations, either individually or in small groups. For students with a background in architecture and design, the course will provide an opportunity to apply their understanding of the built environment to social issues that relate not only to a single building or development, but also to wider urban contexts. Students with a background in social science and related disciplines will develop their visual and conceptual literacy in urban design. The course will help all students to develop their visual, verbal and written communication skills as they relate to the urban design and development process. The acquisition of skills in interpreting and describing the city will equip students for more effective communication with urban designers, planners and policy-makers, to critically investigate the relationship between the built environment and social issues, and to engage in debates on the future of cities worldwide. Assessment: The course carries a weight the equivalent of 1.5 units, out of a total of 4 units for the MSc degree. Overall assessment is based on the following submissions: 1. London Studio project (30%) 2. City-making project (20%) 3. 10,000 word Research/design thesis (50%) Design or Written Thesis submission date: Tuesday 31 August 2010

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Option courses
We encourage our students to investigate the academic content of potential optional courses during the first couple of weeks of term. You will need to make a formal decision on which options you will take by the third week of October 2009. There is a list of approved optional courses (see below or go to the LSE Calendar webpage MSc City Design and Social Science) but you are allowed to apply to other courses that interest you, subject to the approval of the relevant course tutor and the Programme Convenor of the MSc City Design and Social Science. You are not allowed to take any optional programme that clashes with the timing of the core courses of the Cities Programme. If you are not sure about your selection please consult your personal tutor. 3 Approved optional courses 2009/10 : EC436 The Economics of Regional and Urban Planning (H) GY410 Economics of Local and Regional Development (H) GY430 Cities, Space and Society GY438 Cities and Social Change in East Asia (H) GY444 Environmental Assessment (H) GY446 Planning for Sustainable Cities (H) GY455 Economic Aspects of Project Appraisal (H) SA429 Social Exclusion, Inequality and the 'Underclass' Debate (H) SA4A3 Social and Political Aspects of Regional and Urban Planning (H) SA4F9 Housing, Neighbourhoods and Communities (H)

The approved optional courses for the MSc City Design and Social Science are taught in the Departments of Economics, Geography, and Social Policy: While these courses have been approved by the relevant convenors for the MSc City Design and Social Science, in certain cases where course are over-subscribed, priority will be given to students on other programmes for which these are core units or options; in these cases Cities Programme students may take these options subject to places being available. Please consult the course convenor. You may take other courses in the Department of Sociology, or other departments, by agreement with the course tutor and the Programme Convenor, MSc City Design and Social Science.

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Formal assessment
Submitting Assessed Essays, Studio projects and the Research/Design Thesis For your core courses in the Cities Programme you will be asked to prepare essay, project or thesis work of a specific number of words, along with a specific deadline for each piece of work. This word count excludes tables, figures, appendices and bibliography but includes endnotes and footnotes. Two word-processed copies of the completed essay, project or thesis should be given by you in person to the Cities Programme Administrator, Room Y312. All deadlines are non-negotiable. You should see that your Examination Candidate Number, but NOT your name or your student ID, appears clearly on the front of the essay, project or thesis, along with the word count. Moodle: Unless otherwise advised you will be required to upload a copy of your essay electronically on to Moodle so that it may be submitted to plagiarism-detection software. NB For SO448 City Design Research Studio you may be required to submit work in a different format and to submit a CD in addition to hard copies. You will be advised in advance of the precise requirements for each piece of project work. Coursework Submission Form and Plagiarism Statement: You will be asked to complete and sign a form entitled Coursework Submission Form and Plagiarism Statement. The bottom part of this form is also your receipt. Plagiarism (unacknowledged borrowing and quotation) is an examination offence and carries heavy penalties. The form you will be asked to sign states the following: I declare that, apart from properly referenced quotations, this dissertation is my own work and contains no plagiarism; it has not been submitted previously for any other assessed unit on this or other degree courses. I have read and understood the Schools rules on assessment offences as stated in the Graduate/Undergraduate School Calendar. REGULATIONS ON ASSESSMENT OFFENCES: PLAGIARISM Preamble Assessment is the means by which the standards that students achieve are made known to the School and beyond; it also provides students with detached and impartial feedback on their performance. It also forms a significant part of the process by which the School monitors its own standards of teaching and student support. It therefore follows that all work presented for assessment must be that of the student. What is Plagiarism? All work for classes and seminars as well as scripts (which include, for example, essays, dissertations and any other work, including computer programs) must be the student's own work. Quotations must be placed properly within quotation marks or indented and must be cited fully. All paraphrased material must be acknowledged. Infringing this requirement, whether deliberately or not, or passing off the work of others as the work of the student, whether deliberately or not, is plagiarism. For detailed information, please access this link: http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/schoolRegulations/regulationsOnAssessmentOffencesPlagiarism.htm

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It is suggested that, for your own records, you prepare and retain copies of your coursework and your portfolio, since the submitted copies will not be returned to you. Assessment of outside options: Your option courses will be assessed according to the requirements of the relevant course and department regulations. Please consult course convenors and administrators in the relevant department for information on assessment requirements, submission procedures and examinations. Late submission: Essay, project or thesis work submitted after the deadline will be subject to the penalty of a deduction of 5 marks out of a possible 100 marks available for this piece of work per day or part thereof of the late submission. Late submissions may be accepted without penalty where there are verifiable extenuating circumstances (e.g., shown by a medical certificate), subject to final confirmation by the Chair of the MSc City Design and Social Science Sub-board of Examiners. Applications for consideration of a late submission should be made in the first instance to the administrator of the MSc Programme, and a mitigation form should be completed via the Student Services Centre. Further information is available at: http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/studentServicesCentre/examinationsAndResults/Mitigation.htm Candidates using word-processing equipment during the preparation of their work are strongly advised to make frequent back-up copies of their text. Disk, computer or printer failure will not be regarded as a legitimate excuse for late submission of a piece of course work. Please note that the MSc Examination Sub-Board meets only once a year in mid-October for the purpose of determining degree results; if you do not submit your thesis or other pieces of work in time for it to be assessed, you will have to wait until the following year to receive your degree. Exam results are released by the School in late November after the final Exam Board. You can then access LSE For You to see your results. External (non-LSE) examiners participate in all stages of the examining process, including vetting examination papers, reviewing exam scripts, dissertations and course work as is usual in all British universities.

Assessment Criteria
Each candidates performance shall be assessed across four modules, or module equivalents comprising of half-units (hereinafter referred to generically as modules). Marks for pairs of halfunits shall be combined and percentaged as module equivalents (given the possible maximum of four half-units) by combining the best two half-unit marks, and then (if relevant) the remaining two. In such calculations and all others involving compositing to a full module, a result with a trailing fraction of exactly 0.5 shall be rounded to the whole number immediately above. Trailing fractions below and above 0.5 should be rounded respectively downward and upward. Schemes for the Award of a Taught Masters Degree These schemes should be read in conjunction with the Regulations for Taught Masters Degrees, the programme regulations for the Masters degree on which the candidate is registered, the relevant on-line Taught Masters Course Guides and the Code of Good Practice for Taught Masters Programmes: Teaching, Learning and Assessment. The link for students entering in 2009 is: Regulations for Taught Masters Degrees for students entering in 2009/10 and after (http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/calendar/academicRegulations/regulationsForTaughtMastersDeg rees.htm)

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Please note, that in the Department of Sociology, each candidate shall be given an overall result for each course as follows:

Mark 0 39% 40 - 49% 50 - 59% 60 - 69% 70% and over

Grade Bad Fail Fail Pass Merit Distinction

Dissertations that are generally satisfactory but fall short of the required standard of presentation may be referred for emendation within one month of the examiners meeting. Please note the requirement that in order to pass your whole MSc, you must pass the dissertation with a mark of at least 50. Feedback on Assessed Essays The School recommends that no feedback be given on assessed essays, however, it does not prevent individual departments from doing so. Within the Sociology Department is it left up to individual lecturers to decide whether feedback will be given. This feedback can be helpful whether you are preparing for another piece of assessed coursework or a sat exam in that particular course or any other. It is not a custom at the School to supply formal feedback on examination performance. Overleaf is a general mark frame which illustrates the assessment criteria that your course teachers are employing.

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Postgraduate Mark Frame Distinction (70 per cent or higher) This class of pass is awarded when the essay demonstrates clarity of analysis, engages directly with the question, and attempts an independent and critical interpretation of the issues raised by it. The essay shows exemplary skill in presenting a logical and coherent argument and an outstanding breadth and depth of reading. The essay is presented in a polished and professional manner, and all citations, footnotes and bibliography are rendered in the proper academic form. Essays in the upper range of this class (80 per cent and higher) may make an original academic contribution to the subject under discussion.

Merit (60-69 per cent) This class of pass is awarded when the essay attempts a systematic analysis of the issues raised by the question and shows some signs of independent thought. The essay shows some skill in presenting a clearly reasoned argument, and draws on a good range of relevant literature. The essay is well-presented and citations, footnotes and bibliography are rendered in the proper academic form. Pass (50-59 per cent) This class of pass is awarded when the essay shows an awareness of the issues raised by the question, but relies primarily on description rather than on analysis. There may be some inconsistencies, irrelevant points, and unsubstantiated claims in the argument and the essay draws upon a limited range of literature. Presentation and referencing is adequate but may contain inaccuracies.

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General Information and contacts

Key Departmental staff In the first instance, your contact person for the course will be the Cities MSc Programme Administrator, Ms Anna Livia Johnston (Room Y312, ext 6828). Only if the Administrator cannot deal with your question/problem, should you contact the MSc Programme Director, Dr Fran Tonkiss or the Departmental Manager in Sociology. The Sociology Departments Administrators are Ms Tia Exelby (MSc programme) and Ms Frances Hewson (BA and PhD programmes), in room S219A. The Head of Department of Sociology is Professor Judy Wacjman, who is in Room S203. The Head of Department is responsible to the School for the running of the Department. The Sociology Departmental Manager is in Room S204, is responsible for much of the day-to-day administrative work and works closely with the Convener and other academic officers of the Department. Communication You are expected to check your email regularly (using your School-supplied email address), since both academics and administrators routinely use this medium in order to communicate with students. Change of address If you change your term-time address you must inform the Student Services Centre and your personal tutor or the Cities administrator. This change can be made by you, using LSE for You, located on the front page of the LSE website. Your address is protected information and will not be disclosed to a third party without your permission unless it is for reasons of official School business. It is important that you keep us informed of your private address (and telephone number). Staff/Student Committee This Committee is a forum to discuss appropriate matters of concern to students and staff on MSc programmes across the Department of Sociology. Membership of this Committee on the staff side comprises the Programme Conveners of each of the Departments MSc programmes. Membership on the student side comprises up to two students from each MSc programme elected by their fellow students on the respective programme in order to attend meetings and put forward their views. Meetings of the Committee are held at least once a term, and more frequently if necessary. All members, including staff, are asked to confirm to Tia Exelby (t.exelby@lse.ac.uk) their intention to attend a meeting after she has circulated (by email) details of its time and venue and a request for agenda items. In addition, the 2 students representatives for the MSc City Design and Social Science will be invited to meetings held internally to the Cities Programme on a regular basis (approximately every term). These meeting provide the opportunity for students to voice direct concerns pertaining to the MSc programme. The Cities Programme also holds regular internal staff-student meetings to address issues relating specifically to the MSc City Design and Social Science.

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School Facilities A-Z

Accommodation Office http://www.lse.ac.uk/accommodation The LSE Accommodation Office (V210, Tower 2) can provide advice on finding accommodation in London for you and your visitors. You can e-mail accommodation@lse.ac.uk or telephone 020 7955 7531. Alumni Services http://www.alumni.lse.ac.uk/olc/pub/LHE/homepage.cgi LSE's 92,000 alumni in over 190 countries worldwide provide a lifelong network of support to each other and to LSE. They are a key part of the LSE community and serve the School by making available their time, expertise and networks. They participate in Court, Council and School committees as well as speaking and chairing events in the Public Lectures programme and at careers, departmental and student society events, organising and supporting LSE's 72 alumni country and special interest groups and networks. Alumni offer the School financial support through the Annual Fund for unrestricted giving and through major gifts for School projects such as the New Academic Building. The Annual Fund supports School projects such as departmental initiatives, research and teaching, the Students' Union, student support, events and campus facilities that would not otherwise receive funding. The new Chair of African Development in DESTIN, academic trips for the Grimshaw Club LSESU Society, student hardship and welfare funds, the annual Ralph Miliband lecture series in LSE's Public Events programme and the external caf furniture for the forecourt in the New Academic Building. If you would like to find out more about LSE's alumni, please contact us at: alumni@lse.ac.uk or visit our website. Cities Programme alumni also keep in touch via a Facebook network. The Programme organises an annual alumni event so that current students can meet with graduates of the MSc. Careers Service www.lse.ac.uk/careers LSE Careers Service offers support and guidance for all stages of your future career via a comprehensive annual programme of careers fairs, presentations, forums, seminars, alongside individual careers advice and extensive information resources. The Careers Service website is the first place to check for up to date information on all events and services. The Cities Programme holds a series of Careers surgeries over the academic year, and a dedicated Careers workshop in Lent Term. Catering http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/cateringServices/venues/Default.htm For details of catering facilities located around the School, please see the above website. LSE Catering Services became the first London university to achieved Fairtrade status in 2004. Fairtrade refreshments are available in all the School's catering outlets.

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Chaplaincy The Chaplaincy at LSE is there for everybody, of whatever national, political or indeed religious or non-religious background. You will always be welcome and listened to. Whilst it is certainly true that the Chaplaincy has a core Christian identity, with opportunities for prayer, study and socialising, it also hosts an extensive interfaith programme of events and values its friendship with all the religious societies at the School. We can put you in touch with local mosques, synagogues and temples. It is also a place where students of no faith are welcome to come for confidential conversations and, if they so wish, to explore religious faith. It also provides opportunities for retreats, for visits to Londons many tourist attractions and to meet other students from all over the world. The Chaplaincy is situated in room G9 of 20 Kingsway, the door to which is directly opposite the Peacock Theatre on Portugal Street. There is a full time Anglican Chaplain, who is the Revd David Peebles (d.peebles@lse.ac.uk) and a part-time Roman Catholic Chaplain, Fr Iain Matthews and part-time Free Church Chaplain, the Revd John Scott. The telephone number is 020 795 57965. We look forward to meeting you! Course/Module Capping A full list of capped graduate courses can be found at: http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/studentServicesCentre/courseChoicePg/cappedCourses200910.htm Any student wishing to take a capped course outside the Department must collect a Request to take a capped course form from the department and obtain the approval/signature of the respective Course Convenor/Teacher Responsible, following the instructions given at the link above. Course Choice Details of syllabus and content of all graduate courses offered at LSE are available online at: http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/calendar/courseGuides/graduate.htm Disability Equality http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/disabilityOffice/ Including students with long-term medical conditions, dyslexia and other disabilities. If you think you may need specific arrangements in order fully to access your programme of study at LSE, then do contact the Disability and Well-being Office, if you have not already done so and arrange to see one of the advisers. Together, you can draft an Individual Student Support Agreement which will set out what reasonable adjustments need to be put in place and by whom. This includes any alternative arrangements for exams and assessment, alternative resources for fire alarms, emergency evacuation of buildings, hearing support systems, rest rooms, study support and assistance in the library. Practical study and social support for students with disabilities can be provided through peer group support co-ordinated by LSE Circles Network. Confidentiality: information regarding disabilities will not be shared without the explicit, signed permission of the student. You are urged to make an initial appointment with the Disability Office to discuss any disability-related concerns: you should note that it may not be possible to make reasonable adjustments for you unless key personnel are made aware of your situation, but every effort will be made to maintain anonymity and discretion.

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The Disability and Diversity Consultative Forum meets termly to monitor and advise on disabilityrelated issues as part of the LSEs commitment to working towards disability equality and fulfilling the duties required by public bodies in the disability discrimination legislation. (DDA, 2005). We are always interested to know how practice and provision can be improved for disabled students and staff, so please make your comments and suggestions known through your student representatives. Contact details: email: disability-dyslexia@lse.ac.uk Sue Haines, Disability and Well-being Officer manager: 0207 955 7767 SU Education and Welfare, Su.Edwelfare@lse.ac.uk SU Disability Officer, Su.disability@lse.ac.uk SU Advice Centre: 0207 955 7145 Medical Centre: 0207 955 7016 Advisor to staff with disabilities: 0207 955 6672 Equality and diversity http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/raceEquality/faq.htm The Department and the School are committed to promoting equality and diversity in order to deliver the best possible service to its students, staff and the wider community, in accordance with LSEs Articles of Government. Equality of opportunity means that the School views the diverse origins and backgrounds of its employees positively; and that it seeks to become as varied an employment community as it can. In recognising that everyone is different, equal value is given to the unique contribution that all employees' skills, knowledge and experience enable them to make. The School will seek to ensure that people are treated equitably, regardless of age, disability, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, personal circumstances, political affiliation or trade union membership. Financial Support Office (FSO) www.lse.ac.uk/financialSupportOffice/ LSE expects all students to make adequate arrangements for their maintenance and the payment of their fees before they register. There is no provision to assist students who knowingly register underfunded. Funds are available to assist students who register with sufficient funds for both their tuition fees and living costs but who subsequently experience unforeseen financial difficulties. Hardship Funds Available to Registered Students Full information about the funds that we administer for current students is available at: https://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/studentServicesCentre/financialSupportOffice/internal/supportFo rRegisteredStudents.htm (LSE username and password required) Students who wish to apply for hardship assistance during their programme should complete the In-course Financial Support application form, available online and from the Student Services Centre. The Schools two main hardship funds are as follows:

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 Student Support Fund Students who have registered with sufficient funding but who later experience unforeseen circumstances which leave them in financial difficulty can apply for help from t the Student Support Fund. Unforeseen circumstances can take a range of guises, but in all cases applicants need to provide supporting documentation. In cases where a student has knowingly registered under-funded, support from a students department and/or tutor does not tend to have a bearing on the outcome of the application since this depends solely on whether or not the student can show that their difficulties are unexpected. PhD students who are in the very final stages of their programme are also eligible to apply to the Student Support Fund since the School recognises that many PhD students will have exhausted the funding source(s) they originally planned to use to finance themselves and that some students need slightly longer than three years in which to complete their thesis. Access to Learning Fund This is designed to assist Home UK students with their living costs. Funds are limited and priority is given to undergraduates, students with children, disabled students, and final year students. The Students Union Advice and Welfare Centre also administer a number of specific funds, and there is more information about these at the following link: http://www.lsesu.com/pages/advice_and_support/advice_centre/financial_help.html Short Term Loan facility A Short Term Loan facility is available for students who are experiencing acute cash flow difficulties whilst awaiting a guaranteed source of funds (e.g., a loan or salary payment). Students may borrow up to 500, repayable within 4 weeks. Short Term Loans normally take between 24 and 48 hours to process and are given in the form of a cheque. Emergency funds of up to 50 cash can be released on the same day. Drop in sessions Registered students are welcome to attend a Financial Support drop in session to discuss their situation with a member of staff from the office. These sessions are held every day during term time and every other day (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) during vacations. No appointment is necessary, Sessions are held in the Student Services Centre between 1 and 2pm. Health and welfare services http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/medicalCentre/ St Phillips Medical Centre The Medical Centre is a general NHS practice which LSE students can use if they live within the practice's catchment area. The Centre also provides dental facilities, an osteopath, an acupuncturist, and more general first aid, vaccination, travel and contraceptive advice. Register online at: www.spmc.info for NHS registration. LSE student counselling service http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/studentCounsellingService/ There are counselling and psychotherapy services available to all students, including an emergency drop-in service. Further information can be found under counselling on the A-Z of Services on the Centres web page. Full details are available on registration. The Health Centre also runs Examination Stress Workshops during the exam period each year. You can find details of these on posters displayed around the School during the exam period.

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Advisor to women students The Advisor is available to discuss issues of concern to women students in the School and to offer advice and support to women students with personal problems. (Dr Shani Orgad, S106B, ext 6493, s.s.orgad@lse.ac.uk) Advisor to male students The Advisor is available to discuss issues of concern to male students and provides a confidential point of contact. (Dr Matthew Engelke, A609, ext 6494, m.engelke@lse.ac.uk) Internships http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/LSEInternships Internships are an important part of university life, and opportunities can vary from sector to sector. However, you should be careful not to work more than 15 hours per week during term time and if you are in the UK with a student visa you should ensure that you do not breach the conditions of your visa. IT Services Students are encouraged to make full use of the Schools computing and word processing facilities. LSE has over 1000 computers in computer classrooms, open access computer areas around the School and the student residential halls' computer rooms. All public computer rooms and areas have printing facilities. The opening hours of these rooms and areas vary, but are detailed on the IT Services website. The IT Help Desk is located in the Library on the Lower Ground Floor and details of computer courses for new and continuing students are posted on notice boards. To access IT facilities at LSE you need a Username and Password. Following registration, all students can obtain these from the IT Help Desk. The School offers IT training in word-processing, use of email, spreadsheets, graphics packages and the common statistical programmes. Language support http://www2.lse.ac.uk/language/Home.aspx If English is not your first language the Language Centre is on hand to give you advice and support throughout your time at LSE. The support is free and starts as soon as your main course starts. There are specific classes for academic units and information sessions are held during the first days of term to advise you on the most appropriate classes to take. Classes begin in week 2 of the Michaelmas Term. Along with LSE Careers and the Teaching and Learning Centre the Language Centre also contributes to the Study Skills Programme. This programme, including advice on how to prepare for examinations and how to write essays is aimed at those whose first language is English or have no real problems. See their webpage: http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/learningSupportAndCareerDevelopmentSkills/studySkills.htm The Library www.lse.ac.uk/library/ LSE Library is the worlds largest social sciences library, with over four million printed items and 1,740 study places including 450 networked PCs and over 200 laptop drop-in points. The whole Library is a wireless zone. Library collections include the Main Collection, and the Course Collection. The Course

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Collection includes essential texts from course reading lists with texts set aside for short-term loans allowing better access to key titles. Loan periods for the Course Collection vary from one week to 24 hours. The loan periods are the same regardless of who is borrowing and some of the fines for special Course Collection books (set texts) can be high, and so be sure to pay attention to the loan labels when you begin to use this collection. The Library houses 32,000 past and present journal titles in print and also subscribes to over 20,000 online journals. The Library website provides the gateway to a wide range of electronic resources . Special short courses are available in the Library on reference skills (e.g. Endnote bibliographic software, accessing e-journals, using government materials etc.). Check with the Help Desk on the first floor or on the Librarys website for more information. A series of Library Companions are also available via Moodle. The Library is open in the evenings and at weekends, including during vacation. 24 hours opening is available during Lent and Summer terms. The Shaw Library This is a small lending collection of general literature, daily newspapers and magazines, and a substantial collection of recorded music. It is housed in the Founders Room on the sixth floor of the Old Building, serving as a quiet room where lunchtime concerts are held on Thursdays in the Michaelmas and Lent terms. LSE for You LSE for You is an online facility that enables students to view or update their personal details from inside or outside the School. Access is controlled and available content determined by employing the individuals network login. This safeguards their data from other users. LSE for You enables students to access a wide range of facilities such as searching for accommodation, paying fees online, registering for courses, checking examination timetables and results as well as finding study rooms, and requesting certificates and transcripts. It is accessible via any of the LSE web pages. Moodle http://moodle.lse.ac.uk Moodle is a type of Virtual Learning Environment, which allows for each course to have a protected website bringing together a range of resources and tools. It is available anytime and from anyplace via the Internet. Moodle is flexible and the way individual lecturers use it will vary from course to course. Common features include: Course information and reading lists Access to electronic readings Discussion boards Online quizzes Multimedia content including video

Please note: Not all LSE courses use Moodle. If your course(s) use Moodle you will be notified by your lecturers or class teachers or you can check at the website above.

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Nursery http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/nursery/ LSE runs a Nursery for babies and children of staff and students from six months to school age. Contact the Nursery directly to discuss fees and access/waiting lists. Demand for places is usually very high. The University of London Union (ULU) also runs a nursery. Office hours All members of LSE teaching staff hold weekly term-time office hours in connection with each course they teach. This represents a means of additional guidance and support to individual students taking their course(s), and may be used for queries on assessed coursework. Sociology staff will post their office hours on their doors and inform you in class. Paid employment during your studies Having to take paid employment during the academic year will not normally be accepted by examiners as a legitimate mitigating circumstance in the event of a performance at a lesser level than could otherwise have been expected. In the event that a student has no choice but to take some paid employment, under School regulations the total hours cannot exceed 15 per week (for a full-time student). Photocopying pools Sometimes, if there are only one or two copies of a book in the Library and the whole class is expected to read a particular chapter, it can be helpful for students to organise themselves so that everyone can have access to the required reading. Classes in the past have used a number of methods successfully. One suggestion is that everyone contributes money to a 'class' photocopying card, with one person each week making enough copies for all the class to have one. Alternatively, the class can split into two or more 'teams' - the first person in Team A and the first in Team B each make two copies. They keep one copy for themselves and pass the second to the next person in their team, who makes one copy and passes the other on, and so on, cascading the copies down a list of students until everyone has a copy. Public lectures http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/LSEPublicLecturesAndEvents/ Throughout the year there are special School lectures, often featuring high-profile speakers, open to everyone. Upcoming lectures are advertised on the large computer screens around the School and on the School homepage under Events. You can also keep up to date with the latest information through the LSE Events email information service which enables you to receive email notification of new events and public lectures at LSE when they are announced. References If you are asking an academic to write a reference for you, you should be aware of the following guidelines: Please give referees at least three weeks notice before the reference is due. Senior members of staff in particular may well be asked to write scores of references every term. Often each reference requires updating or adaptation to a specific job or scholarship. It is in your own interest to give the referee enough time to do it justice.

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Never put down someones name as a referee without asking them in advance. Provide all the information needed to write the reference. Make sure that you have filled out your part of any form you submit. It is helpful if you include all the information your personal tutor will need in a single email, with a clear subject line. You might, for example, wish to remind your personal tutor of scholarships awarded or internships undertaken. Sometimes an application requires a reference from the programme convener. If so, the usual practice is for your personal tutor to produce a draft which the programme convener will then sign. Once someone agrees to be a referee, he or she has the obligation to do the job on time. Inevitably, busy people writing scores of references sometimes forget so gentle reminders are worthwhile. By putting your CV on the CV builder on LSE for You, your referee will be able to see your work experience and extra curricular activities, so enabling them to write a fuller reference for you. You should not normally name your personal tutor as a referee for a job unless you have first discussed the matter with him or her, although a general discussion may result in a blanket permission to use his or her name as a referee if you are applying for a number of jobs.

Student Services Centre http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/studentServicesCentre/ The Centres main functions are as follows: Registration The SSC is responsible for registering students on their degree and diploma programmes. If you want to apply to change your programme or mode of study, request leave of absence of interrupt your studies, you will need to complete the relevant form which you can download from the SSC website. New Arrivals The SSC website provides information for all new students which will help you to settle in and make the transition to studying at the LSE. A number of induction events and activities are put on for new students at the beginning of each academic session, and you can find out about these on the SSCs website. Fees You can enquire about your fees, make a payment, or collect a cheque from the Centre. The Fees Office is part of the Finance Division and holds drop-in sessions in the SSC every day in term time, and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday during vacations for more complex enquiries. For more information, visit the SSC homepage and go to Fees Office or visit http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/financeDivision/ Financial Support The Financial Support Office (FSO) is responsible for administering School funds and a variety of scholarships, studentships, prizes and awards. Students who register to study at the School are expected to ensure that they have secured adequate funding for their fees and living costs. The FSO cannot normally assist students who knowingly register under-funded. However, students who have registered with sufficient funding but who later experience unforeseen circumstances which leave them in financial difficulty can apply for help from the School. Course Choice Students are required to take the number of courses prescribed by their programme regulations which is normally the equivalent of four full units per year. All courses are subject to approval. Selection of any course is also subject to availability and timetabling constraints. You can

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choose and register for courses online using LSE for You. Look at the course guides and make your selection. Certificate of Registration Currently registered students can print off a Certificate of Registration which is useful for a variety of purposes, e.g. for council tax, visa extensions or your bank. You can generate a Certificate of Registration immediately via LSE for You. Simply log into LSE for You and select the Certificate of Registration option. To get your certificate validated, take it to the SSC counter where a member of staff will sign and stamp it. If you try this and you cannot print a certificate, or need one with additional information, please email registry@lse.ac.uk. Class Changes Classes are allocated by the Student Services Centre or by the department depending on whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student. If you need to change class you will normally need the permission of your department. Examinations and Results You can obtain your unique candidate number and personal examination timetable via LSE for You from the end of the Lent Term. Examinations for all courses take place during the summer term (May/June). There are a few exams held outside this period and you will be informed if this applies to any of your courses. The examination timetable will be available at the end of the Lent Term. You must be available to sit your examinations and answer any queries about your script up to the end of the Summer Term (early July). To help you prepare effectively for your examinations you should make yourself fully aware of the format and syllabus to be covered in the examinations. Specimen papers or guidelines to any changes are provided where appropriate and permitted materials specified early in the year. Past papers can be found at Past Exam Papers (access restricted to LSE network only). Students who have failed an exam or assessment cannot retake it until the following year. There are no re-sit examinations. Separate regulations apply to students studying for the LLB. Students cannot re-sit any exam that they have already passed. Presentation Ceremonies Presentation ceremonies are held in the Peacock Theatre, in Portugal Street, in mid-July for undergraduate students and nine-month MSc programmes, and in mid-December each year for twelve-month MSc programmes. Each ceremony is followed by a reception held at the School for students and their guests, giving the opportunity for you to mix with fellow graduates and academic staff from your department. Transcripts and Degree Certificates A transcript and degree certificate are automatically sent to every student at their permanent home address after the exam results have been ratified by the School Board of Examiners. Registered students and alumni can order subsequent transcripts through LSE for You. Student Visa Applications and Advice The Visa Office can assist students with visa extension applications. The SSC offers advice about visa extensions, and will check your application and send it to the UK Border Agency for you. Information, Advice and Guidance The Student Services Centre is accredited by matrix for its information, advice and guidance services. If you are uncertain who to contact about an issue affecting your studies, please take a look at the SSC homepage (http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/studentServicesCentre/ ) or visit the Centre in person on the Ground Floor of the Old Building.

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School Regulations http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/calendar/ The School has a wide range of Regulations relating to: academic study; assessment offences; appeals, complaints and disciplinary matters; School services, and student activity. The Calendar is the authoritative collection of the Schools Regulations. The School advises you to read these Regulations thoroughly, particularly those Regulations governing examinations. The Student Services Centre is the main source of authority on many of these Regulations, and especially concerning the Schools examination regulations and classification schemes. You should especially note the Regulations relating to: General Academic Regulations These Regulations apply to all persons having registered for a course or programme of study at the School. Your Programme of Study There are separate Regulations for Undergraduate, Masters and Diploma students. Your Programme of Study provides information relating to registration, conditions of study, financial matters, working and examinations Codes of Good Practice for Undergraduate, Masters and Diploma Students: Teaching, Learning and Assessment These Codes explain the basic reciprocal obligations and responsibilities of staff and students. Assessment offences The School has two sets of regulations in this area: one covering plagiarism and one covering all other academic offences (such as exam cheating). The School applies severe penalties to students who are found guilty of assessment offences. Appeals The grounds for making an appeal are limited. There is no appeal against the academic judgement of the examiners, and no re-marking of papers. Complaints and disciplinary matters These set out the ways that you can seek to resolve any problems that may rise during your programme of study, and the standards to which the School expects you to keep and makes it possible for an investigation to take place if those standards are breached. Student Tutoring Scheme All students are invited to take part in the LSE student tutoring scheme, which will run from early November 2009. The scheme has been running for more than 16 years and involves volunteers from the LSE acting as classroom assistants in primary and secondary schools in the London area. Students can choose the type of school they wish to volunteer in and which subject they would like to assist with. Students must commit to a minimum of half a day for 12 weeks in order to qualify. Training and guidance is provided and Tutors receive an induction at their school before starting. The main purpose of the scheme is to provide state school pupils with a positive role model and help with their academic work, whilst under the supervision of the classroom teacher. By doing so, Student Tutors help to raise aspirations, encourage pupils to aim for higher education when

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they leave school, and increase the amount of contact time they experience in the classroom. The personal benefits for the Student Tutors include developing their communication, organisational and problem-solving skills, gaining important work experience and taking part in a valuable community programme. The scheme has proved to be a great success over the years and all pupils, teachers and students involved have found it helpful, enjoyable and rewarding. The LSE Coordinator is Joanna Tolfree (J.Tolfree@lse.ac.uk). If you are interested in finding out more, please contact Joanna via email. Alternatively, further details of how to apply and dates of forthcoming information sessions will be emailed to all students in mid-October. There will also be a stall at the Freshers Fair in October where you can pick up information and speak to Joanna in person. LSE Students Union http://www.lsesu.com/ LSE Students Union is dedicated to the welfare and representation of its 9,000 students. Responsible not only for representing students, it also runs numerous commercial services, an Advice and Counselling Centre and is home to a vast array of sports clubs and societies. In essence its responsible for almost every aspect of the social experience at LSE. Every LSE student is a member and with that membership comes the ability to get involved in all aspects of the Students Union. Even if politics isnt your thing, you can still hold officers to account and make sure theyre representing you on the issues you care most about at the weekly Union General Meeting, the only one of its kind in the country. Beyond this your membership gives you opportunities to write for our weekly newspaper, The Beaver, join societies, or play for any of the sports clubs. Campaigns The Students Union aims to improve the day-to-day lives of students through lobbying the School. Recent successes include getting a commitment from the LSE to invest an extra 2m in order to improve teaching standards across the university as well as pressuring the LSE to deliver much needed improvements to the library. LSE is famous, or perhaps infamous, for the political activism of its students. Many former students maintain that they learn more discussing in the bar and the Quad then they ever did in class. The crucible for debate is the weekly Union General Meeting where left, right and centre compete for the hearts and minds of the uncommitted few students can resist at least one visit to this hotbed of revolution, reaction and intrigue. Student activities With over 170 societies in the Students Union, you can be sure that there is something to cater to your interests. From Knitting to Business, the variety of societies and activities change with the interests and initiative of each new group of students. The diverse nature of the LSE student body is also reflected in the wide range of national and cultural societies on offer. The Students Union also runs a weekly newspaper, a radio station, TV network and journal. Sports Sports enthusiasts wont be disappointed by the activities on offer. Our Athletics Union is home to some 30-plus clubs covering a wide range of sports. The standard of sport is high, with teams regularly reaching the final stages of the national BUCS leagues. Many use the School's 25 acre sports ground at New Malden, Surrey, a short train journey away from campus. There are pitches for football, rugby, hockey (both men's and women's), cricket, together with a multi-use games area and grass tennis courts, plus a restaurant and well

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appointed bar are open on match days. On campus, there are facilities for judo, table tennis, floorball, karate and boxing; a gymnasium and three squash courts. Nearby, there are facilities for basketball, rowing, cricket and swimming. Not for profit, just for students One of the most visible aspects of the Students Union is its commercial services and entertainments. The gym, bars, shops and cafs serve a dual function: to provide every one of our members with cheap, friendly and convenient services and - just as importantly - to generate additional money to reinvest in the wide range of welfare services we provide that aim to help and support you through your time at LSE. On Friday nights, the bars provide a venue for one of Londons top student nights, Crush, which is a popular, cheap and fun night out. Student welfare The combination of living in London and studying at a world class institution can at times be a stressful business. The Advice & Counselling Centre is here so that if the worst does happen, there is someone to help you out. From problems with your course and exam results to issues with accommodation and immigration, the ACC is there to offer free and confidential advice and support whenever you need it most. Student Study Support The Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) offers a popular series of lectures throughout the academic year on subjects such as essay writing, dissertation planning, time management and memory techniques. Usually on Wednesday afternoons, these sessions are geared towards undergraduate and MSc students in all departments. A full schedule of events is available on the Moodle course Learning World (LW). Students are encouraged to register for this course from the beginning of the academic year and to regularly check LSE Training (http://training.lse.ac.uk/) for full details of resources and courses to support their learning. TLC sessions are listed in the central LSE timetable under the course code SS (Study Skills) and posters are put up around the th School to advertise events. A hard copy of the schedule is available from the TLC (5 Floor, G Building) and the Students Union (SU). TLC also offers one-to-one study support concerning problem-solving, essay writing, reading skills, exam preparation, etc. Group sessions are available for some topics. Experienced and sympathetic, advisers Dr Tony Whelan (quantitative) and Lynne Roberts offer confidential tutorial sessions independently of departments. Students are expected to contact the TLC with specific issues they need help with, having spoken with class teachers/lecturers first. The advisers can direct students to other professionals within the LSE should further assistance be required. The TLC is also pleased to offer one-to-one writing tutorials with the Royal Literary Fund Fellow Sarah Salway. Ms Salway is a published writer who expertly assists students in finding the best way to express their thoughts and ideas. If students have any difficulties expressing themselves in writing, then they may benefit from a session (or two). To book an appointment with one of the advisers, email studentsupport@lse.ac.uk or call TLC reception on 020 7852 3627. Students are also welcome to come to the TLC reception (G Building, 20 Kingsway) in person. Please note that there is high demand for this service and there may be a wait for an appointment. Timetables http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/timetables/ Timetables for all courses are available on the LSE Website, listed according to course code.

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University of London Facilities: Lectures and Libraries The LSE is a part of the University of London, and as such has links to some University of London libraries. If the need should arise to research special topics that go beyond the LSE Library collection, students are advised to check if Senate House or School of Oriental and African Studies libraries hold the required items. Readers tickets are available by filling out a form distributed through the Library information desk (first floor). Both libraries are within walking distance from the LSE (Russell Square tube station). Students in the past have enjoyed special lectures held by various University of London hosts. Whilst you are studying at LSE, it is worth investigating if there are any particular lectures being given by Goldsmiths, School of Oriental and African Studies or University of London departments Vacations During LSE vacation periods, academic staff will not be available to meet with students. It is important that you organise your workload to allow time to see your tutor during term-time, especially for dissertation supervision during the summer term. Administrative staff are available all year round, but generally do not hold official office hours during vacations. LSE closes for a few days over Christmas and Easter. During this time, all the Departments offices will be closed, and there will be minimal facilities available throughout the School. Details will be published online closer to the time. Volunteer to represent LSE Although your graduation day may seem a long way off, over the next year or so your thoughts may turn to what you will do after you leave LSE. Before you forget about your days on Houghton Street, you may be interested to know that, as an alumnus / alumna, you can use your own experience of studying at the School to help advise prospective LSE students. The Student Recruitment Office runs an Alumni Recruitment Volunteer (ARV) programme which supports a network of LSE alumni around the world who have volunteered to offer information to prospective students on what it is like to study at the School, to live in London and the UK and to answer general enquiries on particular courses of study. Opportunities for volunteering range from delivering a presentation to students at your old school or university to representing LSE at a recruitment fair. We hope that you will enjoy your time at LSE and that you will want to recommend studying at the School to other potential students. If this is the case, please visit the Alumni Recruitment Volunteers website and complete the application form to join our worldwide network of volunteers: http://www.lse.ac.uk/AlumniRecruitmentVolunteers

While every effort has been made to ensure the information in this handbook is as accurate as possible, there may be inadvertent errors or changes may occur over the course of the year. If you are unsure about something, or find conflicting information, do check with a member of LSE staff.

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