Postgraduate Module Descriptor

HISM041: Food and Agriculture in Historical Perspective

This module descriptor refers to the 2024/5 academic year.

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Weekly reading response papers and their use in class discussion2 weekly reading response papers totalling 500 words1-6Oral feedback after week 2

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
10000

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Portfolio of weekly reading response papers and their use in class discussion33Portfolio of 8 weekly reading response papers totalling 2,000 words1-6Mark with written feedback on portfolio
Essay671 x 5,000-word essay on a relevant topic of student’s choice, approved by convener1-6Mark with written feedback

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Portfolio of 8 weekly reading response papers totalling 2,000 wordsPortfolio of 8 weekly reading response papers totalling 2,000 words1-6Referral/Deferral period
1 x 5,000-word essay on a relevant topic of student’s choice, approved by convener1 x 5,000-word essay on a relevant topic of student’s choice, approved by convener1-6Referral/Deferral period

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 50%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will be capped at 50%.