GUIDELINES FOR UNIVERSITY ASSESSMENTS

Assessments should be of short to medium length (max. 3000 words) and should be in a form of a serious account rather than a personal story. They should focus mainly on academic aspects, resources and facilities of departments and courses related to global politics. They could include aspects such as the range and content of courses (including research) and options, the department's or university's political or theoretical bias, financial help etc. It is generally assumed that contributors are aware of their own bias and abstain from exaggerated statements.
The following questions should guide your university assessment. These are just guidelines so not all of them need to be answered.

Questions regarding the course/ programme:
- What is the application procedure? When is the deadline for applying to the course?
- What is the academic background of the people in the course, that is, have they studied the same subject before or do they come from various social sciences?
- Are there many foreign students in your course? From what countries?
- Does the programme/course hold what it promises? Are all courses mentioned in the course booklet or on the website actually offered? Are all tutors which should offer courses currently in the department i.e. not on sabbatical?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the department?
- What is the focus of the programme? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the programme?
- How many lectures and seminars does one have?
- What is the theoretical and political bias of the department or individual staff?
- How open-minded is the staff with regard to different theories and world views?
- How is the programme assessed?
- How much do students study on average in the programme? (e.g. Is the majority very interested in the subject? Do they only read the ‘required reading’ on the reading list? How many hours per day do you or the average student of the programme study?)
- Is there enough academic supervision by the department ?
- Are you being exposed to the latest developments in the discipline or the most recent research of staff?
- How are essays and dissertations assessed?
- Is the staff helpful and encouraging further career planning (e.g. postgraduate programmes, research institutes etc.)
- To what extent are you encouraged by the department to take part in subject-related conferences?
- Are there any other subject related activities offered by the department? (e.g. trips to foreign offices, NATO, EU etc.)
- How much are the fees for the programme? What kind of scholarships are offered by the university/department and how difficult is it to receive any?Questions regarding the student life (housing, people, library, party, conferences):
- How well-equipped is the library? Are many recent publications available? Are major journals available? How many books can you borrow?
- Is there a career centre? How helpful is it?
- What other activities are offered by the university? (e.g. sports, cinema, students union)
- What is the living situation like? (e.g. halls of residence, student houses, private flats etc.)
- How much do you have to pay for a room on average?
- Is it difficult to find nice and cheap accommodation?
- How long before university starts does one have to look for a place to stay?
- How much money do you need per month for living?

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ALL ASSESSMENTS AND QUESTIONS SHOULD BE EMAILED TO:
careersection@globalpolitics.net