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Teaching
Teaching is delivered through a series of seminars held in the Faculty during the first (Michaelmas) and second (Lent) terms. The seminars focus on salient critical and theoretical issues in the discipline and may include presentations by MPhil students and other research students.
Throughout the course, students are encouraged to undertake independent reading and study in order to consolidate what is under discussion in the seminars. In addition, they attend the department's weekly graduate research seminars, the department's fortnightly subject-specific research seminars (medieval, Renaissance, architectural history, modern and contemporary and so on: see here for an overview) and other lectures and seminars in the department and elsewhere in the University, such as those delivered annually by the visiting Slade Professor of Fine Art.
The syllabus is as follows:
- Attendance at seminar-based courses in the first (Michaelmas) and second (Lent) terms.
- Frequent attendance at the department's research seminars.
- Attendance at classes in skills training and career development.
- Frequent individual consultation with the candidate's Supervisor, who will guide the candidate's choice of topics and preparation of individual written work for essays, presentations and the dissertation
- Seminar courses run over two terms (Michaelmas and Lent). The seminars are led by faculty members and can include presentations by MPhil students and other research students when requested by the seminar leaders.
- A taught course relevant to your research topic offered at the MPhil level by another University department (e.g., Classics, English, History, Modern and Medieval Languages) may be undertaken in addition to one of the two taught courses, with the approval of your Supervisor and the Degree Committee of the Faculty of Architecture and History of Art. This needs to be discussed and arranged at the start of the first term (Michaelmas).
| One to one supervision | Students will have their supervisors confirmed at the beginning of their course in October. Throughout the year, their supervisors provide regular individual research supervision. Students should expect to meet their Supervisor for around 60 minutes regularly in the first (Michaelmas) and second (Lent) terms, typically once every two or three weeks. The University of Cambridge publishes an annual Code of Practice which sets out the University's expectations regarding supervision. |
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| Seminars & classes | Students are expected to attend their taught seminar courses and the department's research seminars (approximately 12 per term). For the first two terms, students typically spend at least 30 hours per term attending taught and research seminars. |
| Lectures | Attending lectures is optional, but students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of lectures offered in the department and other faculties relevant to their research. Students will also have access to courses offered by the Language Centre. |
| Small group teaching | Students are expected to undertake research training totalling approximately six hours for the course. These courses can be supplemented with other courses provided by the University, School, Faculty, Department, and College. It is strongly encouraged that students take advantage of this provision in consultation with their Supervisor. |
| Posters and Presentations | Students present their dissertation plans during the second term (Lent) to a supportive forum that includes academic critics and their fellow students, who collectively provide constructive comments and criticism. |
| Taught/Research Balance | Equal Taught/Research |
Feedback
Students will be provided with feedback via their supervisions, supervisors' termly reports and coursework feedback. Students will also be asked to provide feedback to their Student Representative for the Staff and Student Liaison Committee meeting. This Committee meets termly.
Assessment
Thesis / Dissertation
The dissertation of not more than 15,000 words represents 60% of the overall mark and is submitted in June. The word count includes footnotes/endnotes but excludes appendices, bibliography, acknowledgements, table of contents, and list of illustrations. Any appendices will require the formal permission of your Supervisor who may consult the Degree Committee. Students must submit one electronic copy of their dissertation for examination.
An oral examination (viva voce) on the dissertation and on the general field of knowledge within which the work submitted falls may be required. Students must remain in or be prepared to return to Cambridge for such oral examinations, which will be held in June.
Essays
Two essays of not more than 6,000 words (one of which may include a literature review), including footnotes/endnotes but excluding the bibliography, on topics approved by your Supervisor and the Faculty, will be presented for examination. The essays represent 40% of the total mark. One will be submitted at the end of the first term (Michaelmas) and the other at the end of the second term (Lent). The deadlines for submission of these essays will be published in the postgraduate calendar each year.
Students must submit one electronic copy of each essay, with a bibliography and any relevant illustrations to be submitted with the text.
These essays need not relate to the themes of the taught seminar courses but may instead be directed towards the candidate's personal research interests.