LMA-BD

12 Sept 2024

Foundations for Research - Identify the skills

FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND LAW

ACADEMIC YEAR 2020/21

Coursework Assessment Brief

Module Code: UJGUPW-15-M
Module Title: Foundations for Research
Submission Deadline: 28 April 2021 at 14h00
Assessment Component: B (Reflective Portfolio)
Assessment Weighting: 50% of total module mark
Marking and feedback deadline: 27 May 2021
(20 working days)
Note: All times are in 24-hour clock, UK time.

Assessment Instructions

Please submit a Reflective Portfolio following these instructions:

Using your ‘Skills Audit’ from Workshop 5 of Foundations for Research, select one skill or attribute from each section that you want to develop in the next 6 months through your participation in the LLM programme and related activities.

In this portfolio, use the STAR-LP method to demonstrate this development. Details of the STAR-LP method can be found in the FFR Workshop 5 folder.

Your portfolio should be written as a continuous first-person narrative recounting your experiences. However, it must be written in clear, grammatical English and in a semi-formal style—as if you were communicating your skills and attributes to an employer.

Structure of Your Portfolio

We recommend using the following structure for your portfolio:

Introduction (c. 200 words)

Identify the skills you have chosen and explain why you chose them. Reflect briefly on how you identified the areas for development (e.g., realising a weakness through experience on the LLM). You may also do some background reading on reflection and its role in learning and employment.

A Section for Each of the Five Skills/Attributes (c. 300 words per section)

Each of these sections should:

Cover one skill/attribute from each section of the skills audit.
Use the STAR-PL method to reflect on your development.
Accompany each skill section with at least one piece of evidence (as appendices, if appropriate).

Note: Focus more on the reflection and learning/planning portions of the STAR-PL method. Keep the description of situations and tasks minimal.

Conclusion (c. 200 words)

Summarize your observations across the five sections, commenting on how your practices have changed as a result of this reflection or any thoughts on reflections and skills as part of your academic/professional development.

Appendices

Provide at least one piece of evidence for each of the 5 skills chosen. You must also include the compulsory evidence outlined below.

Compulsory Evidence

You must submit evidence related to the following activities to show your engagement with the module. This can be used to support your narrative or added at the end of the portfolio.

Law Databases Certification
Provide certification for training in at least two law databases.
UWE Library Study Skills Events/Tutorials
Evidence attending at least three study skills events/tutorials, with a short paragraph (max 100 words) outlining what was covered and how it supported your skills development.
Department of Law Research Events
Provide the name of the speaker at the event you attended and a short paragraph (max 100 words) outlining what was covered and what you learned.

Optional Evidence

Skills Development in Other LLM Modules
Evidence of learning in other LLM modules, including the module name, lecturer, and a short description (max 100 words).
Work Experience
Include the name of the organisation and a short paragraph (max 100 words) about what you learned in relation to the chosen skill.
Attendance at Careers Events
Provide details of the event, the speaker, and what you learned (max 100 words).
Volunteering
Include the name of the organisation and a short paragraph (max 100 words) about what you learned.
Membership in Relevant Organisations
Provide details of the organisation and how it contributed to your skills development (max 100 words).

Marking Criteria

The LLM Assessment Criteria will be used to assess this assignment. Full assessment criteria are available in the LLM Handbook on Blackboard. These were also discussed in detail during Foundations for Research.

Formative Feedback and Support

Formative feedback provides opportunities to reflect on your work and prepare for your assignment. Refer to Blackboard for resources such as:

Module Handbook
Workshop 5 materials
Workshop 8 and 9 materials, particularly on assessment criteria
Assignments folder on Blackboard for assessment criteria

Formatting

File format: Word (.doc or .docx)
Font: 12-point Times New Roman or Arial
Double-spaced
First page: student number, module name and number, word count, coursework title

Word Limit

Maximum: 2000 words (excluding appendices)
No +10% allowance
Word count includes everything in the main body of the text (headings, tables, citations, etc.)
References, bibliography, and footnotes (if used only for references) are NOT included in the word count.

Referencing and Assessment Offences

Use the OSCOLA referencing system for all sources. Improper referencing can lead to plagiarism or assessment offences. Be aware of UWE’s Assessment Offences Policy, including rules on text-matching software and academic integrity.

Instructions for Submission

Submit via Blackboard before the deadline. Ensure your file is correctly uploaded, and retain your receipt. Late submissions within 24 hours will be capped at a pass; submissions beyond this will not be accepted.

Final Feedback and Marks Release

Marks and feedback will be available by 27 May 2021. Any delays will be communicated through Blackboard.

Further Guidance and Support

UWE Library Study Skills
Faculty of Business and Law’s Academic Success Centre
Refer to UWE’s Academic Advice pages for additional resources and support.

Personal Circumstances

If you experience difficulties completing your assessment on time due to unexpected events (e.g., illness, bereavement), contact a Student Support Adviser as soon as possible to discuss applying for Personal Circumstances (PCs).

7 Sept 2024

Postcolonial Literature

Postcolonial literature is a complex and multifaceted field that explores the legacies of colonialism and imperialism. This text provides a comprehensive overview of the key concepts, themes, and debates within postcolonial studies.

Key Themes and Concepts

Colonialism and Imperialism: The text highlights the central role of colonialism and imperialism in shaping postcolonial experiences. It discusses the impact of European domination on indigenous cultures, economies, and societies.
Cultural Supremacy: The concept of cultural supremacy, often imposed by colonizing powers, is a recurring theme in postcolonial literature. It refers to the belief that European culture is superior to other cultures.
Postcolonial Identity: Postcolonial literature explores the challenges of constructing a postcolonial identity in the aftermath of colonialism. It often examines the ways in which colonized peoples negotiate between their cultural heritage and the influences of colonialism.
Resistance and Subversion: Many postcolonial texts explore themes of resistance and subversion, highlighting the ways in which colonized peoples have challenged colonial power structures and asserted their agency.
Hybridity and Syncretism: Postcolonial literature often reflects the hybrid and syncretic nature of postcolonial cultures, which are shaped by the mixing of different cultural influences.

Postcolonial literature

Critiques and Challenges

Eurocentrism: The text acknowledges the criticism of the term "postcolonial" for its Eurocentric implications. Some argue that it prioritizes the colonial experience over other historical and cultural factors.
Monolithic Definition: The text highlights the challenges of defining the postcolonial subject, emphasizing the diversity of experiences and perspectives within the postcolonial world.
Historical Context: The text underscores the importance of understanding the specific historical and social contexts of postcolonial literatures. This includes considering the unique experiences of different colonized regions and the ongoing impact of colonialism on contemporary societies.

Conclusion

Postcolonial literature is a rich and diverse field that offers valuable insights into the legacies of colonialism and imperialism. By exploring themes such as cultural supremacy, identity, resistance, and hybridity, postcolonial studies provide a critical lens for understanding the complexities of the postcolonial world.

Rudyard Kipling's Kim: A Timeless Tale of Identity and Adventure

Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) had to bear for posterity an unequal qualification as writer of adventure novels that would be better suitable for a young audience rather than the adult one because of his relegation to the disgraceful category of emblematic writer of the British empire.

However, his popularity has not diminished over the years but has evolved and the endless complexities of Kipling's narrative work have been enjoyed by a much better trained reading community. The novel masterfully handle the eternal quest of mankind for the spirituality and his own identity. We found that our hero is lack of his own identity and looking for where he belong to.

Like Stevenson, Kipling was not forgiven or could interpret numerous readings in his books with nuanced simplicity. The reader will find layers of context inside a novel like Kim (1901). It is clear that young people are able to read this novel quickly and funky, however specifically in this lies the grandeur of this work: that it can be grasped by all kinds of people and that you can receive a particular satisfaction, but a pleasurable satisfaction according to their age, their experience as a reader and their aesthetic requirements. In the picaresque chain of novels which Defoe and Fielding had as maximum fans in the English literature, Kim is an excellent link.

Rudyard Kipling

In that sense the ingredients are served from the first pages: a child named Kimball O'Hara lives in a city in India, orphaned by a mother from birth, and orphaned by a father later in his life who served as a sergeant to an Irish regiment based in India. The actions of the boy who lives by making nightly sights in love to couples, though, cannot be seen from European origins. Kim's way of life in the city has its origins in oriental mentality and is known as the "Friend of the whole World" Due to the diplomatic struggle between the Russian Empire and the British Empire, he learns the so called Great Game. Fortunately he gets a British commission to send a letter in Ambala to the British commander.

In response the chaplain of the regiment of Kim's father discovered that Kim belonged to Freemasonry, finding that he was wearing the mason's mark around his neck and pressuring him to split from the lama. But the lama persuade him that it is better for him and Kim is eventually placed to study at a prestigious British academy, which is funded by the lama, in the city of Lucknow. His life will change when he meets an old Tibetan lama.

He admires the old man a little different from the rogue, who usually benefits by who his boss is. His admiration is a bit different. Fortunately it's not here but the picaresque drives along other paths: Kim supposes he's a clever priest, but he's really good to cope with the world, and the money and food from where your journey is going are necessary. In fact, the lama thinks the Lord sent the boy to him as a reference to his work: the search for a sacred river where he purifies his soul.

The old man's fantasy was that river. The young man also has a goal. Time passes and Kim keeps up with the lama for whom the boy remains fond. Kim also remained in touch with the UK Secret Service, and on holidays, Lurgan Sahib, the jeweller who also serves as a British agent in the city of Simla, is recruited and trained for spying by Kim. A visual memory exercise called The Jewel Game is part of the education. Kim receives a government job after three years' training, from where he starts working at The Great Game, but before he has a well-deserved break in the process.

There is a marked oriental accent on the approach of history, because the two friends, an old man and a child, choose to travel the country on a predetermined road, moved by mere superstition, by dreams and prophets. Given the brilliance of Kim, the British spy service uses it to convey messages from one place to another in India to complicate things a little more. Much will be done in its development because the dynamism and pleasure of this work are one of the essential characteristics, so that the episodes will happen continuously. This force of narration and plot could lead us to think that we face an adventure story, but whoever stops reading this harsh story will be wrong.

Kim has a lovely and moving story of friendship, which lacks so much literature. Two characters, one young and one old, one inexperienced and one ingenious, one clever, and one seasoned, have completely different characters. This relation of opposites will bear complementarily. One needs the other out of admiration and allegiance, not out of mere personal interests. The book is not a moment where one partner is manipulating the other and even though they're not really physically close, even from a distance they're always real.

Whilst some believe differently, Kim is a novel that reveals distinctly Eastern thought, and it is not precisely to applaud their mindset while Western characters seem to be present. Kipling has found the main hurdles, while certain values may have a common character, to recognize this work in this defence of oriental values.

Rudyard Kipling was an ambitious writer and his novels ought to be discussed on this premise. Some may be nerdy or nostalgic, but I don't think this book includes a single passage, which might prove this. Kipling had the skills to escape the easy, and exactly what he does in this novel is to prove that a quick-story can even be made with Spiritual Quest and Quest for home in this Kipling’s Novel, the protagonist successfully achieved it.

Discover the enduring appeal of Rudyard Kipling's classic novel, Kim. Explore the complex themes of identity, spirituality, and friendship as young Kim embarks on a journey of self-discovery across India. From its picaresque narrative to its insightful exploration of Eastern philosophy, Kim offers a captivating and thought-provoking reading experience for all ages.

Keywords: Rudyard Kipling, Kim, postcolonial literature, adventure novel, identity, spirituality, friendship, India, colonialism, imperialism, Eastern philosophy, picaresque novel