Goldsmiths College - Full Curriculum
2011 Spring/Summer - Partner Institution

Accreditation

Goldsmiths College is part of the prestigious University of London, a federation of 20 self-governing colleges located throughout London that are recognized by the UK's Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.

Goldsmiths College, University of London

Goldsmiths College, University of London began as Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute in 1891, an institution dedicated to the personal and professional development of people of the New Cross area. In 1904 the Institute became part of the University of London system and was renamed Goldsmiths College. Since that time, Goldsmiths has developed into a unique learning institution with a reputation for quality academics and an interdisciplinary approach to education. It is consistently ranked in the top 20 universities in the UK and is a member of the prestigious '94 Group, a group of smaller, research-oriented universities.

With a student population of over 7,000 full time students, of which approximately 1,200 are international students from over 120 countries, Goldsmiths appeals to a wide variety of creative students. The college's campus is located in the New Cross area of south- east London approximately 15 minutes by overland train from Central London.

As a CEA student at Goldsmiths you will have access to all of the university services afforded to any full time student. These include university clubs and societies, computer labs and campus sporting facilities, as well as frequent on campus entertainment, performances and exhibitions. In addition, you will have access to the popular University of London Union (ULU) in Central London.

Classroom Information

• Faculty from Goldsmiths College will teach your courses.
• Periodic exams, homework assignments and final exams will be administered.
• Attendance in all classes is mandatory and monitored by each professor.
• Teaching styles in England can be very different from those found in the US or Canada. Be prepared to adapt to the different classroom structures and coursework expectations for your school.
• Class size ranges between 25 and 75 students, depending on whether it is a lecture or seminar. You will be in class with CEA participants, international students, and host nationals

Grading

You will find that you will not have the same system of accountability that you are used to at your home university. English professors assume that you are there to learn and they typically do not take responsibility for your learning. You are responsible for knowing the subject matter and researching topics related to your course. In addition, many English professors will not give feedback about how you are doing. Grades are usually based on a final exam, paper or oral presentation. Quizzes, homework assignments and midterms are rare. Even though homework is not assigned to you, you will still be responsible for knowing the material at the end of the semester.

Courses are graded by each instructor using the British system where the grade derived represents the quality of work produced in relation to British degree classifications (first, upper second, lower second, third, pass, fail) usually with an indication whether the performance is high, middling, or low within that classification. The grade distribution is shown below.