Residential Study Week - Information
This information is for participants in the 'Bible and the Contemporary World' distance learning programme. Here you will find all you need to know in preparation for the next Residential Study Week (RSW).
The residential week begins at 9.00am on Monday 2nd September 2013 and ends at 12.30pm on Friday 6th September 2013. The programme will be made available in mid-December but may be subject to late amendment.
Your attendance is required from the start until 1pm on Wednesday 4th September 2013 but we schedule seminars and tutorials for Thursday and Friday so hope that you will stay for the whole week. A provisional programme for the week and a calendar of submission dates for assignments within the module will be emailed to you.
In order that we can make preparations for your arrival it is vital that we know the length of your stay in St Andrews in advance. Please email the Distance Learning Officer, by 14th August 2013 telling him if you are departing after Wednesday lunchtime or when later in the week.
The information we need from you by 14th August 2013 - please email divinitydistance@st-andrews.ac.uk
(a) Your departure day and time.
(b) Your biographical entry (not more than 60 words) for the pamphlet we issue to students at the RSW.
(c) Any disability you wish us to know about.
Accommodation
You need to arrange your own accommodation in St Andrews. Places in University Halls of Residence are available, upon request, in September only. Most students choose local B&B (Bed & Breakfast) at a cost from typically £70 per person per night.
To enquire about places in University accommodation for the September Residential Study Week, please email: studacc@st-andrews.ac.uk and remember to indicate that you are a distance learning student attending the study week for 'Bible and the Contemporary World'. You should do so as soon as possible.
Lists of commerical accommodation are also available at these, and other, sites:
Advance Preparation
You will have access to a wide range of electronc resources via your St Andrews IT account. This will include scholarly journals, e-books and other digitised materials provided under license.
A core reading list will be made available. Digital extracts from the core list will be made available to participants once the module is underway. The further extensive list contains items that, in most instances, will be available as e-journals or e-books accessible using your St Andrews IT account. For new entrants this becomes fully active closer to the commencement of the module.
Some reading lists may be available a few weeks before the module commences - but you are not normally expected to do reading in advance.
Assembling
We assemble at 9am on the first day of the Residential Study Week in the Senior Common Room of St Mary's College. You can see a panoramic photograph of the College buildings, here. A map showing the location of the College within St Andrews is available here Maps and directions
Biography
It greatly helps you to get to know the other students, and they you, if you are willing to provide brief biographical details which are made available to the group upon arrival at St Mary's College. Just a few words (no more than 60 please) about your family, hobbies, professional context, and reasons for choosing this course may be emailed to the Distance Learning Officer by 14th August 2013.
Registration and Matriculation
You should complete registration processes before arrival. Full instructions are emailed to you by the Registry some weeks before you commence your first module.
Social Activities
Refreshments (tea, coffee, soft drinks) are provided in the Senior Common Room at most breaks. Lunch is not provided but the Senior Common Room will be available for those who would like to bring their food back to the College. There a number of food outlets, including a Tesco store, very close to the College.
On one of the evenings of the Residential Study Week it has become our custom to have a meal together at a local restaurant. Arrangements are made once everyone arrives but you might wish to estimate spending £25 on that occasion.
On the Sunday evening before the Residential Study Week commences you will usually find a number of the students gathering in The Criterion at 9pm, just across from the College, on South Street. We hope that new entrants will join those returning to the programme.
Travel
The main University website has an extensive section on how to get here. That information is available here.
Tutorial
We normally arrange an individual tutorial for each student. This is an opportunity for you to ask questions about studying at postgraduate level, or explore aspects of your progress on the course. These will be conducted by phone or web-based video-conference during the semester.
Weather
In September, St Andrews can be bathed in sunshine but it might also be chilly, wet and windy. The same can be said for January - but being on the shore of the North Sea we don't normally get much snow in the town itself although the surrounding area can be quite different.
You should come prepared for wet weather but also for beautiful, bright days. The maritime climate is difficult to predict but very healthy.
