Some information for a successful start of a new academic year, and a short welcome video from our Head of Department

The academic year 2021/22 is about to start. The Welcome Week programme starts on 20 September with a full schedule of events for new and returning students. Teaching starts from 27 September, and more information on the support available to new and returning students is available here.

Both Law and Criminology students should have received details of our exciting ‘Watch Together’ event during induction week - an annual tradition in which members of the department watch the same film and then join together for a discussion.

This year law students will be watching ‘The Firm’ which brings up several interesting issues around law and justice. The movie is available here. All you'll need to do is login using your RHUL address and password and you'll be able to watch for free.

In this year’s Criminology Watch Together Welcome Week Social Event, we will discuss the BBC documentary ‘Bill Cosby: The Fall of An American Idol’ (2017) documenting one of the biggest sexual violence scandals in the history of Hollywood and the dazzling world of show business dating from 1970s, with the context of #MeToo and beyond. The movie is available here. All you'll need to do is login using your RHUL address and password and you'll be able to watch for free.

Please note that the documentary touches on sensitive issues such as (underage) sexual violence and rape. It should therefore be stressed that it is not mandatory to watch it if you find the content distressing and/or upsetting in any way. In any case, you can always get in touch with RHUL counselling services if you feel affected by topics covered and/or require further information.

If you are a new student, we would like to convey our warmest congratulations for securing a place at Royal Holloway, University of London, and for choosing to study on one of our programmes. If you are a returning student, we are committed to doing our best to strengthening your academic skills, as well as supporting you to develop your future professional selves.

We welcome all of you to our multi-and inter- disciplinary and diverse department. Our students come from a wide variety of places across the world and enjoy different ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds. We are particularly proud of our diverse environment, and we celebrate differences, as we believe we can all learn from each other.

Newly enrolled and returning students have the possibility to check our Law Programme Resources Moodle Page for accurate and up-to-date information about the new term and the modules and activities offered by the Department of Law and Criminology.

In the Moodle page, you will find several interviews with members of the staff from the Department. In one of these interviews (see below), the Head of Department, Robert Jago, wishes that each new and returning student will be able to discover our unique sense of community and learning, as well as the Department’s commitment to social justice and diversity.

This term marks the return to in-person teaching after the pause caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The return to in-person teaching is very welcome, but the College has retained elements of digital learning which have proved effective and popular with students, in order to facilitate your learning experience and minimise disruptions should circumstances change.

At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic has not disappeared. As a result, the College has put in place specific measures to ensure the safety, well-being and good health of all people on campus, including a recommendation to all students to wear masks in all indoor communal spaces unless exempt.

We are here to support you throughout your studies, in order to ensure you make the most of your student experience here at Royal Holloway, University of London. If you want to know more about the initiatives planned to make our community more inclusive, and your learning experience more exciting, feel free to contact:

• Dr. Carlos Herrera-Martin at carlos.herrera-martin@rhul.ac.uk (Transition Tutor)
• Dr. Melanie Collard at melanie.collard@rhul.ac.uk (Student Experience Lead)

On behalf of all staff, welcome or welcome back! We wish you all a productive, exciting and safe year!