English, History & Politics

From Beauty and the Beast to Little Red Riding Hood, animals play a prominent role in traditional fairy tales – sometimes representing what we most fear or desire. This workshop considers the role of animals in Angela Carter’s rewritings of classic fairy tales in her collection, The Bloody Chamber. We discuss these tales in the context of feminism and discuss how Carter challenges traditional gender ideas.

Pitching an idea for a standalone novel simply doesn’t wash with publishers anymore. Just like Harry Potter, Twilight, or The Hunger Games, companies want a story that can spread out across a series of books, films, TV series, comic books, computer games, toys, even theme park rides. In this session, groups of students create a concept that can be translated across the narrative specifics of each medium.

What is an argument? How can we communicate our ideas in the most effective way? This practical workshop focuses on the key essay writing skill of developing an argument. Working with examples from your curriculum, it explores the essential steps to take when preparing a coherent and persuasive argument.

In early folklore, vampires are represented as grotesque, corpse-like figures, mindlessly feeding on their victims. Absorbed into popular literature, the figure of the vampire has undergone many transformations, from aristocratic dandy to teenage heart-throb. What hasn’t changed is the vampire’s popularity. In this session we consider what accounts for the enduring appeal of the literary vampire, and ask how this versatile literary figure might be linked to a range of social and historical anxieties.

From Goodbye to All That to Oh! What a Lovely War and Blackadder Goes Forth, World War One has had a profound effect on our culture. And poets, novelists and memoirists have played a major role in shaping our understanding of the war and its effects. This session examines war poets such as Wilfred Owen and Edward Thomas and considers how modernist writers such as Ford Madox Ford, T S Eliot and Virginia Woolf responded to the conflict.

Isn’t poetry outdated? Aren’t poets out of touch with the real world? In this session, we explore examples of poets writing about popular culture and using popular culture to create character and voice – from Popeye to The Simpsons and Cardi B. Through exercises and group discussion, students critically and creatively analyse their position as readers of text and consider poets’ reasons for including popular culture in their work. Students are also guided through short writing exercises to encourage them to consider these ideas in their own writing.

Frankenstein is told through a number of male voices – Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein and the creature. The female characters play an important role but seem to occupy the margins of the narrative. This workshop explores the representation of women in this novel, examining attitudes to gender. We focus on the often overlooked character of Safie, bringing in discussion of non-western cultures in the story.

Can the book survive in the age of the internet? What’s the point of reading novels when there are so many other claims on our attention? Why read something hundreds or even thousands of years old when millions of new things were written yesterday? Who decides what counts as good writing? What do stories do for us and why do we need them?

In the 19th century it was believed that women were particularly prone to mental illness. In this session students explore attitudes towards gender and madness in Victorian literature and culture. We consider how so-called madwomen are represented in the characters of Bertha Rochester in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, and Miss Havisham in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. We examine these characters and try to decide whether these women were mad, bad or misunderstood.

Using historical perspective, we examine key elections in the United Kingdom including the 1945, 1979 and 1997 elections. We discuss themes and challenges in each election covering the swing to the left, Conservative failings, Labour’s public relations, Thatcherism, the Winter of Discontent and the modernisation of the Labour party. The study of each election allows students to become more familiar with academic interpretations of history.

We investigate the education and employment backgrounds of MPs, Prime Ministers and other key figures within the United Kingdom. We debate whether, in light of the information shared, Britain is a pluralist or elitist society. Participation and turnouts at UK elections are also discussed, alongside a quiz on local politics.

We examine the centre of power within the British state from the national to the local, looking at parliamentary democracy and extra-parliamentary pressures. We also discuss key stakeholders within British political parties and party funding.

Learn how to search for books and skilfully explore the library shelves.

Ignite your critical thinking skills with the superpower of questioning.

Navigate the choppy waters of referencing and set a course for academic success.

Conquer presentation anxiety – discover practical tips to deliver confident, engaging presentations.

Reflection has an important role to play in future learning and self-development.

Learn to master time to achieve success both in your studies and life.