Introduction from the Dean

Introduction

Professor Anne Murphy, Dean School of Humanities University of Hertfordshire

In this yearbook you will find a summary of various departments from the School of Humanities and chosen paths by the class of 2020 graduates at the University of Hertfordshire.

I was delighted to be asked to introduce our first School of Humanities Yearbook. I am very proud of our School, the students who study with us and the colleagues who teach and support them. The School is a wonderfully varied place. We are home to seven subject areas: English Language & Linguistics, English Literature & Creative Writing, History, Languages, Philosophy, Politics & International Relations and Media. We have around 90 members of staff, both academic and professional, and nearly 900 students. Our students come from all over the world to study at UH.

There’s much emphasis these days on the value for money and future earning power of a university education. But educational success should not be measured by what you will earn, it should be measured by: • The ability to rise to the challenge of being exposed to new ideas, different perspectives, debate and argument;

• The ability to acquire the skills that are valuable no matter what path you take • and a skill that, no matter how much society and technology changes, will serve you for life – the ability to learn and adapt.

In the pages that follow you will find celebrations of all these things as seen through the eyes of the students who are graduating in the class of 2020. As you leave UH, I hope this yearbook will remind you of the friends you made, the successes you experienced and the struggles you overcame.

I, and my colleagues, are very proud of our students. The graduating class of 2020 are leaving us at a time of unprecedented global uncertainty. But as students of the humanities, you have the skills and adaptability to succeed and to make a positive contribution to the world.

The staff of the School of Humanities wish you every success for the future and thank you for being part of our lives and contributing to our community of learning.