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Thinking, reading, and experimenting to maximise your potential
School of Arts and Digital Industries
Humanities and Creative Industries
Welcome The School of Arts and Digital Industries at the University of East London (UEL) is a forward thinking school in the thriving artistic, cultural hot bed of east London. The school has a great breadth of academic activity from a wide variety of disciplines which will provide a unique flavour to your experience at UEL. Our academic staff create a diverse and innovative learning environment that will not only challenge you, but also expose you to a rich mix of culture and knowledge. The school is supported by excellent technical and administrative support staff and courses are taught in purpose-built facilities to ensure you have a full suite of resources available to you throughout your study. The school is committed to maintaining high standards in all areas. We have excellent engagement with industry, and cultural and community organisations across London and beyond. You will be able to develop your creative skills, collaborate across disciplines, have access to exciting projects and work placements and complete a qualification that will offer you great employment opportunities for the future.
Simon Robertshaw Dean of the School of Arts and Digital Industries
Humanit Creative Humanities and creative industries courses cover a broad range of disciplines that seek to provide an intellectually challenging environment. Our courses encourage an interdisciplinary approach and engage students in critical analysis and practice. Our academic team are internationally renowned scholars, active researchers and experienced professional practitioners as well as staff with emerging profiles in research and practice. We work alongside an exciting range of cultural and creative-sector partners and have close links with employers and leading organisations across the arts, cultural and creative industries. Students engage in work-based learning projects, and undertake work experience placements. As a student here you will have access to a huge range of resources, including studios, exhibition areas, printmaking workshops, a multimedia production centre and a writing centre. We will support you to push boundaries and maximise your academic and creative potential so that you are prepared for a rewarding working life in the cultural and creative industries.
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ties and e Industries
Undergraduate courses
Our undergraduate humanities and creative industries courses at the University of East London are enriched by international networks and professional teaching staff who encourage you to develop your passion and skills and prepare you for your future career.
Humanities and Creative Industries degrees with foundation years
BA (Hons) Advertising UCAS code: N561 / Points: 280
Extended degrees offer an alternative route into higher education for students who do not have the traditional qualifications to start an undergraduate degree, but who wish to progress onto study at BA level in visually creative areas. These include advertising, creative and professional writing, English literature, history, journalism and sports journalism.
Advertising at UEL combines industry practice based modules with media production and theoretical learning, to offer a comprehensive approach to the study of contemporary advertising and promotional culture.
The course offers you broad experience across this range of creative disciplines, and combines the ambitions of a foundation course with the opportunity to progress directly onto Level 1 of a Bachelor’s degree following successful completion of the level-0 year. Courses are taught by practicing artists, designers and architects who are abreast of contemporary developments in their fields. The dedicated Extended Degrees Studio is located in the AVA (Architecture and the Visual Arts) Building, which also houses the BA courses and a full range of workshops that are available to Extended Degree students.
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You receive extensive instruction in photography, digital and social media, together with theoretical examinations of psychology, identity, lifestyle and social experience in media and consumer culture. The course embeds key employability skills within the teaching curriculum through placements working to assigned briefs and conducting consumer research. By combining industry experience, media production skills and theory, the advertising degree provides an excellent springboard for a range of careers in the global creative and promotional industries. With foundation year: UCAS code: N564 / Points: 160
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BA (Hons) Creative and Professional Writing UCAS code: W800 / Points: 280 The BA (Hons) Creative and Professional Writing course aims to break down the barriers between traditional ways of looking at ‘genre’ in writing and allows you to experiment with a variety of genres and media forms. The course tutors stress the importance of experimenting with verse/fiction/drama and different media to develop new forms and new representations. Tutors are dedicated to developing your writing skills, along with enhancing your understanding and experience of the professional writing world, and have themselves achieved excellence as writers and teachers. You will also draw on the expertise of award-winning novelists, professional scriptwriters, internationally-published poets and cutting-edge critics. You will gain valuable insights from guest lectures by visiting writing professionals and from receiving feedback and advice from Royal Literary Fund fellows. You will also have opportunities to publish work and learn about editing by contributing to the online student e-zine UNBOUND (view online at: unboundonline.co.uk). The course stimulates writing through varied
readings, small-group workshops, lectures, directed creative assignments and insightful feedback and guidance. You are encouraged to find your own paths as writers. With foundation year: UCAS code: W801 / Points: 160
thinkers and fluent writers who understand how to locate, evaluate and communicate information. They can work independently and collaboratively, and they possess the capacity to understand and communicate complex ideas clearly and persuasively.
BA (Hons) English Literature UCAS code: Q200 / Points: 300
BA (Hons) History UCAS code: V100 / Points: 280
There are many ways to study and understand the world – how it works, why it looks the way it does, ways in which it might be changed – and literature is one of the best and most rewarding ways to do that.
BA (Hons) History focuses on the historical development of British society from 1600 to the late 20th century. Questions of class, gender and race and empire are central to our investigations, and we have additional expertise in oral history and memory studies.
Our BA (Hons) English Literature course offers the chance to study poetry, novels, drama and short stories from a range of historical periods and national traditions. Our purpose is to teach literature with energy and imagination, and to inspire you to read perceptively, think critically and write clearly. The course provides a strong foundation in British literature, beginning in the early modern period and moving through to contemporary writing, along with the opportunity to study thematic modules. The course develops a range of transferable skills that employers value: students of literature become skilled critical
You can take advantage of our location in London, both in terms of historical case studies and organising teaching sessions at some of the world-class archives and museum collections that are available to students within a few miles of the university. The Raphael Samuel History Centre, founded at the University of East London hosts a large course of presentations and events throughout the year that UEL students are invited to attend.
With foundation year: UCAS code: V101 / Points: 160
BA (Hons) Journalism UCAS code: P500 / Points: 280 You will train to become a journalist by reporting on east London and its international connections. Journalism staff act as mentors, commissioners and editors, working together with you on outwardfacing publications such as Rising East: London on the move. You will be encouraged to develop your own entrepreneurial projects, with advice and support from staff. Towards the end of your studies, you will have the option to augment your degree by taking the Professional Certificate in Journalism awarded by the Professional Publishers Association. UEL is currently the only UK university offering this arrangement. You will also learn about the history of journalism and debate its future. With foundation year: UCAS code: P501 / Points: 160
BA (Hons) Sports Journalism UCAS code: P502 / Points: 280 Sports Journalism combines stimulating investigations into academic controversies within sport and the media with a thorough grounding in practical journalistic skills.
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You are able to take full advantage of our location by maximising the chance to work in press boxes in London. During the first two years, you will cover at least fifteen sports events as a working journalist. Past students have been to games and events at Wembley, Twickenham, Lord’s, the Emirates Stadium and the Olympic Park, and they have developed relationships with lowerleague football clubs, other sports organisations and local papers. You will gain international sports journalism experience. UEL’s Going Global Bursary offers you the chance to apply for grants to travel abroad to cover sport. You will learn the techniques that journalists use to cover local and global sporting events and report sports news and developments. You get the opportunity to put these skills into practice, by writing your very own sports articles and magazines- we call this learning by doing. The University of East London invests heavily in sport, with a focus on high-performance sport, offering sports journalism students the chance to work with budding athletes.
With foundation year: UCAS code: P503 / Points: 160
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Journalism at UEL has been life changing. For aspiring journalists it provides great insight into the future of journalism. Nisha Jain BA (Hons) Journalism graduate
Postgraduate courses MA Writing: Imaginative Practice (Distance Learning)
Enhance your career with industry led Master’s courses at the University of East London. Our Master’s courses are enriched by international networks and industry collaborations which will enhance your knowledge and skills in the cultural or creative industries.
Our course is delivered by distance learning, using a fresh and innovative ‘virtual classroom’ environment. It offers an exciting, mixed-genre approach to writing, allowing you to hone your skills through critical creative practice. Through live and pre-recorded presentations, discussions and collaborative chat sessions, as well as using facilities for reflective writing, you’ll focus on new writing, expanding your personal frontiers. It allows you fertile ground for experimentation and the possibility to explore tradition or to break out of old forms and restrictions and create hybrid forms. The emphasis is on producing work for publication, performance or production that expresses contemporary writing and the cosmopolitan and international flavour of our university.
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You’ll explore the areas of realism, genre and adaptation, in preparation for a practice-based dissertation. We also engage with the issues surrounding access to distribution channels, agents, publishing, performance contexts, and alternatives to traditional avenues, including the internet and the future of publishing.
MA Heritage Studies The MA Heritage Studies course takes a wide and inclusive approach to public history and heritage that embraces the street and the internet as well as the museum or exhibition gallery. The courses have a strong focus on memory, oral history and multimedia production – all rapidly expanding areas of heritage practice. This course is designed to equip you with key skills in researching, interpreting and
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communicating history through a variety of media. It affords you an outstanding opportunity to develop the skills necessary to produce digital media and you can choose to submit a dissertation or a practice-based project/exhibition. A series of other postgraduate qualifications (Certificate, Diploma) are available if you wish to take fewer or stand-alone modules. Courses run in the evenings and courses can be taken full- or parttime. This MA offers potential career opportunities in museum and heritage roles, tourism, academic research, journalism, libraries and archives, education, broadcasting and new media.
Our Master’s courses are informed by our internationally recognised research, so you will be taught by subject specialists who are at the forefront of their fields.
Resources and facilities Humanities and Creative Industries resources include: –– –– –– –– –– –– –– As a humanities and creative studies student at UEL you will have access to a huge range of resources.
Studios Exhibition spaces Multimedia production centre, including radio suites Design labs and video editing suites Mac and PC labs Writing Centre Newsroom
The Writing Centre UEL’s Writing Centre is the focal point for the School’s writing events and activities. The centre offers writing support, and is also the headquarters of our writers in residence, our student literary e-zine, and our reading series, which features well-known as well as undiscovered authors.
UEL History and English Literature Society Students on our courses run the UEL History and English Literature Society, which organises a schedule of events throughout the year, including tours, talks and trips for students and staff alike.
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Creative Futures
Our annual end of year show, Creative Futures, celebrates the achievement and ambition of our students.
Students on the Advertising, Journalism, Sports Journalism, and Creative & Professional Writing degrees have the opportunity to showcase their talent. Creative Futures features an open mic event for creative performances, and an award ceremony at which prizes for outstanding work across all our courses are presented by key cultural and industry figures.
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Profiles Dr Helen Powell, SFHEA Senior Lecturer, BA (Hons) Advertising
Following a successful career at Bartle Bogle Hegarty, the advertising agency behind many famous brands including Levi’s, Lynx and British Airways, Helen brought her expertise to UEL. “As a tutor of advertising, it is important that I keep on top of what is an ever-evolving discipline and profession. I try and make sure my students have access to the latest reading materials and visits from industry speakers where applicable, and that I make myself available in person and online to deal with any issues that might arise during their studies. I like to think that I am approachable and this starts with a teaching style that is highly inclusive and interactive. “Coming to UEL is about recognising the value of education to change your life course. I love to see how students gain in confidence in both
To think that in some small way I have helped this to happen is extremely rewarding. 14 – 15
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their written and presentational skills, developing a strong sense of identity as their learning experiences really enhance who they are. To think that in some small way I have helped this to happen is extremely rewarding.” In between preparing classes, delivering lectures, running seminars, carrying out research, and publishing books, Helen ensures she finds the time to get to know her students in order to create a learning environment that is supportive and enabling. “Your career starts on day one of First Week – make the most of any opportunities that come your way!”
Samantha Dodd BA (Hons) Creative and Professional Writing “UEL has been an incredible experience for me. I came into my own as a writer here, and as a person, too. I now have the confidence, experience and knowledge to pursue the things I am passionate about, and to write persuasively and passionately. While on the Creative & Professional Writing course. I undertook two internships and founded a student-led subgroup of writers charity English PEN, called UEL PEN. We crowd funded and organised events, raising money for, and awareness of, imprisoned writers worldwide. I won four awards for my contributions to the UEL community, and I now work in my chosen field, for a freedom of expression, literature and literacy arts charity. I don’t think it’s possible to overstate how UEL opens doors for people who are willing to work hard. It values so much more than just marks, and I just wouldn’t be where I am today without the teaching staff on the Creative Writing course.”
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10 reasons you’ll be glad you came to UEL
19,000 current students from 120 different nationalities. The best years of your life, at university you’ll meet people of all ages and from all backgrounds, making friends that will last a lifetime.
3,850 free Samsung tablets given to new undergraduate students in 2014. Letting you learn more flexibly, you will receive a free tablet pre-loaded with your core e-textbooks.
£2m worth of scholarships and bursaries awarded each year. You will benefit from our generous financial support for students.
26 sports clubs and over 60 societies. You’ll have fun with plenty of time to pursue your passions outside of formal learning whether they are for a subject, a hobby or cause.
5 dedicated funding schemes to help you develop personally and professionally. Through our Going Global, Global Scholars, London Scholars, Civic Engagement Fund and Civic Engagement Scholarship, you’ll have opportunities to broaden your horizons by travelling abroad as part of your course or by bidding for funding to undertake community or studyrelated projects at home or overseas.
17% of our research rated world leading, the highest possible ranking, and a further 45% internationally excellent. You will be inspired by academic staff who are passionate about their subjects and learning more through ground-breaking research they will share with you.
10 top skills employers want. You’ll develop the leadership and professional skills to give you the edge in the job market - verbal communication, teamwork, commercial awareness, research and analysis, initiative/self motivation, drive, written communication, planning and organisation, flexibility and time management
84% of our students feel their course has developed them personally. You’ll have your mind stretched, your eyes opened and we’ll help you redefine your limits.
87% of our graduates in work or further study after six months. You’ll gain an academic qualification that will help you find the rewarding career you’ve dreamed about – both in terms of fulfilment and earning power.
70,000 alumni. You’ll gain lifelong membership of a global community of alumni across the globe.
How to apply Undergraduate applications All applications for full-time undergraduate courses starting in September are made via the Universities and Colleges Admissions System (UCAS). UCAS offers a secure, web-based application system which allows you to track your application. To register for UCAS, please go to www.ucas.com and follow the step-by-step guide. You will need the University of East London institution code which is E28.
Postgraduate applications Visit uel.ac.uk and search for the course you wish to apply for. Use the How to Apply section to apply directly using UEL’s secure online form.
Applicant Enquiries Tel: +44 (0)20 8223 3333 / Email: study@uel.ac.uk
facebook.com/universityofeastlondon @uel_news youtube.com/videouel uel.ac.uk/adi © University of East London First edition This publication has been prepared some months before the academic year to which it relates, and whilst every care has been taken to ensure accuracy at the time of going to press, its ongoing accuracy cannot be guaranteed. In particular, we are constantly developing and improving the courses, modules and options described in the publication, and we reserve the right to modify or discontinue them. No part of this publication is to be construed as an offer or the basis of any agreement between UEL and an individual.