Humanities - Offer Holder Day 2020 programme

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION & HUMANITIES

Your offer holder day programme

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YOUR OFFER HOLDER DAY PROGRAMME

What is an offer holder day?

Exclusive to those who have received an offer to study with us, offer holder days are your opportunity to experience life as a University of Gloucestershire student and explore your course in greater depth.

Most importantly, this is an opportunity to find out if we’re the right university for you.

¡ Get involved with interactive course sessions in our amazing facilities ¡ Meet and chat with the lecturers who will be teaching you ¡ Meet your future classmates ¡ Tour our stunning campuses and new accommodation ¡ Meet current students and hear about their experiences

You’ll also have the chance to hear more about whether you could be eligible for our merit scholarship, which is £1,200 to support you with the cost of your studies.* Check out glos.ac.uk/funding for all the details. *Terms and conditions apply, see glos.ac.uk/meritscholarships

Not booked your place yet?

Saturday 22 February Wednesday 4 March We’d love to see you here, but you’ll need to book your place if you’d like to come along. If you haven’t already, secure a place at one of our humanities offer holder days at glos.ac.uk/humanitiesday

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YOUR OFFER HOLDER DAY PROGRAMME

FAQs I have already attended an open day should I go to an offer holder day too?

Yes, this is your chance to find out what it would really be like to study your course so they’re worth attending. At an open day you would have attended a course talk, but at an offer holder day we’ll go into more detail about your course and you’ll get involved in interactive sessions to get a real feel for studying with us.

Can I bring guests?

Yes, you can bring two guests and there will be a Q&A session specifically for them. If you would like to bring more guests please let us know in advance.

What time does the day start and finish?

Where should I go to on arrival?

The day runs between 10.30am – 4pm. Please check-in at Francis Close Hall (FCH) Campus Chapel where there’ll be student ambassadors to welcome you.

Do I need to bring anything?

You don’t need to bring anything, other than enthusiasm and a willingness to get involved.

What parking arrangements are available?

We’ll email you a parking permit before the day which you’ll need to print and use for parking on campus; remember to bring it with you on the day.

How do I reach the campus by bus or train?

Train: The closest train station is Cheltenham Spa, which is a 20 minute walk from our Park Campus. You can get 20% off return advance purchase tickets for your journey to Cheltenham through GWR. Visit glos.ac.uk/railtravel

Bus: You can catch a National Express bus to Cheltenham from most cities.

Visit nationalexpress.com. Locally, you can hop on the 94U from Cheltenham town centre, which stops right outside the campus.

Will I be able to look around the university accommodation?

As well as our on-campus accommodation, you’ll also have the opportunity to view our Pittville Student Village which features 800 en-suite studios and one-bed flats, shared en-suite flats, and shared townhouses with shared bathrooms. Plus, there’s a student bar, gym, refectory, laundry room and faith space.

Is food provided?

Refreshments are provided on arrival and you will receive a complimentary lunch. If you or your guests have any dietary requirements or additional support needs please let us know in advance.

How do I book?

Visit glos.ac.uk/humanitiesday to confirm your place today.

How can I contact you if I have any questions?

For any further enquiries please don’t hesitate to contact us on 03330 141414 or email enquiries@glos.ac.uk Campus address: Francis Close Hall Campus, Swindon Road, Cheltenham, GL50 4AZ

YOUR OFFER HOLDER DAY PROGRAMME

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Your schedule Time

Session

Open to

10.30 – 11.00

Check-in at Francis Close Hall (FCH) Chapel

Offer holders and guests

11.00 - 11.45

Course welcome talks

Offer holders and guests

12.00 – 13.00

Question and answer session Find out more about student life, finance, accommodation and student support.

Guests only

12.00 – 13.30

Course taster sessions

Offer holders only

BA (Hons) Creative Writing

Offer holders only

12.00 – 12.45

Prose workshop Photographs are a great resource for prose writers.

In this session, we’ll do a workshop using photographs to inspire the setting up of scenes, the creation of characters and how we build description into stories.

12.45 – 13.30

12.00 – 12.45

12.45 – 13.30

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The short story and the poem We often think that short stories are truncated novels, as though the author ran out of inspiration.

However, short stories are a unique literary form that is close to poetry in form, style and construction.

Offer holders only

BA (Hons) English English: the power of literature We will consider Shakespeare on his own stage, discussing whether thinking about Renaissance dramatic techniques changes how we perceive his plays.

Offer holders only

English: the power of language We will explore the power of rhetoric and language to persuade, convince and deceive. We will look at some of the greatest speeches of all time and consider how rhetoric can transform self and society.

Offer holders only

YOUR OFFER HOLDER DAY PROGRAMME

Time

Session

Open to

BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing Prose workshop Photographs are a great resource for prose writers.

In this session, we’ll do a workshop using photographs to inspire the setting up of scenes, the creation of characters and how we build description into stories.

Offer holders only

12.45 – 13.30

English: the power of language We will explore the power of rhetoric and language to persuade, convince and deceive. We will look at some of the greatest speeches of all time and consider how rhetoric can transform self and society.

Offer holders only

12.00 - 13.30

BA (Hons) History/BA (Hons) History and Religious Studies Exploring Social History We first consider the creation of the Victorian workhouse, examining how it inspired both awe and terror. Then, using a range of testimonies and visual resources, we explore everyday life in the Soviet Union.

Offer holders only

12.00 – 13.30

BA (Hons) History and Philosophy/ BA (Hons) Religion, Philosophy and Ethics The examined life Plato famously said that an unexamined life is not worth living, but what is an unexamined life? If it was possible to live without reference to religion or philosophy, would that really be a problem?

Offer holders only

13.30 - 14.15

Complimentary lunch

Offer holders and guests

14.15 - 14.45

Student talk

Offer holders and guests

14.45 onwards

Campus tours with current students.

View our stunning campus facilities with a current student who can answer questions about what it’s like to live and study here.

Offer holders and guests

14.45 onwards

Hardwick accommodation tours Tour our Hardwick halls (just a short walk from FCH Campus) with one of our student ambassadors.

Offer holders and guests

14.45 onwards

Off-campus accommodation tours Take a tour of our Pittville Student Village which features a mix of 800 en-suite studios and one-bed flats, shared en-suite flats, and shared townhouses with shared bathrooms. Plus, there’s a gym, student bar, refectory, laundry room, and faith space.

Offer holders and guests

12.00 – 12.45

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Francis Close Hall Campus

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YOUR OFFER HOLDER DAY PROGRAMME

Inspiring surroundings With historic buildings and a strong sense of community, Francis Close Hall is a truly inspiring place to study. Just a short walk away from Cheltenham town centre, you’ll have everything you need right on your doorstep.

Performed and published

Where history comes to life

Space to think

See your work performed by professional actors in a staged reading at the Cheltenham Everyman Theatre, or perform your own work at our various pop-up events during the annual Cheltenham Literature Festival and the Cheltenham Poetry Festival.

You can also publish your work in our student-led magazine, Show Don’t Tell, as well as our annual paperback anthology, the New Writing Series.

As well as our stunning and historic campus, which has been part of our heritage for over 150 years, you’ll benefit from local excursions to historic sites and centres.

You’ll use a range of investigative approaches when handling historical sources such as manuscripts, art, literature, film, photography, music – all accessed through our local and international partnerships with museums, archives and historical sites.

Our students are active participants in the Cotswold Centre for History and Heritage, developing their investigative and analytical skills by conducting original research out in the community.

Explore “the big questions” in our beautiful on-campus chapel and through challenging seminar sessions.

Our students develop expertise through a global network of research scholars, exploring live research with contemporary scholars across the world. Recently students have studied how religion is manifesting on the internet through UFO cults, popular-culture spiritualities, Pagan traditions and North American Satanism with experts in Sweden, Canada and Australia.

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Meet our lecturers Be mentored by professional authors, poets and renowned academics, who will challenge and encourage you to push your creative and critical thinking to the limits.

You’ll also benefit from high-profile guest speakers, which have included dramatists and script writers Alan Pollock and Barnaby Easton-Jones, voice coach, actor and theatre director Jacqui Crago, poet Alicia Stubbersfield and the Guardian’s Kehinde Andrews.

“My passion for history actually originates with the blues. I’ve loved the blues since I was little, and through it I became aware of the issues surrounding African American history; slavery, civil rights, culture, and the influence this had on American society. In my teaching I use culture as a new way of exploring the past, providing new and previously unheard interpretations.”

Dr Christian O’Connell, History

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YOUR OFFER HOLDER DAY PROGRAMME

“My research and teaching examines how language encodes the stories we live by, and shapes how we see ourselves and our relationship with other animals and the earth. This involves linguistic analysis of a wide range of discourses, from advertising which encourages people to buy unnecessary and ecologically damaging products, to the inspirational language of nature writing.’’

Prof Arran Stibbe, English

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Graduate opportunities

“Studying History at the University of Gloucestershire enabled me to quickly understand the context to difficult situations, as well as the ongoing impact of historical events around the world. I am now the Humanitarian Programme Officer at the Al-Khair Foundation. We specialise in organising responses to natural and man-made disasters all over the world. I am deployed to the field and have travelled to Nepal, Iraq, Togo and Greece in response to the European Refugee Crisis.”

Stefan Cramer, History graduate

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“The course played a central role in my professional success as it teaches you how to debate your view, empathise with others and communicate topics that can be hard to comprehend. Upon graduating, I was the production designer on a film, Refugee, which won a BAFTA. I now work as a content producer for The Charity for Civil Servants.”

Jessica Toogood, Religion, Philosophy and Ethics graduate

YOUR OFFER HOLDER DAY PROGRAMME

“My time at University of Gloucestershire gave me the grounding I needed for a successful career as a writer and academic.

The support I had from my lecturers and supervisors was invaluable in helping me find my voice and in securing publishing deals for three books.”

Daniel Sluman, Creative Writing graduate

Explore further afield Our students have previously visited Roman, Arabic and Christian sites in the UNESCO World Heritage Centre of Cordoba, Spain. They experienced and absorbed the city’s ancient heritage and toured with published experts, authors and poets. There have also been trips to Washington DC and India and local outings such as experiencing Halloween in Glastonbury.

Students have forged unforgettable experiences on field trips, including visiting Leicester’s Diwali festival, a world-famous event that celebrates Hinduism and its history. We also visit theatres, museums and local historic sites, as well as offering you the opportunity to study abroad in the USA, Canada, Ireland and Spain.* *Trips may change from year to year. Terms and conditions apply for trips and study abroad options; please see our website for more details at glos.ac.uk

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Get in touch Enquiries 03330 141414 enquiries@glos.ac.uk Admissions and applications 03330 141414 admissions@glos.ac.uk Money advice 01242 714535 moneyadvice@glos.ac.uk Accommodation 01242 714544 accommodation@glos.ac.uk

Francis Close Hall Campus, Swindon Road, Cheltenham, GL50 4AZ

W00273 12/19PDF

glos.ac.uk

YOUR OFFER HOLDER DAY PROGRAMME All information is correct at the time of production.

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