Meet our Humanities students
Sometimes Creative Writing has a stigma attached – personally I’ve had a lot of people question how you can study an art, and how an art can be taught to students – but I loved that Strathclyde offered such a clear approach to how it could be done. And from the beginning I was impressed at how well the classes dispelled that stigma.
I was a Programme Representative for MSc Diplomacy and International Security. In this role, I acquired various practical skills, such as gathering feedback, communication and organisation skills, and learned how to build collaborative working relationships, gaining the trust and confidence of my peers.
I really enjoyed working as a team. I find that this is really important for international students who may be experiencing their first time studying abroad. I enjoyed the group discussions and hearing everyone’s views during the seminars.
I enjoyed the multidisciplinary approach to the course as not only did this give students more freedom over their learning, it also made class and group discussions more interesting and informative as students were able to bring different perspectives from other modules and backgrounds into their analysis.
The course content of specific topics based on contemporary diplomatic crises spiked my interest, as I was able to learn from real-time examples and issues, which allowed me to research and study these examples further, outside of the classroom.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of my course were the classes, where my lecturers encouraged us to put forward ideas and opinions at a more in-depth level than during my undergraduate degree. This made the classes interesting as hearing the arguments and opinions of other students encouraged each of us to consider different perspectives and develop a greater understanding of the topics that we were discussing.
An MSc in this field is a heavy amount of work, so juggling this and working pretty much full-time through the pandemic certainly increased my ability to manage my own workload – something employers are always keen on!
Your historical knowledge and awareness will increase significantly and you will develop a range of skills that will benefit you in the future. The facilities and academic resources available are amazing and will not only support you throughout the course, but will also help you to make the most of your Strathclyde experience.
The teaching and administrative staff of MSc Diplomacy and International Security provide a supportive learning environment for students to thrive and grow. They respond to enquiries and resolve complaints promptly. They also provide constructive academic feedback.
Honestly, I love that the Strathclyde research community is generous when it comes to sharing knowledge. People are always happy to help and suggest/advice on where to find what you’re looking for.
The course pushed me out of my comfort zone as several of my assignments involved presenting a topic of my choice to the class. I found this to be a valuable experience as it increased my confidence in speaking in front of people and being accountable for my work and research.
I really was amazed by how professional and organised the online platform was. I also liked the talented teachers and their respectful attitude towards students. I also admired how passionate they were about their specialist subjects. I felt that they wanted us to do really well in the programme and enjoy our studies.
The interdisciplinary aspect of the course means that you are encouraged to consider several different aspects of the subject you’re studying and encourages critical thinking when considering the historic foundations that influence present and future global issues.
The fact that the course was offered as a multidisciplinary MSc really encouraged me to step out my comfort zone and study courses offered by different departments...Taking classes from multiple disciplinaries allowed for me to expand my knowledge and consider debates from different angles.
The best part of the course is that it allows you to choose between different disciplines such as History, Law and Politics. Which I believe are crucial to becoming an outstanding professional in the field
I never felt as though I was being pigeonholed in to one particular genre or form. I have always pegged myself as a short story writer, but I saw that the master’s encouraged students to experiment with form and step outside of their comfort zone
The course provided a lot of freedom in terms of the creative writing which students were able to produce for assignments, with workshops focusing on tools and approaches which might help to achieve a final piece of writing.
The department of Study Skills is there for you if you need extra assistance, which I have utilised. You can count on it to give you advice on essays and even your dissertation.
The simple reason I went with a Joint Honours was that I was enjoying both options (History and Politics) and didn’t want to drop one when I went into 4th year. I also think going with a Joint Honours gives you more options as you move to postgraduate studies or look to the world of work, it shows a wider skillset I think.
I heard about the University of Strathclyde when I was in high school. At that time, I learned that many of the majors and courses of Strathclyde are ranked high or even top in the UK, especially business and humanities & social sciences programmes. Therefore, when I learned that I had the opportunity to apply to this university, I did not hesitate to seize the opportunity.
This is a very practical course and you will meet many outstanding people as your classmates. They may already be editors or reporters of well-known media organizations. You can learn from them and find a unique way of looking at problems.
TESOL provides me with a brand-new view about education nowadays, including the tools of teaching and the methods of teaching. Learning more about education around the world inspired me to choose the subject.
I have really enjoyed all of the guest speakers and people from the field that professors have been able to bring in to speak for us. It really helped me get an idea of the practical side of the field that I’m planning to enter.
If you want to take this course, my advice is to lay a good foundation and learn English and mother tongue well before you start taking this course. Because you have to switch between the two languages a lot in class.
I have been an advocate for positive, sustainable change since my days as an Enactus student and gaining an MSc Applied Gender Studies will better enable me to work towards the ambition of making gender equality a reality.
Despite so many restrictions, the university left no page unturned when it comes to providing an efficient learning experience along with inviting a range of guest lecturers. This certainly has been the highlight for me.
My scholarship was beneficial to my studies as I didn't have to worry about finances while doing my work. This also pushed me to work harder to live up to my scholarship, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to prove myself and be a successful student.
I can say that the English department has an extraordinarily welcoming faculty, and I would recommend that any new student feel comfortable getting in touch with them. It can be nerve wracking to ask questions or seek advice outside of class, but it has been my experience that they are more than willing to offer their advice and guidance if you need it.
I must admit that one of the things I enjoy most about the course is having access to a lot of new information and declassified documents. It’s always interesting to read about the discussions that happened behind closed doors.
Take a more active role in discussion during the tutorial and don’t be afraid to communicate with professors. Most of the time, when I was struggling on things, a short chat with a teacher can help me greatly.
My cohort were encouraged to pursue courses across history, law and politics and to discover our own areas of interest and speciality. I found that this to be a unique approach to learning, which led to my classmates covering a variety of timelines and topics of expertise.
I applied to Interdisciplinary English Studies as I am genuinely interested in how novels are shaped by society and vice-versa...If you love English literature and how it relates to the world around us, do it!
I want to say to all international students from China, study English hard, and don’t be shy, try to communicate with people. At Strathclyde, you will have an unforgettable experience and gain an international education and English language training, with social and cultural activities.
I had a great Spanish teacher who was really encouraging and after really enjoying learning the language I decided I wanted to take it further. The possibility of the year abroad was also really exciting and was something I knew I wanted to do.
Choose a subject that can sustain your passion through deep study and over a long period of time. Do some advanced research into your subject before applying so that you're familiar with the existing theories and techniques in the field.
I would say that my final year has been the best part of my course. It sounds crazy, but all my hard work from previous years paid off and I really enjoyed the final year coursework... it was amazing to really feel fluent in my languages.
As a languages student one of my highlights has to be my years abroad. Strathclyde gives you the freedom to do two years abroad if you're studying more than one language and this was a great opportunity for me to experience life in different countries, improve my language abilities by immersing myself in the culture and to make great memories.
Never be afraid to ask a question, suggest an answer, introduce yourself to someone new, it's creating the life you always wanted, to be a constant learner, friend and doer, but remember to look after yourself and take a break more often.
I thought business would open so many doors for me into the world, which is perfectly married up with the languages doing the same. Having the masters element of my degree also attracted me as it puts me miles ahead of the competition - essentially it is 2 degrees in 1, and it's free as I'm a Scottish student - why would I say no?
No matter if you are an expert in diplomacy and international security or know nothing, rest assured that there will be enough in the course to challenge the experienced ones, and plenty of opportunity for those who know nothing to gain valuable knowledge in such an important area.
I loved the idea of combining the elements of culture - interculture communication with places and literature, and I couldn’t find any course similar to it across other universities in the UK. It is not a generic English Literature degree, but it helps you explore more contemporary fields in connection to English studies, which can help you in the future both academically and professionally.
Being at Strathclyde by itself has been the highlight of my recent life. The opportunity to spend time and share ideas and exchange knowledge with some of the veteran journalists from global media houses like the BBCs and the Skys is invaluable.
On many HASS courses you are initially given the option to study 3 separate disciplines and then you would progress into second year with 2 or 1 disciplines. Use the ability to choose these 3 disciplines in your first year as a way to give yourself options.
I think the Masters in International Business and Modern Languages is unique in the respect that you gain a lot of life experience throughout the duration of the course, by spending a year living and studying abroad in a foreign language. I would say this is one of the most valuable things I have gained from my 5 years at Strathclyde.
The advice he (my brother) gave to me, which I followed, was to make an effort to meet new people, to join a society or club and to keep on top of the workload.
Within English, there are several colleagues working on similar research areas and learning from them over a coffee or in a meeting is a real pleasure and feels like a real collaborative effort within the department.
I carried out some research before accepting the offer and found that this university has a great reputation in the market and they have the best academic staff. I never thought in my wildest dreams that one day I would be studying in one of the most prestigious universities in the UK.
Upon visiting the university open day I immediately felt very comfortable in the surroundings, more so than I had done when I had visited other universities. The central location of the campus and the enthusiasm of the French lecturer on the day helped to solidify my choice to study here.
I chose Strathclyde because it provides an ideal research environment to realise the objectives of my research programme. The Strathclyde University's library gives me free access to all important journals related to my field. Further, the University's Researcher Development Programme for PhD students offer amazing sessions on personality and carrier development skills.
Unlike most students at Strathclyde, I am studying part-time AND from overseas. Most of our communication takes place online via e-mail or Skype. Doing a part-time PhD was an excellent way to do so, something that is not offered by many universities.
I've really enjoyed my time at Strathclyde. The staff in my department are interesting and supportive people, and I've made many good friends through the graduate school, which I've always found to be a welcoming environment to work in.
I have made some amazing friends in Glasgow, and the nightlife in Glasgow is amazing, so my highlights have to be some of the nights out we have had celebrating our milestones at university.
I'm really enjoying the detective work. Trying to piece together people's stories from fragmented pieces of evidence in the archives can be very rewarding. I also love the interdisciplinarity, though it's a bit frustrating that I can't sum up exactly what my area is one word: I see it as a mix of book history, periodical, literary and media studies and history of medicine.
Gender Studies is quite a niche degree that is not widely available yet. I heard about the course from Professor Karen Boyle, the course director for Applied Gender Studies at Strathclyde. After having looked at what the course entailed, and comparing it to the other options, it was clear that Strathclyde had one of the best options on offer. My choice was very easy.
I love how flexible practice-based research is. I've very much been allowed to work at my own pace and direct my own research activities, which have included things like community engagement.
I was always consulting with the course support team, can I choose this topic for my essay etc. They were always so supportive and were always helpful and available. I really appreciate it because as an international student it is a big move for me.
Gender is deeply embedded in everyday life from gender stereotypes even to toilet inequality! However, as much as I was aware of these problems, there was little progress in changing attitudes and little understanding towards what gender is and the role it plays in understanding structural inequality. As such, I wanted to enhance my exisiting knowledge on gender theories, while also learning new theories.
I really enjoy how practical and useful my programme has been so far. We're not just learning theory, we're doing hands on journalism creation and production. This is not only very helpful for future career prospects, it's really fun too!
I think it is so awesome that the University is working with organisations at the forefront of what the course is examining is really exciting. The variety of people in my classes from across Scotland and the world and the mix of teaching staff has been very fun and makes conversation and debates in our seminars really rich.
The support of Strathclyde is fantastic. Karen Boyle and Churnjeet Mahn have both been incredible helps. Both when it comes to classes and assignments but also with advice for progressing in the future. They have given me a lot of guidance for PhD application and funding.
I have benefited tremendously from the Feminist Research Network which hosts interesting research seminars with speakers from all sorts of research fields with a feminist focus. The network also organises work-in-progress lunches where we get to share our research and receive really useful feedback from fellow feminist researchers.
My lecturers and peers have always been open to assisting me in whichever way possible, and their kindness and warmth make the experience much easier for me as an international student.