how to answer life’s biggest questions: studying liberal arts at ysju

By Erin Byrne

The Liberal Arts Foundation Year is a brand-new course that just launched this September and I am incredibly excited to be one of the first students to take it. At the helm is the wonderful and hilarious Dr Adam James Smith who is leading this slightly rowdy but enthusiastic group through the maze of what it actually means to be a Liberal Arts student. In our very first session he got us thinking about what this strange, slightly old-fashioned term ‘Liberal Arts’ actually means, and why it is (and always will be) important. Continue reading “how to answer life’s biggest questions: studying liberal arts at ysju”

halloween post: the children of the quad

LRM_EXPORT_20171026_172811

By Rachel Smith

As students we know the city well. Regardless of whether you’ve lived here for months or for years, you’ll still be aware of the air York has. It’s inescapable: the crooked buildings, cobbled alleyways, and the sheer abundance of ghost walks remind you of it whichever street you walk down. We all know this. York is a city of ghosts.

What we don’t hear about are the ghosts much closer to home.

Continue reading “halloween post: the children of the quad”

what’s going on? demystifying ‘decolonising the curriculum’

By Dr Anne-Marie Evans and Dr Sarah Lawson-Welsh

With thanks to Dr Janine Bradbury, Dr Kaley Kramer and Dr Fraser Mann

This week at York St John University, around 50 staff and students attended an event entitled ‘Black History Month and the Transatlantic Imagination’. They listened to short micro-lectures by staff on the boycotting of cotton from the US confederate (pro slave-owning) states by nineteenth-century Lancashire textile workers, the music of Miles Davis and of The Belleville Three, the Black Panther Marvel comics, the role of Journées Africaines and why Black History Month does not, as yet, exist in France, and the transatlantic life and legacies of Caribbean-born writer and historian, C.L.R. James. After the session, a student commented that she was proud to be at an institution where Black History Month was given such prominence. Events like this are hugely important. We know that we are not alone in this, and that colleagues in HE institutions all over the country are involved in fantastic public engagement and widening participation initiatives in collaboration with Black History Month.

Continue reading “what’s going on? demystifying ‘decolonising the curriculum’”

exciting news for the class of 2017

Liesl King has been organising an extra special event for the graduating class of 2017. As a farewell and celebration of a new chapter, we would like to invite you and your family members to drop in and say hello to your tutors over a glass of fizz or a cup of tea on the afternoon of your upcoming Graduation, 16th November, in De Grey foyer from 2:00pm-4:00pm.

Continue reading “exciting news for the class of 2017”

the base-line: imaginary worlds students go to see blade runner 2049

By Adam Cummings

On Tuesday the 5th of October the Literature and Media programmes organised a group free trip to see Blade Runner 2049 as part of the module 2EN440: Imaginary Worlds.  The crowd, as you arrived within the York City Screen cinema, was definitely recognisable. If someone was to say, “Imagine a group of Science Fiction Literature students grouped together, waiting to see perhaps the most anticipated science fiction sequel to be released in thirty years”, I guarantee that you would at least be able to spot some key similarities among these people.

Continue reading “the base-line: imaginary worlds students go to see blade runner 2049”

a cold cheeseburger & the waterstones lock-in, 2017

By Beth Davies

I’m fully aware all those reading this post right now have been sat eagerly by their phones, awaiting the tweet of a new Words Matter post. Well, I’m not one to disappoint. Here we are: grab a brew, sit and read all about my experiences at this year’s Waterstones Student Lock-In. I hope you made it to the night, but if you couldn’t attend we now use the power of literature to allow you to re-live it through words. Let’s see how it goes…

Continue reading “a cold cheeseburger & the waterstones lock-in, 2017”

student opportunity: be an IDAS champion

Thank you to Gemma Linfoot-King and Lizzie Hope for getting in touch to tell us about an exciting and informative experience for YSJU students. They are hosting a free lunch followed by training to be an IDAS Champion. IDAS are the largest charity in Yorkshire supporting anyone who has experiencing or affected by domestic abuse of sexual violence.

The event takes place from 12-4.30 on Thursday 16th November in SK/036, and you can book your place here.

Continue reading “student opportunity: be an IDAS champion”

manchester and the industrial revolution: YSJU student trip

YSJU students on the English Literature and History programmes recently went on a trip to Manchester in connection with the modules ‘Early Victorian England’ and ‘Nineteenth Century Writing’. Below is a Storify of their trip, which included excursions to the Museum of Science and Industry and the People’s History Museum.

Continue reading “manchester and the industrial revolution: YSJU student trip”

upcoming event: black history month and the transatlantic imagination, wednesday 25 october 2017

As part of Black History Month 2017, the School of Humanities, Religion and Philosophy is excited to present Black History Month and the Transatlantic Imagination 12.30-2pm, De Grey lecture theatre. Members of staff will introduce the transatlantic moments, people, and events that have impacted on black identities. Come and hear more about Miles Davis, learn about the lives of Lancashire cotton pickers, and think about Marvel comics and issues of diversity.

Tickets are FREE and can be reserved here.

upcoming event: meet leading shakespearean actors alex waldmann and pippa nixon

Two of the country’s leading Shakespearean actors, Pippa Nixon and Alex Waldmann will be visiting York St John University on 1st November 2017. Pippa and Alex are cultural fellows here at YSJU and will be in conversation about their work with  our Shakespeare: Perspectives tutors.

Continue reading “upcoming event: meet leading shakespearean actors alex waldmann and pippa nixon”