Hey guys!

 

Hope everything is going fine for you. It is Week 19 here in Lancaster, and this means that deadlines are just around the corner. I’ve been able to manage well my time and I’m doing quite well, but the workload has undeniably been quite time consuming. I keep myself happy by thinking that it is almost done and that me and my mates will be able to enjoy ourselves very soon after the deadlines. The dissertation is running along quite nicely, but I need to put in a final effort to make sure that it turns out to be as good as I hope it would.

In terms of socials, I am glad to announce that the Philosophy Society is going on stronger than ever! We’re organising talks with a PhD candidate from the department to talk about existentialism, and people are responding really well, with high turnouts and a lot of participation. I’m really glad its working so well, because it opens up the possibility for doing more interesting events in the future. The new exec are really enthusiastic about this as well, so it seems that next year we might be able to offer so much more.

 

We’re having another open day this Saturday, so if you haven’t been able to come before I’d really encourage you to do so. See you guys around!

Guillermo

Hey guys!

 

I hope those of you who came last week enjoyed the Open day! Week 7 is already here, accompanied by an incredibly good weather and by the call of duty to our essays. With 4 weeks to go, most of us are already starting to get tense about the deadlines, and it is about time to get serious about the work we do. Things are going quite well for me, so I can’t complain much. I have only two essays left for the end of this term, and the dissertation for the end of April, so I feel that I can manage it.

At the same time however, it is tempting to leave everything and enjoy the weather! For those of you who have already been on campus, you’ll have seen how big and open it is, and it is in these warm times that one can best enjoy it. One thing people tend to do is read and study outside, it is actually quite enjoyable and contributes to create a general feel good factor that is quite necessary in this period.

 

If you’ll excuse me, I must now return to writing my essays and joining my fellow classmates in doing the photosynthesis outside. I’ll keep you posted of how things develop!

Guillermo

Hey guys,

Hope everything is going great! Times flies by here in Lancaster. I cannot believe it is week 5 already, I have been so busy I just realised we are halfway through the term. There is quite a lot of work to be done: this is usually the time when I start my essays, thinking about which questions I am going to answer and how. I don’t have an essay for Economics, just another presentation on Education and student achievement. In my Africa module, I am torn between writing about the relationship between the instance of Structural Adjustment Programmes and the Politics of Aid in the continent, or about the role that contemporary China is playing in the development Sub-Saharan region. Finally, for my Continental Philosophy module, my essay will be about Nietzsche’s method in his Genealogy of Morals, I think I can write quite a lot about it.

At the same time, we recently had elections in the Philosophy Society and I got elected again to be on the exec. This means that I will have to help the new members coordinate the events and start thinking about some new things we could do. I have a couple of ideas that I’m really excited for, so I hope they work out in the end!

 

By the way, don’t forget we have another Visit Day this Saturday, I’d encourage you to come see Lancaster and get a taste of life around here (I just hope it won’t rain). See you guys around!

Guillermo

Hey guys!

 

Hope everything is going well. Life here in Lancaster is pretty quiet for now, as the workload is not too stressful for now. Apart from a presentation for Economic Policy next week, the readings and dissertation work are the only important things I have to keep up with. I’m pretty happy with the modules so far – the Africa and Global Politics one is showing me how little I actually knew about the continent and its history, so I’m really excited to learn more!

Last weekend we had our first Open Day of the term! It was pretty good to see you guys around, and if you haven’t been able yet to come see us, remember that the next one is on the 16th of February, so make sure to come if you have a chance! The people who came were very interested in both the university and in the Lancaster life, and I hope we were able to share our enthusiasm with them. By the way, remember that if you have any doubts about university in general, you can email your admissions mentor to ask them about it. They will be happy to help you in any way they can.

 

I’ll keep in touch as to how the term goes by. See you guys around!

Guillermo

Hey guys!

 

After a pretty uneventful Christmas vacation, here we go again, ready for the new term. I’m pretty excited, because the new modules I’m taking seem really interesting. I only have one Economics module this term, Economic Policy, which I believe will tackle important questions that affect current governments in the world. In Politics I have chosen Africa and Global Politics, which explores the historical development of Africa in in the global system, from colonialism to the present day, and will tackle issues as important as the debt crisis and the role China is playing in the region.

Finally, and for this one I am particularly excited, in Philosophy, I’ll be taking Continental Philosophy, in which we will study the writings of three of the most important philosophers of contemporary history: Friedrich Nietzsche, Michel Foucault and Hannah Arendt. I’m a personal fan of all of them, especially Nietzsche and Arendt, so I cannot wait to start with the discussions and readings. Moreover, it might help me on my dissertation about Arendt’s thought, which is going pretty good. I’m really proud of the work I’ve been doing with it, it has allowed me to do my own research on a topic that I find incredibly interesting and that I hope will make for an interesting read.

 

I’ll keep you posted on how things go. By the way, this term the university will be having a series of open days to those interested in joining Lancaster, so I hope to see you guys if you come visit!

See you around,

Guillermo

Hi everyone!

 

Hope everything is going well! I apologise for not uploading anything in some time, I’ve been really busy with the essays and the application process for my Master degree. I’m happy to say that I have been accepted here in Lancaster to do an MA in International Relations. I hope I will be able to learn even more than what I have already in my undergraduate course. Moreover, I’m sure I’ll be be able to develop myself here as a researcher, so that I will be able in the future to gain more employability in both academia and think tanks.

To be honest, these weeks haven’t been especially eventful. With the deadlines approaching, there isn’t that much time to do anything else other than spend time researching and writing. Luckily, the University Library offers many resources, from books to academic journals to help you with your research. It is a really good place to study as well, with a silent room and various pods in which you can meet up with your colleagues to do research together. The workload is quite stressful, but luckily this Friday there is a Latin Party in town, so I hope me and my mates will be able to have some fun and take our minds off the essays for a while.

 

I’ll keep you guys posted about how the term ends. Wish me luck!

 

Guillermo

Hey guys!

 

After the first few weeks in, it is now time to confront the deadlines approaching. Usually, in the PPR department each module asks for an essay at the end of the term concerning a question related to the course’s topics. For example, in my Understanding External Intervention in Violent Conflicts module, I was thinking of writing my essay on the impact of the War on Terror on the AfPak (Afghanistan and Pakistan) region. In some modules, like China in the Modern World, you also have to make a presentation for your seminar tutor and classmates, but doing an essay is more common.

My Economics modules are very similar, I’ve been lucky not to have any exams this term: for my Applied Economics module I did a presentation on a paper that explored the incidence of low wages in various European countries, and I was thinking of doing my essay on the effects that inequality of education has on developing countries; for my Monetary Macroeconomics module I will do a presentation concerning the role of monetary institutions in tackling wage inflation, and my essay will probably be on the recommended policies the Bank of England should follow in the post-Brexit UK. Dissertation work continues, but I’m afraid progress is pretty slow and might get even slower with all the deadlines approaching.

 

However, I try not to get too caught up in the academic work and have some fun as well. Even though it is important to get good grades (especially in third year), it is also necessary to remember that everybody needs a break sometimes, to chill and let your mind rest for a bit. Luckily, Lancaster offers a lot in terms of social activities and ways of relaxing.

After last week’s debate on atheism and religion, this week in the Philosophy Society we’re going to have a social event: we’ll watch the movie Her, and then talk about the philosophical themes and undertones behind it (hopefully while chilling in a bar nearby). There is also the option of going to the cinema, either the Take2 cinema on campus or the one in town. Finally, I hope that in spite of the deadlines my friends and I can still go out this weekend to the Sugarhouse, a club run by our very own students’ union.

 

I’ll keep you guys posted on how everything goes during the second half of this term. Thanks for reading!

Guillermo

Hello everyone!

My name is Guillermo, I’m on my third year studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). I will try to maintain a weekly update of what is going on here in Lancaster University, both from an academic and social perspective, so that you can see how life in Lancaster is like.

 

I feel that first I should talk about my degree. It is organised by the PPR department, but it also incorporates modules from the Economics department, which gives it the interdisciplinary character that I was looking for when I applied. You can really see it on the course structure I have this term: I’m doing two Economics modules, Monetary Macroeconomics and Applied Economics, and one module from Politics, Understanding External Intervention in Violent Conflicts. In addition to that, although I am not doing any Philosophy modules this term, my undergraduate dissertation is on Hannah Arendt’s relationship between thinking and evil. That way I can get my healthy dose of philosophical thinking (and existential crises) for this term while research a topic that I’m really interested in. However, this is only one possible combination of modules, and you can choose from a great variety of options ranging from Epistemology to Metaphysics in Philosophy; from Elections and Domestic Policy to the Political Economy of Globalisation in Politics and International Relation; and from Game Theory to Economic Policy in Economics.

 

On the more social side, Lancaster is full of opportunities to interact with other people and to have a fun time. From the wide variety of societies you can join, to your colleagues from your college and events happening in town, it is possible to enjoy your time here even if you have much work to do. For example, as a member of the executive of the Philosophy society (I know, nerd much?) we host a weekly debate on a variety of topics that the members have voted for, and after that we usually go to one of the pubs in Uni to either continue the debate or to just have a few laughs. Also, as Halloween approaches new events and parties are approaching, which promise to be really fun and exciting, as well as an opportunity to move around town to enjoy the festive ambient.

 

I will try to keep you guys posted on what else happens this year. I hope that this will convince you to come join us in the future!

Until next time,

Guillermo