So the second week of Lent term is almost over, and it feels like time is flying by so fast! After three deadlines at the end of week 10, I had a lovely Christmas break that consisted of lots of food, wine, being reunited with my dogs, and smashing out some reading for my dissertation!
However, all holidays must come to an end, so I came back to Lancaster a bit earlier to cover some shifts at my part time job. Working at the same time as studying for a degree can be a little hectic sometimes, so I always think it’s a good idea to get some shifts in while you’ve got less on. That way, when I really need the time off, they’ll (hopefully) remember the favour!
The term ahead is looking like quite a busy one. Over the past two weeks I’ve been getting back into the swing of things, nervously awaiting feedback from my Michaelmas term essays (which turned out great, yay!) and working on my MA application for next year. I’m also on the exec of the Trampolining Club, which has been quite busy at the beginning of term as we try to promote the Club to potential new members and run the taster sessions. Since the introductory lectures and seminars for new modules are well underway, now is the time to really get stuck in with reading and planning essays alongside my dissertation. This term I’ve taken the modules Indian Religious and Philosophical Thought, Reading Islam, and a ‘special subject’ called Religions in the Modern World, (which is more focused on discussions/seminars than sitting in lectures) and they’re looking really interesting so far!
For those of you who are coming to the Applicant Visit Day tomorrow (does anyone read these blogs?) I’ll be there to give a little talk on what it’s like to be an RS undergrad at Lancaster, and have a chat about any questions you might have. I’m looking forward to meeting you all!
Month: January 2018
New Term, New Modules
Hello!
Time to get you updated on my second term here at Lancaster. Other than working on my dissertation, this Lent term I’ll be taking three new modules: Logic and Language, Aesthetics, and History of Twentieth Century Philosophy.
The Logic and Language module explores some key techniques in logic which allow you to assess arguments and distinguish valid from invalid ones. I’m looking forward to approaching the material from this course because I think that being able to evaluate arguments is a skill everyone should aim at developing. Logic is generally associated with philosophy and mathematics, but in fact any academic discipline is one way or another engaged in the practice of making good arguments and providing reasons for or against certain claims. Outside of academia, too, people make arguments all the time: public debates, including political debates, are just one notable example.
The second module I mentioned is Aesthetics, which addresses questions to do with beauty, art, and their value and significance. I’m looking forward to learn more about this stuff as well, because I’ve always been interested in the way people disagree about matters of “taste”. Yesterday night, for example, I went to the cinema here at Lancaster with a couple of friends: when one of them told me he found the film brilliant, I couldn’t believe it. I had found it extremely dull and poor. Was one of us right in our different assessment of the film, or was it all just a matter of subjective opinion? In the next few weeks, I’ll grapple with questions of this kind and try to get an understanding of what aesthetic judgements might amount to.
The last module I’ll be taking is History of Twentieth Century Philosophy. I’ve picked this one because I hope it will give me a better idea of the context in which some philosophers I’ve already studied produced their work, and also an understanding of the origins of contemporary philosophy.
As you see there’s quite a lot of work ahead of me, but, after all, that’s the very last bit of my degree, so I’d better get the most out of it!
Back to work!
First off, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas break and a Happy New Year to you all.
Christmas this year for me featured a few cherished days off from studying, and on the other days, focusing on writing my essays which are due in the first three weeks of Lent term. It’s safe to say though, some time off was definitely well received, and I really enjoyed spending time with my family and catching up with friends (whilst regularly raiding the fridge and cupboards for all that “Christmas Food” you’re not allowed to eat until at least Christmas Eve).
Here’s a picture of me and my friends catching up and having a few drinks over Christmas! (I’m on the right!)
As for this blog post, the best place to start is probably with my essays. As a Masters student, the essays are slightly longer than those at undergraduate level (so don’t be too alarmed or be put off by this), so I have had to complete 3 x 5,000 word essays, one due each Monday until week three. So far, I have completed two essays, the first in International Law, and the second in Major Approaches to International Relations. I found my first essay somewhat challenging, as I have not studied law before prior to my Masters, so adjusting to this new style of writing was quite difficult! Once the essay was finished, however, it was really rewarding to have a better understanding of a new subject area, even better, knowing I was 1/3 of the way through my deadlines.
Then, came my second essay, on whether realism and liberalism explain the Iraq War for my International Relations module. This, was somewhat easier to write due to my undergraduate degree being in Politics and International Relations. What I did notice quite quickly however, was how I was able to use my newfound understanding of international law in my international relations essay, which enabled me to add a new aspect to my writing, which I was very pleased about! This was something I was fairly used to in my undergraduate degree, as my modules regularly related to each other in subject matter, but was definitely not expecting when studying law AND politics. As for the essay itself, I really enjoyed writing it as it is my preferred subject area and I was able to tailor my essay question to a subject area that really fascinates me. I submitted this essay today, and tonight I shall start writing my final essay (which luckily in the previous term I had already planned and completed the readings for so hopefully will not take too long).
As for the plan for the rest of this term, I can safely say it is going to be fairly busy. Although I only have 4 contact hours a week (as FASS subjects tend to require a lot of independent study guided by lectures each week), there’s lots of other stuff to keep up with! First, is the job hunt. This is probably what I’m going to focus on for much of this term, whilst monitoring other applications made in the previous term. My friends and I are planning to meet up to go through applications with each other and read over our CV’s to make sure there aren’t any silly mistakes, which knowing my luck there always are!
Alongside this, I have my lectures and readings to complete each week, which again takes up quite a lot of time due to the wide variety of readings any Masters student has to complete to keep up with the course. Of course, maintaining some social life is hard with all this going on, but I intend to keep playing netball and pool, whilst sneaking in a cheeky trip to sugar into the schedule every now and then! Plus playing in the bar sports teams holds the perfect excuse for a pint.
Finally, in my role as Admissions Mentor for the PPR department, I will be helping out at the Admissions Day on Saturday 27th, which I believe some of you who read this blog may be coming to. As part of the day, I give a lecture on the student experience and what to expect as a PPR student, and I also talk to prospective students and parents about my experience of Lancaster so far. Part of the role also means regularly posting on this blog too!
So, as you can probably tell, this term is going to be a busy one, but I’ll be sure to update you midway through this term with what else I have been working on, and hopefully give you more of an insight into what it’s like to be a student in the PPR department!