Socials

About Me

/ Amy Hobbs

My name is Amy and I’m a third year Philosophy (BA hons) student here at Lancaster. Hopefully these blog posts will allow you to get a feel of what life is like for typical student at the university. I will be keeping you up to date with how my course is progressing this year and with what I’ve generally been getting up to as a student.

It may only be week 4 of this term, but the work is already on a steady increase. That’s what comes with attending a ‘Top 10’ university I suppose! As I am a Single Honours student, my days are filled with philosophy modules. This term I am taking; Continental Philosophy, Darwinism and Philosophy, Philosophy and Popular Music, and Feminist Philosophy. Two of these are standard modules and two are special subjects; which I’ll explain later!

Right now in Continental Philosophy we are studying Nietzsche and his ideas about morality; where it came from and why what is ‘moral’ changes so much, the use of punishment, and the emergence of guilt and the conscience. His work is very different to the usual analytical-style readings that I have gotten used to over the past couple of years, and while it can be difficult to understand at times, I’m enjoying the challenge and it is quite a refreshing change. His work is going to be the subject of my essay at the end of this term.

As for Darwinism, we are currently understanding the theory of evolution and looking at some key thinkers surrounding the topic. For example; Dawkins and the ‘Selfish Gene’. Along with genetics we are questioning how important environmental factors are in evolution, as well as questioning whether the claim that the traits that we possess now ‘must be a product of evolution’, and so ‘must have a meaning for being there’. Right now we are just laying the groundwork for further philosophical discussion in the coming weeks- more of that to follow!

As for the special subjects, these are basically 2 hour seminars, once a week, and they are student-led. This means that, while there is a lecturer present to help and guide the discussion, it is basically down to us to start up conversation and encourage debate. Generally, the way this is done is by allocating each student (or group of students) one of the weekly readings of their choice. Then we have to create our own presentation and a handout of what we have read in which we; summarise and explain the reading, extract the key features of the arguments from the author, and identify questions that will lead to further discussion among the group. Don’t worry though, these are not assessed- but they really help with communication skills, and we can use the material that we come up with in our essays due next term, which is great!

Philosophy and Popular Music is the first of the  special subjects that I am taking, and by far the most different module to everything that I have studied during my time here. As of now, we are looking at the evaluation and aesthetic values of popular music with questions such as; ‘Is popular music standardised?’ ‘What implications does standardisation have on the value of popular music?’ In my second special subject; Feminist Philosophy, we are currently focusing on the work of Beauvoir in relation to the origins and solution to the oppression of women. For example; the idea that women are The Other, and the influence of biology in gender politics. Each of these have a 5000 word essay due for the first day back after Christmas.

Alongside all of this, I have been working on readings in preparation for my dissertation, but I have also managed to keep up with activities outside of studying. This past weekend I attended a 4 hour self-defence class with Just Play- a group that organises sporting events and taster sessions for anyone with (usually) any ability! It was a great session that I got to experience with one of my close friends, the session leaders were really supportive, and we both actually learned a lot! It was also Halloween this past weekend, so the community spirit within the university was at an all time high- definitely one of the most fun holidays to celebrate here in Lancaster!

Societies: By Becky and Katie

/ Katie Work

Hello!

This week, we thought we’d talk about all the amazing societies you can take part in while at university. It’s only at uni that you’ll have the opportunity to try out almost any sport/hobby you can think of, so if there’s anything you fancy having a go at, now is the time.

It might be the case that you already have something you’re interested in (perhaps you’re on your sixth form’s hockey team) and you would like to pursue it in uni. Joining the society means that you’ll instantly gain friends with the same interests as you. It may be that ages ago you tried something out as a one off and you enjoyed it and would like to give it a go again. Or, of course, you may have never tried something out and you just fancied it. The great thing about societies is that you can pretty much turn up with no experience. Never be put off joining something because you feel that everyone else will be some kind of expert- we guarantee,  anything that’s even remotely unusual (i.e. not football/netball) , most people will join as complete beginners.

During Freshers’ week, you’ll have the chance to go to the Freshers’ fair, in which all the societies and extra curricular activities have stands set up and you can walk through, see what sparks your interest, and talk to existing members of the club to see if it’s something you’d be interested in. Our advice here is: sign up to anything and everything! There is no harm in putting your name down so they can email you to let you know when the first session/meeting is. That way, you can go away and think about the societies you want to dedicate your time to.

Some examples of the kind of things you can get involved in is: pretty much any sport you can think of, a range of martial arts clubs, charities, performance based societies, subject based societies, debating, even board gaming, the list goes on and on. Lancaster’s collegiate system also means that there are numerous teams for certain sports. For each of the 9 colleges, there are several football and netball teams, as well as a bar sports team. These teams then compete between colleges which means that there is a healthy rivalry, which is always fun, and great for college pride.

Another great opportunity that you can get involved with in societies is becoming part of the exec. If you find that you really enjoy being involved in your society, you may want to have some responsibility. There are a number of roles on the exec, and these can vary depending on your society. For example, sports may need equipment/safety roles. Not only is this a great way to really engage with your society, but it also boosts the CV, and if you can do this by doing something you enjoy, it’s surely worth it!

Something else that is very important to societies, as most will tell you, are the socials. This is usually when you really get to know your fellow members, and will help you to become good friends with them. Socials can involve bar crawls and nights out in clubs, as well as pizza nights in, fancy Christmas meals and film marathons. Be sure to get involved with socials, even if you’re a bit nervous about not knowing anyone there, all the freshers will be the same and existing members will be aware of this and do everything they can to get you to know one another.

University is the only time you can try out such a range of different activities, so give it a go! You never know what hidden talent you could uncover!

Becky and Katie x