History@Portsmouth

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A History degree can open many doors: A student interviews UoP History graduates

By on August 4, 2022 in Employability, Learning in Focus

In this blog Amber Braddick, recent History with American Studies graduate from Portsmouth, discusses a project she undertook as part of the second year module, ‘Working with the Past’. Amber and some of her fellow students interviewed recent UoP History graduates and asked them about their careers since graduating, Amber found out that having a degree in the Arts and Humanities has been really beneficial to them, something also highlighted in recent studies by organisations such as the British Academy, which Amber also discusses here. The module ‘Working with the Past’ is coordinated by Dr Mike Esbester. There has been a strong government emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths […]

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shrewsbury museum

‘Gaining lots of experience and learning new skills’: Undertaking a placement year at university

By on July 27, 2022 in Employability, Learning in Focus

Beth Price has recently finished her third year at Portsmouth studying History, graduating with first class honours (congratulations Beth!). In this blog, the second one looking at students’ experiences of undertaking a placement year, she reflects on the benefits she gained from undertaking a placement at her local museum, the Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery.  I originally planned to go to Spain for my placement year as a Language Assistant at a primary school, however, due to COVID, I had to quickly find something else. I wanted to stay local to home so was really grateful when my local museum, Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery, offered me a volunteering placement. […]

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placement year

‘My placement has improved my knowledge and confidence’: The benefits of taking a placement year at university

By on July 19, 2022 in Employability, Learning in Focus

Carla Watts has just finished her History with Politics degree at the University of Portsmouth, graduating with first class honours. She is now going on to further study and work – as a result of her placement year, between the second and third year of her degree. Congratulations Carla! This is the first of two blogs that we will post extolling the virtues of undertaking a placement year while at Portsmouth university. It was only in my second year of university that I became interested in law and the idea of becoming a solicitor. However, as my degree is in History and Politics I was unsure I would be able […]

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Bridging the gap between the academic and non-academic worlds: Engaging the public in academic research

By on July 12, 2022 in Learning in Focus, Public History, Research in Focus

In this blog Reiss Sims, who has just gained a first-class degree in History at Portsmouth (well done, Reiss!), discusses a project he worked on last year with some of his fellow History students for the module ‘Working with the Past’, coordinated by Dr Mike Esbester. As part of their project, the students looked into how academic historians take their work ‘out of the academy’ and into the public realm. Reiss and his fellow students interviewed our Dr Karl Bell, who researches all things supernatural, to find out how he has tried to engage the wider public in the history he studies. Last year, as part of our assessment for […]

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Accidents on the railways: A story of heartbreak and loss

By on June 30, 2022 in Learning in Focus, Public History

University of Portsmouth History student Jenny Leng produced a blog for the Railway Work, Life & Death project as part of her work on the second year core module ‘Working with the Past’, coordinated by Mike Esbester. Mike co-leads the RWLD project along with Karen Baker (Librarian, National Railway Museum) and Helen Ford (Manager, Modern Records Centre) with the assistance of Craig Shaw (Volunteer Administrator, NRM). In this blog, Jenny uncovers the stories of Portsmouth railway workers Godfrey and Albert Linegar, who were both involved in accidents at work, one resulting in heart-breaking loss. To read the blog, click this link.

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Breakup of Britain

Differential fees for overseas students

By on June 13, 2022 in Learning in Focus, New Publications, Research in Focus

In this new post, Senior Lecturer Jodi Burkett shares a podcast in which she discusses a chapter she has written for the edited collection The Break-up of Greater Britain (MUP, 2021). Jodi’s research focuses on the cultural and social impacts of the end of the British Empire, with a particular focus on national movements like the National Union of Students, and in this podcast she reveals how the different fees charged to overseas students caused significant anger among the student community in the late-1960s. Increasing tuition fees for University students has been a way for governments to save money since, at least, the late 1960s. While most students didn’t have […]

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