Tag: student life

Enjoy your adventures in history at Portsmouth – don’t let coronavirus put you off

Emily Winslade, one of last year’s first-year students, advises this year’s history freshers not to let Coronavirus put them off enjoying their studies and broadening their horizons.

Firstly, welcome to the University of Portsmouth! University is perhaps one of the most incredible adventures you will undertake as an adult. To begin with, it can seem a bit daunting which is quite understandable bearing in mind this is a brand new environment. In spite of this, once you are able to get settled, it is a fantastic opportunity to grow as a person and broaden your horizons.

You are perhaps tired of hearing about Coronavirus at this point, so I will only say this – while the effects of Coronavirus will be felt, the University is eager to continue to be a safe learning environment. With steps already in place, the University provides regular updates on the situation and how they will manage it, allowing you to focus on your studies. It will undoubtedly be a little different to what you were expecting, but won’t change the core aspects of your experience.

It may be alarming to think of how many people will be attending University, but when you are in class these numbers seem much less intimidating, and everyone is in the same boat as you. Speaking from experience, those around you are welcoming and friendly. Once you are in your tutor groups, the regular meetings also help you get to know your fellow classmates much better.

The way you are judged in terms of assessments is different to how you would have been assessed at school and college in that there will likely be few, if any, exams. Most assignments are essays of varying lengths in which you have deadlines but no other time limits (unless they are exam essays where you will have 48 hours to complete each one). This means assignments (in my opinion) are easier to manage – though don’t be discouraged if this is difficult at first, there is help available to you which I will explain in more detail later.

Another way of being assessed in history is through participation in seminars. You will be graded for each session and an average will be taken at the end of the year combined with the grades for your assignments. This score relies on preparation (prior readings and notes) and your opinions in the seminars. During school and college I was not one to speak out, but the small number of students in seminars along with often being split into even smaller discussion groups is extremely beneficial to self-confidence, and you might surprise yourself!

If you do find yourself struggling with the abrupt change from school and college to University – as I said it can be quite overwhelming, so there is nothing to be ashamed of – there are different ways in which you can get help. The lecturers are extremely approachable if you do not understand course content. If you need more individual advice there is the Learning Development Team (speaking from experience, they are a great help), and for mental health and wellbeing the Nuffield Centre offers different methods of support. At Portsmouth University, you’re not alone if you need help, and no one will make you feel ashamed for reaching out.

The facilities at Portsmouth University are also worth mentioning. The library is an excellent place to work as it gives you an opportunity in which you can focus on your work in different environments – bookable group study rooms, individual quiet areas, group booths and readily available computers and laptops, too name a few. There is also an indoor café and shop. In the library there are countless physical books and journals and even more online articles which you can access, not only in the library, but also from your own personal device.

As for history as a course, the modules you will study in your first year ensure you have a strong foundation of skills to think like a historian for your future at University. While the modules contain a wide variety of time periods (from early modern to present day) and places (from South America to Asia) there is also a focus on techniques to help you ask relevant questions about pieces of text and sources, helping you to assess what the source is portraying. These critical thinking skills will be applicable for most of the modules and sources, and will stand you in good stead for the future.

Finally, have fun! With unknown situations comes an opportunity for adventure, and honestly you might surprise yourself. The most important thing to remember is that you are not alone, and those around you are eager to offer help if you need it, in whatever way that might be. You already know history is a fascinating subject, but this course offers a whole new perspective!

October 5, 2020
Top tips for beginning your study of history at Portsmouth

Reiss Sims, one of last year’s first-year students, offers some great tips for those beginning their study of history at the University of Portsmouth in 2020.

“The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future.” – Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the U.S.

Now let me start off by apologising for the classic “insert quote by famous person” approach to the start of this blog, but I do believe that Roosevelt hit the nail on the head – the study of history provides us with the understanding of the world we live in and outlines the possibilities for change, so congratulations for joining the team!

Just like I was a year ago, many of you will be both excited and nervous about starting the next three to four years of your life. Don’t worry, this is totally normal! The chances are, you’re going to look and think differently by the end of your course, so my advice would be to sit back, enjoy the ride and jump headfirst into every opportunity that presents itself. Hopefully, by the end of this blog, you’ll have a better insight into studying history at degree level. I’ll try and give you some advice that will be useful for tackling the first-year academics, whilst attempting to paint a realistic picture of what the next few years will look like.

To begin with let’s address the key difference between A-level and GCSE history and degree level history: freedom – the subject remains the same but the approach to study will be totally new.

During school and college, you would have likely been taught about a historical event (why and when it happened) and then required to regurgitate the textbook into your essay – spoiler alert, this isn’t the case at university. At university, you will be encouraged to explore, discover and discuss all perspectives of history to build your own argument (this is the key to writing a sound essay). The topics you choose, the articles you read, the opinions you form will allow you to write your own history!

Now I want to assure you that it is normal for this newfound freedom to seem daunting at first, it certainly was for me, but you’ll come to learn how to use it in all the right ways. Freedom will also become apparent, if it hasn’t already by now, in life outside of the classroom. Whilst it is important to put as much effort as you can into your studies, you must make sure that you get out and explore everything that the university has to offer (if your work is done, the pub is always an option…). University isn’t just about obtaining a degree; it’s about experiencing new things and meeting new people, so make sure you meet and sign yourself up to everything you can! Get that work/life balance nailed early, and you’ll never look back.

Reiss following his own advice in getting his work/life balance right.

Five tips for university study

Tip 1: The First Year Counts

The idea that your first-year grade doesn’t actually count couldn’t be further from the truth!

Going into the second year with very little idea of the strengths and weaknesses of your academic game is not ideal. Try your best, don’t worry about making mistakes and really get stuck in from the get-go.

(Tip within a tip: companies offering work experience/placements/graduate jobs will use your first year as a reference!).

Tip 2: Do the Readings

It is a minimum that you do the assigned readings, the more you do, the better you’ll understand.

You’re going to spend the majority of your reading, so you need to learn to enjoy it. It may seem long and hard to understand initially, however you’ll soon start to develop your own techniques to tackling the readings.

My advice? Organise a time to read throughout the week; plan ahead, don’t leave it to the last minute, break each piece down into digestible parts and make clear and concise notes. Oh, and just reading the intro/conclusion isn’t going to be enough either (wink).

Tip 3: Experiment with organisation

I started the year off by writing up all of my notes and then typing them up again later – it was very time-consuming. So by the end of the year, I found that by typing the notes up to start with would save me time and reduced the risk of losing my notes.

Set up a good and organised file system for all of your notes, be it physical or digital. There is nothing worse than having to re-read an article because you are revisiting the topic without notes.

(Tip within a tip 2: Make use of both One Drive or Google Drive – do not risk just having a physical copy of your work)

Tip 4: Don’t be afraid to say something wrong

Seminars are great – the professors are engaging, the topics provide hours of in-class debates, and by the end of them, you’ll have developed a better understanding of your readings and lectures. However, the idea of public speaking isn’t for everyone. My only bit of advice (other than doing the reading in preparation): never be afraid of giving the wrong answer. It is always best to give it a go and share your perspective! You’ll only learn more by doing so.

Tip 5: Enjoy it!

Look, you’re only at university for a very short period. Three years may seem like a long time, but you’ll soon realise that it flies by. So enjoy every second of it!

It’s not always going to be fun and easy, there are periods of long, hard graft! But if you do the right things and try your best, then there is nothing to worry about.

History is a pretty demanding degree, but it pays you in the skills you develop. Read, learn, discuss and have fun and I look forward to meeting some of you this year!

October 5, 2020
Third-year history – don’t be daunted and have confidence you will be OK

Ben Humphreys, who graduated in history with the UoP this year, expected to find his third year of history studies hard but actually found he had acquired the skills and resilience in his previous two years of study to get through the third year smoothly.

There are a lot of assumptions that the third year of university is the hardest both in terms of quantity and quality of work. There’s also a huge assumption that the first year is a walk in the park – just fun and games and a busy social life. To be honest, I found first year really hard; I struggled to understand what was expected of me and how to start thinking subjectively about the sources I was reading. Not just to read and accept it but to question it. I think taking a gap year had slightly blunted my intellectual prowess and I felt like my peers were much more switched on than I was. I was also struggling with mental health issues. Regardless, the jump to first year was my biggest challenge and my second and third years were much smoother for me. I knew how to approach the various types of assignments and how to pick apart primary and secondary sources. By the third year I was a lot closer to my lecturers, seminar leaders and peers, which made my third year so much more comfortable. I hope that my experience resonates with some of you and if it does, rest assured third year will be okay!

As I mentioned above, you will know how to complete the third year assignments from your previous two years of experience. The word count is usually just increased by 500 words which actually allows you to really tackle the question in hand. The real challenge is of course, your dissertation. 10,000 words may seem daunting and it is a serious undertaking. However, it’s split into three, 3,000 word chapters, an introduction and a conclusion – which breaks it down for you nicely. The best advice I can give is to spend a good amount of time finding a topic you really love – if you enjoy it, the journey will be so much easier. Make sure you build a good working relationship with your dissertation supervisor and seek them out often. Typically, I met with my supervisor every fortnight, which kept me on track whilst juggling other assignments. It also pushed me to spend regular time on it because I didn’t want to turn up with nothing to say! Some of my peers didn’t see their tutors for months on end which was crazy; they are there to support and guide you. Use them to your full advantage.

Ben found playing rugby invaluable in giving him energy and focus for his studies.

A balanced work / social life is so important and there’s two main points to get across here. Firstly, stay active. Continue to play sport or exercise. If you aren’t physically active, get active. I probably wouldn’t have made it through university if I wasn’t playing rugby throughout my years. It cleared my head, improved my university experience exponentially and gave me energy to study. Also, its potentially your last year of university so make the most of the widest range of sports clubs accessible to you, ever. Secondly, don’t spend all day in the library. Some of my peers were in there from 8 until 6, but didn’t seem to get much work done. Go in there for between one and four hours and have a productive, focused study session.

Another piece of advice is to get closer with your year group. I only became closer to them in the latter half of my university experience, because of my own personal problems and I would change that if I could. Getting closer to my peers made the course so much more enjoyable and the presentations that much easier. It was easier to present to a group of friends than a group of strangers.

Finally, careers. Now if you are anything like me, you don’t want to even hear about career prospects until after third year. I just wanted to concentrate on getting a good degree and I think that’s fair enough. I had also hoped that by third year my career plans would have materialised out of somewhere but no. I still don’t know what I want, and if you don’t either – that’s okay! There’s also no timeline to follow here. You’ve probably all had it, when people ask you what you do, they ask what you are going to do with your degree or what you want to do after. There’s an expectation that graduates have to leave university immediately to become a high flier or a CEO or something. Don’t be fooled and don’t compare yourself to others. Your twenties are a weird time period where there’s not a particular mould or pathway to fit into. So don’t worry if you haven’t got it figured out yet, I graduated last year and I don’t either.

Oh and don’t worry, there’s life after university.’

October 5, 2020
From fresher to history graduate to financial consultant

Below, former student Connor Jones reflects on his time at Portsmouth. Like many history students, Connor did not come to university with a strong idea of his intended career, but this did not matter so much, because our Portsmouth history degree provides many of the skills employers are looking for. We note that Connor’s role now involves speaking to audiences of up to a hundred people, demonstrating that all those history presentations provide useful transferable skills! It has been a delight to teach Connor, and to meet up with him again at open days.

I spent some of the formative years of my life at the University of Portsmouth where I studied single honours History. Having spent 18 years of my life growing up in Bristol, I decided that for University I needed to head a little further afield, to somewhere that not only had the seafront on its doorstep, but that also had an excellent reputation for its History department.

When I looked around the University of Portsmouth back at the start of 2013, the sun was shining as we came off the M275 into this historic city. It did admittedly paint the city in a wonderful light even before we’d found somewhere to park and headed over to our first talk of the day about Student Finance… The history talk that I attended went a long way towards making my decision for me to study at the University of Portsmouth. Both the syllabus and the resources that I would have at my disposal, including the brand new University library and the Historic Dockyard, sounded superb. Further to this, the lecturers and the members of the History Department that I met on the day were not only friendly and welcoming, but I got the sense that they really were experts in their field who were totally invested in ensuring that the course would bring out the very best in each and every individual.

Fast-forward to 2020, and as I write this I have taken some time to reflect on just how far I have come since I graduated in 2016, and to consider just how influential my time spent studying History at the University of Portsmouth has been. I must admit, when I decided to study History at the University of Portsmouth, I didn’t necessarily know what it was that I anticipated doing with my degree at the end of the three years. All I knew at the time was that I enjoyed studying history and that if I pursued something that I enjoyed, I would inevitably do well in it, and so it proved. What my History degree afforded me, above all else, was the ability to write, communicate, and analyse effectively – all of which are invaluable and indeed transferable skills that I have taken and applied to my role as a Workplace Financial Education Consultant. Now let me be the first to say that I certainly didn’t expect to be working in the Financial Services industry having completed a history degree, but the fact that this is where I find myself is perhaps testament to the history degree. The varied approach to teaching, coupled with the opportunity to learn and communicate in a multitude of ways, really does lend itself to adopting new ways of thinking and of expressing yourself.

My role now entails going out to organisations and speaking to their people (which can sometimes mean audiences in excess of 100 people…) about the importance of financial wellbeing. This is not something that I knew anything about when studying towards my degree, but rather is something that I have had to learn about along the way. From completing the year-long graduate programme, to studying towards obtaining my Diploma in Financial Services (and just when I thought I was done with all the studying…), the last two and a half years has certainly been varied…! I now regularly find myself travelling the length and breadth of the country for work and every day brings with it its own challenges which I thoroughly enjoy. And as I approach 4 years from the day that I graduated, I owe my thanks to the support and the teaching that I received from the University.

I continue to read history in my spare time, and revel in the knowledge that your standard pub quiz seldom passes without a history round. I am also glad to say that Portsmouth still holds a special place in my heart having bought a house down here. As such, I still regularly attend University open days as an alumni to talk to prospective students about why studying at Portsmouth, and why studying History in particular, is such a great experience. It seems strange in many ways that seven years on from starting my undergraduate degree at the University of Portsmouth I am still able to recount in great detail exactly what happened during my three years of study. What perhaps isn’t so strange however is that I am able to sit here and say unequivocally that my decision to study History at the University of Portsmouth was in no uncertain terms the best decision that I have ever made.

May 14, 2020
My Experiences with Learning Development

Cameron Meeten, who is studying for a master’s degree in naval history, encourages all students to take advantage of the services offered by our learning development tutors. Although not at the moment able to meet students face to face, the learning development tutors can still offer plenty of advice by online methods.

Learning development is one of the most valuable resources at the university and I implore all SASHPL students to take advantage of the guidance available. Learning development offer personal guidance in the development of academic skills and have something to offer all students regardless of where they are in the process of their degree.[1] Whilst attending the Student Voice Committee at the beginning of the year there were discussions about the ways in which the university provides academic support to students. I was at the start of a new degree and after hearing about the support that learning development provide, I decided to pay a visit. When I was an undergraduate I unfortunately did not utilise the help offered by learning development; this was partially because I was not aware what they did for students. I would have certainly paid them a visit during my undergraduate degree had I known how learning development can help students like myself.

Rhetoric, German engraving, c. 1541, British Museum

My first visit to learning development was to gain insight into how to improve the structure of my essays. I submitted a draft of the essay that I was writing and arranged a one-to-one meeting. At the meeting Laura kindly went through my essay with me and providing a detailed set of notes on how I could be clearer setting out my argument, and how I could improve the signposting in my work. This significantly helped me improve my essay which I later received a distinction in the clarity of writing and structure portion of the feedback. Learning development helped me with a very specific part of my essay writing, and they offer a wide variety of academic advice. In the one-to-one meetings learning development offer specific essay guidance such as essay writing skills, the use of academic language as well as the development of critical thinking skills. Leaning development also offer more general study advice such as organisational, reading, and note-taking skills. I am certain that every student could do with some help on at least one of the areas that learning development are able to assist with.

One of the most useful services provided by learning development is assignment feedback. Following my first visit to learning development I have used this service on every single assignment that I have submitted. Learning development can look at an assignment draft (up to 1500 words) and will go through it with you in a one-to-one meeting. Following this meeting your learning development tutor will email you a document which outlines their feedback and the discussion points of the meeting. No essay is perfect, and sometimes a second set of eyes on a piece of work can be of great value.

In addition to one-to-one meetings learning development also offer workshops which you can book an appointment on to.[2] These workshops are tailored to provide help to a group of students on a very specific topic. These workshops are particularly useful if there is a specific area which you wish to focus on. Workshops that have been provided in the past include critical thinking, referencing and dissertation sessions.[3]

Learning development offer appointments to any SASHPL students who are looking for guidance with their academic work. The help and advice they offer is very beneficial when acted upon, and I encourage all SASHPL students who wish to improve their work to pay a visit. Unfortunately face to face meetings are not available for the time being due to the coronavirus outbreak, however feedback can still be provided via email.

Good luck to all students who decide to utilise the help that is available to them!

Thank you Laura, for all the help you have given me so far this year.

[1] https://moodle.port.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=5877

[2] https://sashpllearningdevelopment.youcanbook.me/

[3] https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/sashpl-learning-development-6248854919

March 26, 2020
Goblin scullery maids, ghostly miners and cannibal sailors: my experience of studying for a PhD at the University of Portsmouth

Dr Eilís Phillips followed three years of undergraduate study at the University of Portsmouth with a three-year PhD on Victorian monsters, supervised by Dr Karl Bell, Reader in History at the University. Her work is an inspiration to many, not least to my own students studying ideas of the monstrous in the 17^th century Civil War context. Impressively, while studying with and teaching at the University, Eilís has combined her academic studies with regular performances as a musician at many locations in Portsmouth and the surrounding areas – ed.

My PhD was a three-year, CEISR-funded interdisciplinary project which used an approach based in History – grounded in historiography – but explored theories from other fields such as Cultural Studies and Monster Theory. I studied the increased popularity of monstrous stereotypes for working-class people in nineteenth-century writing, as created and propagated by journalists and middle-class authors. I split my chapters into different monstrous archetypes and these covered a range of monsters. For example, I looked at the ways in which perceptions of spatial environments as monstrous could affect the human beings who lived and worked within them. Victorian London is a key example of this phenomenon, as many reports described the city as a sentient and malicious force for evil, hell-bent on corrupting its inhabitants. I also examined stories of Satanic arsonists, goblin scullery maids, ghostly miners and cannibal sailors. Sometimes, authors would use these comparisons in satirical drawings or as derogatory analogies. In other cases, the reports would draw upon popular folklore and fairy tales and even Gothic literature in order insinuate that working-class people were spiritually, and even genetically monstrous. In these accounts I found interesting contradictions and anachronisms. Just as elites were mocking those poorer than themselves for purportedly backwards ‘superstitious’ beliefs, at the same time they were creating their own brand of contemporary folklore partly pieced together from these stories, using them to produce monstrous identities.

The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters, Francisco Goya, c. 1799

Overall, I discovered that this proliferation of negative stereotypes operated as a ‘monstrous economy’. It was a network of ideas, memes and characteristics which authors for newspapers, books and reports traded back and forth. The central motivation underpinning this booming trade was a desire to mitigate a sense of middle-class guilt and of culpability in the suffering of workers and the poor in Victorian society. As greater awareness grew amongst affluent readers of the sufferings of working-class life – such as the plight of miners toiling in life-threatening conditions underground – so concerns about wealthy society’s role in such hardships became a source of angst which needed a catharsis. By depicting the working class as monsters, authors could position the wealthy as kindly benefactors of a monstrous working class whose hardships in life were portrayed as pre-determined and deserved. This act stripped workers of their humanity and worked to absolve middle-class readers of any social guilt over their suffering.

Eilís in character

In terms of my personal PhD journey, I should say that every PhD experience, like every individual, is unique. That is part of what makes undertaking one so challenging, and exciting. Whether you are able to choose your own topic, or are working on a project whose parameters have been outlined by someone else, ultimately the direction the research takes is shaped by you, and your decisions and discoveries. That can be a daunting prospect; it offers the researcher a lot of freedom but it can also cause you to constantly question your own judgement. As an historian, you might wonder if you have chosen the right sources, or even if you’re making the ‘right’ argument. It’s important to remember that having doubts, and continually re-evaluating your progress are a necessary part of undertaking any kind of critical research. The PhD is an experiment, and one which teaches you as much about your own approach to solving problems and encountering enigmas as it does about the research question you are focused upon answering.

I was extremely lucky to have an incredible supervisory team who supported me at every step of the process. A huge part of what makes a PhD engaging can be the discussions you have with your supervisors. There were so many times throughout my PhD when I would find myself encountering a knotty problem in my research, but by talking things over with Karl Bell (my First Supervisor) I’d be able to see things more clearly and would come away feeling enthusiastic about my research again. In general, I found it extremely helpful to talk to my supervisors and Faculty colleagues about academic life. It’s important to surround yourself with morale support and find other researchers with whom you can share ideas and experiences with. Attending seminars, spending time with other postgrads, and chatting about our shared challenges made things easier. Overall, it was a huge undertaking and took a lot of personal willpower and determination, but it has given me an immense sense of achievement. I still find my research topic fascinating and I am looking forward to continuing my research in whatever form it takes.

February 24, 2020