Undergraduate Student Profiles

Alex Hoban

English Studies 

Reading English at Nottingham has been an invaluable experience. The breadth of material covered across the degree - from studies of Viking identity in the middle ages to the efforts of linguists to teach Gorillas sign language, (all this along side the usual suspects Joyce, Byron, Chaucer et al) - has broadened my outlook on pretty much everything in this world around me, not to mention my own capabilities for interaction with it. If you'd asked me three years ago, I'd never have guessed I'd leave university specialising in post-structuralist theory, and the all-encompassing teaching has given me more things to be passionate about than I physically have time for.  

After university, I will be undertaking a work placement on the excellent International Affairs magazine Monocle, by which time I will know whether I have been successful in either of my applications for the JET teaching scheme in Japan, or the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation Scholarship to study Japanese at Tokyo University and do work placements there. My ultimate aim, after coming back to do an International Relations MA in the UK, is to work as an International Journalist at a news organisation in Japan, do lots of traveling and write works of fiction on the side!  

I am currently taking modules in Creative Writing and the works of James Joyce, as well as a dissertation studying the effects of feminism and deconstruction in the popular media, using the careers of Madonna and Beth Ditto, from punk band The Gossip, as case studies. Although my dissertation topic is a bit different to a normal literary dissertation, I'm finding it very fulfilling combining academic knowledge with sources from my work at the NME, and I hope to get some interesting results from my research! 

Last term I took the drama module Performing Memory, and I felt very motivated and inspired by its informal, practical teaching method. The new approach to learning, and the novel assessment method producing your own 15 minute performance covering work studied on the module was a welcome change to the usual grind of essays and exams, and I feel I got far more out of it as a result of my added engagement.
 

Rudy Katoch

English Studies

My name is Rudy Katoch and I'm studying English. It's a subject in which you can really be enthused about. It's helped by a well-formed syllabus across the degree and marvelous teaching.

Whilst there were texts during my course that encouraged ardour or disdain, I felt my approach to them as a student, a reader and a person have developed sophistication as the year progresses.

To exemplify, I can just point out my Literature seminars. It's here where I can see how the application of my work interacts with invigorating questions from the tutor and dialogue between talented students.

The relaxed and stimulating environment can be seen from Drama to Language. But it's my fondness for Literature that has illuminated other facets of my degree.

For example, by learning of Gerard Genette's theory on Narrative Discourse, it's informed my reading on Chaucer's The Prioress' Tale in Middle English as well as my linguistic analysis between the openings of David Copperfield and The Catcher in the Rye .

It's rewarding to learn and to enjoy every day because of the dynamic nature of English and the Nottingham degree.
  

Bianca Leggett

English Studies

My name is Bianca Leggett and I'm a final year student reading English Studies here at Nottingham.  The course here has really stretched my brain in every direction since I began two years ago, encompassing language, literature (ancient and modern) and even performance.  The blurring of the line between the literary and the linguistic in the course has given me a fresh and progressive take on the discipline, while the opportunity to delve into the realms of Old and Middle English has introduced me to some weird and wonderful stuff I would never have tackled on my own.  The mixture of academic expertise and unpretentious enthusiasm is a really winning combination in the department; if you give the course your best there will always be a wealth of encouragement to be had.  My preference is for twentieth century fiction and am never happier than when stuck into a lively seminar.  The course here has confirmed me in my chosen path to nerd-dom and I look forward to another slice of academia in the form of a masters, going on to PhD after. 

This is my second year acting as Arts Editor to the University's magazine which puts me in charge of commissioning features on the arts scene here in Nottingham and making sure we get some top notch reviews of major arts events in the area.  I've also had several delightful forays into acting courtesy of the University's ever-lively New Theatre, playing a string of morally dubious characters ranging from a Nazi informer to a brothel Madame.  I am also a 'student representative' which means I liaise between students and academic staff about matters concerning the course, trying to improve communication and push for improvements on behalf of students.
 

Ed Mayhew

English Studies

I've found the degree stretching, challenging and always interesting. Some of the books we've studied are absolute gems that I would never have discovered if I hadn't taken the course. The canonical books which are sometimes very difficult to get into have been a pleasure to study. I have enjoyed the breadth of the course, which is chronologically broad, covering Old English to Modern Literature and has a wide range of approaches to literature, covering theory and language alongside understanding literary culture. I have particularly enjoyed the final year modules. Twentieth century mythology has been a highlight, which has allowed us to examine classical mythology and its use in twentieth century literature. Along with this, the option of doing a dissertation on any area of choice has challenged and, I hope, developed my writing skills more than any other area of the course. This is not to mention many other great modules and seminars I've had throughout my time here.  

It has been a great platform for a future career. I hope to become a writer, but even if that dream doesn't materialise, the skills that this course develops are so practical and sought-after that I can feel very secure about my future.  

There are so many benefits of simply being at Nottingham University. It's been great to be involved in a vibrant Christian Union and to be able to study on such a beautiful campus with so many fantastic, laid back and incredibly intelligent friends.
 

Poppy Ratcliffe

English Studies

Although I'm still uncertain about my future after graduation I'm confident that my degree will have stood me in good stead.  The English Studies degree course offered at Nottingham is renowned for its diversity and this is what attracted me initially.  In my first year I took some brilliant subsidiary modules in Italian, Modern Thought and Psychoanalysis and the third year has offered a fantastic choice of modules within the English department itself.  I found last semester's module Classical Mythology in Twentieth-Century Literature particularly stimulating with its interesting range of texts and am currently enjoying modules on Shakespeare and Jonson, James Joyce and Arthurian Literature.  The standard of teaching has been excellent; at times, inspirational (Gordon Ramsay's surreal drama lectures come to mind), and, aside from this, I have accumulated a useful range of transferable skills.
 

Johan van der Merwe

Viking Studies

Viking Studies isn't just about Vikings. I've had a fascination with the Middle Ages since I was little and when I decided that it was that which I wished to study at university, Nottingham, and Viking Studies, was the best way to do it. It's specialised for an undergraduate degree, but its also all the more rewarding for it. The course combines modules from the schools of English, History and Archaeology, thus not only facilitating a cutting-edge, interdisciplinary approach to the subject matter, but also giving you the opportunity to experience these different disciplines and the insights and skills they offer. In addition to this, Nottingham is a Mecca for medieval studies so you're taught by some of the best people in their fields and this can make all the difference when tackling a university degree. The passion, knowledge, and support offered by those teaching on this course has only served to inspire me further.

The Middle Ages are generally left out or glossed over in the school curriculum but they happen to be among the most important and formative periods of our history and doing this degree has been like opening a set of doors onto an entirely new world. Viking Studies also provides excellent grounding for further study in any one of its three constituent disciplines, which is where I'm headed next. If you're thinking of postgraduate study you won't match Nottingham's range of MA's, many of which are unique, for spice or flavour. As far as I'm concerned, there is no better way to study Vikings or the Middle Ages at an undergraduate level. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if other universities caught on to what amounts to a great idea and a great degree. But remember, Nottingham did it first, and, thanks to Dr Christina Lee, our course convenor, will still be doing it best for a long time.