On Saturday 10th September people living in south Birmingham, Solihull, and nearby areas have a chance to find out about two part-time, first year degree level courses starting close to their homes this autumn.
Students joining these courses, which can work like mini Access courses, may be considered later for a place on a degree course at a top university, or they may study on these friendly two hour weekly ‘Certificate’ courses purely for interest and fun.
There will be two free taster sessions of 45 minutes each, yards from Acocks Green main shopping centre. Students can try out a short version of a typical weekly session on one or both of two different courses in English Literature and in Modern European History. (Or even sign up for both.)
Warwick Open Studies tutor Julia Larden said, “Im delighted that Warwick is extending this experiment in Acocks Green. This year I am offering an English Literature course and my colleague Dr Angela Jianu, will be joining me, offering her popular course in Modern European History Last year, on Central Campus at Warwick, both Angela’s and my courses were over-subscribed so we know there is a big demand. Also, with such a huge squeeze on high level arts courses for part-time students it is great to be offering these courses in Birmingham.”
Angela Jianu’s Wednesday morning courses covers modern European history from the French revolution to the present day. Angela, whose new book on Eastern European revolutionaries, A Circle of Friends, was recently published by Brill, will chart the progress from being a European ‘subject’ to becoming a modern European ‘citizen’ and the fight for widening political participation on barricades as well as at the negotiating table; from Napoleon to the revolutions of 1989 and beyond to the post-communist world.
On Julia’s Saturday morning course students will receive an introduction to the study of all main branches of English Literature (novels, poetry and drama) at degree level. This course will take an ‘intertextual’ approach, looking at the ways in which different literary texts can relate to, and run a debate with, one another. Why should we read Ian McEwan’s Atonement alongside L. P. Hartley’s The Go-Between, for example, or how did Wilfred Owen & Co in the trenches of the First World War react to Keats and Shelly?
The free, walk-in, taster sessions will run at Shirley Road Methodist Church Hall (corner of Shirley Road and Botteville Road, Acocks Green) from 10 to 10.45 for English and 11 – 11.45 for History. People are asked to arrive in good time for the session(s) they are interested in, but no advance notice is needed. The names of those joining on the day will be put in to a draw to win one of ten free £20.00 book tokens.
For more information see here and here or call University of Warwick, Open Studies, on 024 7615 1155.
