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A Summer Adventure in History and Literature

If you are hungry for finding out about the past and if you have a fascination with language or the way that the stories we tell shape our culture, a History and Literature course may be perfect for you. If you still need some persuading, why not look at this list of reasons to study History and Literature:

1. Transferable skills
Studying History provides a student with skills which are not confined to the study of the past. On the other hand, whatever people may think about Literature, it isn’t just about reading books. This course will allow you to learn valuable analytical skills, and the ability to analyse and then prioritise information that is vital to decision making. This not only provides a skill set for a student, but it also keeps career options open.

2. It is relevant
There is a stigma attached to History that it is based entirely in the distant past, but this does not account for the huge amount of modern history which is studied in such depth. We can also use classical literature to understand and improve our history. Be it poetry, novels, plays or other literary works. In order to make sense of current affairs it is important to study the past, as everything which is happening around us has been influenced by, and is a direct result of, that which preceded it. In this way, the study of History and Literature is explicitly relevant to us.

3. It is an investment in your future
If studied, a degree in the subjects of History or Literature can be an impressive and attractive feature on a CV. The widespread demand for good communication skills means History and Literature degrees offer lots of potential career paths such as academic librarian, archaeologist, archivist, arts administrator, film director and much more!

The Pre-University Taster course in History and Literature is running from 6 – 9 August 2018, and is led by academics from the Faculty of Arts & Humanities. Students will explore lives, key themes and events connected to London from a historical and literary perspective. Alongside daily classes, students will have the chance to extend their learning beyond the classroom with a course excursion to a relevant archive or museum. The application deadline is 15 May 2018.

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Understanding the human mind

The Pre-University Summer School is a unique academic and social experience designed for high school students who are enrolled in their final two years of study. If you are interested in Psychology and related subjects, you can study a summer school course where youwill be encouraged to adopt problem-based learning to see how insights from research can be applied to real world issues. With the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience being one of the world’s leading centres for interdisciplinary research in psychiatry and psychology, this programme can provide you with a valuable insight into this field of study.

Whatever career you pursue, a background in psychology will enhance your employability. Studying psychology can…

…help you understand yourself and other people by learning about aspects of human behaviour that will help you in daily life, including your interactions with others, your learning and memory performance, your ability to cope with pressure and your understanding of the causes of psychological disorders.

…complement other learning by combining Psychology with other subject areas. Many subject areas in arts and social sciences, benefit from an understanding of human behaviour, be it social interaction, language and communication, human motivation and emotion, or the process of decision-making. Moreover, knowledge about brain function and behaviour is of considerable benefit to students studying other science degrees.

…develop sound analytical skills through the application of scientific method. Psychology is a science. The defining feature of any science is the objective approach that is used to advance our knowledge. In psychology we use this scientific approach to learn about behaviour and mental life. Psychology provides an excellent training in analytical thinking and scientific research methods that are applicable to a broad range of careers.

A testimonial from a previous psychology student, Francesca Giombini, who expresses her thoughts on the programme- “I loved spending my summer at Kings and would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone. These two weeks went above and beyond my expectations both academically and socially!”

The course will be running in both session one (9 – 20 July 2018) and session two (23 July – 3 August 2018). The application deadline is 15 May 2018, and early application is advised. For more information, please check our website.

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Culture, Literature, Art, Film and More!

What better way to explore the vibrant city of London than to take a summer course highlighting its role in the arts, literature, media and film. Here is an overview of the culture modules offered by the King’s Undergraduate Summer School;

London & Film
This course is intended to introduce you to some significant debates within British film studies through a focus on London as a cinematic city, the divergent spaces of London, and capital’s relationship to film genres. Films that are screened across this module will explore both the tribulations of fictional Londoners, but also focus on its real-life inhabitants that have dually shaped and contributed to London’s own big-screen history.

Media, Gender & Culture   
Taught by the Department of Culture, Media and Creative Industries, this module is intended to give you the opportunity to undertake specialist learning in media, gender and contemporary culture. Taking full advantage of our location in central London, the class will visit many of the capital’s foremost cultural institutes and you will have the opportunity to meet with insiders from the media and cultural industries.

Museum of London: Curating the City
This module looks at the social, economic, and political history of London in the twentieth century by closely examining the various collections held at and the varied types of work carried out by museum curators. It is taught onsite at the Department of English and at the Museum of London with supervised access to museum artefacts and resources.

Wonderland: 100 Years of Children’s Literature
This course is intended to give you the opportunity, as an undergraduate student studying English Literature and/or History, to explore 100 years of children’s literature. The module will be taught by the Department of English, and will include a strong creative component where you will be given the chance to devise, and perform, your own children’s stories.

Jane Austen’s England 
This module examines Jane Austen’s life and work within the context of her time and in relation to her contemporaries. It will also explore Austen’s place within literary history, as well as locating her work and her world in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries by comparing and contrasting the original texts with TV and film adaptations, sequels and textual transformations at the hands of modern directors and writers.

Literature in the City   
This module will examine the relationship between urban space and narrative representation in three European cities: London, Dublin, and Berlin.Students will be encouraged to use a combination of political, social, and literary theory to navigate literal and figurative cityscapes, through class discussion, short assignments, and exercises in urban rambling.

Theatrical London 
This module will be taught by the Department of English, and will examine London’s diverse and vibrant scene from its historic development to contemporary performance in the city and through this examination introduces theories and vocabulary used to analyse actors, audiences and architecture, the key components of theatre making.

Session one of the King’s Undergraduate Summer School runs from 2 – 20 July 2018 and session two runs from 23 July to 10 August 2018. All applications must be submitted online by 31 May 2018. More information about the academic content can be found on this webpage. All the best with your application and we hope to see you in London this summer.

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Kick-start your Future in Science and Technology

Science and Technology are closely linked aspects of society, and the developments in both of these fields are essential for the overall progress of humankind.

Science comprises a wide variety of fields ranging from chemistry to relatively advanced fields like space exploration, human genetics, and cloning. Scientific study attempts to explore and understand the physical world and tries to analyse the occurrences in nature and gain more knowledge through experimentation.

On the other hand, the importance of technology lies in its manifold benefits to society. The advancement in this field has revolutionised human life. It has provided an impetus to the computer and the telecommunication industry. The developments in communication technology have made the world a smaller place. The Internet serving as an excellent communication platform has made the world flat.

The Pre-University Summer School offers a course in Science and Technology to prepare students who are considering an undergraduate degree in science, engineering or related subjects. Led by academics from King’s Natural and Mathematical Sciences faculty, students will study fundamentals of chemistry, physics and engineering to build their theoretical and experimental understanding of each discipline in the modern world.

The programme will run from 9 to 20 July 2018 and the application deadline is 15 May 2018.

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My King’s Experience- Anaelle Prioux

My name is Anaelle, but everyone calls me Ana. This year I was lucky enough to experience King’s College and the beautiful city of London. The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about my experience at King’s is the international environment. It would have been easier for me to stick with people from my country- France, but King’s has students from over 100 different nationalities, so I wanted to take advantage of having a multicultural university experience.

My closest friends were from Hong Kong, Singapore and Ireland. They’ve taught me how to make dumplings and speak rudimental Irish. It’s honestly a lot of fun to be around students from different cultures and it’s made my time at King’s a lot more enjoyable.

Another important aspect is that this international culture is also present in the academic life. When studying at King’s, you get professors and seminar leaders from all over the world who specialise in interesting disciplines and are able to teach you new perspectives. In the History department, there are a lot of non-Eurocentric modules about post-colonial Africa, early modern China and the African heritage of Latin American cultures.

So, what makes studying at King’s a good experience? The location of it’s main campuses. Waterloo, Strand and London Bridge are all in the heart of London, in bustling areas that are also close to major monuments and attractions. It helps with discovering the city, especially if you’re new to London like me! Trafalgar Square, the West End and the National Gallery are all around the corner from Strand and Waterloo. From Guy’s campus, you can easily pop to the Tate Modern, the Shard and my favourite- Borough Market with all the amazing food options it offers (I highly recommend Ethiopian Flavours and Luminary Bakery).

The last point I’d like to mention is the variety and quality of non-academic activities organised by King’s College London Student Union (KCLSU). King’s Sports runs a great programme called BeActive and organises sport sessions in badminton, yoga, football, basketball, running (and a lot of other activities). It’s been a really good way for me to stay fit without the commitment of a formal sports team!

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Undergraduate Summer School Modules in Maths and Engineering

Applications are now open for our Undergraduate Summer School in Maths and Engineering.

In Session One (2 – 20 July 2018) we will be running the Applied Maths: Understanding Engineering through Numbers module. This module is aimed at university students who are keen to improve and strengthen their knowledge of applied mathematics. The focus of this module will be on the application of mathematical methods to a variety of real-world problems from physics and mechanics. Previous mathematical and physics education will be expected. The course will be taught by Dr Jordi Alastruey-Arimon and Dr Peter Charlton from the Biomedical Engineering Department here at King’s.

Dr Peter Charlton explained his insight into the course: “The Applied Maths module provides an introduction to the mathematical techniques which are used to solve engineering problems. Students are given opportunity to put the techniques into practice by tackling real-world engineering problems, including a special focus on clinically-relevant problems in the field of biomedical engineering.”

In Session Two (23 July – 10 August 2018) you will have the opportunity to study Engineering: Creating Technologies that Help People. During this module you will engage in a project which aims to deliver a technical solutions to a challenging task, set by local community groups and NGOs working in sustainable development projects. You’ll learn how to undertake these projects, from the initial planning stages to the delivery of an appropriate sustainable solution, whilst learning to manage your time and resources. Dr Jamie Barras from the King’s Department of Informatics will be teaching this module. He has recently written an article about the module for our SummerTimes blog, which you can read here.

These modules are often taken for credit towards degrees at other institutions, and are examined to university standards. To receive credit for King’s summer classes, contact your home institution to ask them to award external credit.

You can submit an application for the Undergraduate Summer School now, and will have until 31 May 2018 to do so. If you have any questions about the programme please email us at summer@kcl.ac.uk. Alternatively, follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for up to date information about the Summer Programmes Team.

 

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King’s & Stemettes Inspiring A New Generation of Women in STEM

Summer Programmes is proud to announce a collaboration with Stemettes, an award-winning social enterprise focused on providing confidence, inspiration and guidance for young women looking to pursue subjects and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Female representation in STEM fields is low worldwide. In the UK, only 21% of the STEM workforce is female, and stereotypes about gender differences in STEM fields become entrenched in girls’ minds by the age of six.

To inspire girls in the UK and Ireland to dive into STEM, Stemettes was co-founded by Anne-Marie Imafidon in 2013, and since then over 17,000 girls have attended their events, and 95% of those girls have reported an increased interest in STEM fields thereafter. Although they’ve already had a significant impact in bringing more girls into STEM, they have aimed to reach two million more by 2025, and to see a STEM workforce with greater female representation.

Building on the Women in STEM initiative at King’s and our belief that girls and young women should be encouraged to pursue degrees and careers in STEM, we are delighted to be offering 10 tuition-fee scholarships this summer to enthusiastic and motivated students nominated through Stemettes. These students will ensure that 50% of our intake for the Engineering course is female. The course is part of our Pre-University Taster programme which is designed to prepare high school students for university life and offers a variety of subjects in addition to engineering such as law, politics, history and literature and science. It willrun from 6-9 August 2018 and applications will close end of May 2018.

For more information on Stemettes visit their webpage. In addition, further details about our Pre-University Taster can be found here.

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Summer Education Abroad- Berlin

Berlin’s combo of glamour and grit is bound to mesmerise anyone keen to explore its vibrant culture, cutting-edge architecture and tangible history. It is the capital of Germany and one of the most celebrated and renowned cultural epicenters in Europe.

This course is designed for King’s students studying a range of different subject areas. Students will discover the city of Berlin and explore how citizenship shapes how cities and communities are built and rebuilt through history. By joining this highly interactive, skills and knowledge-building programme, they will be intellectually stimulated and personally empowered.

We will be running two sessions in consecutive weeks, with 25 places on each course:

  • Session 1: 11 – 15 June 2018
  • Session 2: 18 – 22 June 2018

Participation in this programme is fully funded as part of the commitment to King’s institutional strategy to support the brightest minds regardless of background. King’s will cover all course-related content, economy return flight to Berlin, any local travel related to the programme and affordable accommodation in the city centre. Please see here for further information about funding eligibility.

The study tour will use excursions, museum visits and discussions with Berliners to offer expert insight into both Berlin’s past and its present, enabling participants to profoundly experience this dynamic city whose future will influence the development of the Western world.

The course will be led for the second time by Aida Baghernejad. She explained her thoughts in the upcoming Summer Times blog; “This course introduces you to dynamic people who have taken their life and their destiny into their own hands. It’s all about personal agency and responsbility; about not only dreaming of a utopia, but actually just creating it yourself.”

The deadline for applications is midnight on Sunday 25th March 2018. Students can apply online here. Please see the webpage for further application guidance.

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King’s Summer Scholarships

Given our partnership with UNHCR, King’s Summer Programmes is proud to be offering ten tuition fee scholarships to forced migrants from the UK and around the globe. These scholarships are for students wishing to study on any one of the following programmes: 2018 Undergraduate School, 2018 Pre-University Summer School, 2018 Pre-University Taster.

The term `forced migrant` is used as an umbrella term for the following immigration backgrounds:

  • Asylum seeker is someone who has lodged an application for protection on the basis of the Refugee Convention or Article 3 of the ECHR.
  • Refugee is a former asylum seeker person who has been granted refuge in a country other than their home country. They have been able to prove that if they are returned home, they will be prosecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinion.
  • Humanitarian Protection is given to people, if sent back, would face punishment due to a previously not mentioned case.
  • Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Child status is given in unique cases for children arriving to the country separated from their parents, for a limited period of time, usually until they turn 17.5.
  • Limited Leave to Remain (previously Discretionary Leave to Remain) is given for applicants with unique cases to remain in the UK for a limited period of time
  • Long Residence Status can be granted in case of demonstrating continuous residency in the UK for several years (sufficient length depends on age).

According to UNHCR statistics, only 1% of eligible refugees have access to higher education, compared to 36% of global youth. Higher education is a priority for UNHCR and forms an integral part of their protection and solutions mandate. The King’s Summer School is pleased to be involved in this partnership and welcome students to apply.

The deadline for this scholarship is 1 April 2018.  All scholarship applicants need to apply for the programme in the usual way and must fulfill our standard academic criteria. For information on how to apply for this scholarship please read the guidelines here. Good luck!

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King’s Summer Weekends with The National Archives – Family History

King’s is working with some of the most prestigious British and international institutions to bring you King’s Summer Weekends for the intellectually curious. This stimulating and informative bite-size course is designed to fit around your personal and professional commitments.

Tracing your family tree and learning more about your ancestors has become a national passion, but many family historians soon find that internet research gives limited results, with simple lists of names and dates often being all that is available.

This course is for everyone who wants to expand their research into their family tree. It combines instruction on practical researching techniques with academic insight into how key historic events shape stories across generations. It is designed to help participants better read the information they discover, expand their investigation beyond the internet to include historical archives and guide them in their interpretation of details such as professions and social status to make their own journeys into their family’s history as rewarding and revealing as possible.

The registration deadline is  20 July 2018. For more information about the programme, please visit our webpage. Alternatively follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for up to date information about the Summer Programmes Team.