T2G: Arts and Social Sciences

Have you ever had an imaginary argument with your Nemesis in the shower or come up with the perfect response to a point after the debate has finished? This elective will teach you some of the ways in which we build up effective, powerful arguments. We’ll do this by looking at Classical and modern models of rhetoric, and then applying these models to various important texts through time.  

You’ll get the opportunity to learn about topics ranging from the American Declaration of Independence and the Indians of All Tribes Proclamation at Alcatraz in San Francisco to one of the most important books on gender/sex relations and how modern politicians frame arguments to win/lose points (think: Donald Trump and Boris Johnson). 

Argumentation is all around us and is an art form. This elective will allow you to learn from the best – and go on to debate and argue with the best!  

Elective tutor: Dr Andrew Struan  

Andrew is the Head of Student Learning Development (SLD). Andrew manages the SLD team in the development of academic literacies for all students. Andrew is also the Programme Co-ordinator for the largest course of any university in the UK, the Academic Writing Skills Programme. Andrew’s research is in political history; he looks at the ways in which language and political debate shape our conceptions of ideas/peoples/practices, and how this changes over time. Andrew has spoken and published widely on student learning, student writing and British politics. His PhD was in networks of political knowledge at the time of the American Revolution.  

Beginning with Marshall McLuhan’s pivotal proposition that ‘the medium is the message’ – that is, the medium (mode/platform/style of delivery) of any message is just as important (if not more so!) than the content of the message and requires just as much critical attention – this elective introduces the key tenets of media studies.  
 
In the current context, where we are constantly bombarded by information from various sources and with differing agendas, it perhaps more important than ever that we are sceptical about the content we consume and recognise the role the medium plays in how we consume it.  

Regardless of which subject you study, being able to critically analyse content across a range of sources is one of the primary intended learning outcomes of University education. 

Elective tutor: Dr Stuart Purcell

Stuart Purcell is the Effective Learning Adviser for the College of Arts, working in SLD. He currently lectures on most degrees across the College of Arts, focusing in particular on critical research. His PhD is in English Literature and Media Studies at the University, with his thesis addressing (very) contemporary literary practice and Twitter as ‘a future’ of the novel. He has published and presented internationally on literature, media studies, and experimental methods in the Humanities. 

How does the language we use hold the power to change the way we see the world? Does talking about cancer as a ‘battle’ impact our experience of the disease? How can a scientific article manifest as click-bait in the media? What has Ancient Greece got to do with how world leaders respond to the pandemic? Does it matter if a Jaffa Cake is a cake or a biscuit? These are just some of the important questions we will be tackling during this course. We will be considering the power of language across five key areas – Science, Health, Politics, News Media, and Law – and in each class we will consider a different aspect of English Language & Linguistics in these spheres, for example, examining the impact of metaphors on discussions of ‘Health’. After taking this course, you will begin to think twice about the language you encounter daily and become more aware of the influence that even a single word can have. While it can be difficult to resist the pervasive pull of language, this course will enable you to encounter language from a deeper perspective and interrogate how, why, and where we use the power of language.  

Course tutor: Amber Hinde

Amber is one of the Effective Learning Advisers for International Students within SLD, and a PhD researcher in English Language & Linguistics, exploring the rhetoric of health and wellness in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Britain. Amber spend lots of her time in archives getting excited about old bread advertisements and menus for vegetarian restaurants. When she's not busy researching and teaching, she's usually lost in a good book or on a long walk with her Japanese Shiba Inu puppy, who is aptly named Meeko after the cheeky raccoon in Pocahontas!

This course will task us with answering the question: what is the United States of America?

We'll look at how the United States was founded, its core principles as a nation (if they exist), its view of itself, and how the concept of 'America' has been created since the time of the American Revolution in 1776. We'll look at some famous events in American history - from the Revolution and War for Independence, through slavery and its effects in the United States, to American foreign policy and its impact on the world. We'll look at how Americans view themselves and how non-Americans view the US, and we might even talk about how Star Trek and the Simpsons deploy American soft power across the globe.

Elective tutor: Dr Andrew Struan  

Andrew is the Head of Student Learning Development (SLD). Andrew manages the SLD team in the development of academic literacies for all students. Andrew is also the Programme Co-ordinator for the largest course of any university in the UK, the Academic Writing Skills Programme. Andrew’s research is in political history; he looks at the ways in which language and political debate shape our conceptions of ideas/peoples/practices, and how this changes over time. Andrew has spoken and published widely on student learning, student writing and British politics. His PhD was in networks of political knowledge at the time of the American Revolution.  

'What is critical theory, what is it for, and how do I use it?'

These are perhaps questions you have asked yourself when thinking about starting your new courses of study; if not, they are likely questions that you will soon be thinking about when you do start your new courses of study! Thinking about critical theory and how to use it in an academic context can be confusing, or possibly even terrifying (if you ask course co-convenors Mona and Stuart about their experiences as students!). However, this course is designed to alleviate this uncertainty and allay these fears.

When we talk about 'critical theory', we mean a category of theories that examine and critique society and culture, typically with the ultimate aim of making improvements. They are theories that draw from an interdisciplinary base of knowledge and practice so, regardless of which subject you study, being able to understand and employ critical theory will likely be a key aspect of your courses. This course will provide the foundations for you to be able to do so, providing you with the opportunity to apply this knowledge and these skills to material relating your own subject areas.

The course will be taught via seminar-based classes, giving you the opportunity to learn, discuss, and engage with the critical theories covered in the course in a variety of ways and in relation to a range of materials.

Elective tutors: Dr Mona O'Brien and Dr Stuart Purcell

Stuart Purcell is the Effective Learning Adviser for the College of Arts, working in SLD. He currently lectures on most degrees across the College of Arts, focusing in particular on critical research. His PhD is in English Literature and Media Studies at the University, with his thesis addressing (very) contemporary literary practice and Twitter as ‘a future’ of the novel. He has published and presented internationally on literature, media studies, and experimental methods in the Humanities.

Mona O’Brien is one of the Effective Learning Advisers for International Students, working in SLD. She works with students in all four Colleges, supporting them in transitioning to study at the University of Glasgow, understanding the academic context and expectations, and building key skills for academic success. Mona has a PhD in History, and her research investigates the relationships between the medical, social, and legal responses to illness and disease in Germany from the late Middle Ages until the eve of the Enlightenment. 

'We tell ourselves stories in order to live' -- Joan Didion, The White Album.

Why do we tell stories? How are the stories we tell connected to who we are? How do we express ourselves through words? This course will offer you the unique opportunity to explore the connection between fiction and identity through a series of very short stories by masters of the genre and some extracts from key critical texts on different identity theories: from nationality and race to gender and sexuality.

The course, which assumes no prior specialised knowledge, will be discussion-based. You will be asked to engage with a selection of texts and think about a series of questions ahead of each session, and the class will be a place for the exchange of ideas, discussion with others, and activities. At the end of the course, you will have a chance to demonstrate what you have learned both about the very short story form and theories of identity in two ways: by writing your own very short story and by producing a short critical analysis of your own piece informed by the theories you have learned during the course.

Elective tutor: Dr Aleix Tura Vecino

Aleix Tura Vecino is the Effective Learning Adviser for the College of Social Sciences. Aleix has a PhD in English Literature and, prior to working in SLD, taught in the English Departments of the Universities of Stirling and Glasgow. Aleix's research looks at short fiction and discourses of identity, exploring the ways in which we construct who we and others are through stories. Aleix has published book chapters and critical articles on this topic in various academic journals books.

In the early Middle Ages, relics - physical objects connected to saints - were central to the reinforcement and spread of Christianity. In the sixteenth century, however, the Protestant Reformation intentionally removed relics from churches and religious rituals. The first three seminars will apply theoretical frameworks from the Cognitive Science of Religion to study how early Christians used relics to spread the faith. The turbulent Reformation marked a break with medieval practices, and Protestants rejected relics in a search for other means to convey the traditions and history of the Church. The subsequent three seminars will examine how Catholicism and Protestantism continued to grow in a post-medieval Europe.

After taking this course, you will have gained the skills to critically analyse historical sources, while also learning new methods for the study of religious behaviours and beliefs.

Elective tutor: Jessica Leeper

Jessica Leeper is a Graduate Teaching Assistant for Student Learning Development and History. She moved to Glasgow for her MLitt. in Early Modern History and stayed for her PhD in Medieval History. Her research takes an interdisciplinary approach between the early Middle Ages and the Cognitive Science of Religion. She examined the writing of Gregory of Tours, a sixth century bishop from Tours, to understand how he reinforced the Christian religion in his 'Eight Books of Miracles'.