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James Mawdesley
History Major, Graduated 2010
The History Department at Lancaster University is an excellent place to study the past, providing students with an environment in which they can learn whilst surrounded by likeminded students and tutors. The Department offers many fascinating modules, and during my second and third years, I took modules which enabled me to study late Medieval Britain, early modern Britain, Renaissance Europe, nineteenth century Britain and Ireland, and the First World War. All of these modules were fascinating, and were taught by enthusiastic tutors who were able to bring out the best from their seminar groups.
The third year modules allow you to tackle subjects in further depth than you would in second year. Researching and writing a dissertation enables you to develop valuable skills in discovering information about the past from primary sources, including manuscript sources available in archives. It also provides you with evidence of research ability, which is useful for if you apply for postgraduate study, and particularly if you intend to apply for funding for your postgraduate study. The third year special subjects allow you to shadow a tutor's research, and this can provide you with new perspectives, both on that topic and also on your wider historical studies. I studied Dr Stephen Pumfrey's special subject, 'Science and Society in England, 1640-1688', which was an interesting topic taught in a stimulating seminar group. Special subjects also provide a good way of being introduced to specialist apparatus for studying history, such as Early English Books Online, a database which the University subscribes to which provided digital access to most books and pamphlets published in England between 1473 and 1700, and which is essential for the in-depth study of the early modern period that one might undertake as part of dissertation or special subject research.
Lancaster University is a fun place to spend your undergraduate years. There is a vibrant History Society, which organises lectures by historians from other universities, social events, trips, and even an annual ghost walk around Lancaster at Halloween! One of the highlights of my time at Lancaster was a trip to Scotland and north Cumbria organised by the History Society, which included visits to the Bewcastle Cross and Lanercost Priory. Lancaster itself is a historic city which provides all the amenities that a student needs, such as a variety of shops, sports facilities, and a cinema. There is also a mixture of historic pubs serving real ales, more student-oriented pubs, and nightclubs, including the Student Union's own club, Sugarhouse. Additionally, each college on campus has its own bar. For those who like to get away from the city, a walk along the Lancaster Canal will take you into the local countryside, and for those in search of more dramatic scenery, the Lake District is only a bus or train ride away. That is not to say that those who like to see some big city life will miss out, as Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds are all easily accessible by train from Lancaster.
I have really enjoyed my three years at Lancaster University, and although I am now moving on to continue my studies elsewhere, Lancaster provided me with the wide skills and expertise needed to be a historian, and I am grateful for that. And, away from academic matters, whilst at Lancaster I met many new friends, and some might say that that is the best thing about being at university.
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