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Links between monster imagery and post-traumatic stress explored in new paper
A new paper by Jenny Hamilton, Programme Leader for Counselling and the MSc Mental Health, Wellbeing & Resilience at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), is exploring the relationship between monster imagery and post-traumatic stress. Monsters are considered as symbol and metaphor for unspoken or unprocessed personal and cultural trauma, that may represent underlying, unacknowledged fears. The paper develops Jenny’s academic and counselling work in the area of film therapy and discusses how encounters with the monster onscreen, in mental imagery, dreams or metaphor, may be allegorical to the individual’s internal struggle with post-traumatic stress. The paper particularly explores how monsters represent fears surrounding cancer and terminal illness in movies such as A Monster Calls and The Shallows. It is proposed that trauma experience confronts us with our mortality and fragility, bringing us into contact with the sense of ‘abject’ horror represented by monster imagery, when faced with existential threats that may render the everyday meaningless. Speaking after publication Jenny discussed some of the papers themes: “Our fascination with monsters may be linked to an adaptive evolutionary drive to symbolise experience into awareness for processing and meaning making. These initial imaged representations of fear states may begin a process of psychological integration of difficult experiences. In this way monsters may actually play a complex role in a human struggle to come to terms with overwhelming events. Onscreen monsters may allow us to face our fears and survive.” The themes discussed in the paper are relevant to academics and students in different disciplines, from literature, film and media studies to counselling and psychology. It has been published online in the journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications is available through open access as part of a wider journal collection of articles ‘Monsters: interdisciplinary explorations of monstrosity’. You can find it by clicking here. To find out how you can create your own successes in our collaborative learning community, visit our website, speak to a member of our Enquiries Team or join us on one of our Open Days. -
How Research is Driving Innovation in Health Care at BGU
At Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) we’re proud to offer a diverse range of health care related courses designed to train and upskill at all levels, be they budding professionals or seasoned practitioners. Innovation is the driving force of these courses, particularly the MA Health and Social Care Leadership along with the MSc Primary and Community Care, which look to explore opportunities to take the health care profession to a new level. -
‘Rare insight’ into sexual crime and intellectual functioning explored by BGU academic
Helen Swaby, Lecturer on the undergraduate Counselling programme and MSc Mental Health, Wellbeing and Resilience has recently published a book titled “Sexual Crime and Intellectual Functioning”. Co-edited with colleagues from Nottingham Trent University and led by Kerensa Hocken, who is a registered Forensic Psychologist in HMPPS Midlands Psychology Service, the book draws on expertise from clinical practice and applied research. The book is part of a series, with each volume exploring a specific field of research within the area of sexual crime. Thus far, this has included sexual crime and prevention, religion, experience of imprisonment, Circles of Support and Accountability and trauma. Speaking following publication Helen discussed the themes explored in the book along with who might find it a useful resource: “This book explores the theoretical and historical background to the interest in links between sexual offending and intellectual functioning as well as the assessment of intellectual functioning in prison. Interventions for low intellectual functioning, autistic spectrum and personality disorder are explored and the book offers a rare insight into the phenomenon of high IQ and sexual offending - a much neglected aspect of the sexual crime literature. It further offers an extraordinary insight into the experiences of a person of superior IQ in the criminal justice system for a sexual offence. The book is relevant not only to psychologists, criminologists, social workers and students, but also to practitioners, researchers and the general public with an interest in learning about sexual offending and intellectual functioning.” You can get your copy of the book by clicking here.. To find out how you can create your own successes in our collaborative learning community, visit our website, speak to a member of our Enquiries Team or join us on one of our Open Days. -
Remembering 2020 at BGU - January: Amazing Carers Initiative Earns Well Deserved Award
While 2020 has been a far from normal year at BGU, we’ve still been able to celebrate a wide range of successes and achievements from across our learning community. To mark the end of the year we’re picking out our favourite stories from each month to share with you. -
Remembering 2020 at BGU - March: BGU Student Projects Gain National Recognition
While 2020 has been a far from normal year at BGU, we’ve still been able to celebrate a wide range of successes and achievements from across our learning community. To mark the end of the year we’re picking out our favourite stories from each month to share with you. -
Hull’s Historic Docks and Ceremonial Culture Explored in Lecturer’s Award-Winning Essay
Dr Michael Reeve, Lecturer in History at BGU, has won the 2020 Gordon Forster Essay Prize, awarded by the Northern History journal, for his article exploring Hull’s historic docks and civic ceremonial culture. The piece, entitled ‘'An Empire Dock’: Place Promotion and the Local Acculturation of Imperial Discourse in ‘Britain’s Third Port’', looks in detail at civic ceremonial culture in Hull in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with a specific focus on new dock openings. This includes the grand opening of the 'Joint Dock' in east Hull in June 1914. This state-of-the-art dock was later known as King George Dock in honour of George V, who opened it with his wife, Mary, the Queen-consort. The article is concerned, in particular, with the way the British empire figured as a symbol and motif in dock openings and the promotional materials that surrounded them. Speaking following the article’s publication, Dr Reeve discussed what drew him to the subject: “This area of history has long interested me as a native of the port city of Hull, where I grew up just a stone's throw from the King George Dock. I kind of stumbled upon the topic when trying to develop a blog post about urban culture and civic ceremony during the First World War about three years ago (most of my work to date has focused on this conflict)! I ended up developing it into something much broader, related to the mid-nineteenth and early-twentieth century history of the British empire and its impact on urban culture in culture in coastal places. I found the opening ceremony for the dock fascinating and thought that it had clear connections to historical accounts I had read about imperial citizenship, as well as a wider research concern I have with 'coastal-urban' experience and identities in history. When I got into the archives (mainly the Hull History Centre and the British Newspaper Archive), I found a wealth of material to go on, from colourful brochures and ticket stubs, to richly-detailed newspaper accounts and planning documents. The article should be of interest to students enrolled on modules related to the British empire and identity (such as the third-year module, The Sun Never Set and the Blood Never Dried: The British Empire in the Long Nineteenth Century and the first-year module, History of Identity) and those researching local historical topics and methods. It will also relate to the MA Social and Cultural History module, City and Countryside in Transition 1870-1914, given its focus on urban historical change.” The article is currently available to download for free (for a limited time) by clicking here. To find out more about how you can uncover new adventures on a History course at BGU, visit our website, book onto one of our Open Events or speak to a member of our Enquiries Team. -
Christmas at BGU – Bringing Cheer and Raising Funds
By Linette Wallace, CELT Coordinator Support and activities for Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) students over the festive period looked slightly different this year due to the second national lockdown and the staggering of students leaving the campus earlier than normal and focusing on remote learning. However, to ensure the safety and welfare of our students, (some of whom still remained on campus during the holiday period) a suite of activities and support were put in place to help people not feel isolated and so that they could access key advice and assistance should they have needed it. Prior to the Christmas break, the University started on-campus Lateral Flow Testing for both students and staff. This helped to ensure that students could be tested for COVID-19 and protect themselves and their families as much as possible by having the required amount of self-isolation time if applicable before returning home for the holiday period. Whilst the campus was closed, the security team were present on-site 24/7 and accommodation and Chaplaincy staff also provided support. The Students’ Union continued to add wellbeing advice to their social media pages throughout the season and students could continue to access a range of resources and advice through the Student Advice Centre and via the Health Assured service BGU have put in place so that students can access wellbeing advice 24 hours a day. All BGU students have access to the Resilience Toolkit which is situated on their virtual learning environment and provides a raft of information on stress/resilience and mindfulness. In addition, goodie bags containing a range of treats were delivered to International and Erasmus students living on campus and small, potted Christmas trees were also delivered to some of these students living off-campus so that they could make their environments as homely as possible. To help engage with and safeguard students who were away from family and friends during the holiday period, staff at BGU organised online chit-chats, door step meets, organised walks and a remote virtual ‘Escape Room’ game. Students, some of whom were resident on campus and some who still participated after securing a flight home, worked together to answer a range of challenges and puzzles to advance through the game and solve the conundrum. The Escape Room was hosted by Macmillan Cancer Support and donations were made to the charity of £160.56 including Gift Aid to support the event. To find out how you can create your own successes in our collaborative learning community, visit our website, speak to a member of our Enquiries Team or join us on one of our Open Days. -
MA Student’s “Outstanding” Thesis Nominated for National History Prize
MA in Social and Cultural History student Simon Bromiley has been nominated for the RHS Rees Davies Prize for outstanding Master's thesis in History for his thesis ‘Misogyny in Manchester? Understanding the violence against women at Peterloo in 1819’. The thesis explores the Peterloo Massacre in 1819, which saw 18 people killed and over 700 injured as troops dispersed a peaceful Manchester crowd rallying for electoral reform. Interestingly, few historians have studied the massacre using a gendered approach which is striking given that women were nearly twice as likely to be sabred or truncheoned. Utilising a range of sources, Simon’s study revealed that the Peterloo women were deliberately targeted by the authorities who demonised and ‘othered’ them as non-citizens within a worldview that was inherently masculine, militaristic and misogynistic. During a period stereotyped by the gentile world of Jane Austen, the dissertation highlights a more disturbing form of Pride and Prejudice. Speaking following the nomination Simon’s supervisor Dr W. Jack Rhoden, Programme Leader for History at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) praised his work and the impact it could have on future research: “Drawing on archival materials, Simon has demonstrated the importance of understanding the event in gendered terms, with complex ideas of masculinity and femininity underpinning the tragic violence and ensuing political battle for its memorialisation. The thesis also offered new avenues for future research by linking this violent episode to British imperial identity and experience in the early 19th century. It's an outstanding piece of research underlining the importance of using a gender history approach to revisit familiar historical events and draws heavily upon the collections of the People's History Museum in Manchester.” Dr Rhoden’s praise was echoed by Dr Claire Hubbard-Hall, Programme Leader for the MA in Social and Cultural History at Bishop Grosseteste University, who shared how the MA programme equips students for advanced historical research: “It has been a privilege to support Simon on his postgraduate journey at the university. Simon's Dissertation is an original contribution to the topic of Peterloo which has undergone a renaissance of interest in the wake of its 200 year anniversary. The MA in Social & Cultural History equips students with enhanced historical research skills, enabling them to conduct independent research and produce high-quality writing. At the undergraduate level, the aspiration is to become a historian, and the MA enables them to fully realise this, becoming an independent historian pushing the frontiers of historical knowledge.” If you’d like to follow in Simon’s footsteps and uncover new adventures on a History course at BGU, visit our website, book onto one of our Open Days or speak to a member of our Enquiries Team. -
Equality Trust CEO to Provide Keynote Talk at ‘Equality, Diversion and Inclusion’ Event
Dr Wanda Wyporska, CEO of the Equality Trust, will be the keynote speaker at one-day conference for PGCE Secondary trainees at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU). Dr Wyporska’s talk forms part of a wide array of activities to mark ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’ week , this year taking place over 8th-12th February, during which the trainees will be working independently to research a topic of their choice. Stimulus materials, including films and podcasts have been provided. A group of trainees will be working directly with BGU academic Dr Sheine Peart and Museumand to produce teaching resources under the theme of Black Lives Matter. Alongside this, lead social workers from Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire are going to be talking to the trainee teachers to tell them what they'd like teachers to know and understand about their work. Looking ahead to the week’s events, Dr Jenny Wynn, Programme Leader for PGCE Secondary at BGU, discussed why it was such an important part of the course curriculum: “At Bishop Grossteste University our 'Equality, Diversity and Inclusion' week has been a sector-leading part of our PGCE course for a number of years. The week aims to support trainee teachers’ professional commitment to equality in education through enhancing their knowledge and understanding of diversity and inclusive teaching practices, to meet the needs of all pupils. It usually involves workshops and placements and is very much an in-person experience. Obviously, this year has to be different!” “We are making use of 'Padlet' as a platform for trainees to collate and present their projects at an on-line discussion forum on the Friday. Research, that we have recently published, has demonstrated the transformative nature of this final sharing part of the week - time to consolidate thoughts and feelings before deciding what actions are important to take forward.” To find out how you can create your own successes in our collaborative learning community, visit our website, speak to a member of our Enquiries Team or join us on one of our Open Days. -
‘Ideal Candidate’ Academic Appointed as Trustee for Medmenham Collection
Dr Claire Hubbard-Hall, Programme Leader for Military History and the MA in Social and Cultural History at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), has been appointed as a Medmenham Collection Trustee by the Medmenham Association. The Medmenham Association was formed in 1946 from those that worked at RAF Medmenham, the allied photographic intelligence unit, during the Second World War (you can find an overview of activities at RAF Medmenham during the war by clicking here). The Association members formed a museum and archive of photographic intelligence, which was then transferred into a charity, the Medmenham Collection.Women made up half of the workforce at Medmenham, and included Winston Churchill's daughter. Unusual for the time, they were treated as equals, and appointed to roles based on their ability. The majority of trustees for the Medmenham Collection are drawn from serving and retired military intelligence officers. However, the board of trustees felt that the board needed additional expertise outside the military and that an academic with a background in intelligence research would enhance the Board’s expertise. Gp Capt Paul Stewart MBE, PhD, RAF (Retd), speaking on behalf of the collection, explained why they had been keen to appoint Dr Hubbard-Hall to the position: “Dr Claire Hubbard-Hall, who has supervised a PhD on RAF Medmenham and has extensive knowledge of Second World War intelligence studies was considered to be an ideal candidate for a trustee position." For Dr Hubbard-Hall, who specialises in Second World War Intelligence History, the appointment is timely to her endeavours to shine a brighter light on the role and contribution of women in intelligence: “As an intelligence historian specialising in the Second World War period, with a particular focus on women, it has been an honour to be asked.” If you’d like to find out more about uncovering new adventures on a History or Military History course at BGU, visit our website, book onto one of our Open Days or speak to a member of our Enquiries Team. Image credits: Header image - A photographic Interpreter at Danesfield House studies plans and photographs of a BMW factory with the use of a stereoscope. © Medmenham Collection
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