Search results
-
Celebrating the Charter of the Forest at BGU
The 800th anniversary of the Charter of the Forest will be commemorated in November, and Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln is joining in the celebrations. The 1217 Charter of the Forest re-established rights of access to the royal forest that were taken away by William the Conqueror. The charter complements Magna Carta and both documents can be viewed at Lincoln Castle, the only place in the world where two original copies of the documents can be found together. Lincoln Castle are hosting a celebration on 6 November 2017 where they will also launch a Charter for Trees, Woods and People for the 21st century. BGU will make a special contribution by having between 60 and 70 primary and secondary school students on campus. They will engage in age specific educational activities on the Charter of the Forest and the new Charter for Trees, Woods and People. BGU's special expertise in qualifying teachers and researchers at BGU on law and society will have its impact on these activities. The project is part of a major campaign, sponsored by the Woodland Trust, to work on Britain's environment for future generations. A ceremonial tree planting on the BGU campus will conclude the event. Interested in history? Find out more about studying History at BGU. -
BGU sponsors Gothic-themed Lincoln Book Festival
The Lincoln Book Festival is ‘Going Gothic’ this September and Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) is co-sponsoring a variety of events. The festival invites visitors to explore the Gothic at events celebrating the genre throughout the city. Literature, history, art and architecture are all on the line-up at the festival that ‘places history at its heart’. BGU is sponsoring a free workshop at the University of Lincoln on Gothic literature for local schools and colleges. Experts from both BGU and the University of Lincoln will jointly run the event on Wednesday 27 September. On Thursday 28 September, BGU’s Dr Claudia Capancioni chairs an evening of ‘Victorian Truths & Gothic Mysteries’ at The Collection alongside the University of Lincoln’s Dr Scott Brewer. The evening will see a talk from award-winning historian and biographer Kathryn Hughes telling ‘Tales of Flesh in the Ages of Decorum’. Author Diane Setterfield will then present her talk on ‘Fiction of a Gothic Disposition’. Dr Claudia Capancioni has also helped to organise a free event on Friday 29 September aimed at creative writers. ‘Writing Romance – Mills & Boon Style’ takes place at The Collection and the two invited speakers are both historical romance authors. The final BGU co-sponsored event of the festival is ‘An Afternoon of Architecture – Revived and Inspiring’ at BGU’s Robert Hardy Building on Saturday 30 September. The afternoon sees Geoff Brandwood guiding the audience through the revival of Gothic Architecture Victorian style and discussing the churches of Sir Gilbert Scott, including many examples in Lincolnshire. Author Pamela Holmes will also be speaking at the event. The festival also launched a Flash Fiction competition. Writers of any age and ability were encouraged to submit Gothic-themed short stories of exactly 50 words. Dr Claudia Capancioni was part of the judging panel tasked with shortlisting over 400 entries for the final judges. The winners in three categories (primary school age, secondary school age and adults) will be announced at the festival launch party on Monday 25 September. Speaking about the festival Dr Claudia Capancioni, Academic Coordinator for English at BGU, said, “this year’s festival is most exciting because of the Gothic theme and a new Flash Fiction competition. “The programme caters for the whole community with creative writing events as well as speakers who share their works. It is a great programme and I can say already that we have had a great response. “As the success of the Flash Fiction competition shows, there is interest in the events the programme presents. “We are pleased to be working with the organising committee, the community and colleagues at the University of Lincoln to make sure this year’s Lincoln Book Festival is most engaging with Gothic mystery, horror and romance.” The Lincoln Book Festival takes place from 25-30 September 2017 across a range of locations in Lincoln. Visit the Lincoln Book Festival website to book tickets now. -
Lincoln’s Battles and Dynasties Exhibition
By Dr Andrew Jackson, Historian, Bishop Grosseteste University In a room in The Collection in Lincoln is to be found a quite extraordinary set of historical documents and artefacts. It is a collection of a status and importance that very few of us will have the fortune to encounter in our lifetimes. The leading ‘curtain opener’ to the exhibition is the story of the Battle of Lincoln of 1217. Much has been said over the last few months about that bloody fight, which took place between the walls of the castle and cathedral on 20 May, 800 years ago. The tale of the conflict in that year is a complex one, but easily and compellingly followed through The Collection’s displays and artefacts. The story of Lincoln in 1217 features its heroes and heroines, including the ‘man of the hour’, William Marshall, and the ‘woman of the hour’, Nichola de la Haye, Constable of Lincoln Castle. It is an episode that has passed quietly into history, just one of those many events, if a slightly more fraught one, that are a part of the chronicle of the life of the nation. The Battle of Lincoln, for political significance, was the most important military encounter after the Battle of Hastings, two hundred years earlier. If the French and their English allies had won in 1217, then that year would undoubtedly have found equal place in our popular historical memory alongside 1066. Few contests rival its importance and impact in later times: Bosworth and Naseby perhaps; the Boyne or Culloden; and then, of course, the combat that took place in the skies above our heads through the long and critical summer of 1940. After the account of the Battle of Lincoln, the exhibition charts the stories of Royal and aristocratic dynasties, and how they intertwine along with battles and other celebrated or notorious events through our history. Some of the documents are especially poignant. There is Henry VIII’s letter to the people of Lincolnshire in 1536, describing them as ‘rude’, and the county as the ‘most brute and beestelie of the hole realme’. There are the documents that, respectively, condemned Catherine Howard and Mary Queen of Scots to the executioner’s block. There is a letter to Charles II on ‘that monster Cromwell’, who ‘everie night…drinks himself drunke to sleep and forgets his fears’. The twentieth century is arrived at finally; and, from that time, can be read one of the most shock-reverberating announcements in our past: ‘After long and anxious consideration, I have determined to renounce the throne to which I succeeded on the death of My father, and I am now communicating this, My final and irrevocable decision’. So concluded Edward VIII, in his letter of abdication of 10 December 1936. Whatever your historical interests, it is a collection that will leave you rather weak at the knees. Faced by such documents, even the most sceptical will find it hard not to feel moved, and share some sense of wonder at the marvellous, if often messy, history that is Britain’s. If what is to be encountered at The Collection is not high enough in significance, then at the Castle there are also to be viewed the Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forest, alongside the Domesday Book. Across city museums are at present some of the most precious and exceptional documents in our history. Each one you may have the opportunity to view just once in your life. To see them here together in small groups, and even more so as a whole gathering, is an experience that will never happen again in our lifetimes. >Bishop Grosseteste University is a sponsor of the Battles and Dynasties Exhibition. The exhibition lasts until 3 September 2017. Dr Andrew Jackson admiring a miniature portrait of Queen Elizabeth I from the Portland Collection -
The Enigma of Autism explored in BGU lecturer’s new book
A senior lecturer from Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln has edited a new book on autism. Dr Maria Efstratopoulou, Senior Lecturer in Special Educational Needs & Inclusion at BGU, launched her new book ‘The Enigma of Autism: Genius, Disability, or Just Different?’ at an event on campus this week. ‘The Enigma of Autism‘ is intended to serve as a resource for everyone who is dedicated not only to research but also to the education and wellbeing of children and adults on the Autistic Spectrum. The book presents the latest research findings in the field and provides coping strategies for professionals working with students with Autism in special education or mainstream settings. It is not only a research textbook for researchers and professionals but also aims to serve as a user-friendly guide and resource for the families who have a child in the Spectrum. Other contributors to the book from BGU are Dr Julia Lindley Baker who has written a chapter on strategies to cope and Dr Graham Basten who has written the foreword. ‘The Enigma of Autism: Genius, Disability, or Just Different?’ by Dr Maria Efstratopoulou was published in 2017 by Nova Sciences, New York. Find out more about studying Special Educational Needs & Inclusion -
Free conference at BGU to 'Improve Relationships in Schools'
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln has partnered with Think2Speak to again support their annual conference #T2SLive17. The event is aimed at staff working with young people to discuss the importance of 'Improving Relationships and Communications with a Whole School Approach'. The conference features expert speakers, including BGU's Dr Sacha Mason and Dr Richard Woolley, who will share the latest research, resources and practical guidance to teach relationships education and communicate more effectively; in the staffroom, classroom and between school and home. Delegates are also able to choose from a selection of workshops including RSE for SEN, Mental Toughness and Resilience, Recognising & understanding the signs & impact of shame on relationships and Leveraging Digital Media to Improve Communications in Your School. The conference takes place on Tuesday 28 November 2017 in BGU’s Hardy Building and is free of charge for staff employed in educational settings and school governors. Full details of the agenda, online booking and all the available workshops are on the website. -
BGU students to present at Lincoln’s first TEDx Youth
Students from the Business (Team Entrepreneurship) course at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln will present a workshop at the inaugural TEDx Youth Brayford Pool on Saturday. The team are running a workshop titled ’10 minutes to make 10k’. They will be using an innovative learning model for entrepreneurship to challenge understanding of business and idea creation in the modern world. Will, Max, Beth and Lewis are a group of students who run a registered company, Kinetic BGU Ltd, as part of their degree programme at BGU. Their business projects have included an Italian coffee brand, men's grooming products, a low-cost supermarket and container fabrication service. They are all individualistic and have different goals in life, but through a modern learning process have come together as a cohesive, efficient and ever-evolving team. Will Nuttall, Director of Kinetic BGU Ltd, said, “Our workshop will push the audiences understanding of business, learning and ultimately making money. 10k in 10 Minutes will hopefully prove to be an immersive and action-packed workshop for all those who attend.“ Also at Saturday's event Lewis Smith, BGU graduate in Education Studies with Special Educational Needs & Inclusion, will present a talk titled 'Exploring Our Future: Schooled, or Educated?' Find out more about studying Business at BGU. -
Women’s Victorian college life at BGU on show at Being Human Festival
This year Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln takes part in the national festival for the Humanities, Being Human 2017, to reveal the lost and found voice of the first students who trained to become teachers in the Victorian era. BGU’s event, titled ‘Becoming teachers: women’s college life from 1862 to 1918’, will explore the lives of women who trained as teachers from the 1860s onwards. Staff and students worked together in unfolding their stories through the remarkable original material diligently preserved in the BGU archive located on campus in the Cornerstone Building. This is the first time this rich material will be displayed and presented to the community. The event takes place on Saturday 18 November 2017 and invites attendees to engage with the lives of women, who trained as teachers at BGU from the 1860s to the vote, through imaginative activities. The programme includes an interactive display, talks, workshops, and presentations. You will be involved in rediscovering the lost voices of pioneering women and in unfolding BGU’s Victorian origins. At the centre of the event there is an exhibition entitled, BGU’s Victorian Origins: a women’s teacher training college for the Diocese of Lincoln, which displays original material from the archives including photographs, needlework, bulletins, records, and books. The event will being at 11:00 am. Additionally, on Thursday 23 November, Lincoln’s young writers in the making will help give the women who trained as teachers from the 1860s onwards a voice. Young writers from local schools who take part in Slam Jam and First Story will work with staff, students, and creative writers to recreate voices from the archives imaginatively through creative writing workshops. (If your school would like to take part in this event, please contact Dr Claudia Capancioni, claudia.capancioni@bishopg.ac.uk, by the 3 November.) -
Celebrating a Year of Improving Access to Higher Education
A scheme which aims to double the proportion of disadvantaged young people going to university will celebrate its achievements so far at an event in Woodhall Spa this week. LiNCHigher is led in Lincolnshire by Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) and is part of a wider national initiative (NCOP) funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to raise aspirations amongst young people. The overall aim is to meet government targets to improve access to higher education and the scheme will run for two years until December 2018, and possibly beyond. Around 50 guests are expected to attend the celebration at Woodhall Spa Manor on Wednesday 1st November, including the Mayor of Lincoln, Councillor Chris Burke and Professor Jayne Mitchell, Deputy Vice Chancellor of BGU. Since its formation in January 2017 the project team, consortium partners and delivery partners have worked to change attitudes towards higher education, improve knowledge of the options available to young people and raise aspirations within communities. “LiNCHigher is committed to offering information, advice and guidance for the young people of Lincolnshire and promoting local opportunities for their futures,” said Project Officer Natalie Poole. “We hope to inspire a new generation of students to grow and realise their aspirations while studying in or outside of Lincolnshire. “Our celebration event will bring together key stakeholders to encourage discussions around skills needs, higher education and Lincolnshire’s business community.” BGU's Professor Jayne Mitchell added: “The LiNCHigher project has made significant progress in engaging with young people, parents and teachers across Lincolnshire. As the success of the project gathers speed, support from partners and the wider community will prove ever more critical. “This celebration event will showcase our successes so far, introduce new stakeholders to the project and discuss plans for the future. It should be a fabulous event and I’m looking forward to welcoming our guests as Chair of the LiNCHigher Governance Board.” -
Talking Trans on the agenda as BGU lecturer speaks at Literary Festival
Lyndsay Muir, Senior Lecturer in Drama Education at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln, will be speaking at two events over the next week. On Wednesday 18 October Lyndsay is taking part in ‘Beyond the Binary: Stories from Trans and non-binary people’ at the University of Dundee’s Literary Festival. Lyndsay is a member of the National Theatre of Scotland’s Adam World Choir; a digital community of transgender and non-binary people around the globe. Together with the Mental Health Foundation and Freight Books, they are creating a new book of first-person accounts by transgender and non-binary people worldwide. The book, which aims to increase understanding and acceptance, and empower others to share their own stories, will be discussed at the event. As well as reading an extract from her own autobiographical contribution to the book, Lyndsay will help to facilitate informal conversations with people at the festival. Lyndsay is also taking part in ‘Interdisciplinarity as Resistance: A seminar and roundtable with Elisabeth Lebovici’ at Manchester University on Friday 13 October. Elisabeth Lebovici is a French art historian who is visiting Manchester for a two-day event. Lyndsay will be part of the panel of four experts at the roundtable discussion. Lyndsay said, “It's a great privilege to have been selected as a panel member for the round table discussion with Elizabeth Lebovici, whose work crosses boundaries between academic scholarship, artistic practices and politics.” -
National Poetry Day celebrated at BGU
Staff and students celebrated National Poetry Day 2017 at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln yesterday with a special event. Dr Claudia Capancioni and Dr Cassie Ulph from BGU's English Literature team at BGU hosted an afternoon of readings on the National Poetry Day's theme of 'Freedom'. Dr Andrew Jackson, historian and Head of School of Humanities at BGU, opened the event, introducing a poem by Lincolnshire's First World War Home Front poet, Bernard Samuel Gilbert. The poem was performed in dialect by local poet and folklorist, Maureen Sutton, and was warmly received by the audience. The event featured Paul Sutherland, Sufi Muslim poet, who read from his eleventh and newly published collection, 'New and Selected Poems'. Members of local poetry group The Pimento Poets also took part in the event. Another Lincolnshire poetry hero, Lord Alfred Tennyson, made an appearance thanks to the BGU Tennyson Poetry Award. The student winner of the Tennyson Poetry Award 2017 was announced as Phil Nicholls with his poem 'Do they even know'. Students at the event also read highly commended poems - ‘The Bird’s Song’ by Cameron Robson and ‘The Wild Poet’s Song’ by Laura Taylor Caçoete. Paul Sutherland, Nic Lance, and Maureen Sutton joined students and staff in reciting poems and sharing thoughts on the theme of 'Freedom'. There were emotional moments and funny ones, unpublished poems and very famous ones; most importantly, a sharing atmosphere where everyone in the audience felt free to talk, read, and make poetry happen in its most powerful way. Inspired by National Poetry Day 2017? Find out more about English at BGU.
Explore BGU
Browse our wide range of degree courses and find the perfect one for you.
Open days are the best way to find out what BGU has to offer.
Download your copy of our prospectus to find out more about life at BGU.