UCL Hebrew and Jewish Studies student Niamh O’Connor, shares what a typical day in her life looks like studying the Hebrew & Jewish Studies BA. 

Welcome to a day in my life! As a Hebrew & Jewish Studies student, I take a mixture of language modules and history, politics, and culture modules. This term, I have 12 contact hours a week and study at the main Bloomsbury campus on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Last term I had classes every day, so it really depends on which modules you’re taking!  

06:30: Drive to the train station. I travel to London from Hertfordshire, so I like to give myself plenty of time to arrive on campus for a 9am lecture! 

06:45: Take the train and then tube to Euston Square or Warren St. I normally listen to music and revise language flashcards, today was Aramaic.  

08:00: Grab some breakfast on Tottenham Court Road and head to the HJS Common Room to avoid rush hour and prepare for the day. We are lucky to have a Departmental Common Room in Foster Court which we share with some of the SELCS departments. It’s a great space with computers, tables and sofas so it’s perfect for either relaxing and catching up with friends, eating lunch, or studying somewhere that isn’t totally silent. I really appreciate having somewhere to come that’s free and warm since I can’t go home between classes. 

09:00 – 11:00: Lecture on the establishment of religions and the separation of faith communities and the state, particularly the principle of ‘laïcité’ in France.  

11:00: Coffee and catch up with a friend to discuss a proposal for a Hebrew language café, where students across the department can come and speak with each other informally outside of the classroom setting.  

11:40: Meeting with my personal tutor to discuss study abroad plans. 

12:00: I eat lunch in the common room and then head to the Wellcome Collection, the free museum and library right behind the main Bloomsbury campus to do some reading before my next meeting.  

13:00: Weekly appointment with my mental health mentor where we talk about finding balance between studies, other responsibilities and rest! 

14:00: Head back to the common room for the last time to finish some reading before this evening’s lecture. 

16:00 – 18:00: Lecture. I’m taking a module with the Institute of the Americas on the History of Sexuality in the U.S. and Beyond which has been really interesting so far.  

18:00 – 20:30: Dinner with my friend at Rudy’s Pizza and then get the train home. 

20:30 – 22:30: Movie night at our house! We watched Good Will Hunting, contemplated moving to Boston, and then it was time for bed. 

Today was busy but I find that the structure helps me to maintain momentum with studying and means that I have time throughout the week to dedicate to a variety of activities. For me, being out of the house helps with concentration more than studying at home so sometimes I head to the UCL Marshgate Campus in Stratford which has great views!

Find out more about UCL Hebrew and Jewish Studies and the programmes they offer. 

This blog is an example of one day in the life of a student at UCL. Each day looks different for each student depending on the programme, department, year of study, timetable and modules chosen. Head to our online prospectus to find out more about our programmes. 

Mie Astrup Jensen (PhD Candidate in Gender & Sexuality Studies and Hebrew & Jewish Studies) was shortlisted for the Championing LGBTQ+ Inclusion UCL 2022 Inclusion Award. Mie was nominated for her work on Queer Pedagogy and departmental initiatives on LGBTQ+ inclusion. Mie shares with us her journey in developing inclusive classrooms and learning.

My EDI work focuses on pedagogical conversations, training, and changes. I’m very interested in classroom pedagogy, learning material, and inclusive language, which is evident in my projects.

I am Dr Cathy Elliott’s research assistant on a small-grants funded project on queer pedagogy. I have done extensive research on queer pedagogy, and conducted, transcribed, and analysed 25 qualitative interviews with students in Arts and Social Sciences on queer pedagogy and gender and sexuality inclusion in higher education. The interviews covered teaching and engagement with gender and sexuality topics, learning experiences, campus experiences, and support for students.

It was clear that Arts & Social Science departments approach gender and sexuality differently, which had led to very different learning experiences. Many students noted that much can be done to make their educational experiences more trans and non-binary inclusive, and that their engagement with sexuality has tended to focus on heterosexual and homosexual identities rather than being attentive to bisexual, pansexual, asexual, and demisexual identities. Nevertheless, and importantly, the majority of students feel safe to express their gender identity and sexual identity at UCL.

The project brings forth numerous recommendations for improving educational experiences. As a result, UCL’s Arena has requested to use the findings for staff training. This includes discussing ways to incorporate more gender and sexuality material into the learning material, ways to make material more inclusive and representative, and equipping staff with resources so that they sufficiently support LGBTQ+ students. Cathy and I will publish our report to UCL, and are writing an academic article on queer pedagogy too.

As a member of SELCS-CMII’s EDI committee and HJS’s Athena Swan/EDI Committee, I have worked on HJS’s Athena Swan application, and organised and facilitated, with the assistance of an EDI grant, a seminar series for students, staff, and the public with international experts discussing gender, sexuality, and Jewishness. I have conducted an EDI review of the MA Gender, Society, and Representation programme, which I am a PGTA on, with Dr Alex Hyde, and have consulted on multiple LGBTQ+ Inclusion initiatives.

If you are interested in finding out more about the exciting projects Mie is working on, please contact Mie on mie.jensen.20@ucl.ac.uk