Michael in front of the spiral minaret of the Great Mosque of Samarra. Image permission: Michael Jones.

25 October 2023

By Michael Jones, Development Education and Global Learning MA* 

*This programme has been renamed the Global Learning MA. 

As an MA student in development education and global learning, my research journey formed a crucial part of my dissertation, which focused on the role of global citizenship education in post-conflict societies. I was drawn to the Iraqi context due to its unique challenges and the potential for education to contribute to peacebuilding and social cohesion, and due to my current position working at the American University of Iraq, Sulaymaniyah.

During my research journey, I had the opportunity to work closely with the ‘Iraqi Travellers Café’ (ITC) initiative, an inspiring organisation that was actively promoting aspects of global citizenship education through its workshops and events in the capital, Baghdad. I was fortunate to witness first-hand the dedication and passion of the ITC team, who were committed to creating transformative educational experiences for participants. The workshops provided a safe and inclusive space for individuals from Iraq’s diverse backgrounds, including the limited foreigners that live in the country, to come together, exchange ideas and engage in critical dialogue about global citizenship.  (more…)

Image credit: Mat Wright for UCL IOE.

29 June 2023

By Ziqi Huang, Social Sciences BSc (class of 2023)

The Social Sciences BSc programme appeared as something similar to Sociology three years ago, when I was applying for my undergraduate study. It was a while after I began my study at IOE when it occurred to me that this title often seems strange to others. As I was discussing my future plans with a senior student one day, she commented in surprise, ‘You study Social Sciences? What programme is that?’ 

I tried to explain that it was close to Sociology. ‘But it is not Sociology, right? It sounds like your modules include a lot more than Sociology, and it’s a bit… confusing.’ 

She was not wrong. As Social Sciences BSc students, we had the opportunity to choose from a variety of modules that wouldn’t appear in a Sociology programme. I learned Psychology, Social Psychology, Anthropology, game theories, and even a bit of Criminology. It would be difficult for a Social Sciences student to summarise what they have learned over the years in one word. Surely, some see it as a disadvantage, as it feels like the programme has no clear focus and is therefore, ‘confusing’. 

At the time, I felt more or less disturbed by this idea – that my programme was too broad and not focused enough. The turning point emerged this year, as I started to work on my undergraduate dissertation. (more…)

Molly giving a tour. Image permission: Molly Edwards.

23 June 2023

By Molly Edwards, Education Studies BA

*From the 2024/2025 academic year onwards, the Education Studies BA has been renamed the Education, Society and Culture BA.

I realised over the past year that a lot of my academic outputs have involved me holding my breath, either out of amazement or fear. In the two blog posts I wrote for the UCL Student’s Union last September, I reflected on my Education, Practice and Society Research Fellowship, which involved researching the queer history of UCL under the supervision of Professor Georgina Brewis as a small part of her Generation UCL project. In my first post, I discussed my amazement of the UCL Special Collections archive. In my second post, I noted my fears of sharing my queer history tour of UCL with historians.

After my experience with the archives and my plea to others to research them further to create a more comprehensive queer history, I was drawn to write my dissertation on UCL’s queer history. This is not because I was fully confident in my abilities (hence my prior plea), but because I know the importance of this history from my personal experience. While writing the rationale for this, I realised that others felt the importance of this history in creating community and belonging. However, I was still worried that I would not be able to accurately represent the history, even after I had narrowed the time frame down to the 1970s. An added pressure was that I also decided to include the history of LSE, so my topic became, ‘Queer student political and social organization at University College London and London School of Economics from 1970 to 1979.’ I found the only way to resolve my worries about representation was to draw on the lessons of established queer scholars and continually question my motives for writing this history. I had to do this before I could begin to accept that I could be the right person to approach my topic. (more…)