Walking into one of my first seminars at Durham, I quickly realised how some of my new History modules would open up whole new areas of study and questions for me to explore. Yet, beyond being an exciting opportunity to engage with new areas of interest academically, History also has a strong social role, offering many ways to meet new people and get involved.
Meeting new historians
The course’s teaching hours are, of course, one way to meet people: both seminars and lectures provide this, especially since seminars often revolve around a smaller, familiar group. More notably, familiarity with people in the same course, built through these recurring seminar groups, has also subtly provided a reassuring social backdrop to entering a new environment at university.
Plus, since the History course contains many different modules, you will likely be able to meet many different peers whilst completing your studies. This range of modules also provides a diverse list of subjects to discuss and explore with others within the academic community.
The collegiate system
Moreover, sharing a college with fellow History students has also been a strong basis for new friendships at university. I have been fortunate enough to meet many people studying History at my college and nearby, or who I have afterwards found also share similar interests in History. This has meant friendships starting with History being a shared interest have been able to develop with college being a common bond and place.
The Durham University History Society (DUHS)
Like many other subjects and interests, History has a society — Durham University History Society offer many different ways to get involved. The society has offered masterclasses on revision techniques, run guest lectures on a range of topics, and often hosted social events.
For instance, the DUHS have also run their own balls at other sites, and ‘socials’ which could involve college bars. These provide another shared experience for fellow historians to enjoy together. There are also other societies and student groups on offer which might interest History students particularly, covering the broader humanities and politics, for instance.
The History community, as a result, offers a range of ways to develop connections, whether through familiar groups on teaching modules, studying alongside peers elsewhere, or these social events.
The faculty of Arts and Humanities
Furthermore, there have also been opportunities to get involved with the broader Arts and Humanities community academically. The possibility of selecting modules from other elements of the faculty, for instance, has also been a way to engage with connected areas not directly contained within History, but which might align or complement other studies. This has included some studies in Classics, English, Philosophy, Liberal Arts, and Music, for instance.
Similarly, the option to select a modern foreign language (at various levels of experience) has also broadened the academic experience, as I plan to do in the coming year.
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