Academic Sessions for Schools and Colleges

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Description 

Over 30 students attended our Humanities, International Relations & Politics Taster Day. Throughout the day, students experienced what it would be like to study these courses in an interactive seminar, and had a Q&A session with Academics. The taster seminars students received were about:

• ‘Have you Heard?’ Gossip and Literature

• Survive or Die: International Relations Theories Game  

• Dangerous Women and Domestic Crimes: A Victorian Literary Revolution

• Taking Back Control? Brexit, Security, and the Cost of Going it Alone 

• Feminist Magazines, Media and The Handmaid’s Tale 

• Building Democracy and Defending the Republic in Weimar Germany

• Saving Democracy: Participation Beyond the Ballot Box?

Description

Approximately 50 students attended Northumbria's Sociology, Criminology & Professional Policing Taster Day. The students got involved and experienced interactive seminars, and met Academic staff who answered questions about the courses. The three sessions were titled:

• Justifying Punishment: A Criminological Look at Courts and Sentencing

• Your Life: Sociologically

• Driving Illicit Markets: Who's Behind the Steering Wheel?

Description

We hosted our annual NUSTEM Experience Week where around 50, Year 12 students from local schools/colleges visited Northumbria for a week to experience what it would be like to study here. Each students' Week was focused towards Physics, Maths, Chemistry or Space Physiology. This was a unique opportunity for students which is a stand-out on UCAS applications when applying for STEM subjects.

Throughout their week, the students took part in the following activities:

• Interviewed an Academic about their own research area
• Found out how to source information at university
• Took part in a first-year lecture
• Created their own research poster
• Experienced a lab-based practical activity
• A tour of our campus
• Careers in STEM talk
• Spoke to colleagues and Academics at a poster conference

Throughout autumn 2025 almost 300 students visited us to find out what it would be like to study at Northumbria across a variety of popular subjects. This included:

• Midwifery
• Nursing
• Law
• Psychology
• Geography

We are planning on running more subject taster days across spring and summer this year. If your school is interested in signing up for one of these, please fill in this form and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Throughout the 2024/25 academic year, Northumbria University hosted 15+ subject taster days for Year 12 and 13 students. These events allowed students to understand what it would be like to study these courses at Northumbria, participating in student life and exploring our world-class campus.

Approximately 550 students visited us for these days, and they got to experience the following subjects:

2024/25 Taster Days

Law x2

Psychology x2

Applied Sciences

Business x2

Midwifery, Nursing & Health courses (Health Alive)

Geography and Environmental Science x2

Maths, Physics & Chemistry Week (NUSTEM Experience Week)

Architecture

Description

Stand-up comedy and how it might connect with ideas of political or cultural representation. This talk addressed the subject of stand-up comedy and mental health, focussed on British and Australian comedians whose material addresses conditions such as bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety. Based on the analysis of live events and one-on-one interviews, the talk looked at the relationship between comedians and their material, arguing that comedy can help us both reconsider what we mean by mental illness and help understand mental health recovery. 

If you are interested in finding out more information on this, please contact Dr Matt Hargrave: matt.hargrave@northumbria.ac.uk

Music / History / Wellbeing Workshops for Years 7-13

Workshops inspired by Tudor rounds and catches, tailored for different year groups, abilities, and aims:

• Singing in Harmony
• Singing History: Renaissance / Tudors / Reformation
• Singing for Wellbeing / Belonging
• Singing and Creating (new words for old tunes)
• Composing Rounds and Canons (some musical literacy required)

For more information about these past sessions, please contact Katherine Butler: katherine.butler@northumbria.ac.uk