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A day in the life of… A Politics and International Relations student

What a time to be a politics student! Britain is on the cusp of leaving the EU, and for many of this student generation, it feels like uncharted territory. Terrelle Iziren explains what it’s like to study on the BA Politics and International Relations programme in the creative environment of Goldsmiths.

Similarly to many other UK universities, politics at Goldsmiths is not all Eurocentric. The beauty of being surrounded by students from such a diverse range of cultures is that you get to discover others’ personal experiences first-hand. This serves us well when the course require us to compare different governments in China and the US, and explore how they have created different legislation throughout history to protect their citizens. We are encouraged to think independently, critically, and analytically about historical events like the Cold War, and explain how they may have shaped modern-day global society.

Brexit protestors outside the Palace of Westminster (Pic: John Cameron)

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An outing to the Kachin Revolution Day celebrations

MA International Relations student, Sumiré Jay, joined the Kachin Revolution day celebrations in West London, diving into an incredible evening of speeches, songs, presentations, and prayer.

Hounslow, West London, may not be the first place you would imagine encountering the celebrations of a South-east Asian revolution. Yet it was here that, on 5 February, a group of about 25 men, women, and children gathered for the 58th anniversary of Kachin Revolution Day. Representatives from the Kachin diaspora community across London commemorated one of longest ongoing armed insurrections: the Kachin Rebellion in Myanmar. My classmates and I joined the celebrations to learn about the politics of conflict-induced diasporas in a course on Armed Politics and Political Violence. Together we dived into an incredible evening of speeches, songs, presentations and prayer (Kachin are predominately Christians, although Myanmar is a Buddhist majority country) as well as informal conversations over food and coffee.

Group photo in Hounslow. Pic: Kachin National Organisation

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Coffee Hours and Safe Spaces: the low-down on Goldsmiths’ Liberation Room

Sofia Wickerhauser & James Williams visited Goldsmiths’ Liberation Room, and spoke to students from minority groups, as well as the Liberation Coordinator, about the Student Union’s Coffee Hour, how the event came about, and the effect it’s having on the student body.

Goldsmiths staff and students at London Pride 2018

Goldsmiths is renowned for being an inclusive, welcoming university with a diverse student community – this has certainly been my [James] experience as an LGBT student. As well as student-run societies helping unite and represent minority groups like BME and queer students, Goldsmiths is also home to the Liberation Room. A safe space on the ground floor of the Student’s Union, it hosts a daily Coffee Hour from 13:00 – 14:00, and is designed to encourage marginalised groups to meet and discuss issues. Catch the timetable for these below.

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A day in the life of… An MA Script Writing Student

Sofia Wickerhauser, a Brazilian student on the MA Script Writing at Goldsmiths, writes about culture clash, and her experience as a Goldsmiths post-graduate student.

An MA Script Writing student receives feedback from fellow students on the structure of his script.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why I chose to pursue a Masters in London instead of Sao Paulo, where I was born and raised. In the three years before starting the course, I had made a series of apparently successful short films, but I still felt I’d hit a wall in my progress as a filmmaker, and didn’t know how to move forward. After learning that several Brazilian screenwriters had studied abroad and had come back the better for it, I decided the UK film industry was exactly what I needed.

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Five free (or cheap) things to do in Greenwich this weekend

Need some tips for the weekend? Read on for a list of five free (or at least very cheap) things to do in Greenwich, compiled by Sofia Wickerhauser!

Greenwich Park

Climb the hill in Greenwich Park to see what is perhaps one of the best views of London. With 183 acres of land and 400-year-old trees, the park is a local favourite, not only for the view but also for picnics, long walks, and bird watching. The rose garden, located on the eastern side of the park, is a must-see in June/July. The Royal Observatory observatory, on top of the hill, houses the Meridian Line, which the Observatory’s website says ” (…) represents the Prime Meridian of the world, Longitude Zero (0° 0′ 0″). The location of every place on Earth is measured in terms of its angle east or west from this line.”

Tickets to visit the observatory are £13.50, but you can see the meridian line laser outside, especially at night or in foggy weather.Read More »