Carol Tate

BA Humanities

'The reason I enjoy studying humanities so much is because of the huge variety and diversity of subjects covered in the Birkbeck syllabus. During the first year alone, we travel through the spheres of neurology, eugenics, degeneration, cyborgs and monsters from the sixteenth-century court of Castiglione to the twentieth-century cocktail society of Djuna Barnes.

'The emphasis on research and self-study is enhanced greatly by Birkbeck’s library facilities and abundant opportunities to attend seminars and talks by invited speakers from differing areas such as art, politics, academia, theatre and television. I am not sure where else on a Thursday evening you could attend (as I did) a lecture on Empire and then go straight into a seminar on cross dressing with Grayson Perry and Diane Torr, but Birkbeck is that place.

'There is always plenty to research and write as a humanities student, and as an individual it can occasionally be difficult trying to fit in degree studies with the commitment of a full-time job (and I should know, I work for UCL!), but I can honestly say that the staff at Birkbeck will do everything required to encourage and help you through to the best of your ability.

'Everyone on the humanities course has the reassurance of a designated personal tutor to help enhance the sense of inclusion and teamwork within in the classroom. During the weekly seminars we explore and discuss our personal interpretation and approach to material in addition to how, as adult students, we interact with each other, all of which are all skills needed outside of the classroom too!'