Curriculum workshops

Workshop: Can Accounting Be Fun?

Accounting is often seen as a boring subject, but is it? In this workshop, we'll focus on making accounting interesting, accessible, and yes, maybe even a little fun.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Business and Management (Accounting) course.

Workshop: Prototyping Solutions for Business Problems

Through "junk modelling" and a "build to think" approach, we'll use common materials to explore everyday problems, develop creativity, and form entrepreneurial ideas. 

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Business and Management (Entrepreneurship) course.

Workshop: Trend Analysis in Fashion

We want students to know that they can pursue their individual interests as part of a fashion career. We'll gather a variety of visual materials to identify current fashion trends as a vital first step on the path to a career in fashion.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Business and Management (Fashion) course.

Workshop: Why is International Business Important?

What makes an internationally successful business? How do businesses operate around the globe? This workshop helps students understand the importance of global markets and how this knowledge can impact their career development.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Business and Management (International) course.

Workshop: The Art of Negotiation

Negotiation isn't just for lawyers – it's a highly transferable skill. We'll explore the meaning of negotiation, different kinds of outcomes, and how to prepare for negotiation in this practical workshop. Students will also get the chance to try some mini-negotiating exercises.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Business and Management (Law) course.

Workshop: Adventures in Virtual Reality – from Shaky Beginnings to the Future of Gaming

You might be surprised to know that virtual reality traces back to 1957. This workshop reveals the key milestones that took virtual reality from science fiction to reality. We'll also consider what the future has in store for this popular "new" technology.

Run by specialists from our BSc (Hons) Creative Computing courses: Animation, Gaming, and Web Technologies.

Workshop: Dying for Justice – Uses of Capital Punishment

Though abolished in the UK, opinion polls often show that many are in favour of capital punishment. This workshop looks at punishment in modern societies, how it's applied, and the debates around execution as a criminal penalty.

Run by specialists from our BSc (Hons) Criminology course.

Workshop: What is Childhood?

Using video footage, we'll explore issues such as children’s voice, participation, creativity, and play, and ways that children engage with space and place. We'll question and challenge perceptions of children and constructions of childhood.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies course.

Workshop: The Museum of Education

The education sector as a career option is great for educators, policy makers, activists and researchers. In this workshop, we'll inspire curiosity and raise awareness of education and its implications. Pupils will consider which artefact from their education they would add to a Museum of Education, and why. 

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Education Studies course.

Workshop 1: Storytelling in the Twenty-First Century

Have stories changed with the advent of new technologies? Which aspects of storytelling have remained constant? In this lively workshop, we'll create interactive, immersive stories using the latest platforms.

Workshop 2: Be a Creative Professional

The creative industries are the fastest-growing sector of the UK economy. Publishing - one of the largest contributors - includes books and magazines, multiplatform journalism, digital content and social media. Find out more about combining passions and interests with valuable, transferable skills in this expert-led workshop.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Creative Writing course.

Workshop 1: Gothic Literature and Dis-Ease

The undead, the uncanny, the inhuman, the infected, the diseased, the disturbing, the degenerate - Gothic texts propel us to the dark side of human nature. This workshop introduce readers to the Gothic and its status as an index of cultural dis-ease.

Workshop 2: Literature in the World

Ocean plastics, #metoo, #blacklivesmatter - literature invents worlds, and is also intimately connected to the world "out there". We'll engage with contemporary concerns about race, environment, gender, and social justice in this workshop.

Workshop 3: What is a Shakespeare Play?

Did Shakespeare create the works that bear his name? We'll consider the various people and agencies that are involved in creating Shakespeare's plays, and reflect on how new knowledge might change our perceptions of them.

Workshop 4: So You Think You Know What a Book Is?

In the digital age, it’s increasingly tricky to define what a book is. Is it words, or just a container of words? How might we read the relationship between words and their physical form? This hands-on workshop enables students to explore these and similar questions by examining rare books, experimental books, and electronic books.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) English Literature course.

Workshop: Remakes and Remixes in a Transnational Context

Drawing on global examples such as the "Man with a Movie Camera" remake, this discussion workshop considers how the Internet has facilitated remakes. We'll use the documentary "Remix, Remake, and Rip-Off," to consider intertextual borrowing in Hollywood and Turkey.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Film and Screen Studies course.

Workshop 1: Visual FX: An Introduction

This workshop looks at the incredible world of visual FX for film, and how to acquire the skills to design and create stunning visuals for productions.  

Workshop 2: The World of Post-Production

We offer valuable insights into the post-production industry and what skills students need to flourish in this integral aspect of filmmaking.

Workshop 3: The Art of Foley

Foley has been an integral part of film and TV since the 1930s. It’s an aspect of post-production audio that is creative, requires a keen imagination, and a sharp eye for detail. This workshop delves into the mind of a Foley artist and how the process is carried out in TV and film. 

Workshop 4: Stop-Motion Animation

Stop motion has been a key part of cinema for decades and with the recent success of 'Kubo and the Two Strings,’ stop motion has been going from strength to strength. We'll delve into the full process of creating a stop motion production.

Workshop 5: Sound Design – Bringing Visuals to Life

Lightsabers, portal guns, dragons… all of these started life as an image on a screen. This workshop picks apart iconic objects and creatures and demonstrates how sound designers work their craft to bring these to life.

Workshop 6: Colour Grading – an Introduction

Colour grading is a fundamental aspect of post-production. This workshop looks at how colourists use their colour manipulation skills to enhance the final picture and aid storytelling.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Film, Media and Production course.

Workshop 1: Why Media Representations Matter

What we see and hear, and just as importantly, what is ignored and overlooked in the media, helps us make sense of our world. This interactive workshop asks students to consider the people, places, and stories that are visible and invisible.

Workshop 2: Advertising in the Entertainment Industries

We'll explore the key practices associated with the role of advertising within and across entertainment forms, such as films and television, considering the question of why advertising changes and how it impacts its audiences.

Workshop 3:  Immersive Promotion: Marketing VR & AR Experiences to New Audiences

What is the future of virtual and augmented reality across the media industries - and who are these technologies for? We'll explore the emerging creative sector of immersive media, including VR film, AR games and mixed reality art exhibitions, and consider how we can find and build a diverse audience for this emerging media form.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Media Communications course.

Workshop: Geography Experience Day at Newton Park

Experience Geography fieldwork through digital mapping and geographical information systems in three key areas - Physical Geography, which focuses on the physical environment, Human Geography, which focuses on how people affect and are affected by the environment, and Global Development and Sustainability - the environmental, social, economic and geopolitical challenges facing the developed and developing world.

Run by specialists from our BSc (Hons) Geography courses: Physical Geography, Human Geography, and Global Development and Sustainability.

Workshop: How Is the past Made Visible in the Present?

This workshop explores the ways in which we both encounter the past, and present it. This is a great opportunity for young historians to get to grips with new kinds of material - not just written sources - and think about the ways in which we capture a sense of past lives and experiences.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) History course.

Workshop: For Some Time There's Been No History... How Politicians Use the Past

All politicians make use of history in their appeal to different publics - but whose history? How do they do this? Are fake news and alternative facts really new phenomena? This workshop explores these topical ideas, so be prepared for a lively debate!

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) History with Politics course.

Workshop 1: Be a Creative Professional

The creative industries are the fastest-growing sector of the UK economy. Publishing - one of the largest contributors - includes books and magazines, multiplatform journalism, digital content and social media. Find out more about combining passions and interests with valuable, transferable skills in this expert-led workshop.

Workshop 2: Be a Publisher – How to Make Creative Decisions That Work

How do creatives come up with ideas? And how do they turn those ideas into a commercial product, whether a book, magazine, online shop, or awareness campaign? This hands-on workshop introduces students to the process of generating ideas for a publication and selecting content for a particular audience - two key skills used by publishers.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Creative Writing and Publishing course.

Workshop 1: So You Think You Know What a Book Is?

In the digital age, it’s increasingly tricky to define what a book is. Is it words, or just a container of words? How might we read the relationship between words and their physical form? This hands-on workshop enables students to explore these and similar questions by examining rare books, experimental books, and electronic books.

Workshop 2: Be a Creative Professional

The creative industries are the fastest-growing sector of the UK economy. Publishing - one of the largest contributors - includes books and magazines, multiplatform journalism, digital content and social media. Find out more about combining passions and interests with valuable, transferable skills in this expert-led workshop.

Workshop 3: Be a Publisher – How to Make Creative Decisions That Work

How do creatives come up with ideas? And how do they turn those ideas into a commercial product, whether a book, magazine, online shop, or awareness campaign? This hands-on workshop introduces students to the process of generating ideas for a publication and selecting content for a particular audience - two key skills used by publishers.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) English Literature and Publishing course.

Workshop 1: Be a creative professional

The creative industries are the fastest-growing sector of the UK economy. Publishing - one of the largest contributors - includes books and magazines, multiplatform journalism, digital content and social media. Find out more about combining passions and interests with valuable, transferable skills in this expert-led workshop.

Workshop 2: Be a Publisher – How to Make Creative Decisions That Work

How do creatives come up with ideas? And how do they turn those ideas into a commercial product, whether a book, magazine, online shop, or awareness campaign? This hands-on workshop introduces students to the process of generating ideas for a publication and selecting content for a particular audience - two key skills used by publishers.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) History and Publishing course.

Workshop 1: Be a Creative Professional

The creative industries are the fastest-growing sector of the UK economy. Publishing - one of the largest contributors - includes books and magazines, multiplatform journalism, digital content and social media. Find out more about combining passions and interests with valuable, transferable skills in this expert-led workshop.

Workshop 2: Be a Publisher – How to Make Creative Decisions That Work

How do creatives come up with ideas? And how do they turn those ideas into a commercial product, whether a book, magazine, online shop, or awareness campaign? This hands-on workshop introduces students to the process of generating ideas for a publication and selecting content for a particular audience - two key skills used by publishers.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Journalism and Publishing course.

Workshop: Portfolio Careers for Creative Musicians

The modern musician needs a wide range of skills to succeed in the digital world. If your music stars are smart, flexible and prepared to work across disciplines, there has never been a better time for them to build the transferable skils they need for a sustainable career in the creative industries. This workshop offers a taster on where to begin.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Commercial Music course.

Workshop: Creating Stories with Music Production

Great music productions are able to capture our imaginations and tell detailed stories through the use of skilful sound and production techniques - beyond lyrics or musical style. This workshop introduces listening and interpretation skills, thus enabling students to enhance storytelling in their own music productions.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Creative Music Technology course.

Workshop: The Power of Music as Therapy

This practical workshop offers an introduction to the work we do in our Community Music modules - the power of music as a therapeutic intervention for a range of communities - from young pupils with special needs and learning difficulties, to the elderly with dementia.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Music course.

Workshop 1: Audition Preparation

From gaining a place on a course to securing the next acting job, auditions are the one certainty in the life of an actor. This workshop will guide students through the dos and don'ts of a successful audition.

Workshop 2: The Moving Performer

This practical workshop gives an introduction to movement approaches useful for the performer, teacher or director. We'll draw on various somatic, dynamic and partnering frameworks as tools for building performer-presence, trust, confidence, agility, and expressive range, and for devising performance work.

Workshop 3: The Text Detective (Student-Led)
Run by our third year students, this workshop brings students to their feet to explore the rhythm and images in Shakespeare's plays. It's designed to bring both a greater understanding and greater interest in the work by allowing students to physically explore the language.

Workshop 4: Shakespeare and Hip-Hop (Student-Led)
Eminem and Shakespeare are not so different: both use rhythm and rhyme to communicate meaning and emotion. Students will learn to break down Shakespearean texts using the conventions of hip-hop; they'll then have the opportunity to stage a short scene using these conventions. This workshop is also run by our third years.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Acting course.

Workshop: The art of stand-up comedy

This practical workshop introduces a range of concepts, principles, structures and techniques that inform modern stand-up performance. We'll draw on students' own unique comic personas to present short "scratch" solo performances generated from simple games and exercises.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Comedy course.

Workshop 1: Bespoke Workshop

Tailor your own contemporary workshop from a range of exciting options including performance skills, technique training, choreography, somatic practices, digital performance practice, and repertoire. Get in touch with us to arrange the workshop of your choice.

Workshop 2: Create. Perform. Transform.

This fast-paced practical workshop gives students an opportunity to build their skills in contemporary dance techniques. They'll learn a series of exciting new sequences and get the chance to develop their own material. The workshop culminates in a live performance, showcasing what's been created.  

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Dance course.

Workshop: Performance Making

Musical theatre, physical theatre, devising, and ensemble work - take your pick! We offer workshops in each area to demonstrate the possibilities for students creating exciting performance work that can challenge and entertain in equal measure.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Drama course.

Workshop: How to Survive the Elements When Your Event is in a Field

Discover the practical challenges of running an event in the great outdoors during a typical British summer!

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Festivals and Events course.

Workshop: How to Make Props, Costumes and Sets

Delivered by a team of practitioners with a wealth of industry experience, these interactive workshops are designed to give students a taste of basic prop making, making costumes, staging blood, set design, lighting and sound.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Theatre and Digital Production course.

Workshop: Human Memory

This workshop will explore the nature of human memory, especially in the context of how it differs from other types of memory (e.g. that of computers). The focus will largely be on the shortcomings of human memory and the possible reasons behind them.

Run by specialists from our BSc (Hons) Psychology course.

Workshop: Encounters with Ideas

How do key thinkers, past and present, help us analyse climate change, identity, or human rights? This workshop explores ethical, religious and philosophical approaches to some of the major challenges of our age.

Run by specialists from our BA (Hons) Religions, Philosophies and Ethics course.

We offer a range of workshops either at school venues or on our campuses. These could include:

• DNA extraction and analysis
• Cell theory and microscope work
• Human physiology; measurement of heart rate, reaction time
• Microbiological skills; growing and staining cultures

Run by specialists from our BSc Biology programmes.

Workshop: Is Environmental Disaster and Ecological Collapse Inevitable? (online)

Designed for 6th form pupils at a Careers festival. This will cover:

• How to increase our understanding and knowledge
• What is Environmental Science/Conservation Biology?
• How can modern approaches make a positive difference to the environment and help save the planet?

Workshop: Why do we need our pollinators? (online)

This short workshop offers an introduction to bee ecology and their importance as pollinators, along with a discussion of study and career opportunities in ecology.

Run by specialists from our BSc (Hons) Environmental Science course.

Workshop: Food and Nutrition in Practice (in person)

We'll deliver an introduction to food product development followed by interactive sessions on key topics such as sensory analysis and microbiological techniques. We'll also explore the use of nutritional software to design foods.

Run by specialists from our BSc (Hons) Food with Nutrition course.

Workshop: An Introduction to Food Product Development (online; 30-45 minutes)

This workshop will take you through the stages of development of a product. It will also discuss the challenges industry faces in the development of products that are low in fat, sugar and salt.

Run by specialists from our BSc (Hons) Food with Nutrition course.

Workshop: Sensory Evaluation (in person; 1-1.5 hours)

Sensory perception is the stimuli a person takes in, processes and understands through their five senses. Sensory evaluation is a scientific discipline that analyses and measures human responses to the composition of food and drink, e.g. appearance, touch, odour, texture, temperature and taste. The interactive session will highlight the different sensory evaluation techniques that are used to evaluate foods.

Run by specialists from our BSc (Hons) Food with Nutrition course.

Workshop: The Effect of Macronutrients on Metabolic Rate (in person)

In this practical workshop, we'll measure metabolic rate using spirometers, and compare our findings after the consumption of high carbohydrate, high protein and high fat snacks.

Run by specialists from our BSc (Hons) Human Nutrition course.

Workshop: Energy Balance and Body Composition (in person)

This workshop covers the principles of energy input and energy expenditure to test for energy balance. We'll also look at the effect of body composition and physical activity on energy output, using specialist nutrition analysis software.

Run by specialists from our BSc (Hons) Human Nutrition course.

Lecture: Nutrition, Physical Activity and Mental Health (online; 30-45 mins)

This will be an interactive lecture looking at the scientific evidence unpinning the role of nutrition and physical activity on the prevention, development and treatment of depression and anxiety.

Run by specialists from our BSc (Hons) Human Nutrition course.

Lecture: Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity (online; 30-45 mins)

This will be an interactive lecture looking at the scientific evidence unpinning the role of nutrition and physical activity on the prevention, development and treatment of obesity.

Run by specialists from our BSc (Hons) Human Nutrition course.

Lecture: Nutrition, Physical Activity and Non-communicable Diseases (online; 30-45 mins)

This will be an interactive lecture looking at the scientific evidence unpinning the role of nutrition and physical activity on the prevention, development and treatment of non-communicable diseases.

Run by specialists from our BSc (Hons) Human Nutrition course.

Workshop: Selves of the Shelves – What Does Our Clothing Say About Us?

What we wear can have cultural and political implications. This workshop considers the influences on the clothing and accessories we buy. We'll explore if being 'in fashion' still has meaning in an era of globalised digital and social media, within the context of longstanding debates on taste, style and identity.

Run by specialists from our BSc (Hons) Sociology course.