English Academy students at Solihull Sixth Form College have been participating in a programme of seminars this term to extend their learning beyond the A level syllabus.
The latest seminar came from Dr Felicity James from the University of Leicester, who delivered an online talk entitled ‘An introduction to Romanticism’. They focussed on William Wordsworth’s 1798 poem ‘Lines written above Tintern Abbey’ as an example of the genre and explored Mary Wollstonecraft’s ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Women. They considered how writers responded to the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution and how nature influenced their writing.
Other sessions that have taken place this term include a talk by Dr Lucinda Rumsey from the University of Oxford, who delivered a seminar on Anglo-Saxon riddles, as well as Dr Anna Fitzer from the University of Hull, whose seminar was entitled ‘From Belrive to Baghdad: Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus’. Teachers from within the College English department also led seminars, covering topics like the rise of the novel, plays by Shakespeare’s contemporary dramatists, detective fiction and Gothic literature. There was also a trip to Stratford-upon-Avon to see a Royal Shakespeare Company production of ‘Macbeth’.
Assistant Curriculum Leader for English and Modern Languages is Andrew Jackson and he commented:
“We are grateful to all the academics who gave up their time to engage with our students. Those learners who choose the English Academy as their enrichment option are really committed to working beyond the limits of the A level course. Many of them have ambitions to pursue English at university, so this undergraduate level work is a great early exposure to the sort of work they will be doing in the future.”
The English Academy enrichment gives students the opportunity to complete an Extended Project Qualification. This enables learners to pick a topic for further research and produce a piece of work that demonstrates their findings. It can significantly boost their Higher Education progression chances.
11 December 2023