We have been talking to Liberal Arts students about their studies and their projects beyond university. We’re always impressed and amazed by how people take their studies in new directions.

We spoke with Tamaratare Amgbaduba, who is studying Music performance and theory as part of their work in Liberal Arts. Tamaratare has recently started an arts collective to draw creative people together and support new projects, Soul House Arts. Tamaratare has been influenced by her studies to build her own route through Liberal Arts which focuses on creative practice. Find out more in our podcast below:

New Developments and Directions Podcast

The post New Developments and Directions appeared first on Liberal Arts.

We have been talking to Liberal Arts students about their work. This includes their modules but also what they are involved in beyond university.

Our first interview is with Joshua Harris, who is studying Mandarin, Entrepreneurship and Mathematics as part of their work in Liberal Arts. Joshua has recently started his own clothing business, Cha. Joshua was inspired by his travels but also his studies across disciplines in Liberal Arts. Find out more in our podcast below:

New Developments and Directions Podcast

The post New Developments and Directions appeared first on Liberal Arts.

This edition of the Objects Podcast talked about the project of ‘Follow the Things’. We looked at the amazing work that is done within this area of research. This idea reveals the people and the places behind the things we possess:

Objects Podcast – Follow the Things

The post Objects – Follow the Things! appeared first on Liberal Arts.

This week’s podcast is on the importance of DESIGN. Ever had an object that does not work for you? Ever got frustrated at something because it did not function properly? It’s not your fault! It is an issue of design. We look at Don Norman’s work on design which looks at how design can give us an insight into solving problems. We can think about how design enables the function of society but how design can also constrain and prevent access. The world of design is open to us to explore as an interdisciplinary issue!

Objects Podcast – Week 2

The post Design – Objects Podcast appeared first on Liberal Arts.

We are surrounded by things. We live our lives with objects. But frequently we don’t think about them. They are the backdrop to our lives. However, our things are far more interesting than just being props. Our stuff is part of who we are. It helps us create our identities. If we understand things then we can understand ourselves and others. After all, humans are a material species. Beyond this, if want to address some of the most pressing problems we have in the world today, such as inequality, poverty and sustainability, we have to take things seriously.

In the first of our podcasts about our material world, we’ll explore why stuff is so important. This is part of our module on Objects which is running this autumn. There are 12 podcasts in all that examine production, possession and recycling. Welcome to the Objects Podcast!

The Objects Podcast

The post Objects Podcast appeared first on Liberal Arts.

In our very final podcast for The Things That Made Us, we are looking at the future. The idea of the future has been a source of inspiration for authors, artists and inventors. We examine how the future is represented as something that fills us with hope but which also worries us as well. This is a cultural response. We live in an anxious age. Understanding how we think about the future tells us about our own era. However, this future thinking is really useful for us. It allows us to navigate the problems of our own age. Sometimes predictions of the future fall far short of reality. This isn’t a problem. We need to plan out eventualities and possibilities to help us think in different ways. We offer future thinking as something that has made us all!

The Things That Made Us – Episode 20

The post Future Thinking appeared first on Liberal Arts.

In this podcast, we discuss the importance of place. Over the last few months we’ve all had to get used to living far more focused lives in our immediate environment. To understand how we adapt and engage with the world around us, we can use the concept of ‘place’. This idea has been used across disciplines to examine our way of inhabiting the world. It is used to explain the emotions we feel when we think about a particular location. It is employed to assess how our communities are built around particular spaces. To examine our activity and our identities, we need to understand our own ‘sense of place’.

The Things That Made Us – Episode 19

The post Finding your Place appeared first on Liberal Arts.

In this podcast, we’ll be talking about scale. Specifically, how our ideas about scale can sometimes be misleading. We are human and operate on a human time-scale of days, weeks, months, years and decades. We think in terms of human life spans. However, we live in a world that is far older than that. The Earth is approximately 4 billion years old. Dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago and the first hominid, the biological family to which we belong, emerged between 1 and 2 million year ago. Modern humans first emerged in Africa about 200,000 years ago. Our time on this planet has been short. Yet, we have had such an impact. To understand this impact, to address problems in sustainability and to ensure an environment that allows our world to thrive, we need to think in the time spans that accurately reflect the Earth. We need to think about ‘deep time’.

The Things That Made Us – Episode 18

The post Deep Time: why we need to think in terms of scale appeared first on Liberal Arts.

This podcast discusses Charles Darwin’s book published in 1859, On the Origin of Species. The book proposes evolution as the means by which animals and plants adapt and change. The book forwards a revolution in science. But it also offered a way of thinking. Darwin uses a model of ‘deep time’ analysis to understand alterations. Darwin also uses multiple types of evidence, observation and analysis to explain the environment. This might seem straightforward now, but it affirmed a mode of analysis that is still with us. We use it across the arts, humanities and sciences to create innovative solutions to complex problems.

The Things That Made Us – Episode 17

The post Evolution and Diverse Thinking appeared first on Liberal Arts.

In this podcast, we discuss Liberal Arts with Ellie a second year Liberal Arts student. Ellie tells us about the choices made when deciding to study Liberal Arts. We also discuss how modules are chosen and the process of selection. Importantly, in this conversation we talk about the connections that can be made in Liberal Arts. As you study across the arts, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, you can see how subjects blend into one another and how your understanding of one area can be enriched by looking at issues from another perspective.

Liberal Arts Conversation – Ellie

The post Liberal Arts Conversation appeared first on Liberal Arts.