College of Humanities

College of Humanities

News archive - 2013

Exeter postgraduate student selected as member of International Council to aid conservation of Indian heritage

An Exeter Archaeology postgraduate research student will assist in the conservation of rapidly declining traditions in India

Exeter historian awarded American history prize

A historian from the University of Exeter has won the best essay accepted for publication in Historically Speaking, an American academic journal.

Why the Industrial Revolution happened explored in TV documentary

University of Exeter historian to examine one of the most extraordinary periods in British history: the Industrial Revolution in an hour long programme on BBC Two.

Digitisation of University museum collection expands

A new digital publication features the University of Exeter’s vast holdings of material on cinema and pre-cinema held at the Bill Douglas Centre, the University’s museum of cinema and moving image.

4,000-year-old Shaman’s stones discovered near Boquete, Panama

Archaeologists working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama have discovered a cluster of 12 unusual stones in the back of a small, prehistoric rock-shelter near the town of Boquete.

Exciting new PhD programme in Art History and Visual Culture is launched

The College continues to invest in its Art History and Visual Culture research culture

Students vote Humanities staff as inspirational researchers and teachers

A series of open lectures will commence in January showcasing the University’s research to students across other degree paths

Mystery of Laurence Olivier screenplay solved by Exeter academic

Screenplays of Laurence Olivier’s unmade film version of Macbeth, widely thought to have been lost, have been uncovered by a University of Exeter academic.

Virtual game brings cinema collection into focus

A brand new virtual game involving a group of rebels whose quest is to regain the world of cinema from a futuristic government that has banned all films is being launched by the University of Exeter’s cinema museum.

Further alumni confirmed for Paddon Award judging panel

Contemporary British artist and University of Exeter Honorary Graduate, Neil Canning and award-winning author, editor of Riptide and alumna Ginny Baily will join alumnus and award-winning composer George Stiles on the judging panel for the upcoming Paddon Award.

The Annual Fund grant application process now open

We are pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for Annual Fund grants. The deadline for applications is 5pm Wednesday 20^th February, 2013.

Peter Crawford delivers talk and film screening to students

The College of Humanities was thrilled to welcome alumnus and documentary film-maker Peter Crawford back to campus.

Mafia to visit Cornwall

Whenever organised crime is discussed, the word “Mafia” invariably turns up and conjures images of suited men with sunglasses and plenty of attitude.

Rip roaring short stories about childhood

Once upon a time, is a classic opening phrase for children’s stories and the adventures they entail.

Angus Finney appointed as Course Leader for MA in Independent Film Business

An exciting appointment has been announced for our new Masters programme run in partnership with the London Film School.

Exeter and Bristol Collaborative PhD Studentships Announced

Three new scholarships have been announced for a joint PhD programme starting in October 2013.

History student elected VP Academic Affairs

After a close-run electoral race at the end of Campaigns Week, in which five Humanities students ran overall, History student Alex Louch has been elected the Students' Guild’s Vice-President of Academic Affairs, with an impressive 2,349 to 1,770 final round votes.

Academics gather to discuss Europe in 1913

Professor Adam Watt, of the Modern Languages Department, is to host a colloquium of academics from across the Humanities in Exeter and Bristol to discuss an ‘artistic annus mirabilis’, one century on.

Buoyant bronze age boat makes history in Cornwall

Today history was made in Cornwall as a unique project to recreate a 4000 year old boat reached its dramatic conclusion as it launched into the waters of Falmouth Harbour.

Screen Talks at Picture House

Great films and great debates are the basis of ‘Screen Talks’, linking University of Exeter academics and the public through a programme of talks and film screenings at Exeter Picturehouse.

Double life of mysterious film star revealed in exhibition

A hugely popular film star in both Hitler’s Germany and in wartime Britain, actor Anton Walbrook was famous under two different names. Of Jewish heritage, and gay in an era when homosexuality was illegal he cultivated a mysterious image.

Learning from the Ancient Greeks

University of Exeter academics captivated a crowd of over 100 with their examination of what modern society can learn from the finances and healthcare of classical civilisations.

Perfectly mixed up

Drama has become a regular activity for Exeter’s young people in care who have joined forces with students from the University of Exeter to stage a play in Austin, Texas.

Devon's turbulent political past revealed

Today it is hard to imagine mid-Devon as a hotbed of political ferment but things were quite different a century ago when politicians risked physical assault in towns like Newton Abbot and Bovey Tracey.

Angry young men at the Bill Douglas Centre

Students in History have taken part in a new initiative to encourage students to think more creatively about their use of primary sources for research.

Historian selected to join major European think-tank

Professor Richard Overy has been inaugurated as a new member of the prestigious European Academy of Sciences and Arts.

University of Exeter announces Medieval Studies AHRC-funded Collaborative Skills Development Programme

A unique collaboration with the University of Bristol creates an exciting series of workshops based at local heritage sites

Visit to the University of Exeter by leading Chinese academics

The College of Humanities was delighted to host a visit by academics from Fudan University, China, earlier this month.

Classics Society perform famous tragedy

Featuring a cast of students and staff, Hippolytus promises to be one of the most exciting pieces of drama this year.

Goddess of Easter shines light on collective Christian worship

Millions of people will be tucking into chocolate eggs this Easter, but very few may be aware of the Pagan influence on the Christian festival.

Medieval Perceptions of Landscape

Academics at the University of Exeter are to host a two day conference exploring how Medieval people perceived their environment.

“Head West” - Humanities host British Association for American Studies 58th Annual Conference

The College of Humanities is delighted to be hosting the international four-day conference at the University of Exeter, in April 2013.

University of Exeter alumnus wins US national award for his direction of ‘Vincent in Brixton’

Chris Clark, Chairman of Utah Valley University theatre department and MFA Staging Shakespeare alumnus, was honoured for Outstanding Direction of a Play at the national Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

Stress - a modern day issue?

Today, many people consider stress to be part of life, yet most of us have little understanding of what the concept means or where it comes from.

Exeter Teaching Awards nominees

The College of Humanities is delighted to announce that students have nominated lecturers and support staff from eight of our subjects as examples of excellence in teaching in the Students’ Guild annual Teaching Awards.

Investigating Cornwall’s political past and present

Cornwall’s political heritage and relationship with Westminster is being explored in a new research programme.

Thomas Hardy the man behind the classics

Thomas Hardy is one of the West Country’s most famous writers whose novels, such as Far from the Madding Crowd and Tess of the D’Urbervilles are internationally renowned.

Rope sculpture unravelled in exhibition on campus

Devon’s ancient pathway, the Mariners Way has been the inspiration for local artist Edward Crumpton, whose work is being exhibited at the University of Exeter from 27 April until 9 June.

Demons and illness in Exeter

The Centre for Medical History, in collaboration with the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, hosted an interdisciplinary, international conference on the relationship between demons and illness in pre-modern religious cultures.

Visiting the Liberal Arts in America

Professor Andrew McRae, Associate Dean for Education in the College of Humanities, visited Kenyon College in Ohio in March.

Exeter student wins American Ambassador’s Award

A national competition for the best undergraduate essay on any aspect of the American experience, from the perspective of history, literature, film, politics or any other related or inter-related discipline has been won by a University of Exeter student.

Humanities abroad: the suburbs of Bangalore

The Director of Education for English is key speaker on the ‘Changing Suburban Culture of Bangalore’, at Jain University in India

“Women’s work: a historical perspective” - an inaugural lecture by Professor Jane Whittle

Professor Jane Whittle (Department of History) compares women’s work in the modern economy with those in England’s pre-industrial past

Luggage tag poetry wall

A unique collection of original nature poetry printed onto handmade cards the size of luggage tags from writers around the world will be exhibited on a wall outside Reed Hall on the University of Exeter’s Streatham Campus.

Success at Undergraduate of the Year Awards

A University of Exeter student has been named as the Arts and Humanities Undergraduate of the Year.

Humanities subject successes in the Complete University Guide

The University of Exeter moves up from 13th to 10th place in The Complete University Guide’s ranking of 124 UK universities for 2014, which was published on Monday 29 April.

Teaching Awards success for Humanities

The College of Humanities was a big success at the Students’ Guild Teaching Awards, with four winners and two runners-up.

Literary expertise in full effect at newly named festival

The name of a Cornish literary festival may have changed, but the involvement of University of Exeter academics literary contributions has increased.

Humanities subjects placed amongst world’s best by influential international rankings

League tables published on Wednesday 8 May 2013 show that the University of Exeter features in the world’s Top 200 institutions in 16 of the 30 subjects featured in this year’s QS World University Rankings by Subject.

London Film School in Cannes to launch new Film Business Degree

LFS will host a reception in Cannes to launch its new MA International Film Business, a programme to be delivered in collaboration with University of Exeter from September.

Humanities PGR Student Conference 2013 hailed a success

Over one hundred participants enjoyed this years’ Postgraduate Research Conference, organised by students, for students.

The College of Humanities deepens collaboration with Fudan University in China

Fudan University in Shanghai is ranked as one of China's Top-10 research leading universities and is ranked 90^th worldwide in the 2012 QS World University Rankings.

Third year Drama students perform showcase of original work at Northcott Theatre

The University of Exeter Drama Department is teaming up with Exeter’s Northcott Theatre to bring you RAW: an emerging theatre-makers’ platform – a showcase of exciting new work by the final year drama students.

A Wellcome position for Professor Mark Jackson

Professor Mark Jackson has been appointed as Senior Academic Adviser in the Medical Humanities to the Wellcome Trust.

Humanities students’ Grand Challenge to explore India

Ten selected students from across Humanities have been offered the exciting opportunity to experience Indian university life and culture at Jain University, Bangalore

Inaugural lecture for Centre for Translating Cultures

Professor Michael Wood of Princeton University will give a lecture on ‘the untranslatable’ to Exeter staff and students. The lecture will mark the launch of the Centre for Translating Cultures research centre’s lecture series.

Final votes for MTV Student of the Year needed for Exeter

A University of Exeter student has been shortlisted for the MTV Student of the Year award.

Life on the other side of the screen: Italian cinema audiences

Dr. Danielle Hipkins, Senior Lecturer in Italian in the Department of Modern Languages has received an AHRC award of £690,000 for the project 'In Search of Italian Cinema Audiences in the 1940s and 1950s: Gender, Genre and National Identity'.

Union Jack and Stars and Stripes investigate public history

The University of South Carolina (USC) has one of the leading postgraduate Public History programmes in America and a group of their students and lecturers are in the UK to explore best practice in public history.

Humanities History professor wins £1 million prestigious research award

Professor James Mark’s Leverhulme Research Award worth nearly £1 million is “fantastic news all round”.

Arts funding not drowning event

Arts funding is being squeezed hard in this harsh economic climate, especially in regional theatres, libraries and arts and culture organisations.

Humanities subjects on the up in Guardian league table

Every subject from within the University’s College of Humanities has improved or maintained its position in the latest university league table from The Guardian.

English students win at 2013 Guild Awards

Mark Gibbs and Laura Yonish won ‘Student Representative of the Year’ and ‘Student Staff Member of the Year’ respectively at the inaugural Guild Awards ceremony.

University of Exeter supports government funded WW1 commemoration project

2014 is the centenary commemoration of one of the most important events of the 20th century, the First World War.

Theology and Religion student wins Creative Writing Scholarship

Hannah Barr was awarded the 2013 Ottawa Independent Writers Scholarship for Creative Writing by Professor Seymour Mayne during her year abroad.

Sensational scholars? Academics on TV

Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou, lecturer in theology, will talk about her experience of being an academic on TV on Saturday 6 July.

£50,000 for online documentary to explore risk

Exploring the idea of risk - in a short interactive documentary - forms the basis of a new project led by the University of Exeter in collaboration with viral advertising agency, Rubber Republic, Bristol.

Modern and ancient technology meet

Dr Gillian Juleff, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology, contributed to a new gallery which opened the past week featuring her research into monsoon wind powered iron smelting furnaces.

West Country to World's End

The Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter is to host an exhibition devised and curated by Professor Sam Smiles, Programme Director for Art History and Visual Culture.

Exciting collaboration moves forward for History in Exeter and Beijing

Peking University and the University of Exeter's Departments of History have agreed the theme for the joint inaugural History Colloquium to take place in Beijing in October 2013.

Graduating English students in television takeover

Lindsey Harris and Fotini Papatheodorou (BA English) will soon be seen presenting a national television show for the Community Channel.

Historian contributes to Secret History of British Art Collections TV series

University of Exeter historian Professor Jeremy Black has contributed to a new TV series about the stories of people whose enthusiasm for art, sense of adventure, and wealth built Britain’s national collection and shaped the history of the art of the nation.

Farmers' stories inspire children’s art exhibition

An exhibition of artwork, created by Primary School Children from around Cornwall and inspired by local farmers stories, will be on display from the 27th July - 3rd August at Heartlands in Pool.

‘Shakespearean Adaptations Exeter-Fudan Colloquium’ success

Students and academics from across the globe took part in the College of Humanities ‘Shakespearean Adaptations’ colloquium, hosted by the Department of English and led by experts in the field.

Open Day for largest Roman village ever found in Devon

An opportunity to experience the unfolding excavations at the largest Roman village ever found in Devon was open to members of the public on Sunday 18 August, at the site near Ipplepen in South Devon.

Untold story of Churchill’s World War II speeches

Popular belief is that Churchill’s wartime speeches were received enthusiastically by almost the whole British population and that they were the decisive influence on the nation’s willingness to fight on against the Nazis.

Defra appoints academic to oversee flood risks in South West

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has appointed an academic from the Exeter University to Chair the South West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC).

Countdown to TV appearance

New graduate Jen Steadman combines her linguistic dexterity with mathematical prowess – and all against the clock, when she appears as a contestant on popular television quiz show Countdown later this month.

The Eighteenth Century in the Present Day: Undergraduate students present at International Conference and Arts Festival

Dr Andrew McInnes, English, took five students from the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus to a conference and festival at the University of York.

Kestle Barton hosts weekend of activities

Kestle Barton, an ancient Cornish farmstead situated above the Helford River in Manaccan, will become the backdrop to an exhibition of local farming photographs & films and weekend of activities.

Cornish collection of Bards and all things Kernowek

Cornish sea words such as scoggan (mackerel’s head) or widdy-waddy which means to paddle in shallow water are a few of the phrases that form part of a new collection of material that reflect the Cornish identity.

Declassified spy photographs reveal lost Roman frontier

Declassified spy photography has uncovered a lost Roman Eastern frontier, dating from the second century AD.

Award-nominated Exeter alumna premiers at the Globe to rave reviews

The world premiere of Blue Stockings, the first play by alumna Jessica Swale (Drama 2004), opened at Shakespeare’s Globe in London on 24 August.

Touching the Past: engaging ways with archaeology in Orkney

Making delicate and precious museum artefacts more accessible is the focus for a research project and a series of events at the Orkney Museum where visitors will be invited to ‘please touch!’.

Join the debate on the future of our heritage

On Monday 16 September, a special public debate will ask what the future holds for our past.

Two humanities students gain prestigious scholarships to study in China

Two Humanities students have gained highly competitive scholarships from the British Council to spend a year abroad studying in China.

Exepose shortlisted as ‘student publication of the year’

Exeposé, the independent newspaper by and for University of Exeter students, has been shortlisted for the student publication of the year prize at the 2013 Guardian Student Media Awards.

Humanities underlines leading position in Times league table

This year has seen the Times and Sunday Times amalgamate their league tables for the first time, with the University overall rising two places to 8th.

Archaeology and Drama departments receive delegation from India as alliance with National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bangalore matures

An annual visit to Exeter from National Institute of Advanced Studies faculty further strengthens prestigious split-site PhD programme initiated in 2011

New appointments in the College of Humanities

The College of Humanities continues to go from strength to strength as we welcome new staff across our disciplines.

New termly disbursements for the Annual Fund

The Annual Fund is now available on a termly basis - this term's deadline for applications is Friday 1 November 2013.

The Forum hosts exhibition on The Paris Fine Art Salon

A striking new exhibition focused on the Paris Fine Art Salon is now on display in the Forum at the University of Exeter. Curated by Dr Alister Mill, the exhibition draws on research undertaken by staff and researchers in the Modern Languages department as part of the College of Humanities’ Visual Culture initiative.

REACT to fund ground-breaking collaborations which will explore human experiences around internet-connected objects

The University of Exeter will host a REACT Object Ideas Lab for scholars and creative economy companies interested in collaboration.

World class research across the College of Humanities pushes us into the Top 100 THE global rankings

The College of Humanities has broken into the THE World Subject Rankings for Arts and Humanities at 65th place, showing the international reach of the College’s reputation and research.

Poetry is like music to the mind, scientists prove

New brain imaging technology is helping researchers to bridge the gap between art and science by mapping the different ways in which the brain responds to poetry and prose.

Hip-Hop demystifying mental illness

Hip-hop culture is being used as a vehicle for raising awareness about mental health at an event on Thursday 17 October, 7.30pm at Mama Stone’s in Exeter.

South, West and Wales consortium awarded £14.2m to nurture next generation of arts and humanities researchers

The South, West and Wales Consortium, in which the University of Exeter is joined with seven other universities – has been awarded £14.2 million funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

Shakespeare and the controversy over Richard III’s remains

More than a year after Richard III’s bones were unearthed in Leicester, the last Plantagenet king is still waiting for a resting place.

Study abroad experience encapsulated in photography competition

The winner of the study abroad photography competition was revealed. The twenty shortlisted photographs are currently on display in Queen’s café

Welsh medical history research wins European book award

A medical history book focusing on the experience of illness, medicine and care in 17th century Wales has won a major European prize.

Booker Prize winner, Mantel speaks on campus

One of the country’s most distinguished living novelists, Hilary Mantel CBE will discuss the impulse to recover the past that lies behind her historical fiction, ‘Wolf Hall’ and ‘Bring Up the Bodies’ at the University of Exeter on 29 October.

Speaking with the dead: All Souls Day

The Day of the Dead, also known as All Souls Day, is about commemoration. This practice of honouring and remembering the dead is observed in churches on 2 November.

Kenyon College Provost visits College of Humanities as impressive number of Kenyon students undertake popular Exeter-Kenyon programme

The College of Humanities was delighted to host Professor Joe Klesner, the Interim Provost of Kenyon College, Ohio.

Exeter - Peking University History Research Colloquium inspires intellectual exchange

A delegation from the College’s History Department has spent the last week strengthening Exeter’s ties in Beijing.

International students’ new route to success in the College of Humanities

The College of Humanities is delighted to welcome five new students who have progressed from INTO University of Exeter to a Humanities degree programme.

Unpublished WW1 novel shares secrets of the past with a new generation

A heroic World War One soldier’s previously unknown semi-autobiographical novel has come to light following the completion of a project to archive and make public the manuscripts, poems and correspondence of Frederick William Harvey.

Best of WW1 poetry in a single book

The First World War produced an extraordinary flowering of poetic talent. Its poets mark the conflict in ways that are both intensely personal and as enduring as any monument.

Exeter academic guides BBC2's new living history series Tudor Monastery Farm

Following the long-running success of BBC Two’s living history series, Victorian, Edwardian and Wartime Farm, a new series will be exploring life at the end of the Middle Ages in Tudor Monastery Farm.

WW2 soldier-poet's letters revealed after decades hidden in bureau

A cache of 150 letters from World War II soldier-poet John Jarmain has been discovered decades later by his daughter, Janet, who had been unaware of any surviving correspondence between her mother and father.

Drama Professor takes critically acclaimed production ‘Told by the Wind’ on tour to Tokyo

Phillip Zarrilli, Professor of Performance Practice at the University of Exeter embarks on a trip to Tokyo with the East Asian inspired production ‘Told by the Wind’.

British Asian culture festival flies over to India and Bangkok

A festival of British Asian culture is being taken to New Delhi and Bangkok, to celebrate the contribution and innovation of South Asians to the culture and life of Britain since the 1950’s.

Exeter historian is runner up for the Folklore Society's Katherine Briggs Award 2013

Dr Catherine Rider’s new book, Magic and Religion in Medieval England, has been recognised for its contribution to folklore studies.

PhD archaeologist wins Young Researcher UK Award

The University of Exeter is celebrating a double win at a major awards ceremony; PhD archaeologist Jennifer Watling won the Scopus Young Researcher UK Award 2013 in the category of Arts & Humanities and the University was honoured for its commitment to fostering excellence in young researchers.