Semester 1 Summaries: Bethan Asher

Posted on: 16 December 2021 by Bethan Asher in 2021 posts

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The first semester of my second year studying history at Liverpool has been a blast. Having lived in student accommodation at the on-campus Crown Place Halls of Residence last year, I was worried that living slightly further out of the city would be difficult. Quite the opposite- living in a house with five of my friends has been so much fun. Living in halls last year was exciting and a great way to make new friends with people doing a broad range of courses and all from different places. The university made such an effort to make halls feel like home with weekly activities to do with flatmates and events in the social areas. There are so many options here in terms of accommodation and the best thing is that most of them are pretty good value!

Since covid regulations were lessened there has been so much going on in the city and around uni. A few highlights include trips to the beach at Crosby and Formby, good (and cheap!) nights out and events at the uni Guild. Liverpool is such a dynamic city where there is always something to get involved with, from museums to gigs and the docks to art galleries and the beautiful parks, Liverpool really does have it all. My favourite way to spend a Saturday morning is a wander down to the docks to get coffee and pastries from Rough Hand Made where they serve the best cinnamon buns I have ever tasted! The people of Liverpool are so friendly and are always willing to help where they can. I also joined dance society this year which has been a great chance to socialise, keep fit and make more friends.

The course has been so interesting this year as all my modules were optional; I chose to do Culture and Belief in Late Medieval England, European Fascist Movements of the interwar period and British Health and Medicine since 1750. The combination of these three modules has allowed me to study the periods of history that interest me the most whilst making sure I cover a good range of both time and geography. The Liverpool history department uses a range of teaching and assessment styles such as group work, presentations, essays and source research which means there’s something that benefits everyone whilst also making sure the degree is challenging and engaging. The library has an excellent selection of books and other resources, and the librarians are always on hand to help with anything you need.