"student" blog posts

Semester 1 Summaries: Bethan Asher

Posted on: 16 December 2021 | Category: 2021 posts

Crosby beach banner image

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!


‘News you’re not supposed to know’: Uncovering the birth of Liverpool Free Press 1971-77

Posted on: 10 May 2021 | Category: 2021 posts

Image of newspaper clippings.

This little newspaper, run on a shoestring and staffed by part-timers in a tiny office, was responsible for investigating and breaking the news of a huge corruption scandal that ended with three prison terms for local councillors and business leaders.


World Heritage Day: a student's view

Posted on: 19 April 2021 | Category: 2021 posts

Liverpool Museum and Library taken on a sunny day

For World Heritage Day 2021, we spoke to History student Hannah Schofield-Lea, currently completing a placement at the World Museum, Liverpool.


Four historic places to visit now in Liverpool

Posted on: 12 April 2021 | Category: 2021 posts

Greenbank Park

After feeling like we have been stuck inside for an eternity, students across Liverpool can slowly start to enjoy the beautiful locations in this historic city. Whilst Liverpool’s museums and indoor facilities are closed, take advantage of the sun and being allowed outdoors and explore some historic sites.


Five ways to explore LGBT+ history from home

Posted on: 27 January 2021 | Category: 2021 posts

Student in gardens on campus

For LGBT+ history month we asked Imogen, Deputy-President of the Guild, to collaborate with us on a list of media to watch and resources to explore. From campaigning for equal rights at Pride in London, to the Harlem ballroom scene in New York, find out more about LGBT+ history here.


How to have a Black history year - five ways to be an ally all year round

Posted on: 9 November 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Woman reading a book

Say goodbye to October, and hello to the rest of your life! Black History Month runs throughout October every year and is fundamentally about allowing healing by providing information that bridges different experiences. By spending time understanding what someone else’s experience, knowledge and insights are we can be more empathetic and better people.


How to have a Black history year - ways to rest, recharge and connect with your identity

Posted on: 9 October 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Woman holding her face and looking up

It's a Black Radical Present. Will you like how history remembers you? If you are Black, your identity is your history and also your future. Locked within you is a story that millions of ancestors fought to make sure it exists today.


Connecting the power of African Ancestors

Posted on: 25 September 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

When I confirmed my upcoming talk with the University of Liverpool and National Museums Liverpool, it was February 2020. In some ways, it was a completely different world. I couldn’t have known that Black History Month 2020 could see us operating in a second lockdown, as the first lockdown was still a myth and a whisper on the UK agenda.


Misunderstanding Black Lives Matter

Posted on: 21 July 2020 | Category: 2020 posts

Man holding sign saying 'The UK is not innocent' during Black Lives Matter protest

History student Caleb Howie gives his opinion on how the Black Lives Matter movement has been misunderstood and misrepresented by some sections of society.


Five things to do during Welcome Week

Posted on: 13 September 2019 | Category: 2019 posts

Liverpool skyline - photo by Charles Pragnell from Pexels

Welcome Week kicks off on Monday, giving new students the opportunity to get to know their new flatmates, explore Liverpool and settle in before they start lectures. Take a look at our top five tips to help you get started with university life.


Black History Month: reflecting on racialised beauty standards

Posted on: 26 October 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

Woman with afro hair

For Black History Month, history student Alaina Heath reflects on racialised beauty standards and representations of Black beauty in the media.


Explore the history of urban dog mess at the Plop Up Dog Poo Family Fun Day

Posted on: 14 September 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

Plop-Up Dog Poo Family Fun Day

Dog mess is a messy and infuriating presence on our streets. Awareness raising campaigns and fining and have made some progress in encouraging dog owners to do the responsible thing and scoop the poop. But dog mess continues to pose difficult management issues for councils who receive thousands of complaints each year about the 3,000 tons that hit British streets daily.


World Cup stories: Football and national identity in postwar Germany

Posted on: 12 June 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

German team world cup 1974

When you grow up in the North East of England, you can’t really escape the notion that to millions, maybe billions of people around the world, football is a lot more than a game.


Five things to do in Merseyside for anyone interested in History this summer

Posted on: 8 June 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

Western Approaches Naval Teleprinter Station

With summer now upon us, you might be looking for things to do in Merseyside before the start of the new term (trust us, this will come around very quickly!). While teaching may be over until September, there’s still plenty of things to do and see in the area that relate to History: from a World War Two bunker to Liverpool’s Old Dock.


"It made me realise that history really was just outside my doorstep" — Lois shares her study abroad experience in Prague

Posted on: 27 February 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

Prague - Lois Roberts blog piece

My name is Lois and I’m currently a third-year history student. Writing about my experience at Charles University, Prague, in only one article is going to be difficult as I have so many amazing memories from my Erasmus experience; but I’ll try and squeeze everything in! Before I start though, to anyone who has any doubts or worries about having difficulties making friends abroad, homesickness or just not fitting in, I hope this blog convinces you that you have absolutely nothing to worry about.


"I decided we should have an illustration that is not a body factory" — MA Cultural History student chats to Michael Sappol

Posted on: 31 January 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

Body Modern by Michael Sappol

As usual we all had a lot to say in our Themes in Cultural History seminar. The key text of the week was one of five cultural histories we have been studying in depth for the module and the response was very positive.


Taking a year abroad - are you adventurous enough to come and live in China?

Posted on: 19 January 2018 | Category: 2018 posts

A group of young people on a boat in Shanghai

Hello! Or should I say 你好 (ni hao)? I’m currently sitting in my flat in Suzhou revising for my exams. Yes, Study Abroad does actually involve studying, but don’t worry, there’s so much more!


Exploring perceptions of Liverpool’s International Slavery Museum

Posted on: 15 December 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

Newspaper article about the International Slavery Museum

Third year history student, Tiria Barnes, explores perceptions of Liverpool’s International Slavery Museum using articles from Gale Primary Sources.


An experience to remember - PhD research at University of Georgia

Posted on: 8 December 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

University of Georgia campus.

Early in 2017, I was awarded a University of Georgia (UGA) Franklin College – University of Liverpool Short-Term International Research Fellowship. So a few months later, I found myself in Athens, Georgia, enjoying a week of beautiful fall weather and the generous hospitality of the southern United States.


Let's meet...a history masters graduate

Posted on: 7 December 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

Emma Copestake

Find out what it's like to study a history masters with us at Liverpool, from prize-winning graduate Emma Copestake.


Victorian vagrants - researching female criminals from the Victorian era

Posted on: 5 October 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

Historic records.

One of the most fascinating aspects of my research is going beyond the stats and the figures and constructing biographies of the women I’m researching. In order to do this I’ve been utilising material held in local archives, such as newspapers held on microfilm, but I’ve also been making extensive use of digital sources.


Nuclear stories: understanding nuclear anxiety through storytelling

Posted on: 23 August 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

'But if it DID happen' headline from newspaper

When I first undertook my History PhD research on nuclear anxiety in Britain, I was instantly surprised by how much people wanted to tell me their 'nuclear stories'. It appeared to me that the legacies of Cold War nuclear anxieties ran much deeper than I had originally believed.


Libraries and life in Washington DC - building the foundations of my PhD thesis

Posted on: 5 April 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

Library of Congress, Washington.

I was lucky enough to move to Washington D.C. from September 2016 until February this year, to undertake a British Research Council Fellowship at the John W. Kluge Center, Library of Congress.


Using our archives - hidden stories from LGBT history

Posted on: 29 March 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

Headshot of April Ashley

Masters student and archivist, Emma Cummings, reflects on how archives and collections can act as an important part of highlighting hidden stories from LGBT history.


A student's view: Harry Roberts on using our new history e-textbook

Posted on: 22 February 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

Student holding a piece of work

Still lugging heavy history books around? Student, Harry Roberts, gives us the lowdown on how he's been using the new history e-textbook, 'Using Primary Sources' and how it's changed the way he researches the subjects he's passionate about.


Jackie Kennedy - America’s most recognisable First Lady

Posted on: 19 January 2017 | Category: 2017 posts

President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy arrive in Dallas.

This week sees the release of ‘Jackie’, a film about First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the days following the assassination of her husband, President John F. Kennedy, in 1963.


Researching the slave trade in Liverpool

Posted on: 21 October 2016 | Category: 2016 posts

Slavers and privateers cover

For Black History Month, we take a look at some of the stories behind the slave trade in Liverpool with PhD student Nicholas Fuqua:


Urban street photography - piecing together the past

Posted on: 29 September 2016 | Category: 2016 posts

Black and white photo of a crowd standing next to bomb damaged houses.

Liverpool is bursting with museums and for History PhD student Dan Warner, the Museum of Liverpool's current photography exhibition has been a key piece of inspiration for his research: