Journal Entries
My bid to escape from the Jobcentre
Posted Aug 9, 2005
I should start this Journal Entry with a confession. My Personal Space describes me as a student at the University of Bradford, and that is perfectly true: I've taken ten University modules and acquired 160 credits towards a degree over the past two years. However, during that time I have officially been a part-time student, even though I've sometimes been doing at least as many modules as the full-timers. I have been surviving by signing on and claiming Jobseekers Allowance and Housing Benefit.
Well, all of that is hopefully about to change. As a result of the marks I've obtained as a part-timer, I have been invited by the University to apply to switch to a full-time BA degree in Interdisciplinary Human Studies, a fascinating-sounding course that takes in English, sociology, politics and philosophy.
The Uni's timing has been immaculate. Their suggestion has arrived just in time to offer me the hope of escape from spending six months on one of the Department of Work & Pensions' New Deal schemes, under which the claimant is offered the unappealing choice of going on a full-time training course for three months and then on to a work placement of someone else's choosing, or simply doing six months of work placement. Either option also involves large doses of a cruel and unusual punishment known as supervised jobsearch, in which the unfortunate subject is patronised, hectored and bullied in an effort to get them to apply for and accept any sort of work. The last time I endured this process, I had one of the creeps in charge trying to convince me that I should apply for a job as a road sweeper, since 'any job is better than no job'. This is not a notion with which I have much sympathy, for very good reasons. It is six and a half years since I left my last long-term employment, and the counsellor I see once a week tells me that I still display the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of doing that job.
So it's the full-time student life for me, subject to my transfer being accepted by the tutor in charge of the Interdisciplinary Human Studies course when he gets back from holiday. It's a leap into the unknown: I'll have to discover all the intricacies of the funding schemes available to mature students, and I'll doubtless be running up some debt. I'm hoping to start with the second year of the three-year course, since the modules I've already taken should be relevant enough to replace the first year of my new course; but this too has yet to be confirmed.
The main thing, though, is that I'm really excited by the prospect of doing the student thing properly, in a University I've come to love. I formally applied to the course today, and I'm trying to stay calm until I get the letter officially confirming my acceptance; but the people I've already spoken to at the University have been very encouraging. 
I have an average essay mark of 71.2% and a reference from a senior lecturer to support my application.
Hopefully, some time soon, I'll be doing some serious celebrating, saying a fond goodbye to my dear friends at the Jobcentre, and then beginning a frantic scramble to get alternative funding arrangements in place. And then a whole new 
of experience will hopefully open up for me.
Discuss this Journal entry [19]
Latest reply: Aug 9, 2005
What are Harry Potter's politics?
Posted Jul 14, 2005
With just over a day to go before I take my place in the midnight queue for a copy of 'Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince', I've been intrigued by a discussion in the BBC's 'Talking Point' section. Columnist Robert Winder has argued that Potter is a conservative character harking back to 1950s values, and compares him to ex-Prime Minister John Major. (Winder's column is here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/4679657.stm )
I disagree strongly, and have written in to claim Harry as a liberal hero. It is the Malfoy family and Draco's friends from Slytherin who seem to me to represent the worst of right-wing attitudes: they're racist, with their disdain for 'mudbloods' (those not of pure wizarding stock) and Draco is openly contemptuous of Ron Weasley because Ron's family have little money.
Harry rejects these elitist attitudes and chooses as his best friends Ron Weasley and a tough, resourceful female 'mudblood', Hermione Granger - who is herself a good progressive, with her campaigning for the rights of oppressed house-elves. 
Harry's relationship of mutual respect with Hermione shows that his gender politics are progressive. What's more, he is involved in a cross-racial romance with his beloved Cho Chang 
- which seems another indicator of likely liberal leanings.
Harry is prepared to fight the powers that be when they abuse their power, which brings him into conflict with a corrupt conservative politician - Draco's dad, the sinister Lucius Malfoy of the Ministry of Magic, who wants to keep Hogwarts exclusively for a 'pure-bred' elite.
All in all, far from being conservative, it seems to me that Harry Potter is pretty radical. Right on, Harry! 
Discuss this Journal entry [26]
Latest reply: Jul 14, 2005
Film (Studies) Stardom!
Posted Jun 30, 2005
I've now got all my marks for the second semester of this academic year, and I think that my second year at the University of Bradford can be judged a success. 
I've scored a 67% and a 70% for Writing Short Stories. The higher mark was for a journal I kept about published short stories I'd read during the course (I became a big fan of Doris Lessing). The 67% was for my own short story 'Shrinking', a tale of student life, 
, 
and psychiatry which should be in next week's edition of 
- with a couple of adjustments suggested by my course tutor in the feedback she gave me.
I did better in Stress Management, scoring 74% for my essay on the subject - so I'm now officially qualified to chill out. 
However, the result I can't quite believe is the one I got for my Film Studies essay, with the title 'How should we judge film and television productions that are representing historical events?'. EIGHTY-FOUR PER CENT! 
I thought you had to make some sort of major scientific breakthrough to get more than 80% in a University essay!
Still, if I was going to do exceptionally well in one module then I suppose it makes sense that it was this one, because I was on home ground. The screenings and discussions for the film studies module took place at my beloved National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, and the films we viewed as a class included a big favourite of mine: 'Bowling For Columbine', which I had already written about in A2535293 . ('Fahrenheit 9/11', another film discussed in that Guide Entry, also featured in my essay.)
All of this means that I have now successfully completed Level One of my B.A. degree, having clocked up 120 credits at that level. I also have 40 credits towards Level Two. In the 2005-6 academic year, I'd like to do another film studies module and try to do something on Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a subject I've recently become highly intrigued by.
But that is for the future. For now, I'll keep looking at that figure 84, pinching myself, and feeling happy about the fact that with a little deep thought, I managed to score 42x2. 
Discuss this Journal entry [19]
Latest reply: Jun 30, 2005
Harmony. Melody. Beauty. Chumbawamba.
Posted Jun 26, 2005
I have just had a wonderful evening out at Bradford's charming Love Apple club listening to an acoustic group who sang the most gorgeous five-part folk harmonies, and who performed songs dating back to the 17th and 18th century, along with a lot of fine and fiery numbers of their own. They were beautifully tuneful.
Their pretty songs railed furiously against war, poverty, privilege, Bush, Blair and many other depressing aspects of modern life. But that was hardly surprising: for this was Chumbawamba, in their acoustic-quintet incarnation. It is a great pity that so many people know them only as the group who sang that song about getting knocked down and getting up again and who poured water over the Deputy Prime Minister. That song 'Tubthumping' was never typical of what they do, and they've made a lot of stirring music since their global hit that hasn't had the attention it deserved.
There were a couple of memorable covers in the Chumbas' set: a luscious five-part a capella rendition of The Clash's 'Bankrobber', and a finale of The Beatles' 'Her Majesty', with some very funny additional, republican verses. 
More power to Chumbawamba. Though as they're anarchists, they probably don't want it. 
Discuss this Journal entry [10]
Latest reply: Jun 26, 2005
My first UnderGuide submission
Posted Jun 17, 2005
I've just made my first-ever venture into the Alternative Writing Workshop, by submitting a story I wrote for the short story writing course I took at University last semester. It's a tale of booze, chocolate, clubbing and psychology called 'Shrinking', which has been well received by everyone who's read it so far. I thought it deserved a wider audience, so I've offered it to the AWW at F74130?thread=658511 for consideration as a possible UnderGuide entry.
Please pay it a visit, and share and enjoy! 
Discuss this Journal entry [9]
Latest reply: Jun 17, 2005
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