HISTORY WITHPLYMOUTHUNIVERSITY WHAT THEY DID NEXTLIFE AFTER BA HONS HISTORY; BA HONS HISTORY WITH ENGLISH/INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS/POLITICSHistory with Plymouth University Japan 400 Festival 2014.599564_265754_5421_Ply_UGHistoryAlumni_A5Brochure_A2_170615_V4.indd 1 17/06/2015 16:292History What they did next599564_265754_5421_Ply_UGHistoryAlumni_A5Brochure_A2_170615_V4.indd 2 17/06/2015 16:30Tom BaycockBA (Hons) HISTORY WITHINTERNATIONAL RELATIONSI graduated from Plymouth University in September 2013. Following my nal exams in May 2013, I was offered the position of Parliamentary Research Assistant. Since then I have been exposed to a variety of experiences. My day to day role involves media briengs, drafting press, drafting articles, writing parliamentary questions/speeches, carrying out research, scheduling and other ofce administrative tasks. On top of this I have been lucky enough to attend meeting with Secretary of States for example in the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to negotiate plans to alleviate ooding. I have also attended meetings in the Home Ofce. History at Plymouth University equipped me with a variety of skills. The diversity of the degree is what has been most valuable to me in a position of employment where the responsibilities are so disparate. Politics is largely communication, be that through correspondence with constituents, social media, or questions in the House of Commons, therefore my ability to communicate effectively has been enhanced by my degree. My ability to research and write effectively, has also paid dividends in my work given that my boss, Jeremy Browne MP, has written two books since I have worked for him, one of which focused upon globalisation and the changing world order, my minor in International Relations at the point became invaluable! I also worked as a member of the Crime and Criminal Justice policy group, which really drew upon the written and research skills I obtained through my degree. I was pleased to nd that much of the research I carried out was published in the nal policy paper. What I learnt has been invaluable, and I genuinely believe the skills obtained by studying history at Plymouth University have suitably equipped me to carry out my job and they would also be very applicable to a number of other career paths. Above all the course was stimulating, interesting and fun, as was studying in Plymouth, and it has also lead me to where I am today. I couldnt really ask for much more in a degree course and university experience.Life after BA Hons History; BA Hons History with English/International Relations/Politics3599564_265754_5421_Ply_UGHistoryAlumni_A5Brochure_A2_170615_V4.indd 3 17/06/2015 16:30Lucy HugginsBA (Hons) HISTORY WITH POLITICSIn 2010 I enrolled at Plymouth University to study BA (Hons) History with Politics. As a mature student, I was initially apprehensive but thanks to the warm and friendly atmosphere at PlymouthI quickly found my feet. There is a wide range of modules on offer, which, due to the rst class expertise of the staff are detailed and interesting. Soon into my degree I discovered that I was passionate about early modern social history and wanted to pursue my studies to the highest level so upon completion of my BA, I enrolled on the MRes History degree at Plymouth. The training and skill set which I had developed during my BA well equipped me for postgraduate study, and, as I was nishing my MRes dissertation in 2014. I was awarded an AHRC funded PhD studentship at the University of Shefeld. 4History What they did next599564_265754_5421_Ply_UGHistoryAlumni_A5Brochure_A2_170615_V4.indd 4 17/06/2015 16:30Charlotte RockeyBA HONS HISTORYI studied at Plymouth for both undergraduate and masters level degrees. I began with a BA in History with American Studies and MA in Social History. The decision to start an MPhil/PhD here was made all the easier by the enthusiasm and support of the faculty. Plymouth is my home town, so one could say I am biased, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time studying history here (and still do). The staff are friendly, engaging and specialise in a wide range of subjects.I still remember my open day experience a lasting impression was made!As I go further in my PhD journey, it is with the knowledge that the University will be both supportive and inspirational, as it has been from the beginning.Life after BA Hons History; BA Hons History with English/International Relations/Politics5599564_265754_5421_Ply_UGHistoryAlumni_A5Brochure_A2_170615_V4.indd 5 17/06/2015 16:306History What they did next599564_265754_5421_Ply_UGHistoryAlumni_A5Brochure_A2_170615_V4.indd 6 17/06/2015 16:30Danny SaxbyBA (Hons) HISTORYUndertaking a BA (Hons) and MA at Plymouth University completely prepared me for my career as a teacher. I have found that the modules that I took from culture, society and politics in Britain 1640-1900 right through to regimes and dictators in twentieth-century Europe have all been so useful in supplying me with the necessary contextual knowledge needed in a secondary school. Yet my time at Plymouth engendered me with more than historical knowledge; the condence gained from presentations and the collaborative skills gained from group work and shared assignments ensured that I left university as a well-informed and condent individual.In a nal note; Roald Dahl once said that he valued kindness in a human being above every other attribute like courage, bravery, generosity of anything else.The reason I have highlighted this quote is that each lecturer that I had the pleasure with dealing with at Plymouth was always happy to help and were kind, friendly and informational. If you choose to study at Plymouth you will nd a plethora of resources, course content that is both stimulating and interesting, and staff who supply you with the necessary support and guidance that you will need to excel; leaving you in a great position to really think aboutwhat future career path you would liketo go down.Life after BA Hons History; BA Hons History with English/International Relations/Politics7599564_265754_5421_Ply_UGHistoryAlumni_A5Brochure_A2_170615_V4.indd 7 17/06/2015 16:30Rachel CokeBA (Hons) HISTORY WITH POLITICSAfter completing my BA (Hons) in History with Politics, I chose to start my MA History part-time. The MA felt like the next step for me, it gave me the opportunity to explore areas of History in more depth. The support that the department has given me has been invaluable. Last year I was lucky enough to receive one of the Roosevelt Centres International scholarships to research my MA dissertation on FDR, the Court-Packing case of 1937 and the greater politicisation of the US Supreme Court. It focuses on the notion of judicial impartiality as a concept and whether or not this is achievable. In exploring this I have encompassed elements of judicial, legal, constitutional and political history. The interdisciplinary approaches of my dissertation have allowed me to build links with colleagues in other departments. I chose the part time route because I took a job working as a Cover Supervisor part-time in a local secondary school, which led me to the decision that I want to work in the education sector. I also want to do a PhD to explore my research interests further.Plymouth University has been a massive part of my life for the past ve years. It has been a great environment for me to grow from the rst year student who wanted to sign up for everything to the masters student who can use the opportunity to network and connect with others in the academic community. I have been able to merge my interests in history and politics into a cross disciplinary approach which has allowed me to widen my options.8 History What they did next599564_265754_5421_Ply_UGHistoryAlumni_A5Brochure_A2_170615_V4.indd 8 17/06/2015 16:30Peter BowdenBA (Hons) HISTORYI work in the city for Catlin, a FTSE250 specialty insurance and reinsurance company which writes business in nearly every country in the World. I work in compliance which is the function which ensures that the company operates in line with all of the many laws to which it is subject. Studying history at Plymouth University gave me some of the key skills I have needed in order to have a career in the city. These are namely; the ability to get to grips with difcult subjects quickly, the ability to independently manage a workload (and operateunder pressure), attention to detailand the skills and condence to putmy arguments and ideas across.Life after BA Hons History; BA Hons History with English/International Relations/Politics9599564_265754_5421_Ply_UGHistoryAlumni_A5Brochure_A2_170615_V4.indd 9 17/06/2015 16:3010History What they did next599564_265754_5421_Ply_UGHistoryAlumni_A5Brochure_A2_170615_V4.indd 10 17/06/2015 16:30Robin FrostBA (Hons) HISTORYAs my group led off the plane into the heat of Nairobi, none of us had much idea of what to expect for the next three months. We had been selected to go abroad as volunteers in the International Citizen Service scheme, which is run and funded by the Department of International Development (DFID) in partnership with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) and other development charities. Our new home was a small town called Machakos, to the south-east of Nairobi, and after a few days of training we found ourselves living with a local family alongside our partner volunteers from Kenyan. It was a big adjustment the local population werent used to having Westerners around, so we got a lot of attention and were accompanied by cries of Mzungu (Swahili slang for white skin) virtually everywhere we went. The food, the frequent power cuts, the crazy trafcand the occasional football riot alladded to the challenge!My placement was with the localbranch of the Red Cross, and involved working on sustainable greenhouse projects in a nearby school, participating in awareness campaigns to increase blood donations, helping to map problem areas of waste disposal in Machakos, and working to increase the local Red Cross membership. After we got used to the Kenyan working culture and their sometimes exible approach to punctuality, we were able to really get stuck into our respective projects and make an impact. My time at the Red Cross culminated with a blood donation event in the centre of town, organised and publicised solely by my group, and we managed to break the Machakos record of the number of donations at an open-air session. Three months seemed such a short time to develop our projects, but the work my group started will be carried on by a new cycle of volunteers who are currently in Machakos. Its not a holiday and at times it was incredibly challenging and frustrating, but overall it was just a fantastic experience which let me do something positive for people less fortunate than me, and it gave me areally unique insight into another culture. Im currently pursuing a masters in International Relations at the University of Cape Town. My time at Plymouth helped to develop the focus and organisational skills that I used throughout my time in Kenya, as well as providing me with an independent outlook that was a help in dealing with the cultural differences. The work I did at the Red Cross was aided by the abilities in writing and presentation that I honed during my History degree, and the constant collaboration with other students during seminars was a great foundation for working under pressurein a volunteer group.Life after BA Hons History; BA Hons History with English/International Relations/Politics11599564_265754_5421_Ply_UGHistoryAlumni_A5Brochure_A2_170615_V4.indd 11 17/06/2015 16:30Lewis BroadwayBA (Hons) HISTORYSince graduating in 2014, Ive begun working as a research analyst for a company called River Path Associates. It is a very small company I am one of ve employees and the company itself has worked for a wide range of clients including UNICEF, The British Council, Vodafone, New York University and the World Health Organization. The sort of activities I undertake on a daily basis heavily involve the skills I developed while studying History with Politics at Plymouth. These include independent research, initiative, thinking and writing critically, and developing an informed opinion on sources. Since Ive started work here, one of the biggest projects I have been involved with is nding a way to make schools safer in Nigeria in light of the kidnapping of 219 schoolgirls in Chibok by Boko Haramin April 2014. Even prior to this kidnapping, school attendance in Northern Nigeria has been drastically low. This has presented an opportunity to develop a programme which will ensure that attacks like Chibok dont happen again, and that more children begin to attend, and stay in school. My role in this project was to pull together as many reports, books and evaluations of programmes which have been used in similar situations as possible, and to reach a consensus of what works and what doesnt. My research formed the basis for a report, which will hopefully inuence the programme in Nigeria and help more of its children achieve a good education.In my third year at Plymouth I took a module on the United Nations which I have found crucial in my job as we do a lot of work on this topic, for instance on the Post-2015 agenda and towards the election of the next UN Secretary General. These topics require me to have a very good grasp on the history of the United Nations and how it, as a body, has developed. In my politics minor I did a large-scale piece of work on opinion polling and surveys, which is very important in the eld I am working in as we monitor and evaluate different global programmes which involve collecting vast sums of data, and asking the right questions.I chose this career because it suited me really well, it involves topics I have enjoyed studying in the past, and I dont do the same thing every day. Recently, I have been doing lots of background reading of reports. Prior to that, I was working with survey data, and I am about to start a report which will involve me putting together an array of infographics. In the future, I will be looking to take on my own projects which may include travelling to countries such as Pakistan. Future positions which this job may lead to include governmental research within Parliament, or working for larger companies such as IPSOS MORI.12History What they did next599564_265754_5421_Ply_UGHistoryAlumni_A5Brochure_A2_170615_V4.indd 12 17/06/2015 16:30Life after BA Hons History; BA Hons History with English/International Relations/Politics13599564_265754_5421_Ply_UGHistoryAlumni_A5Brochure_A2_170615_V4.indd 13 17/06/2015 16:30We are grateful for the help of all our wonderful graduates who kindly agreedto contribute to this brochure.Thanks also to all the companies and clients they work for.14History What they did next599564_265754_5421_Ply_UGHistoryAlumni_A5Brochure_A2_170615_V4.indd 14 17/06/2015 16:30Life after BA Hons History; BA Hons History with English/International Relations/Politics15599564_265754_5421_Ply_UGHistoryAlumni_A5Brochure_A2_170615_V4.indd 15 17/06/2015 16:30HISTORY WITHPLYMOUTHUNIVERSITY FOR MORE INFORMATIONContact the programme teamartshumadmin@plymouth.ac.ukSchool of Humanities and Performing ArtsFaculty of Arts and HumanitiesPlymouth University PL48AAT: +44 (0)1752 585858 E: admissions@plymouth.ac.uk www.plymouth.ac.ukWHAT THEY DID NEXTLIFE AFTER BA HONS HISTORY; BA HONS HISTORY WITH ENGLISH/INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS/POLITICS599564_265754_5421_Ply_UGHistoryAlumni_A5Brochure_A2_170615_V4.indd 16 17/06/2015 16:29