James
Wood

What do you enjoy most about your course at NTU?

“The interesting range of studies that I have encountered over my three years here. I have studied Black Writing in Britain and Gender and Sexuality modules in English that have greatly widened my knowledge of cultures and literature in different contexts and times. In History, the American slavery module has really enhanced my understanding of the hardship of slavery as well as helping me to analyse sources in great detail.”

What do you think about the course staff – include lecturers, tutors, administrators and technical staff within this. How do they support your learning and University experience?

“The staff are extremely supportive and always willing to help. Lecturers are enthusiastic and intelligent in their subject fields. The employability team are great at supporting students with placements and work after graduation.”

What advice would you give to prospective students who are considering applying for your course?

“Be willing to write a lot, constantly research and spend a lot of hours working on your degree from home. Moreover, be active, get involved and do plenty outside of your course from socialising with friends to work placements.”

Could you please explain more about your recent placement, and what you did during this time?

“I worked as a Social Media Blogger at Dawn of the Unread with James Walker. I provided four blog posts over four weeks on a variety of subjects to do with reading and education.”

Did NTU help you to attain your placements? If so, how?

“Yes. I got my placement at the placement fair at Clifton Campus and the employability team supported me throughout the process. I did my placement as part of the Humanities at Work module in second year.”

What was the most enjoyable aspect of this placement and why?

“Being able to work creatively and write about topics that interested me. Moreover, seeing my work published online on the website was also enjoyable."

What skills have you gained by completing this placement?

"I.T. skills, creative writing skills, organisation, confidence, punctuality, working to deadlines, research skills."

How will these skills enhance your employability for your chosen career?

"I.T. skills are needed in many jobs and my creative writing skills, research skills and organisation will be key when planning lessons as a teacher."

Take a look at James’ blog posts:

• #MondayBlogs Bringing literature back into social media zombies lives
• #Mondayblogs The importance of being a reader
• #MondayBlogs The interactive world and reading
• #MondayBlogs Bringing literature back into social media zombies lives