LEAP workshop programme 2022-23

We are currently finalising this year's programme, the programme below is provisional.

Please check out our programme for LEVEL ONE LEAP students (although Final Year LEAPers are always welcome to join us for any session that appeals!) Some sessions are aimed at both years.
All sessions take place on campus, Wednesdays 13:00-14:00 (unless stated)

Semester One 2022/23

5-Oct	Michael Sadler SR (LG.10)	LEAP Info session (ALL LEVELS) Find out more about the scheme, and meet with other students who have already done the first year. With Tess Hornsby Smith and Professor Melanie Prideaux
12-Oct	EC Stoner SR (7.83)	Mark Shearwood, History Identity: Is One Enough? The aim of the workshop is to re-evaluate how we think about identity and how our understanding of identity impacts our research.The workshop will discuss various forms and issues of identity, including constructed identity, fluid identities, imagined identity, imposed identity and multiple identities and how we categorise and label people by a given set of pre-set parameters and will introduce the participants to concepts of identity theory and spatial turn theory.
19-Oct	Michael Sadler SR (LG.10)	13:00-14:30 (ALL LEVELS) Rachael Stevens, Careers Consultant Bridging the Gap"Bridging the Gap" is a (hopefully) fun, informal way of looking at where you want to be in your career, reflecting on where you are now and deciding what you can do to bridge the gap. You will leave with a much clearer vision of what your next steps are and lots of enthusiasm for your future.
26-Oct	Michael Sadler SR (LG.10)	Marika Ceschia, English Decolonising the Curriculum What does 'decolonisation' mean? How can we achieve it in practice? This workshop aims to respond to these pressing questions, giving you the means to engage with the current debates around decolonisation and suggesting ways to decolonize research. Introducing the ideas of decolonial feminists such Sylvia Wynter, it will equip you with some of the theoretical tools with which to approach a decolonial practice, giving you time to discuss your own ideas.
2-Nov	EC Stoner SR (7.83)	Charlotte Durham, Media and Communication Deconstructing Disney: Producing and Consuming Identity Over the last 100 years, the Walt Disney Company has emerged as an international, multi-billion dollar media conglomerate, having first established itself as a leader in the animation industry, then diversifying into live-action films, television, theme parks and experiences, merchandising, and publishing (for example), while also acquiring companies such as Pixar, Lucasfilm, Marvel Entertainment, and 21st Century Fox (among others). As a result, in one of the more powerful sectors of the economy - entertainment - the Walt Disney Company has become not only one of the largest media powerhouses, but also one of the most valuable brands worldwide. Such lays the groundwork for this workshop in which we will be interrogating representations of Disney characters through small group activities and then a wider discussion. We will consider how these constructions of character are hinged on the performance of a complex entanglement of identity as an embodiment of meaning and how the collapsing of identity markers into a single character refers to a kind of cultural repository that recalls well-rehearsed and well-embedded tropes, images and ideologies. In doing so, the aim is to intervene into the ways popular culture perpetuates ideas of social norms, and more than this, preserves (and perhaps challenges) a history that is has traditionally been racist, sexist, classist, ableist etc. You are welcome to take part in as much or as little as you like.
9-Nov	Michael Sadler SR (LG.10)	Hannah Klimas, LCS The proof is in the presenting: How to plan and deliver a good presentation This workshop will teach you the necessary skills to plan and deliver an effective presentation. The skills you develop here will be useful for a number of different types of presentation. Part of the session will be dedicated to discussing the various types of presentation you may have to give, and the different ways in which they should be approached, in terms of style and audience, etc. The key points which will be covered in this workshop will be how to address your topic, developing effective visual aids (including PowerPoints and handouts), overcoming nerves and general public speaking skills. There will be practical elements, in which students are invited to make their own contributions, and to discuss their opinions on what makes a good presentation among a group of their peers, across different disciplines.
16-Nov	Michael Sadler SR (LG.10)	UGRE Taster Event (ALL LEVELS)
23-Nov	Michael Sadler SR (LG.10)	Karen Fox, LCS Bring the bounce back: The art of academic resilience Academia has this common misconception that it is smooth sailing for a student. Once you’re there, you’re set. But what is not seen are these high expectations we set for ourselves. The failure we feel like when you don’t reach that milestone you wanted, whether that be a grade you didn’t quite reach or if a module was not what you expected it to be or even if you have a brilliant idea that is not being seriously considered by your course leaders but deep down you know it's very, very, VERY good.From learning about advocating for yourself to exploring what achievement looks like in this industry (HINT: you did not get lucky), we will be discussing what academic resilience looks like and how being resilient can help you in your academic life?
30-Nov	Michael Sadler SR (LG.10)	Lorraine Yang, English The Culture Wars: Can a University Education help with the divide? Ever felt like the term "culture war" is being bandied about in the media without much attention to what this means Frustrated with discussions with people who have different political beliefs who can't seem to see your point of view Feel that there is an increasingly huge unbreachable cultural divide in the country, and feeling uncomfortable about it? In this session, you will get to interact with others from many different disciplines while discussing material from newspapers and history books that allow you to brainstorm what "the culture war" is. You will be able to get the opportunity to think about the way the culture divide is portrayed in the media, and to think about ways in which one can talk across the divide. You will get to think about your own assumptions, the assumptions of other people (including some of our politicians), and leave with some ideas of how to begin talking to others who have different belief systems.
7-Dec	Michael Sadler SR (LG.10)	Bethan Oake, PRHS Misinformation, spirituality and conspiracy culture in the online world The last 10 years have seen rapid growth in misinformation circulating in the online world. There have also been numerous prominent conspiracy theories and networks taking hold on a global scale. Equally, there has been a surge in individuals engaging with forms of alternative spirituality. These three realms can be found to interact with one another in dynamic and perhaps surprising ways. This session will explore, through current case studies, the ways in which conspiracy, misinformation, and spirituality interact – focusing primarily on the phenomenon of ‘conspirituality’. We will discuss the rise of contemporary conspiracy culture and the role of the internet in aiding its growth, asking questions such as: Who might these theories appeal to, and why are they appealing? Why do these phenomenon seem to be so popular in our current social climate? How can different fields contribute to researching conspirituality? How might it affect yours?
14-Dec	20 Lyddon Terrace SR 1 (1.06)	13:00-15:00 (ALL LEVELS) Ask an Expert This is a great opportunity to find out about interesting people, what they do for a job and how they got into that career. People included may be academics, creatives, Uni admin staff.

8-Feb	Social Sciences SR (14.33)	James Kaizuka, LCS Humanitarian and Economic Approaches to International Aid: Saving Lives versus Improving Lives Is it right that businesses profit from international aid? Is it better to focus on saving lives or improving lives? How can we make the best use of the limited resources available in the international aid system? These questions are fundamental to the provision of international aid and are grappled with by policymakers around the world on a daily basis. Delivery of international aid which is sustainable, effective, and which helps to tackle global inequalities is one of the crucial challenges of the 21st century, and one which contains numerous difficulties which are not easily resolvable. In this workshop, we will explore these questions and problems through a series of discussions, culminating in a role-playing game where you will be asked to respond to a specific international aid scenario.
15-Feb	Social Sciences SR (14.33)	Sapphire Littler, Music Disrupting masculinist dominance in arts research? Have you noticed that a majority of the sources you have come across in your subject are produced by cisgender men? You may not have noticed it, but it is probably the case. Only 21.9% of all published research since 1779 has been produced by women. Despite this, women outnumber men at undergraduate level in the UK. How can you personally ensure that female academics are promoted in your own work, even if a majority of your main sources have been published by men?
22-Feb		UGRE
1-Mar 13:00-14:30	Bedford Room, Special Collections, Brotherton Library	Dr Sam Gartland, LCS The Origins of Money In this session we’ll be getting our hands on with some of the oldest coins in the world. With the help of the outstanding ancient coins in the Special Collections of the Brotherton library, we’ll look closely at the coins to consider the origins of money, what money is and has become, and what it can say about societies and cultures from the ancient world to the present day.
8-Mar	Social Sciences SR (14.33)	Min Zou, LCS Queer Potential of Female Monsters: Abjection, Uncanny, and Female Bodies? Have you noticed an affinity between the woman and monstrosity in films, literature and folktales? Why are women projected as monsters, from Medusa in Greek myth to contemporary Japanese horror films?This workshop will lead you to examine the representation of female monsters with feminist and queer theories and understand to what extent they reflect the abjection of female subjectivities in patriarchal discourses.We will also discuss the queer potential of monstrous female bodies: Can we perceive an aesthetic of uncanny, becoming, therefore, queer configurations of female bodies aligned with monstrosity? Can we find a subversive power in "the abject", whose body beyond gendered and human discourses will in turn disturb the system producing and repressing it?
29-Mar	Michael Sadler PRHS Foyer (G Level (one floor up) and on the left hand side up the stairs	13:00-14:30 (ALL LEVELS) Celebration & Feedback Event
3-May	Social Sciences 12.38	Tim McConnell, LCS Participating in Justice How can we decide what is just and fair? Whether you are a protester, prime minister or president you may have broken the law, but it is a court that will ultimately decide the consequences. We are so familiar with our own justice system, it can be difficult to imagine how alternatives would functions. This workshop will get to the heart of how a justice system is designed, and in the process explore how we can use the experiences of the past. Trial by jury was the ultimate expression of ancient Athenian democracy, in which the citizens held all the power. In this interactive workshop we will reenact an ancient trial to get inside the minds and discuss justice. What can we learn about justice from how the ancient Greeks built lasting justice as a community? You don’t need to know anything about this subject, just come along and get involved!
10-May	Social Sciences SR (14.33)	Careers session with Rachael Stevens