Subject Tasters for Schools

Game Design: Introduction to Game Design

Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation Science: What lurks in our waters?

Architecture: How do architects play with light?

Architecture is one of the most complex and beautiful design disciplines, yet when we look at the finished building, we often see only an arrangement of bricks, mortar and glass. This sessions explores how architects use light and its relationship to atmosphere, proportions, and the built environment. Participants will be working on their own designs, so please have a pencil and some A4 paper at the ready.

Childhood: What is 'Childhood?'

It’s time to question our ideas of what it means to be a child! This session explores many different sociological and psychological constructions of childhood to try to decide what childhood actually is.

Criminology: Why do some people commit crimes and others do not?

When reading any newspaper, listening to the radio, watching television or even following social media, it is likely that there will be some representation of ‘crime and deviance’ – county lines drug dealing, illegal raves, political protests which extend into criminal activity and even breaches of COVID 19 restrictions. Criminologists try to understand why only some people engage in these activities while most conform to mainstream norms and values. This then raises the question of who it is who determines what mainstream norms and values ought to look like and how we reach agreement. Participants in this session will explore and share ideas on some of the many theories which seek to explain crime and deviance.

English Literature and Creative Writing: Stranger Things: Horror in Children's Literature and Culture 

Netflix’s Stranger Things has been labelled 'unsuitable for children' since its first season. But why, when so many young fans watch the series and children like Eleven have been opening portals to 'topsy-turvy' worlds since Alice's Adventures in Wonderland? This session opens the Gate further to explore horror’s prolific presence in twenty-first-century children’s literature and culture. Why do so many children love horror? Why do so many adults fear the impact horror might have on children? And why do children feature so prominently in a genre that often excludes them as readers and viewers? 

English Literature and Language: What are Linguistics? Language, Society & Identity

This session will introduce the study of linguistics.

Politics: Who voted for Brexit?

Who voted for Brexit and why? Were certain groups of people more likely to vote remain or leave? And can we predict what people think about politics based on their demographic and social profiles? In this interactive session, participants are introduced to the study of electoral behaviour and public opinion through analysing political polling and the EU referendum. Participants are encouraged to draw their own conclusions from public opinion research, as well as reflect on how effective political polling is at understanding voter behaviour.

Politics: Are elections fair?

How do UK general elections work? Why does the number of seats a political party gets in parliament not reflect the number of votes they received? Is it really ‘one person, one vote’? And are there better ways of electing our representatives? In this session, participants are introduced to the mechanics of UK general elections and how the first-past-the-post electoral system affects the way our politics operates. Participants are also encouraged to think about the nature of political representation, and the pros and cons of different method for electing our MPs This directly relates to content taught on the University of Suffolk Politics degree, on the ‘Politics, Crime and Policy’ module.

Politics: Human Nature, Power and Authority

Why do we have governments? Why do some people have power over others? Why do we obey those in authority? Where do societies and states come from? In this interactive session, participants are introduced to core ideas in political theory, including human nature, power, authority, the social contract and the state. This directly relates to content taught on the University of Suffolk Politics degree, on the ‘History of Political Thought’ module. This session can be run face-to-face.

Politics: The South China Sea Dispute and International Diplomacy

Who do global resources belong to? Where should countries’ territorial limits end? Do more powerful countries have a right to take from less powerful countries? How effective are diplomacy and international organisations in preventing conflict? This interactive session introduces students to the study of international relations and global politics. Participants are tasked with studying diplomatic tensions in the South China Sea in order to identify who the key international players are, what resources are at stake and how effective international diplomacy is at preventing conflict. This directly relates to content taught on the University of Suffolk Politics degree, on the ‘Current Political Disputes’ module. 

Sociology: Are things getting better? Worldwide Happiness and Wellbeing.

This session will explore how we can subjectively measure happiness and wellbeing. It will outline changes in the objective well-being of people across the world in the 21st century. The session is interactive and will allow participants to check their own knowledge of how well we are living.