Humanities at Penryn Campus: New undergraduate students
Firstly, a huge welcome to the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Cornwall and your studies here.
We are delighted to be welcoming our first cohort to the Environmental Humanities programme which explores how the study of history, literature, society, and the creative arts brings critical insights to understanding and solving current and global problems of environmental change. Over the course of the next three years, you will join us to contribute to new thinking on the future of humanity and the planet in this time of accelerating climate and environmental change.
As a new cohort of History students, you're about to embark on an incredible journey. With a strong focus on histories from 1600 to the present, you will delve into captivating subjects like public history, culture, memory, heritage, oral history, party politics, environmentalism, modern conflict, imperialism, and North American history. Our curriculum is designed to help you understand the intricacies of historical approaches and concepts, providing you with a comprehensive perspective on the past and its influence on the present.
Humanities and Social Sciences, Cornwall is truly a Department like no other. We are part of a world-leading University but are able to offer an un-paralleled student experience with our small class sizes and cutting-edge approaches to inclusive teaching. As the icing on the cake, we are the only Russell Group University Campus located in a beautiful semi-rural setting (near the vibrant student-friendly town of Falmouth) surrounded by multiple beaches.
Whether you aspire to be an environmental campaigner, historian, politician, something else, or simply have a curious mind, our Penryn Campus is the place study if you want to stand out in the crowd. We offer engaged learning such as helping local heritage organisations with their public communication, arguing a case in a mock trial in front of a real judge, and engaging in activities to spark social change. We excel in teaching and research in Environmental Humanities and History and offer a range of exciting interdisciplinary courses. We share our Campus with Falmouth University (previously Art School), which gives us a unique creative edge.
We look forward to meeting you in September,
With best wishes,
Professor Clare Saunders and the HaSS Cornwall Leadership Team
We're currently planning our Induction Week activities (which begins on 18th September) to welcome you to the University of Exeter, so some of the information provided here will change as new details are released.
Please ensure you check back here frequently for updates, as well as checking your personal e-mail account, your new University of Exeter e-mail account, and your timetable for the most up-to date information from us.
Please note you must have registered with the University and activated your IT account to access your timetable (see the section entitled ‘Activate your IT account’).
Any questions
If you have any questions about joining us, including accommodation and selecting your modules, the Info Point at Penryn will know! You can contact them as follows:
Email: info.penryn@ex.ac.uk
Phone: 01326 371800
Hubs are open Monday to Friday (term time) 9.00am to 5.00pm (UK time).
- Look at the New Students website to find what you'll need to do before arriving in Cornwall
- Register with the University and activate your IT account to access your timetable (see the section entitled ‘Activate your IT account’)
- Join our University of Exeter, Cornwall Offer Holders Facebook page. This will allow you to meet and interact with fellow offer holders and find out any information about the campus, prior to joining us in September.
Welcome Week 2023: Monday 18 September - Friday 22 September
When you come to the University of Exeter, you’ll be joining the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, which is home to the Law School as well as Humanities and Politics. We have a big induction week planned for you to enable you better to understand what it means to be a student, to get to know the people around you, and how to get the most out of your time at university. We want you to get off to the best possible start!
During Welcome Week you should attend the Academic Induction events and activities for your subject/s, as detailed below. If there is any reason why you may not be here for Welcome Week, please contact the Penryn Hub, who support History Penryn students, as soon as possible by emailing info.penryn@exeter.ac.uk.
For information regarding the Student’s Union and Society-led events during Welcome Week, visit the Falmouth and Exeter Student’s Union website. Events (thesu.org.uk).
Please check your academic timetable during Welcome Week, so that you know exactly where and when you need to attend your first classes and lectures! If you have any timetable-related problems or questions, please contact the Penryn Hub at info.penryn@exeter.ac.uk.
This schedule may be subject to change - please check your personal timetable online, via My Timetable, for the latest information.
Please note: all times below are UK time.
Date |
Time |
Event |
Location |
Monday 18th September |
9.30AM - 11AM |
Welcome to Exeter |
DDM Lecture A/B |
Monday 18th September |
11 AM |
Joining Photographs |
Ampitheatre |
Monday 18th September |
2PM - 3PM |
History Programme Welcome |
PL Lecture 5 |
Monday 18th September |
3.30-4.30PM |
Welcome to the 4-year degree programmes |
Exchange Red |
Tuesday 19th September |
10:30AM – 4:30PM |
Workshops with Active Plus, Miracle Theatre, library escape room and orientation workshops in your group across the day |
Assigned on your timetable |
Wednesday 20th September |
|
Student Union events |
|
Thursday 21st September |
10:30AM – 2 PM |
Workshops with Active Plus, Miracle Theatre and Doorstep Arts, library escape room and orientation workshops in your group |
Assigned on your timetable |
Thursday 21st September |
2.30 - 4PM |
Welcome to student life on your course and the campus |
Sports Hall |
Friday 22nd September |
9AM - 5PM |
Environmental Humanities Field Trip (for those enrolled on the course) |
Assigned on your timetable |
On Monday, 18th September, ‘welcome to the University of Exeter’ talk with all staff, in which we’ll introduce you to how we teach, and you’ll undertake some short activities delivered by academic and professional services staff and members of the Students’ Union and Staff-Student Liaison Committees. In the afternoon, you’ll take part in an introductory workshop for your particular programme of study.
We’ll also take a photo of your cohort in the amphitheatre on campus as a record of your first day at university – and we’ll take one on your graduation day, too, as a reminder of how far you have come!
On Tuesday, 19th and Thursday, 21st September your cohort will be divided into five groups (of around 45 students each) and will then take part in five activities (three on each day). The activities will be as follows:
- Activity 1: Miracle Theatre Workshop: Join Miracle Theatre for activities around getting to know people, remembering their names and ‘faking it until you make it’ when doing new things.
- Activity 2: Active Plus Bootcamp: The Active Plus will take you through a mini teamwork bootcamp
- Activity 3: Learning at Exeter (Thrive): An introduction to how you learn as an undergraduate at Exeter and how to get the most out of your degree.
- Activity 4: Library Escape Room: Take part in a virtual escape room to allow you to explore the library spaces and its resources
- Activity 5: Exeter Learning Environment and Campus Tour: Our second and third years lead this session on how to find your way around our virtual campus (ELE – which is our Moodle / Google Classroom) and the Penryn Campus.
If you are a Combined Honours or Flexible Combined Honours student, please ensure you view the New Students information for all your subjects since each will have its own Academic Induction information and timetable.
The following reading might be useful to you over the summer, although it is not compulsory! Each title is linked to a relevant first year module.
- World History: Globalisation (HIC1306): Jack Goody, The Theft of History (CUP, 2006)
- New Approaches to History (HIC1604): Anna Green & Kathleen Troup eds. The Houses of History: A Critical Reader in History and Theory
- Introduction to Environmental Humanities (HIC1010): Amitav Ghosh The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable
See also the History at Penryn 2023 reading list. Please note that these reading lists are only here as guidance and for those interested, you are not expected to purchase
Choosing your modules using the Online Module Selection System
First you will need to register with the university and activate your university IT account. To find out how to do this use the links in the tabs below for the 'Before you arrive' section of the New Students’ website. Once you have activated your university IT account you will have access to iExeter, the student portal. You should find the Online Module Selection System by clicking on the 'Student Record' tab and then by following the instructions.
We will send you more information about online module selection before it opens.
What is the campus like?
You can take a virtual tour of the campus with one of our students before your arrival (select ‘Explore by subject’ and then choose ‘LLB Law with Business’).
Please follow the links below to find out more:
- Before You Arrive
- Visa Webinars
- Global Chums Mentoring Scheme
- Accomodation
- When You arrive in Cornwall
- Airport Collection Service
- Living in the UK - have a look at the ‘Get involved’ section advertising regular events and activities on campus
Original certificates: in week 1, it is important that you bring your original certificates of qualification so that we can register you at the University. Copies of certificates, such as those downloaded from a Web portal for example, cannot be accepted.
Modules are available at a range of levels via the Language Centre in:
- French
- German
- Mandarin Chinese
- Spanish
We can help you get the language you study with us named on your degree title. This involves successfully completing a minimum of 60 credits in one language taken through the Language Centre. You could choose to start a new language from scratch or develop an existing one. For example, a Geography student who passes 30 credits at Spanish Beginners and a further 30 credits at Spanish Intermediate 1 could have their degree title amended to BA (Hons) Geography with proficiency in Spanish.
To find out more about language modules see our Language Centre page.
We really welcome you to get in touch if you would like to ask questions about your course or how you will study.
We can be contacted at: HaSSCornwall-Education@exeter.ac.uk
And join us on social media...
- University of Exeter on Facebook - facebook.com/exeteruni
- University of Exeter on Twitter - twitter.com/UniofExeter
- University of Exeter Students on Facebook - facebook.com/exeterunistudents
- University of Exeter Students on Twitter - twitter.com/exeter_students
- Falmouth and Exeter International Students, on Facebook
- The University of Exeter in Cornwall, on Facebook - facebook.com/UniExeCornwall
- The University of Exeter in Cornwall, on Twitter - twitter.com/UniExeCornwall
- Politics at Penryn on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Universityofexeterpoliticsatpenryn/
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Cornwall, on Twitter - https://twitter.com/HaSSCornwall
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Cornwall, on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hasscornwall/