Cultural Studies BA (Hons)

MelMcM

Is there anyone out there studying or graduated Cultural Studies.

I'm hoping to be accepted as a mature student at my local college. Eventually leading to me becoming a Humanities teacher.

I'm worried as it's been suggested to me that it's a notihng subject that could lead me nowhere when I'm eventually looking for employment.

I'm a married mummy of 2 (1 and 2 year old girls). The course is 3 days a week. The descion is an important one and any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks
x

Oldernotwiser

If you're planning to teach, your best bet would be to contact the institution where you eventually hope to do your PGCE to ask them how they'll view this degree.

When you say a Humanities teacher, what age range are you talking about? Also, do you have the option of studying a degree with a more traditional subject (English/History etc.) or is Cultural Studies the only thing open to you?

Voyager2002

Look carefully at the course content. You may find that you spend a lot of time studying a traditional subject like English Literature, and the name Cultural Studies is really a way of marketing the course to students, reflecting the options for taking a second subject for a bit of time in the first year or so. In which case, after graduation you would be able to market yourself as an expert in the traditional subject, with additional skills in whatever else you studied.

If you look carefully at the requirements to do a PCGE (teacher training), you will find that they do not say "must have a degree in X" but say things like "must have spent at least half of the degree course studying X or a very similar subject". From this information, you will be able to work out whether your degree course would get you where you want to be.

MelMcM

My interpretation is that a lot of time is spent studying English Lit and History which is great, exactly what I want. I'm assured that many have gone on to PGCEs from this course.

I will seek advice from PGCE course tutors , great idea! I'm hoping to teach 11-18. Planning to gain some experience next year as I might not get on for 2008 have left it rather late!

I'm not silly, the name is a marketing ploy. It's just some seem to interpret its name as meaning its a 'mamby pamby-means nothing-soft subject'.

I'm eagar to see how true this is!

[Deleted User]

I am doing cultural studies and sociology, it is a very interesting subject. Where do you want to teach at? college or university? If at college you'll need a pgce or at university you will need to have at least started a phd.

MelMcM

I'm hoping to teach in a secondary school eventually.

Where are you and your fellow students hoping it takes you?

Have you found any negative reactions to this course?

My background is in Business and that was what I intended to study. However Cultural Studies got me really excited. It seeems to cover so many areas in life and allow you to explore lots of questions.

It sounds daft but my favourite subjects at school were History, Sociology and English. I really think I can get other people excited about these too.
I've been told Cultural Studies can take me there but don't want to be victim of good uni PR!

Mind you I've got to hope my own PR works first or this is just a pipe dream!
I could get onto the Business Degree no problems so I'm told but I sound a bit silly wanting to do something I've got no recent background in!

Oldernotwiser

It sounds as if this course will get you where you want to go although it might be more straightforward to decide whether you want to teach English or History and then do a traditional one subject degree in that area. Probably not a good idea to do a degree in Business Studies if you want to teach as not all schools offer this as a subject. Good luck.

[Deleted User]

MelMcM wrote: »

I'm hoping to teach in a secondary school eventually.

Where are you and your fellow students hoping it takes you?

Have you found any negative reactions to this course?

My background is in Business and that was what I intended to study. However Cultural Studies got me really excited. It seeems to cover so many areas in life and allow you to explore lots of questions.

It sounds daft but my favourite subjects at school were History, Sociology and English. I really think I can get other people excited about these too.
I've been told Cultural Studies can take me there but don't want to be victim of good uni PR!

Mind you I've got to hope my own PR works first or this is just a pipe dream!
I could get onto the Business Degree no problems so I'm told but I sound a bit silly wanting to do something I've got no recent background in!

After graduation I am hoping to do a masters in social work which is essentially a post grad fast track course to becoming a qualified social worker. Others in my class want to become lecturers, work for the probation service, work in youth and comunity projects and some are unsure. I have had some negative reaction relating to my course from random people but never employers, they always seem very interested in what cultural studies entails.
When ever people scoff at my degree choice and say "what does that qualify you to do?" I respond with the question "What do degrees such as English, history or biology qualify you to do?" Answer: nothing much really! People assume tradional subjects like these are more respectable and worthy of tax payers money. I know people with good degree levels in these subjects who ended up working in rubbish jobs and having to do vocational post grad qualifications to have a hope of getting a decent job.
Most forget that getting a good degree is only a small part of having employability. I work part time, volunteer for a charity once a week and help run a university society as well as my degree to ensure having good employment prospects and have never found it hard to get a job to support my studies so I must be doing something right!
Cultural studies is such a wide subject area there is lots of room to concentrate on your own interests and it completly opens your mind to everything you thought you knew and turns it on its head. I chose my degree because I wanted to study something I was interested in rather than needed to for a career but as it turns out it is giving me a foot up to my chosen career.