Think Humanities isn’t enterprising? Think again….

Enterprise Blog image#

J.K.Rowling, Steven Spielberg, Nick Clegg – what do these people have in common? Well, not only are they all Humanities students but they are also all enterprising. On the surface, you may question why they are enterprising as none of their jobs entail complex business or entrepreneurship elements. In fact, enterprise is not solely about business (stay with me…). Instead, enterprise should be regarded as a mindset that can be developed by enhancing one’s transferable skills. The above celebrities are all enterprising people because their confident, proactive capabilities have led to their successes.

When I began this project, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Trying to convince students and staff that enterprise is relevant to them will always be a difficult task, especially within Faculties like Humanities which have little business orientation. But the success of the Mission Employable initiative has shown that more and more students are engaging with the material that will help them with their job prospects after their degree. Enterprise may not be for everyone but it is certainly one avenue that should be explored in more detail.

My research over the past few weeks has led me to converse with staff around the issues surrounding student/staff perceptions of enterprise and Intellectual Property (IP). Some were extremely enthusiastic, understanding that students studying Humanities degrees are no longer satisfied with studying a degree that is often perceived as superfluous and want the opportunity to use their skills in a business environment. Others were not so convinced and I’ve realised that before I can approach students, I need to first persuade staff. I’m hoping that, through meeting with other members of staff, the importance of my project will begin to spread.

But that’s not the hard part. My most challenging task is to create a module specification for a potential enterprise module that could run across the whole of Humanities. This means creating a module that is specific to a Faculty addressing a very broad range of subjects. Whilst many Film, Music and English students go into careers within the creative industries, subjects such as History and Philosophy have delved into the world of finance and banking. With this in mind, designing a module that is both specific and broad enough for all departments to take part in is proving difficult but I’m sure working alongside the Mission Employable team and James Minney, Associate Dean for Education in Humanities, will create something useful and relevant to all.

More soon!

Sophie (Pitman, Humanities Enterprise Champion)

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