Outreach
The School of the Arts offers a range of free, interactive taster activities for secondary school and college students.
Delivered by our outstanding academics, our taster events offer students opportunities to discover more about our programmes and try out the classes we offer.
These online sessions are suitable for students in years 10 to 13 (or equivalent) and are free to attend. All abilities are welcome!
Please register below and select your preferred subject session. You can register for more than one event.
Comparative Literature: Around the World and Across Media
Where: Microsoft Teams
When: 10th November 2025, 5 - 6pm GMT
Discover the dynamic global and multimedia approach which Comparative Literature offers. In this interactive online session, we'll explore what Comparative Literature is and look together at notable works which have moved across time, space and media.
This session will be hosted by Prof Kiera Vaclavik, Director of the Centre for Childhood Cultures.
Theatre and Film: Creative Capital
Where: Microsoft Teams
When: 11th November 2025, 5 - 6pm GMT
This Theatre and Film session will highlight London’s role as a global centre of performance and screen culture, providing insight into how our degrees combine rigorous academic study with creative practice. You’ll hear from tutors, engage with current students, and learn how London’s unique cultural landscape can shape your studies.
This session will be hosted by Prof Caoimhe McAvinchey, Professor of Socially Engaged and Contemporary Performance and Dr Guy Westwell, Reader in Film Studies.
Linguistics: What you don't know you know about language
Where: Microsoft Teams
When: 11th November 2025, 5 - 6pm GMT
What does it mean to know a language? Did you learn everything you know about your language in school? Is knowing English different from knowing Spanish? In this session we will look at some of the surprising answers linguists have given to these and related questions, and learn about the nature of language and what it says about us as humans.
This session will be hosted by Luisa Marti, Reader in Linguistics.
Liberal Arts: Culture, Freedom and the Search for Liberty
Where: Microsoft Teams
When: 13th November 2025, 5 - 6pm GMT
In this session, we will use the Statue of Liberty to explore history, politics, poetry and fiction, inviting students to explore how interdisciplinary working can help us develop our critical and compassionate understanding of the world around us. Learn about the value of a Humanities degree to help you connect across cultures, analyse diverse sources, and create new opportunities in the world around you.
This session will be hosted by Dr Andrew Smith, Senior Lecturer in Liberal Arts.
English Literature: Introducing Literary Theory
Where: Microsoft Teams
When: 17th November 2025, 5 - 6pm GMT
What are the tools that we use to understand literature? If we think that literary texts have meaning, how do we find out what this meaning is? In this session we will explore what the term ‘theory’ might mean—is it something we ‘do’? Is it simply a mode of thinking? We will also explore why it is crucial to our lives as literary scholars, both inside and outside the classroom, because it makes us pay attention to the significance of race, class, and gender, and to ideas about ourselves and others (both conscious and unconscious) that we can find embedded in works of literature.
This session will be hosted by Dr Molly MacDonald, Senior Lecturer in Literary and Critical Theory.
Modern Languages and Cultures: Words Travel with History and Cross Borders
Where: Microsoft Teams
When: 20th November 2025, 5 - 6pm GMT
'Canales' y 'Sombreros': Words Travel with History and Cross Borders, in this session, we will see how tracing the origin and history of a few words can tell you a lot about international relations, and human failures and successes.
This session will be hosted by Dr Xelo Sanmateu.