Undergraduates in the Faculty of Arts taken to the cutting edge of research

The Students as Scholars programme enables undergraduates in the Faculty of Arts to make the most of the exciting research environment in the arts and humanities at Leeds.

The University of Leeds offers an outstanding research culture in the arts and humanities, with internationally prominent scholars visiting the University every week. The Students as Scholars programme gives undergraduates support and mentoring to help them take advantage of this exciting research culture.

The programme is a collaboration between the Leeds Humanities Research Institute (LHRI), the Faculty of Arts Graduate School, and the Student Education Pro-Dean and Enhancement Officer. Participants in the programme attend three research events, and receive mentoring from a post-graduate student.

According to Matthew Treherne, LHRI Director and organiser of the Students as Scholars programme, the programme enables students to broaden their intellectual horizons. "It's easy for undergraduates to feel intimidated by research seminars. Students as Scholars gives students confidence to take part in these seminars, and to discover new perspectives on their subjects."

Previous participants in the scheme have commented on how much they learned from seeing researchers debate ideas - and from joining those debates themselves. As one participant commented: "I was struck by the camaraderie at the research events, how it didn't matter whether you were a lecturer, a postgrad student or even an undergraduate: if you had a view on something or a query, everything was taken seriously and everything helped to further the discussion."

The programme is co-ordinated this year by Caroline Starkey, a doctoral researcher in Theology and Religious Studies. , please Matthew Treherne ( m.treherne [a] leeds.ac (p) uk ).