Taster sessions
Would you like to try a class before you apply to university? This is your opportunity to experience a seminar for yourself!
What to expect
Thinking about studying one of our programmes? Our Taster Sessions are designed for students who want to explore what it’s like to study the arts at university.
We host live sample lectures in Autumn and late Spring, led by our academic staff and student ambassadors. It’s an opportunity for you to deep dive into our subject areas, learn something new, and ask your pressing questions to our staff and current students.
How to take part
We will post upcoming sessions and registration links on this webpage. If you've missed our tasters, or would like a recap we've made our recordings available here.
If there are no upcoming live sessions you can stay in contact with us via our enquiry form. We'll email you when our next set of tasters are ready to register for.
Upcoming Taster Sessions
English Taster - Introducing Literary Theory
English is a way of showing curiosity about the world. Because of this, it shares ideas with many disciplines, while melding these into a distinct new 'language' of its own: literary theory. This workshop introduces key ideas of literary theory and ways of putting these to work. Does literature reflect the world or help construct it? Or always both at the same time?
Date: Monday 22nd June 2026
Time: 17:00 - 18:00 GMT
Online via MS Teams
Film Taster - Decoding Cinema and Cultural Iconography
This interactive session is split into two parts.
Part 1: Decoding Cinema – How Films Make Meaning (20 mins)
Ever wondered why a specific camera angle makes you feel uneasy, or why a certain lighting style feels "heroic"? In this session, we go beyond the screen to explore Film Studies as a critical lens. Using iconic examples from early classics to modern blockbusters, we’ll break down how camera movement, performance, and mise-en-scène work together to tell a story. You’ll discover how cinema does more than just entertain. It’s a powerful cultural text that shapes our history, our politics, and our everyday lives.
Part 2: Cultural Iconography – The Power of the Film Star (20 mins)
What makes a movie star more than just a famous face? This session introduces you to the fascinating world of Film Stardom and how actors embody massive cultural ideas. From the legends of the silent era to the A-listers of today, we’ll analyse how film studios craft star images to promote messages about national identity, gender, and class. We’ll also look at how stars take control of their own narratives, proving that the "star image" is a complex, multifaceted tool for shaping public perception.
Date: Tuesday 23rd June 2026
Time: 17:00 - 18:00 GMT
Online via MS Teams
Comparative Literature Taster - Fairy Tale Fashion
Join this session to discover how Cinderella has always been a model and an influencer and how Cinderella's fairy godmother is an ultra-savvy fashion designer. We'll look at fashion and dress in the text published by Charles Perrault in 1697 and then fastforward to contemporary couture and global catwalks in a bid to understand the flexibility and ongoing relevance of the fairy tale form.
Date: Tuesday 23rd June 2026
Time: 17:00 - 18:00 GMT
Online via MS Teams
Modern Languages Taster - Learning/Writing/Drawing French Poetry
How can a poem become an image? In this session, you’ll explore calligrams, a form of poetry where layout and meaning are closely connected, through the work of Guillaume Apollinaire. You’ll develop strategies to understand authentic French texts and experiment with creative writing by producing your own calligram inspired by iconic London landmarks such as Big Ben or Tower Bridge. Discover how studying languages at university goes beyond vocabulary, combining literature, visual culture and creative thinking.
Date: Wednesday 24th June 2026
Time: 17:00 - 18:00 GMT
Online via MS Teams
Modern Languages Taster - Discover Russian at QMUL: A Beginner’s Taster Session
Discover the Russian language from scratch in an engaging one-hour taster session, designed especially for complete beginners. Often seen as mysterious, Russian is a fascinating and highly logical language, rich in history, literature, and cultural depth. By the end of the session, you’ll have explored a glimpse of Russian culture, learned how the alphabet works, and taken your very first steps towards reading in Russian—opening the door to an entirely new linguistic world.
Date: Thursday 25th June 2026
Time: 17:00 - 18:00 GMT
Online via MS Teams