November 26, 2018, by Sunita Tailor

Alternative Study Resources – For The Traveller, The Procrastinator and The Curious

This blog post was written by second year English student, Emily Hall.

Throughout my school life, I put an awful lot of pressure on myself when it came to revision and studying. Since coming to University, I have not only learnt about a broad range of Literature, linguistics and drama, but how to enjoy studying them! There are so many other ways to learn about authors and texts, which don’t involve burying yourself in a book for hours upon hours in the library until your eyes start to droop. Here are two of my favourite ways to broaden your learning and try out some different resources.

1- Podcasts

Whether on iTunes, Spotify or another platform, podcasts are a great way to hear different interpretations and thoughts on a text. One of my favourites is BBC Radio 4’s ‘In Our Time- Culture’ podcast, which always has a panel of academics discussing key authors, texts or historical periods. Author Whiskey Emerson’s ‘Legacy: the Artists behind the Legends’ is an informal podcast which offers an informal and interesting interpretation of authors. Podcasts are great to listen to if you’re on public transport, waiting between lectures, or just want a break from reading or writing (but still want to feel productive!)

2- Youtube

A video sharing platform which goes further than makeup tutorials and music videos, YouTube can also be a great revision resource! ‘Tedx talks’ do a variety of speeches and presentations on a range of subjects, which include authors and Literary periods. Lots of Universities have their own YouTube accounts, where professors discuss a given subject, so it’s worth having a search if you’re studying a text that you could do with another academics view on. A word of warning, anyone can upload to YouTube, which is it’s beauty and it’s curse, so make sure that if you’re going to reference something it is a credible source! It’s always great to hear other people’s thoughts on texts, as they might stimulate or change an idea you had, but if mentioning them in an academic paper, a bit of a background check couldn’t go amiss.

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