Faculty of Arts
Explore a universe of ideas; meet some of our inspiring Arts teachers.
Our world-leading academics inspire, guide and challenge our students to explore the universe of ideas that exists both around and inside them. Together, they examine how ideas, words, sounds and images create meaning and inspire action. By ensuring that students feel supported and encouraged to challenge received wisdom, our teachers provide a space where new arguments and ideas can flourish.
Professor Michael Scott
Classics and Ancient History
Awards: National Teaching Fellow, Warwick Award for Teaching Excellence (WATE), Principal Fellow of Advance HE
Describe your teaching style in one word: Challenging.
Favourite thing about teaching here: First, is the students themselves. The chance to debate and discuss. See what the students’ views are, where they’re coming from and then come forward with some form of consensus, or difference, of opinion, but all leave at the end of a discussion feeling like we understand a little bit better what we each individually think about the topic.
Second, is the opportunity to innovate. The spirit of innovation and willingness to try something new is something incredibly precious in higher education, and something I absolutely love about being at Warwick.
Most memorable classroom moment: Students working with me and colleague, Dr Paul Grigsby on a new public engagement in Classics module we launched this year. The students delivered amazing projects focused on ensuring Classics reaches out to new audiences. The students got a chance to give back and inspire others and it was wonderful to see their excitement and enthusiasm.
Dr Heidi Ashton
Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies
Awards: Warwick Award for Teaching Excellence (WATE) nominee, Awards for teaching excellence at other institutions
Describe your teaching style in one word: Eclectic
Favourite thign about teaching here: I really love the students. They inspire me with their energy. They have so many great ideas and a different perspective, which makes teaching such a joy. Along with that, we have the opportunity to innovate in our teaching and pedagogical practices. Not just in our own departments, but we get to have really interesting, robust and critical conversations with other academics, in other departments, and in other faculties. We have a really rich learning environment.
If you could teach any other subject at Warwick, what would it be and why?: I think I’d like to teach Entomology, so that I could work with students to find ways to save the bees. I might also get to work with the electron microscopes and create incredible images. Or teach History of Art, so that I could go to Venice!
Yinka Aresa
English and Comparative Literary Studies
Describe your learning experience at Warwick in one word: Flexible.
What makes Warwick's teaching special?: What has been special for me is the flexibility of the teaching. None of the teaching styles have been the same in all the modules I have done in my time at Warwick. The teaching styles are always tailored to encourage originality and nuance.
Most memorable classroom moment: Whenever the most abstract ideas become clear. A lot of the ideas we study in my degree’s core modules (English and History) are very abstract. But in each lecture and seminar, the lecturers always have so much passion and commitment that it makes that ‘ahh’ moment so exciting.
If you could learn any other subject at Warwick, what would it be and why?: Maths. I’ve always enjoyed Maths from GCSE to A level. I’m not the best at Maths exams, but I loved being in the classes and completing complicated problems.
