Think assessment = essay?  Think again! 

In Politics and International Relations at CCCU, you’ll have the opportunity to demonstrate your learning in lots of different ways.  This helps to ensure that you are developing valuable skills that you can use in your future employment. 

For our third-year student, Sharna Smart, the assessments were the passport to a fully funded creative writing course. 

Sharna submitted a range of assessments as part of a portfolio, to win a place on the week-long course, called ‘Essex Rebels: Emerging LAB – in partnership with English PEN’.  The course explored how freedom of expression, rebellion, protest and activism have impacted the work of writers, offering a small group of motivated change-makers the opportunity to share ideas and hear from established writers, to inspire the ways in which writing can be used to create social and political change. 

Sharna writes: ‘I was accepted on to the course due to the high quality and diversity of the work that I submitted, much of which was examples taken from my assessments.  As part of my degree, I have had to write lots of different pieces.  Yes, there is the occasional essay!  But also more creative pieces, such as blogs, briefing papers and book reviews.  I’ve also been encouraged to find my own voice in my assessments, which was highly commended in my portfolio.’ 

Sharna continues: ‘When I started at CCCU, I always had this attitude that assessments were just for achieving grades towards my degree at the end of year 3.  But, not only have the written assessments got me the grades that I need, they have also given me practical skills, which I used to achieve a place on the creative writing course and which I used throughout the course.  Not only that, but by using my work to my advantage and showing what written skills I have and have gained, I was able to add this course to my Linkedln profile and CV, standing out to future employers.

‘I am passionate about achieving social and political change through my writing – my Politics degree has helped me to develop my voice and the skills that I need to realise this ambition’. 

Thanks, Sharna – another great reason to study Politics and International Relations at CCCU!