Our inspirational graduates, if you decide to join Durham University, you’ll be in good company.
SGIA 2017 graduate Amarvir Singh Bal founded the ‘Dimova-Cookson award for academic excellence in social criticism’.
A £100 scholarship is awarded to a third-year student taking the module SGIA 3291 ‘Theories of Liberty’ who demonstrates academic excellence (one of the highest grades across both summative assessments) and effectively engages with the topic of racial or colonial oppression, as detailed in the 5 Critical Points summative assessment. Students are encouraged to explore the historical context of modern ideas of liberty, particularly as they relate to concepts such as "civilising missions," development, progress, and empire.
The winner of this scholarship should challenge the silencing of diverse perspectives inherent in a Eurocentric conception of liberty.
The winner the ‘Dimova-Cookson award for academic excellence in social criticism’ for 2023/24 is finalist Ellen Fasham. She commented:‘Theories of Liberty challenged my thinking in a way that no other module has during my time at university. The rigorous and stimulating teaching allowed me to challenge the categories of traditional liberal theory itself, and particularly to explore how forms of colonialism underpin western political thought. I absolutely loved this module and am delighted to have won the award. It was a surprise and a huge privilege.’
Congratulations to Ellen for winning the award this year! In addition to her outstanding performance at her assignments she has been a regular attendee of the module seminars and a brilliant presenter and contributor to the discussions!
The winner of the award is SGIA’s finalist Ellen Fasham
The previous winners of the award are Hannah Withey (2020-21) and Oliver Barber (2021-22).
I loved the fact that I could tailor my degree to exactly what I wanted to do. The flexibility of the course has been a great step in my pursuit of a career in research.
The range of topics covered is both challenging and exciting, with sizeable reading lists to sink your teeth into. The highlight for me has been both the approachability and friendliness of the staff, who have always been more than happy to go into more detail and point me in the right direction for further study.
See below for testimonies from a diverse selection of our brilliant Alumni speaking about their experiences with us. These include students who studied with us through a number of different programmes.
Contact us to find out more about admissions, placements and postgraduate research.
The Palatine CentreDurham UniversityStockton RoadDurhamDH1 3LE
Switchboard: +44 (0)191 334 2000
/prod01/prodbucket01/media/durham-university/departments-/school-of-government-amp-int-affairs/71563-(1)-2-2000X1823.jpg)