Storying Sheffield

Background

Storying Sheffield is hosted by the School of English at the University of Sheffield. The idea was developed in response to the work of the University’s Inclusive Learning and Teaching Project (ILT). Brendan Stone, a Senior University Teacher in the School of English who has experience in developing initiatives to widen participation in education and to combat social exclusion, devised the initial basis of Storying Sheffield course. It was developed together with Juliet Storey (ILT), who also took responsibility for organisational issues.

Half of the participants on the Storying Sheffield course are second-year undergraduates (‘long-course students’) studying for a degree in English; Storying Sheffield is an optional module which they can take as part of their degree. The rest of the participants (‘short-course students’) are people from the city who generally have no background in Higher Education, and who come from groups which have tended to be socially excluded. Most short-course students are long-term users of mental health services and/or people with physical disabilities. Long- and short-course students have equal status on the course, and work closely together throughout.