Encounters with ...
Name: Dr Sean O'Connell
Position: Senior Lecturer
What and where did you study as an undergraduate and postgraduate?
BA English and History, Northumbria University
Ph.D. Social History - University of Warwick
Where did you teach before joining the School of History and Anthropology at Queen's University Belfast?
Liverpool, Glasgow and University of Ulster
Why should somebody do a History degree?
If someone in the pub asks what do you study and the answer is History, the resulting conversation is always interesting
Why should somebody choose History at Queen's?
The staff are enthusiastic and lively
What do you love about Belfast?
The people
What book are you currently reading?
Stewart Lee, The Perfect Idiot
What is your favourite book?
Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose
Describe a good/bad/funny incident that happened to you while researching in an archive.
Being made to sit at 'perverts corner' in the British Library when researching the history of men's magazines.
Check out Dr Sean O'Connell's staff page
Dr Paul Corthorn
Position: Lecturer
Where did you study as an undergraduate and postgraduate?
Cambridge
Where did you teach before joining the School of History and Anthropology, Queen's University Belfast?
Anglia Ruskin University, Liverpool University and Oxford University
Why should somebody study History at university level?
It's an opportunity to learn more about the past and how interpretations of it change over time. It is excellent preparation for a range of non-technical careers.
Why should somebody choose History at Queen's?
The wide range of courses offered; committed teaching staff who teach modules on areas related to their own research.
What do you love about Belfast?
It's a relatively small and friendly city.
What book are you currently reading?
Norman Stone, The Atlantic and its Enemies: A Personal History of the Cold War
You can view Dr Paul Corthorn's staff page here.
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Hot Topics ...
Have a question about Irish History or studying at Queen's? Have an opinion? Check out the Discussion Forum!!
Latest news ...
- What was life like in Belfast 100 years ago? Take a look at Dr Olwen Purdue's BBC slideshow
- Interested in the Easter Rising? Listen to the esteemed Dr Fearghal McGarry discuss the event
- What do you know about the Troubles and the Good Friday Agreement? Check out a lecture by Dr Stuart Aveyard on the subject
- Looking for an interesting book to read? Check out the review of Quiet revolutionaries: Irish women in education, medicine and sport, 1861-1964 or the review of Cliona Rattigan's 'What else could I do?'
- Our Head of School talks about the Famine. Have a listen
- New entry on WWII in Northern Ireland
- Read about 19th-century emigration
- What do you know about Civil Authority (Special Powers) Act? Read here!
- Watch our Professor Liam Kennedy on Canadian tv
- Read about Queen Victoria and her visit to Ireland in August 1849
- Learn about the Williamite Wars
- Read about women at Queen's College Belfast in the early 20th century