Michelle Hogan
Student spotlight details
After reaching a stage in her life when she had fewer work and family commitments, Michelle decided to enrol on a number of our online courses and she is now a member of the Oxford Philosophical Society.
'A couple of years ago I had reached a stage in life when I had fewer work and family commitments, and found a number of online OUDCE courses that interested me. I was particularly pleased that there was one on Greek Mythology, which I did first, and quite a few philosophy ones as well. I have been interested in ancient Greece since I was at school, and over the years I have enjoyed visiting notable sites there, finding out more about the history, culture and mythology relating to them. I also studied Critical Reading, which made me more aware of literary techniques, like the use of metaphor, so my appreciation of the texts was enhanced; I would recommend this course to anyone interested in literature. As I live in Sussex, attending weekly classes would not be easy, which is why the online courses suit me so well.
'I have read Philosophy before, and was keen to learn more about Plato and his theory of Forms, so I took the Reality, Being and Existence: An Introduction to Metaphysics course. This brought about questions of not only what can be said to exist, but also what it means when we talk about the existence of something. Analysing topics like space-time and causation helped me to think in different ways.
'Philosophy of Religion was an excellent course, in which there was a lot of discussion about the features of God in classical theism, and a consideration of the strengths and weaknesses of arguments relating to the existence of God. The course Ethics: An Introduction was challenging because it is difficult to define what morality is - whether we are guided by reason or emotion when making moral decisions, and how freely we make them. Although there are few (if any) definitive answers to these questions, some of the discussions we had on the student forums helped me to set out my ideas about them.
'Through doing the philosophy courses, I joined the Oxford Philosophical Society which holds a number of events during the year, including philosophy weekends. Attending these are a great way to meet other people interested in philosophical debate – and socialising in general.
'I have enrolled on the Minoans and Mycenaeans course which starts soon, as I want to learn more about the Greek Bronze Age, its art and architecture and the fascinating finds from these archaeological sites.
'The tutors on the courses I have completed have been very supportive, giving lots of encouragement and constructive comments. Their suggestions on how to improve an essay, for example, have helped to clarify my writing, and given me the confidence to take on new challenges. To begin with, managing my time to concentrate on studying was quite hard, but that has improved and made the learning process easier. I would say that doing these courses has been rewarding in many ways, and likely to be a positive experience for someone thinking of enrolling on any of them.'
