Dr Robert Williamson
Student spotlight details
After attending weekly learning classes at the Department, Robert then pursued his interest in the history of cinema with both a master's degree and PhD.
'I have always been fascinated and intrigued by Cinema. Having spent over 30 years working in the Telecommunication Industry (as a Software Engineer) all over the world, I always found time to visit local cinemas. Having lots of spare time since retiring, I explored the Oxford Continuing Education Website and decided on Dr Hopper's 'Introduction to Film Studies' course. From this I became interested in the creative side of Cinema, and followed on with Dr Ballam’s scriptwriting, Introduction and Advanced, courses. I wanted to continue investigating certain aspects of Cinema history, so continued onto an MA in Film Studies at Oxford Brookes University. Both Dr Hopper and Dr Ballam gave me encouragement for this move.
'I had not been back to University since I was 25 and my previous MSc was in Maths and Computing. So, I had a steep learning curve for essay writing. But the lecturers at the Department and at Oxford Brookes were very helpful and there was backup support if I needed it. Fortunately a lot of my work in industry did involve a large amount of technical writing and I found there were lots of similarities, so it was not too much of a problem. Also, I deliberately chose part-time study, so that I would not have to rush anything.
'I thoroughly enjoy the class discussion, as it is a very open environment on the courses at the Department. This was good preparation for my further studies. Also, I was lucky in that I was able to treat the course as a hobby, as I was not looking for a job afterwards.
'After obtaining my MA, I wanted to expand and extend my dissertation (British Film Policy in World War 2 and the Film Hero). After discussions with several Oxford Brookes academics, they helped me put together a proposal for a PhD. This was accepted and I started, part-time, in April 2018 and spent a lot of time at the National Archives and the War Museum studying war records. I passed in June 2024 (title: The Ministry of Information and the Hero figure in WW2 Feature Films).
'For anyone with a particular interest, I am sure you can find a course at OUCDE to cover it. The tutors are very knowledgeable and enthusiastic and will encourage further study.'
