Brilliant Club Spring Graduation

Our second Brilliant Club cohort of the year enjoyed a trip to Magdalen College in May to celebrate their graduation from the programme. Having studied the impact of American music on popular culture and protest movements, students enjoyed a well-deserved event for their efforts this term. As well as a tour of the college, which prompted several students to look into Oxford’s entry requirements, they had a chance to reflect on the learning that they had undertaken over the term. Najma summed up the impact of their course excellently in this small excerpt from her essay conclusion:

‘In conclusion, I believe that American music does help with our understanding of American culture because without these two songs I had explained, no one outside North America would have known what was happening to immigrants and the harsh racism they had to suffer through for the majority of their lives. The singers and writers were also very brave because in the peak of the discrimination, they could stand up for themselves and made many people of colour feel seen for the first time in their lives as actual human beings rather than disgusting litter on the street. Like a chain reaction, people began to speak out about the oppression they were receiving. Because of these songs, we now know today how the oppressed felt and can sympathise with them’.