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Super curricular: Learning beyond lessons
Trinity offers a wide range of supercurricular societies that challenge students, and often staff, to think beyond the curriculum and discuss new ideas. Students find the sessions enriching and the skills learnt help prepare them for university applications, interviews and future study.
Academic societies give students an opportunity to explore topics they're passionate about and form opinions on contemporary issues. As well as student-led sessions, external speakers and Trinity alumni are regularly invited to speak, bringing different perspectives into the mix. Who needs TED Talks when some of the larger societies below – which attract up to 60 attendees – cover such big ideas?
Literary Society
LitSoc has been running for 29 years and meets every week. The sessions allow students to express personal interests and draw connections between literary texts and wider cultural life. This year has seen presentations on a range of topics from Japanese Literature and Confessional Poetry to Horror Games as Literature and Fanfiction.
Dhyan Ruparel says, “Getting involved in such a varied society can spark lifelong interests and friendships for anyone interested in the world around them. Society meets are always a highlight of the week, helping to build a strong sense of curiosity and community across the school.”
Abbie Daly says, “Whilst preparing my own talk on ‘The importance of diversity in Literature’, I came across a quote from Professor R. S. Bishop that ‘books are both windows and mirrors’. This has left a strong impression on me.”
Politics Society
PolSoc is the school’s premier studentled forum for political discussion and is currently open to all students in the Sixth Form. Students set the agenda and each session features a 20-minute talk by an individual or group of students followed by 15 minutes’ discussion. Recent topics included ‘The Arab-Israeli conflict’, ‘Meta irony and the Alt Right’, ‘The masculinisation of women in politics’ and ‘The political importance of Taylor Swift’.
Aidan Keogh says, “PolSoc is a great opportunity to discuss interesting or obscure topics beyond the curriculum and often into the context of global politics, such as the war in Ukraine or the politics of Eurovision. I’d recommend getting involved in an academic society as it gives you a rich insight into your subject, or perhaps one you don't study but are interested in.”
PolSoc students are also encouraged to enter a range of student essay prizes, with many students being highly commended in the John Locke Essay Prize this year.
Economics and Business Society
The society aims to ignite students’ passion for understanding and navigating the intricate world of economics and business by fostering intellectual growth, promoting interdisciplinary discussions and connecting students with industry professionals.
This year talks by students covered everything from ‘Christonomics: The Importance of Spending during Christmas’ to ‘Econometrics and Game Theory’; alumni discussed career prospects in investment banking; and staff shared their recommendations for reading material and discussed contemporary issues such as ‘Kwasinomics’.
Pierre Rivet said, “Super-curricular is about challenging yourself and exploring the subject you want to study at university. Therefore, it is important that it isn't always easy to understand!”
Hassan Rehman says, “Mr Orungbamade has created a very accepting environment: where it is better for a student to give an incorrect answer as opposed to not answering at all. This has given many students confidence, allowing them to improve their economic reasoning and rationale.”
What I love about Economics Society is that it is never just about the numbers: one week we could hear about sports and economics and the next, the business of fast fashion.
MDV Society
The main aim of MDV Society is to prepare students interested in pursuing careers in Medicine, Dentistry or as Veterinarians by providing experiences and knowledge to boost their university applications and interviews.
The group explore ethical issues through case studies on topics like organ donation; debate contemporary issues such as the junior doctor strike; hear from Trinity alumni about working on the frontline; and take part in practical sessions such as sanitary handwashing where Ms Bala demonstrates germ transfer with a UV light.
Maya Malhotra says, “Delving into passionate debates about patient care helps prepare us for careers in the field, as it reflects how a multidisciplinary team would work in an actual hospital.”
Trinity has a partnership with Moorfields Eye Hospital where one of their consultants comes to speak to students and several gain work experience at their London and Croydon sites.
There is also MDV Book Club, an extension of the society, with students set medical texts to study and discuss. The MDV Presentation Competition is an annual event where students research and present on a topic of interest.
MDV Society helped me realise that medicine is what I want to study at university. The most memorable thing we learned was how to suture on a banana.
ThinkSoc
ThinkSoc allows students to explore philosophy and theology beyond the A Level course and gives younger students, in Third Year and above, a taster of what those courses entail. This year’s student presentations have covered ‘Zhingzou on death’; ‘Nietzsche on Christianity’; ‘Virtue Ethics’; and 'How do the religions of today compare with those in Game of Thrones?’
Tom Law said, “The content is always digestible because it’s being presented by people you know, which also makes it more enjoyable. I like feeling part of a group and it’s more casual than a lesson, but you still get a lot out of it.”
ThinkSoc+ is primarily for Sixth Form Religious Studies (RS) students, but open to anyone interested. It introduces students to primary texts, speakers and enrichment outside of their course, preparing them for university and/or further study by discussing and debating the most important thinkers of all time.
Recent talks from staff, alumni and external speakers include Alexander Greenberg, Southampton University, who discussed ‘Can a Consequentialist Be a Real Friend?’; Peter Price (former Bishop of Bath and Wells) who spoke on ‘Liberation Theology’; and alumna Georgie Gillespie who presented on ‘Disney princesses and gender representation’.
ThinkSoc+ Reading Group meets every three weeks to take part in a university seminar style session. Students read a philosophy text in advance and must come prepared to discuss the ideas, often applied to contemporary events or issues. Recent discussions include Noam Chomsky’s ‘Manufacturing Consent’ in relation to the Ukraine conflict; Neurotheology and whether the brain is wired for belief in God; Wittgenstein’s critique of Rationalism.
Every year, a group of Upper Sixth ThinkSoc members produce a magazine entitled iThink, which is professionally printed for the school community. This year’s issue discussed the question ‘Who am I?’ with the editorial team writing articles on the Japanese Philosophy ‘Wabi Sabi’; Philosophy, Geography and Identity; and the Illusory Self with many more student contributors.
