Congratulations to the class of 2020!
We are sure this is not the graduation you imagined when you began your degree. It is an odd ending to a time that we hope has been marked by the great sense of community we have among students and faculty in the department. This has been a difficult end of term for everyone; though Zoom and other platforms have allowed us contact with each other, our field of study is based on the deep belief that embodied debate and conversation is essential to intellectual and personal growth. Yet in many ways, our work has prepared us to be more resilient to deal with the present and to face the future as we look forward. Skills of engaged and serious interpretation have been necessary in these last months, not only for sorting out the tangle of information with which we are bombarded every day, but also for offering us the stimulation we need in isolation. For many of us, returning to favourite books or films with new eyes under Covid, or exploring new works, has been a great source of nourishment and companionship. These last dreadful months have also shown the human capacity for creativity: not only that of scientists working to discover new treatments and vaccines, but of those who have responded with imagination in the astonishing number of inventive and provocative blogs, videos, messages that have kept us connected and energized. Let’s all carry that spirit of creativity under pressure back into the world. We look forward to seeing what you will do!