Tagged / seminar series

EVENT: Returning to Sport Sustainably Post-Covid

BU research, COVID-19, Events, Fusion, Fusion themes, Impact, Industry collaboration, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team, Knowledge Transfer, Research Centres, Strategic Investment Areas

The Sport and Physical Activity Research Centre (SPARC) invites you to join us at our lunchtime seminar, “Returning to Sport Sustainably Post-Covid”. The seminar is taking place on Wednesday 7 July, between midday and 1.30pm.

The event, which is being held in conjunction with BASIS (the British Association for Sustainable Sport), aims to bring together practitioners and academics working in sport & sustainability, to discuss key issues and best practice as we emerge from lockdown.

The seminar is an excellent opportunity for BU staff to engage with those working in industry, in one of BU’s Strategic Investment Areas – Sustainability.

Programme:

12.00   Introduction: Sport and Sustainability Research – Raf Nicholson (Bournemouth University)

12.10   Building Back Better: The BASIS White Paper – Russell Seymour (CEO of BASIS)

12.25   Strategies to Ensure the Sustainability of Women’s Sport – Beth Clarkson (University of Portsmouth) and Keith Parry (Bournemouth University)

12.40   Returning to Action – Leigh Thompson (Head of Policy, Sport and Recreation Alliance)

12.55   Roundtable Discussion: Returning to Sport Sustainably Post-Covid

 

The Zoom link for the seminar is here: https://bournemouth-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/89306375276?pwd=SWJSay80QTl3V256eWk2N3JhMUtmUT09

 

For any queries, contact Dr Raf Nicholson – rnicholson@bournemouth.ac.uk

CQR starts the seminar year with a Round-up

BU research, PG research, Research news, Uncategorized

The first CQR Seminar of the academic year will be a CQR members, assocs, and doc students Round-up! 

Wednesday, 12 Sept at 1 pm in RLH 409.

Nonetheless, those curious about CQR and how they might get involved are welcome to attend!

Agenda

  1. Brain-storming future Go Create! seminar ideas (We have the first half of the year covered, but need ideas and people for the second half.

  2. CQR and CEL are beginning a joint adventure!  We are developing an association with the Centre for Excellence in Learning, particularly around creativity.Come along and share your thoughts.

  3. Research Collaborations!  Many of you have ideas for projects, big and small, and just need that extra pair of hands (and creative input!) to make it happen. A chance to put your ideas forward, and see who might help make them happen!

  4. Any other business

Start the new academic year with camaraderie and conviviality.

We look forward to seeing lots of you at the Round-up 12 Sept.!

“Using photo-elicitation to generate storytelling”

BU research, PG research, Research news, Uncategorized

Join us next Wed for “Using photo-elicitation to generate storytelling” presented by Anne Quinney.

 

Anne’s co-presenter, Maggie Hutchings, is now able to join her for the conversation!

Lots of opportunity for audience participation in listening, making, and sharing. Not lectures, the seminar is ‘In Conversation” about a topic or method. No PPT and plenty of time for audience interaction and feedback!

Wednesday, 1 Nov.

Royal London House 208 1 pm

Students and Faculty welcome!

Presented by the Centre for Qualitative Research

CQR’s Last Seminar for the Year Wed 1pm RLH 201

BU research, PG research, Research news, Uncategorized

The Centre for Qualitative Research will end the academic year with a final “In Conversation” Seminar this Wednesday at 1 pm in RLH 201.  All are most welcome!

The presenters originally set for this date had to postpone until next year due to ill health. We decided to go ahead with the seminar anyway. It will provide us with a time in which to converse about the year’s seminars, what was helpful, and what people would like to have as topics next year. We also will be discussing the potential of short hands-on taster sessions with arts-based research methods for next year. Perhaps you have a idea for an ‘In Conversation” seminar that you would like to contribute?

Do come along and join in the conversation!  We look forward to spending this time together. CQR Members and non-members equally welcome!

FMC Faculty Research Seminar Series 2016-17

Uncategorized

Faculty of Media and Communication

Faculty Research Seminar Series 2016-17

May at a Glance

A Conflict, Rule of Law and Society

Research Seminar

Venue: F309, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5BB

 Wednesday 17 May 2017 at 3pm

 CRoLS

Welcomes:

Mark “Max” Maxwell

Deputy Legal Counsel – U.S. Africa Command

Modern conflict and the rules of engagement: the changing individual right of a soldier’s right of self defence today

The term self-defense is used in a multitude of ways that do not accurately convey what occurs at the moment of decision. My discussion will advance that the term self-defense has three dimensions — scope, context, and level — and each one molds and defines what is meant by self-defense. Self-defense has a ‘scope’ component: it is a concept that can apply to an individual, to another person, to an armed unit, to a collection of designated people, to a foreign force, and even to non-state actors. It also has a ‘context’ component: on the one side you have the military context and its application is for the soldier engaged in operations ranging from peacetime operations, to peacekeeping missions or to armed conflict in both international and non-international scenarios. The other side of the equation is the domestic context with application to police officers in law enforcement scenarios or even the exercise of self-defense by an individual citizen. Finally, self-defense has a ‘level’ facet: self-defense on an individual or tactical level is profoundly different from strategic actions with international import. The word self-defense loses its meaning when there is a lack of precision as to what force is allowed in a particular scenario; this is particularly true when there are other legitimate uses of force at play. For example, if a soldier encounters a civilian taking direct participation in hostilities (DPH), what is the relationship between the use of force under self-defense and the use of force under the concept of DPH? And why is that important; in other words, what is the significance of the legal basis of force?

My discussion will define self-defense according to the various situations in which it is exercised; for example, is the exercise of self-defense by a soldier in a peacekeeping operation distinct from that exercised by a police officer on the beat in Boston? The key factor in all definitions (and the facets listed above) of self-defense is whether the threat is imminent; that is, what is the trigger point for the use of force. In the end, it is an inherently subjective test. It is important to probe the elements of what is the inalienable core of self-defense. Can, for example, self-defense be suspended? There are many positivist definitions of self-defense but is the core of self-defense a product of natural law? If so, what are the legal interpretations of the limits of this authority, and overlying the legal analysis, the policy interpretations of what constitutes self-defense and when it will be applied? My perspective will be inevitably United States centric, but the intent is for the audience to appreciate the multitude of meanings in one phrase: self-defense. And, as a corollary, I will propose terminology that can be applied to discrete situations instead of using an overused term. When force is required, from defending oneself to defending the nation, lingual precision is not a luxury, it is a requirement.

As of July 2015, Max Maxwell became the Deputy Legal Counsel for U.S Africa Command. Until he retired from the U.S. Army after 25 years of service, Max was a member of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps. He ended his military career as the first Strategic Initiatives Officer for the JAG Corps. Previously, from July 2011 to July 2013, Max was the Staff Judge Advocate for V Corps and concurrently, while deployed to Afghanistan from June 2012 to May 2013, was the Senior Legal Advisor for NATO’s International Security Assistance Force Joint Command.

Max considers North Carolina home, where he grew up in the Tidewater area. He attended undergraduate at Duke University, majoring in economics and history. While at Duke, Max was an ROTC cadet and upon graduation received his commission as an officer. He then attended law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he served on the Board of Editors of the North Carolina Journal of International Law and Commercial Regulation. He graduated from Chapel Hill in 1990 and entered the active component of the U.S. Army as a Judge Advocate.

Max is a graduate of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in 1999 (LL.M. and Commandant’s List); U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in 2004 (Distinguished Graduate); and the National War College in 2011 (M.A. and Distinguished Graduate). Max has published over a dozen articles and book chapters on various topics to include criminal law, the law of armed conflict, and the use of force in non-international armed conflict.

He is married to Mary and they share of love of reading, art and travel, and most of all, our 15-year old son who is a fan of reading, as well, and anything related to Pokémon and Minecraft.

 

A

Centre for Politics and Media Research

Seminar

Venue: F309, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5BB

Wednesday 24 May 2017 at 3pm

 Politics

Welcomes:

 

Prof James Martin – Goldsmiths, University of London

The Force of the Bitter Argument

James Martin is professor of politics at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is a political theorist with an interest in rhetoric and psychoanalysis. He has published on these topics but also on Gramsci and other figures in Italian political theory and post-Marxist thought. He is author of a number of books, including Gramsci’s Political Analysis, Third Way Discourse, and Politics and Rhetoric. He is convenor of the PSA specialist group in Rhetoric and Politics and is co-editor of the Palgrave journal, Contemporary Political Theory. He is currently working on a book titled The Psychopolitics of Speech.

A

Centre for Politics and Media Research

Seminar

Venue: F309, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5BB

Wednesday 24 May 2017 at 4pm

 Politics

Welcomes:

 

Paul Reilly – University of Sheffield

Social media and contentious parades in divided societies: Tweeting the 2014 and 2015 Ardoyne parade disputes

 To what extent do social media facilitate debate between Catholics and Protestants about contentious parades and protests in post-conflict Northern Ireland? Do these ‘affective publics’ tend to escalate or de-escalate the tensions caused by these events? This paper addsresses these issues through a qualitative study of how citizens used Twitter in response to contentious Orange Order parades in the Ardoyne district of North Belfast in 2014 and 2015. Twitter provided a platform for ‘affective publics’ who expressed a myriad of sentiments towards the Orange Order, in addition to the residents who opposed the loyalist parade passing the predominantly nationalist area. This study focused on the extent to which these tweeters appeared to use the site to prevent a recurrence of the sectarian violence that followed the parade in previous years. A critical thematic analysis of 7388 #Ardoyne tweets, collected in July 2014 and July 2015, was conducted in order to investigate these issues. Results indicate that Twitter’s greatest contribution to peacebuilding may lie in its empowerment of citizens to correct rumours and disinformation that have the potential to generate sectarian violence. However, the site does not appear to function as a shared space in which cross-community consensus on contentious issues such as Ardoyne parade can be fostered.

Paul Reilly is Senior Lecturer in Social Media & Digital Society in the Information School at the University of Sheffield. His research focuses on the study of online political communication, with a focus on three key areas: (1) the use of social media by citizens to create and share acts of sousveillance (inverse surveillance); (2) the ways in which digital media can be used to crowdsource crisis information; and (3) the use of new media to reduce sectarian tensions and promote better community relations in divided societies such as Northern Ireland. He has published one monograph on the role of the internet in conflict transformation in Northern Ireland (Framing the Troubles Online: Northern Irish Groups and Website Strategy, Manchester University Press 2011) and has published articles in a number of journals including First Monday, Information, Communication & Society, New Media & Society, Policy and Internet and Urban Studies. His most recent research projects include a British Academy funded study of YouTube footage of the union flag protests in Northern Ireland, a study of how social media is used by first responders during crisis situations funded by the EU 7th Framework Programme for Research (FP7) and a Horizon 2020 funded study of how social media can be used to build community resilience against disasters.

A Promotional Cultures and Communication Centre

Research Seminar

Venue: F309, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5BB

Wednesday 31 May 2017 at 3pm

PCCC

Welcomes:

 

Andrea Esser –  Roehampton University

The Quiet Revolution: From Broadcasting and Advertising to Branded Entertainment

Efforts to endear brands to consumers go back as far as the 1920s, when branded entertainment was widespread on US radio and later television. In the UK advertiser-funded programming has no history. The public-service broadcasting remit demanded a clear separation between advertising and editorial content. But recent years have opened the doors to branded entertainment. The unregulated on-line mediascape offers endless possibilities and British broadcast legislation was revised in 2011 to allow for product placement. Building on an extensive analysis of trade journal articles since 2011, this paper seeks to illuminate recent developments and to build a theoretical framework by identifying drivers and tokens of change and different types of TV-related branded entertainment. History, I will argue, has left its mark. British broadcasters and TV producers seem to have been reluctant to embrace branded entertainment. But traditional content providers, like advertisers cannot escape the consequences of digitalization. Branded entertainment in multiple forms is revolutionising both marketing and the production and delivery of audiovisual content.

All are welcome and we look forward to seeing you there!

About the series

This new seminar series showcases current research across different disciplines and approaches within the Faculty of Media and Communication at BU. The research seminars include invited speakers in the fields of journalism, politics, narrative studies, literature, media, communication and marketing studies.  The aim is to celebrate the diversity of research across departments in the faculty and also generate dialogue and discussion between those areas of research.

Contributions include speakers on behalf of 

The Centre for Politics and Media Research

Promotional Cultures and Communication Centre

Centre for Public Relations Research and Professional Practice

Centre for the Study of Journalism, Culture and Community (JRG/NRG/Civic Media)

Centre for Intellectual Property Policy & Management

Conflict, Rule of Law and Society

EMERGE

Centre for Film and Television

FMC Faculty Research Seminar Series 2016-17 *UPDATED*

Uncategorized

Faculty of Media and Communication

Faculty Research Seminar Series 2016-17

May at a Glance

 

 A Journalism Research Group

Research Seminar

Venue: F309, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5BB

Wednesday 10 May 2017 at 3pm

JRG

Welcomes:

Dr James Dennis –  University of Portsmouth

“It’s Better to Light a Candle than to Fantasize About a Sun”: Social Media, Political Participation and Slacktivism in Britain

This presentation examines how routine social media use shapes political participation in Britain. Since the turn of the century, many commentators have argued that political activism has been compromised by “slacktivism,” a pejorative term that refers to supposedly inauthentic, low-threshold forms of political engagement online, such as signing an e-petition or “liking” a Facebook page. This is explored in three interrelated contexts, using three different research methods: an ethnography of the political movement, 38 Degrees; an analysis of a corpus of individually-completed self-reflective media engagement diaries; and a series of laboratory experiments that were designed to replicate environments in which slacktivism is said to occur. I argue that slacktivism is an inadequate and flawed means of capturing the essence of contemporary political action, as Facebook and Twitter create new opportunities for cognitive engagement, discursive participation, and political mobilisation.

Dr James Dennis is Senior Lecturer in Journalism at the University of Portsmouth. His research interests lie in political communication, with a particular focus on social media, political participation and citizenship, and digital news. His work has been published in the Civic Media Project, published by MIT Press, Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies, and Political Studies. James maintains a personal research site at jameswilldennis.com, and can be found on Twitter at @jameswilldennis.

 

A Narrative Research Group

Research Seminar

Dr Matthew Freeman –  Bath Spa University – CANCELLED

Small Change – Big Difference: Tracking the Non-Fictionality of Social Transmedia

 

A Conflict, Rule of Law and Society

Research Seminar

Venue: F309, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5BB

Wednesday 17 May 2017 at 3pm

CRoLS

Welcomes:

Mark “Max” Maxwell

Deputy Legal Counsel – U.S. Africa Command

Modern conflict and the rules of engagement: the changing individual right of a soldier’s right of self defence today.

The term self-defense is used in a multitude of ways that do not accurately convey what occurs at the moment of decision.  My discussion will advance that the term self-defense has three dimensions — scope, context, and level — and each one molds and defines what is meant by self-defense.  Self-defense has a ‘scope’ component:  it is a concept that can apply to an individual, to another person, to an armed unit, to a collection of designated people, to a foreign force, and even to non-state actors.  It also has a ‘context’ component:  on the one side you have the military context and its application is for the soldier engaged in operations ranging from peacetime operations, to peacekeeping missions or to armed conflict in both international and non-international scenarios.  The other side of the equation is the domestic context with application to police officers in law enforcement scenarios or even the exercise of self-defense by an individual citizen.  Finally, self-defense has a ‘level’ facet:  self-defense on an individual or tactical level is profoundly different from strategic actions with international import.  The word self-defense loses its meaning when there is a lack of precision as to what force is allowed in a particular scenario; this is particularly true when there are other legitimate uses of force at play.  For example, if a soldier encounters a civilian taking direct participation in hostilities (DPH), what is the relationship between the use of force under self-defense and the use of force under the concept of DPH?  And why is that important; in other words, what is the significance of the legal basis of force?

My discussion will define self-defense according to the various situations in which it is exercised; for example, is the exercise of self-defense by a soldier in a peacekeeping operation distinct from that exercised by a police officer on the beat in Boston?  The key factor in all definitions (and the facets listed above) of self-defense is whether the threat is imminent; that is, what is the trigger point for the use of force.  In the end, it is an inherently subjective test.  It is important to probe the elements of what is the inalienable core of self-defense.  Can, for example, self-defense be suspended?  There are many positivist definitions of self-defense but is the core of self-defense a product of natural law?  If so, what are the legal interpretations of the limits of this authority, and overlying the legal analysis, the policy interpretations of what constitutes self-defense and when it will be applied?  My perspective will be inevitably United States centric, but the intent is for the audience to appreciate the multitude of meanings in one phrase:  self-defense.  And, as a corollary, I will propose terminology that can be applied to discrete situations instead of using an overused term.  When force is required, from defending oneself to defending the nation, lingual precision is not a luxury, it is a requirement.

As of July 2015, Max Maxwell became the Deputy Legal Counsel for U.S Africa Command.  Until he retired from the U.S. Army after 25 years of service, Max was a member of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps.  He ended his military career as the first Strategic Initiatives Officer for the JAG Corps.  Previously, from July 2011 to July 2013, Max was the Staff Judge Advocate for V Corps and concurrently, while deployed to Afghanistan from June 2012 to May 2013, was the Senior Legal Advisor for NATO’s International Security Assistance Force Joint Command. 

Max considers North Carolina home, where he grew up in the Tidewater area.  He attended undergraduate at Duke University, majoring in economics and history.  While at Duke, Max was an ROTC cadet and upon graduation received his commission as an officer.  He then attended law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he served on the Board of Editors of the North Carolina Journal of International Law and Commercial Regulation.  He graduated from Chapel Hill in 1990 and entered the active component of the U.S. Army as a Judge Advocate.

Max is a graduate of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in 1999 (LL.M. and Commandant’s List); U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in 2004 (Distinguished Graduate); and the National War College in 2011 (M.A. and Distinguished Graduate).  Max has published over a dozen articles and book chapters on various topics to include criminal law, the law of armed conflict, and the use of force in non-international armed conflict. 

He is married to Mary and they share of love of reading, art and travel, and most of all, our 15-year old son who is a fan of reading, as well, and anything related to Pokémon and Minecraft. 

 

A

Centre for Politics and Media Research

Seminar

Venue: F309, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5BB

Wednesday 24 May 2017 at 3pm

Politics

Welcomes:

Prof James Martin – Goldsmith

A

Centre for Politics and Media Research

Seminar

Venue: F309, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5BB

Wednesday 24 May 2017 at 4pm

Politics

Welcomes:

Paul Reilly – University of Sheffield

A Promotional Cultures and Communication Centre

Research Seminar

Venue: F309, Fusion Building, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5BB

Wednesday 31 May 2017 at 3pm

PCCC

Welcomes:

Andrea Esser –  Roehampton University

The Quiet Revolution: From Broadcasting and Advertising to Branded Entertainment

Efforts to endear brands to consumers go back as far as the 1920s, when branded entertainment was widespread on US radio and later television. In the UK advertiser-funded programming has no history. The public-service broadcasting remit demanded a clear separation between advertising and editorial content. But recent years have opened the doors to branded entertainment. The unregulated on-line mediascape offers endless possibilities and British broadcast legislation was revised in 2011 to allow for product placement. Building on an extensive analysis of trade journal articles since 2011, this paper seeks to illuminate recent developments and to build a theoretical framework by identifying drivers and tokens of change and different types of TV-related branded entertainment. History, I will argue, has left its mark. British broadcasters and TV producers seem to have been reluctant to embrace branded entertainment. But traditional content providers, like advertisers cannot escape the consequences of digitalization. Branded entertainment in multiple forms is revolutionising both marketing and the production and delivery of audiovisual content.

All are welcome and we look forward to seeing you there!

 

About the series

This new seminar series showcases current research across different disciplines and approaches within the Faculty of Media and Communication at BU. The research seminars include invited speakers in the fields of journalism, politics, narrative studies, literature, media, communication and marketing studies.  The aim is to celebrate the diversity of research across departments in the faculty and also generate dialogue and discussion between those areas of research.

Contributions include speakers on behalf of 

The Centre for Politics and Media Research

Promotional Cultures and Communication Centre

Centre for Public Relations Research and Professional Practice

Centre for the Study of Journalism, Culture and Community (JRG/NRG/Civic Media)

Centre for Intellectual Property Policy & Management

Conflict, Rule of Law and Society

EMERGE

Centre for Film and Television

 

 

 

CQR launches monthly Seminar Series “In Conversation with …”

Uncategorized

13432167_10154245215569855_4045956637427322389_n-001

The Centre for Qualitative Research is kicking off its new seminar series on 7 September at 1 pm in Royal London House (RLH 201 Masterclass Suite).

New to BU and FHSS, Prof. Sam Porter (Head of Social Work & Social Sciences Dept. at FHSS) will join CQR’s Kip Jones and Caroline Ellis-Hill “in conversation” about: “The Relationship between the Arts and Healthcare”.

Mark your diaries now and join us for an intriguing conversation!

Because CQR is keen to make information available to students and staff about qualitative METHODS, the seminars will be arranged somewhat differently than the typical lunchtime seminar.

We are asking TWO (or more) presenters to agree to present each research method as a CONVERSATION…first, between each other, and then with the audience.  We are also asking that no PowerPoint be used in order that it is truly a conversation and NOT a lecture. The conversations will be about a particular research method and its pros and cons, NOT research projects or outcomes.

The “In Conversation with …” Seminar Series will be held on the FIRST WED of each month for nine months beginning in September. They will run from 1 pm until 1:50.

We are then hoping that many will join us for a CQR ‘KoffeeKlatch’ following at Naked Cafe next to RLH after the seminar.

We anticipate that by making the CQR Seminar Series really unique and exciting that they will inspire students and academics alike to investigate the wide range of qualitative methods and expertise available at CQR, and enrich their research projects by doing so.

Below is the list of Seminar dates, topics and presenters. Mark your diaries now so that you don’t miss them!

7 September

RLH 201

 “The relationship between the arts and healthcare” Sam Porter, Kip Jones & Caroline Ellis-Hill
5 October

RLH 201

 “Social Work as Art” Lee-Ann Fenge and Anne Quinney
2 November

RLH 201

 “Phenomenology” Jane Fry and Vanessa Heaslip
7 December

RLH 201

 “Auto-biography and Auto-ethnography”

 

 Judith Chapman and Sarah Collard
11 January (2nd Wed.)

RLH 201

 “Participatory Action Research and Co-operative Inquiry”   Carole Pound and Lee-Ann Fenge
1 February

RLH 201

 “Appreciative Inquiry”

 

 Clare Gordon and Caroline Ellis-Hill
1 March

RLH 201

 “Photo-elicitation” Michele Board and Jenny Hall
5 April

RLH 303

 “Applying Film and TV Methods to Research”

 

 Trevor Hearing & Kip Jones
3 May

RLH 303

 “Ethnography” Janet Scammell and Jonathan Parker
7 June

RLH 201

 “CAQDAS (NVIVO, MAXQDA)” Jacqueline Priego and Debbie Holley

FMC Cross-Departmental Seminar Series 16 March 2016

Uncategorized

Communicating Research

FMC Cross-Departmental Seminar Series 2015-16

The Faculty of Media and Communication at BU

Venue: CG17, Christchurch House, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5BB

Wednesday 16 March 2016, 3pm, CG17

A Corporate Marketing Communication – Politics and Media Guest Lecture

Anastasia Kavada, Westminster Faculty of Media, Arts & Design at the University of Westminster

Collective action and digital media: the case of Occupy

Social movements can be considered as communication phenomena, as actors emerging from conversations amongst groups and individuals which become codified in ‘texts’ of various kinds: common statements and manifestos, training resources and new ‘scripts’ that ritualize common ways of behaving, as well as new digital artefacts whose design reflects the values of the movement. This talk outlines a communication perspective on social movements by focusing on the case study of the Occupy movement. The empirical material is drawn from 75 in-depth interviews with Occupy activists in London, New York, Seattle and Boston. The talk investigates digital media as part of Occupy’s communication ecology, focusing on their use to create spaces for conversation, to delineate the boundaries between the movement and its environment, and to develop ‘texts’ that embody the shared values and codes of the movement. Examining social movements as communication phenomena also provides an insight into how power relations, both within the movement and between the movement and its allies, targets and adversaries, are shaped by communication practices. More specifically, this talk identifies six types of communication power that shaped the power relations of Occupy. Overall, in this talk I argue that viewing social movements as phenomena emerging in and through communication allows us a grounded perspective on their processes and their capacity to effect change.

Anastasia Kavada is Senior Lecturer in the Westminster Faculty of Media, Arts & Design at the University of Westminster. She is Co-leader of the MA in Media, Campaigning and Social Change and Deputy Director of the Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI). Her research focuses on the links between online tools and decentralized organizing practices, democratic decision-making, and the development of solidarity among participants in collective action. Anastasia’s case studies include, among others, the Global Justice Movement, Avaaz, and the Occupy movement. Her work has appeared in a variety of edited books and academic journals, including Media, Culture & Society and Information, Communication & Society.

About the series

This new seminar series showcases current research across different disciplines and approaches within the Faculty of Media and Communication at BU. The research seminars include invited speakers in the fields of journalism, politics, narrative studies, media, communication and marketing studies. The aim is to celebrate the diversity of research across departments in the faculty and also generate dialogue and discussion between those areas of research.

Contributions include speakers on behalf of

The Centre for Politics and Media Research

The Centre for the Study of Journalism, Culture and Community

Promotional Cultures & Communication Centre

Public Relations Research Centre

Narrative Research Group

Journalism Research Group

Advances in Media Management Research Group

FMC Cross-Departmental Seminar Series 9 March 2016

Uncategorized

Communicating Research 

FMC Cross-Departmental Seminar Series 2015-16 

The Faculty of Media and Communication at BU

Venue: CG17, Christchurch House, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5BB 

Wednesday 9 March 2016, 3pm, CG17

A Corporate Marketing Communication – Politics and Media Guest Lecture

John Steel, University of Sheffield 

Free Speech and the British Left

This presentation examines how British radical Left and progressive political movements have engaged with the contested concept of freedom of speech in the course of their radical politics. The principle of freedom of speech and the associated principles of freedom of the press and freedom of expression have of played a significant role in political struggles from the 17th century to the present day, yet little work has been done on the relationship between the principle of free speech and radical and progressive movements of the Left, particularly in the 20th century. Ostensibly a concept emanating from liberal political theory that emphasises individual autonomy, the principle of free speech sits uncomfortably within the radical Left tradition in theory and in practice. Within the classical Marxist tradition, free speech is indicative of a form of atomistic false consciousness that pervades capitalist society. It is a figment of our imagination as we succumb to the shackles of capitalist domination whilst under the illusion that we are free. In practice, free speech is also abused by fascists and extremists who mock the democratic rights that progressives have fought for, whilst simultaneously attempting to exploit these freedoms in order to peddle hatred and ultimately deny us these very same freedoms. The ‘No Platform’ stance of the Anti Nazi League during the 1980s and 1990s epitomises the difficult relationship that the progressive Left have had with the principle. As a right to be fought for in the struggle for equality, yet seemingly a right that can impede equality and ‘freedom’, the British Left’s relationship with free speech is a complex one. This presentation outlines the author’s current research as he examines the ways in which the idea and principle of free speech has figured in the broad progressive and radical Left in Britain both conceptually and in terms of specific political movements and currents of thought and political praxis.

John Steel has published a number of books and articles on politics, journalism and media. He is the author of Journalism and Free Speech (2012) and is co-editor, with Martin Conboy, of The Routledge Companion to British Media History (2015), and with Marcel Broersma, Redefining Journalism in the Era of the Mass Press 1880-1920 (2016). He is currently writing a monograph on free speech and the British Left.

About the series

This new seminar series showcases current research across different disciplines and approaches within the Faculty of Media and Communication at BU. The research seminars include invited speakers in the fields of journalism, politics, narrative studies, media, communication and marketing studies.  The aim is to celebrate the diversity of research across departments in the faculty and also generate dialogue and discussion between those areas of research. 

Contributions include speakers on behalf of 

The Centre for Politics and Media Research

The Centre for the Study of Journalism, Culture and Community

Promotional Cultures & Communication Centre

Public Relations Research Centre

Narrative Research Group 

Journalism Research Group

Advances in Media Management Research Group

FMC Cross-Departmental Seminar Series 2 March 2016

Uncategorized

The Faculty of Media and Communication at BU

Venue: CG17, Christchurch House, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5BB

Wednesday 2 March 2016, 4pm, CG17

Promotional Cultures & Communication Centre ​(PCCC)

Guest Lecture

Professor Fleura Bhardi,

Conceptualizing Consumption in Late Modernity: Liquid Consumption
Professor Bhardi introduces the concept of liquid consumption, a style of consumption characterized by a lack of singularization, ephemerality, the dominance of use-value, and dematerialization. This concept helps unpack contemporary consumption phenomena emerging in the current context of liquid modernity, where social structures, and resulting consumer identities, are liquidifying. Liquid consumption is in contrast to a solid perspective of consumption, constituted in the former industrial modern society, when many of our seminal consumer behaviour constructs were developed. She outlines the implications of liquid consumption for four major consumer research domains: consumer attachment, consumer and brand relationships, social distinction, and consumer ethics. We observe a shift in what is valued under conditions of liquidity: flexibility, lightness and access. An agenda for future research focusing on these new sources of value is outlined.

Fleura Bardhi is a Professor of Marketing at Cass Business School, City University London, UK. Fleura has a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA, a MSc in International Business from Norwegian School of Management, Norway, and a B.A. in Management from University of Tirana, Albania. Prior to joining Cass Business School, Fleura was an associate professor at Northeastern University, Boston, USA. Fleura’s research falls into consumer behavior, specifically consumer culture theory (CCT). Methodologically, Fleura is a qualitative researcher and utilizes qualitative interviews, ethnography, observations, and projective techniques in her research.

Her research interests are in three areas: 1) Global Brands and Global Consumers: Fleura’s research examines how the role of materiality and brands changes when we travel or in conditions of a global nomadic lifestyle. This work unpacks the ways globalization has shaped our identities, relationship to places, and consumption tastes.

2) Access Based Consumption and Sharing: This stream of research examines how we consume differently when we do not purchase or own things, but rather access them through the market (via traditional rental, peer-to-peer rental, or market mediated sharing) or outside the market (via public services or peer-to-peer sharing and borrowing). Her research has implications about the notions of collaborative consumption and the sharing economy.

3) Life transitions and Consumption: This research examines how we manage the challenges associated with life transitions including divorce, relocation, migration, and long-distant families, through consumption as well as the role of the marketplace in such life transitions. A current project is looking at how single mothers manage downward social mobility post-divorce or family separation. Fleura teaches at the undergraduate and graduate and postgraduate level programs. Her teaching interest includes modules in Consumer Behavior, Qualitative Market Research, Consumer Insights, and Consumer Culture Theory.

Fleura’s work has been published in Journal of Consumer Research, Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, International Marketing Review, Consumption, Markets & Culture, Psychology and Marketing, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, etc. She has presented her work at numerous international and national conferences. Fleura is a member of the Editorial Review Board for Journal of Consumer Research, Consumption, Markets, & Culture journal, Mercati & Competitività, and a Board Member for the International Society for Markets and Development (ISMD) (2012-2014). She has co-chairs twice the Consumer Culture Theory PhD Workshop (2011, 2013) and has been invited as a faculty mentor at several methodology and theory related PhD Workshops. Her work has received attention and cited in the Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, The Economist, The Guardian, Boston Globe, etc. She has also been a visiting professor at Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto, Canada; University of Sydney, Australia; and California State University, Long Beach, US.​

About the series

This new seminar series showcases current research across different disciplines and approaches within the Faculty of Media and Communication at BU. The research seminars include invited speakers in the fields of journalism, politics, narrative studies, media, communication and marketing studies. The aim is to celebrate the diversity of research across departments in the faculty and also generate dialogue and discussion between those areas of research.

Contributions include speakers on behalf of

The Centre for Politics and Media Research

The Centre for the Study of Journalism, Culture and Community

Promotional Cultures & Communication Centre

Public Relations Research Centre

Narrative Research Group

Journalism Research Group

Advances in Media Management Research Group

FMC Cross-Departmental Seminar Series 2015-16 17 February 2016

Uncategorized

Communicating Research
FMC Cross-Departmental Seminar Series 2015-16
The Faculty of Media and Communication at BU

Venue: CG17, Christchurch House, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5BB
Wednesday 17 February 3pm CG17

A Journalism Research Group Guest Lecture
Glenda Cooper, City University

Hurricanes and Hashtags: The Power Dynamics of Humanitarian Reporting in a Digital Age
Who tells the story of today’s humanitarian disasters? Twitter, Instagram, SMS messages have entered into the defining images and texts of humanitarian disasters, theoretically allowing survivors to play a role in the framing of such crises.

Yet research suggests both mainstream media and NGOs – whose symbiotic relationships traditionally framed such stories – have cloned and absorbed such content, potentially restricting the voices that are heard. Issues around privacy and copyright are yet to be resolved in the mainstream media, while NGOs have turned to Western bloggers rather than beneficiaries to mediate their message.

This seminar will draw on the recent collection Humanitarianism Communications and Change, co-edited by the author, and also 50 semi-¬‐structured interviews she has conducted with a) those whose content was used by UK mainstream media; b) journalists from the main broadcast and print outlets in the UK; and c) members of each of the 13 UK Disaster Emergency Committee aid agencies who responded to recent crises including the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake. It aims to look how voices of citizens in crises are being mediated and mediatized, as well as what issues the use of this content raises around the contextual integrity of privacy. It concludes by examining whether NGOs’ engagement online allows the voices of the marginalised to emerge?

Wednesday 17 February 4pm CG17

A CMC – Politics and Media Guest Lecture
Laura Sudulich, University of Kent

Not all that glitters is gold: Assessing the (absence of) impact of social media on preference voting in the 2014 Belgian elections
A growing number of studies address the relationship between candidate use of social media (particularly Twitter) and candidate voting, suggesting that those candidates who embedded social media in their campaign strategy attract more votes than those who have not. This holds across a variety of countries and political systems. We use data from the May 2014 Belgian to estimate the effects of social media campaign on preferential voting. This election is of particular interest because on the same day Belgian voters chose their representatives to the regional, federal and European parliaments (allowing us to examine ‘who’ would benefit most from Twitter). We captured candidates twitter feeds during the campaign and we merge this with information about the ballot position of the candidate, incumbency status and demographics. We control for traditional media coverage of each and every candidate to isolate social media effects. We find little evidence of social media directly leading to vote gains. Twitter adoption is correlated to better electoral performances but when taking a closer look at the dynamics of usage we find that usage is more symbolic than strategic.

Laura Sudulich is a Senior Lecturer in Politicas at the School of Politics and International Relations of the University of Kent. She is also affiliated to the Centre d’étude de la vie politique (Cevipol) Université Libre de Bruxelles. During the academic year 2012-2013 Laura was a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute. Laura holds a PhD in Political Science from Trinity College Dublin.

To date, her research activity has looked at the effects of new media use on electoral behavior and public opinion, electoral campaigns and their effects on vote gains, Voting Advice Applications, election forecasting and processes of politicization. Laura is also interested in survey design, quantitative methodologies and in making innovative use of existing data about elections and campaigns

About the series

This new seminar series showcases current research across different disciplines and approaches within the Faculty of Media and Communication at BU. The research seminars include invited speakers in the fields of journalism, politics, narrative studies, media, communication and marketing studies. The aim is to celebrate the diversity of research across departments in the faculty and also generate dialogue and discussion between those areas of research.

Contributions include speakers on behalf of

The Centre for Politics and Media Research
The Centre for the Study of Journalism, Culture and Community
Promotional Cultures & Communication Centre
Public Relations Research Centre
Narrative Research Group
Journalism Research Group
Advances in Media Management Research Group

Kind Regards,
Brian

Brian McNulty
Research Development Co-ordinator
Faculty of Media & Communication
The Loft (P181), Poole House, Talbot Campus
Fernbarrow, Poole
BH12 5BB

FMC Cross-Departmental Seminar Series Wednesday 10 February 2016

Research news, Uncategorized

FMC Cross-Departmental Seminar Series 2015-16

The Faculty of Media and Communication at BU  

Venue: CG17, Christchurch House, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5BB  

Wednesday 10 February 2016, 3pm-4pm, CG17 

Pollyanna Ruiz, University of Sussex 

Twitter, Transparency and Surveillance

Transparency is central to an understanding of the public sphere as a universally accessible arena characterised by reason, inclusivity and sincerity (Habermas, 1974). Consequently, the refusal to be seen is invariably interpreted as a threat to the principles that underpin the democratic process (Engles, 2007). However, if one experiences the public sphere not as a utopia of transparency (Johnson, 2001), but as a nightmare of surveillance and coercion then the desire to evade surveillance can be read very differently (Foucault, 1995). These dynamics are especially fraught in socio political environments in which the power relations that usually construct the relationship between the individual and the nation state are being blurred and eroded by criminal forces.

These complexities will be illustrated by a case study from Mexico in which a citizen journalist used a pseudonymous Twitter account to crowd source information about the movements of the drugs cartels in the state of Tamaulipas. Within this context Twitter can be read as a technological mask concealing the identity of multiple dissenting voices whilst also seeking recognition for the injustices being suffered by a people left unprotected by their state. As such ‘Felina’, who used a masked cat woman as her avatar, drew upon of long history of semi-folkloric figures who have used the protective qualities of the mask to speak to power (Ruiz, 2013).

However in January of this year ‘Felina’ was publically unmasked. Her Twitter account was commandeered by the cartel, her cat woman avatar was replaced by an image of her dead body and her followers were warned of retributions to follow. The brutal murder of Felina and the dissemination of threats through her social network is part of a cartel led counter offensive, which uses the fear of transparency to repress an emerging culture of sousveillance in cartel held territories. Consequently this paper will conclude by arguing that the optimism that characterised the rise of citizen journalism in oppressive regimes is being modified by the realisation that while online dynamics can be socially and politically productive, they can never disembody acts of dissent.

Bibliography

Engle, K. (2007) The face of a terrorist. Cultural Studies Critical Methodologies. Vol. 7 p.397-424.

Foucault, M. (1995) Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. New York Vintage Books.

Habermas, J. (1974) ‘The public sphere: an encyclopaedia article’, New German Critique, Vol. 3, pp.49-55.

Johnson, J.H. (2001) Versailles, meet les Halles: masks, carnival and the French revolution. Representations, Vol. 73 pp. 89-116.

Ruiz, P. (2013) ‘Revealing Power: Masked Protest and the Blank Figure.’ The Journal of Cultural Politics. Dukes Journals.

Pollyanna Ruiz is interested in the media’s role in the construction of social and political change. Her research focuses on the ways in which protest movements bridge the gap between their own familiar but marginal spaces, and a mainstream which is suspicious at best and downright hostile at worst. In doing so, she looks at the communicative strategies of contemporary political movements, such as the anti-globalisation movement, the anti-war movement and coalitions against the cuts. Her new project Protest, Technology and the Dynamics of Intergenerational Memory extends these dynamics over time.

Pollyanna is a Lecturer in Media and Communication at the University of Sussex. Her recently published book Articulating Dissent; Protest and the Public Sphere examines the ways in which coalition movements access the mainstream media. 

Wednesday 10 February 2016, 4pm-5pm, CG17 

Dr Lincoln Geraghty, University of Portsmouth 

Constructing Childhood Memories: Nostalgia, Fandom and the World of LEGO Collecting

LEGO’s shift to producing product tie-ins has been supported by a very popular range of video games (eg. LEGO Star Wars) and the creation of online fan clubs aimed at both children and adults. One of them, the VIP Program, boasts a members’ only website, special offers and a point rewards system, specifically targeting grown-ups and encouraging them to collect LEGO rather than play with it, display it rather than pack it away. This convergence of popular fandom, new media, nostalgia and contemporary toy culture suggests that the lines between past and present, technology and culture, childhood and adulthood are increasingly porous. Memory is an important component of being a fan and the remediation of childhood toys like LEGO through video games, animated television shows and online communities helps to reconstruct memories of youth that are subsequently used to negotiate digital collaborative spaces shared by other fans. These spaces also serve as the means to add to and promote the often vast collections of adult collectors. In these web spaces personal memories and official histories of children’s culture are constantly negotiated and reshaped, taking on new meanings, as collections grow and collectors determine the subcultural and economic value of old and new LEGO sets. LEGO, a children’s toy originally based on the physicality of construction, has taken on new significance in contemporary media culture as it allows adult collectors/fans to reconnect with their past and define a fan identity through more ephemeral and digital interaction. Now that the LEGO “system” incorporates global franchises like Star Wars it means collectors/fans of one brand crossover to become collectors/fans of the other. The LEGO Star Wars universe develops a fandom of its own with the minifigure versions of Han Solo and Darth Vader (animated with comic effect in the video games and TV episodes) becoming just as iconic and desirable amongst collectors as the “real” toy originals. Therefore, I argue in this presentation that LEGO’s shift from educational children’s toy to transmedia adult collectible is characteristic of contemporary convergence culture. It highlights the importance of nostalgia in the influencing of what childhood media and commodities get collected but also how nostalgia acts to limit the original potentials of those remediated texts and commodities. There is an inherent conflict between how childhood texts are rebranded by producers and how fans choose to remember and negotiate those texts online. As a consequence, this presentation will also consider the reconstruction of personal and public memories of childhood in the digital sphere and assess the difficulties associated with the archiving and collecting of children’s media. 

Lincoln Geraghty is Reader in Popular Media Cultures in the School of Media and Performing Arts at the University of Portsmouth. He serves as editorial advisor for The Journal of Popular Culture, Reconstruction, Journal of Fandom Studies and Journal of Popular Television with interests in science fiction film and television, fandom, and collecting in popular culture. He was recently appointed as a Senior Editor for the new online open access journal from Taylor Francis, Cogent Arts and Humanities. He is author of Living with Star Trek: American Culture and the Star Trek Universe (IB Tauris, 2007), American Science Fiction Film and Television (Berg, 2009) and Cult Collectors: Nostalgia, Fandom and Collecting Popular Culture (Routledge, 2014). He has edited The Influence of Star Trek on Television, Film and Culture (McFarland, 2008), Channeling the Future: Essays on Science Fiction and Fantasy Television (Scarecrow, 2009), The Smallville Chronicles: Critical Essays on the Television Series (Scarecrow, 2011), and, with Mark Jancovich, The Shifting Definitions of Genre: Essays on Labeling Film, Television Shows and Media (McFarland, 2008). He is currently serving as Editor for multi-volume Directory of World Cinema: American Hollywood from Intellect Books (2011 & 2015), and his most recent collection, entitled Popular Media Cultures: Fans, Audiences and Paratexts, was published by Palgrave in 2015. 

About the series

This new seminar series showcases current research across different disciplines and approaches within the Faculty of Media and Communication at BU. The research seminars include invited speakers in the fields of journalism, politics, narrative studies, media, communication and marketing studies.  The aim is to celebrate the diversity of research across departments in the faculty and also generate dialogue and discussion between those areas of research. 

Contributions include speakers on behalf of 

The Centre for Politics and Media Research

The Centre for the Study of Journalism, Culture and Community

Promotional Cultures & Communication Centre

Public Relations Research Centre

Narrative Research Group 

Journalism Research Group

Advances in Media Management Research Group

FMC Cross-Departmental Seminar Series 2015-16

BU research, Featured

Communicating Research
FMC Cross-Departmental Seminar Series 2015-16

The Faculty of Media and Communication at BU

Venue: CG11, Christchurch House, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5BB

Wednesday 3 February 2016, 3pm-4pm, CG11

Dr Iñaki Garcia-Blanco, Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies

Saving Refugees or Policing the Seas? How the national press of five EU member states frame news coverage of migration

Migration from the Middle East and Africa to Europe has increasingly hit the headlines in recent years as the unprecedented scale of deaths at sea has gradually been recognised as a newsworthy and politically important story. This seminar presents findings from a research project commissioned by UNHCR to measure how the issue of migration to Europe is currently framed in the news media across the EU. We compare the 2014-15 national press coverage of 5 member states: UK, Sweden, Germany, Spain and Italy, examining in particular the main themes of news coverage, how migrants are labelled, which actors have a voice in migration news, and the reasons for and responses to migration outlined. With an evidence base informing our understanding of how the news media as a key site (re)producing dominant public discourses currently articulates migration as an issue, the aim is to better inform the humanitarian interventions of UNCHR and other agencies in media and policy debates.

Dr Iñaki Garcia-Blanco is a lecturer at the Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies. Iñaki is a media scholar interested in the study of the relationships and interplays between media, politics and citizenship. His research appears in international, peer-reviewed journals such as Media, Culture & Society, Journalism Studies, Journalism Practice or Feminist Media Studies. He is the director of Cardiff University’s BA Journalism and Communications, and of its BA Journalism, Communication and Politics (launching in 2016). Iñaki teaches BA modules on journalism, new media and politics, and MA modules on political communication and social research methods.

Wednesday 3 February 2016, 4pm-5pm, CG11

Benedetta Cappellini and Vicki Harman, Royal Holloway, University of London

Disciplining mothers: a Foucauldian approach to unpacking power and classed resistance in children’s packed lunches

Vicki Harman is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Royal Holloway, University of London where she teaches courses on sociology of the family, social problems and social policy, social identities and consumption. Vicki’s research interests include family life in contemporary Britain, gender, social class and ethnicity. Recent projects have focused on families and food, including children’s lunchboxes and feeding the family in times of austerity. With Benedetta Cappellini (Royal Holloway) Vicki is the author of ‘Mothers on Display: Lunchboxes, Social Class and Moral Accountability’ published in Sociology. Vicki’s doctoral thesis (2007) explored the experiences and support networks of lone white mothers of mixed-parentage children. Her writing in this area has examined mothers’ social capital, their experiences of racism, social work practice and the identification and social positioning of young people of mixed-parentage. With Ravinder Barn (Royal Holloway) Vicki is the co-editor of Mothering, Mixed Families and Racialised Boundaries (Routledge, 2014).

Benedetta Cappellini is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Consumer Behaviour at Royal Holloway, University of London. Her research interests are in food consumption, material culture, family consumption and motherhood and consumption. She has published widely on these issues in a number of academic journals including Sociology, The Sociological Review, Consumption, Markets and Culture, Journal of Marketing Management, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Consumer Behaviour and Advances in Consumer Research. With Elizabeth Parsons (University of Liverpool) and David Marshall (University of Edinburgh) she is the co-editor of The Practice of the Meal: Families, food and the market place (Routledge, forthcoming).

About the series
This new seminar series showcases current research across different disciplines and approaches within the Faculty of Media and Communication at BU. The research seminars include invited speakers in the fields of journalism, politics, narrative studies, media, communication and marketing studies.  The aim is to celebrate the diversity of research across departments in the faculty and also generate dialogue and discussion between those areas of research.

Contributions include speakers on behalf of
The Centre for Politics and Media Research
The Centre for the Study of Journalism, Culture and Community
Promotional Cultures Communication Centre
Public Relations Research Centre
Narrative Research Group
Journalism Research Group
Advances in Media Management Research Group

Funding opportunity – ESRC Research Seminars

Funding opportunities

Seminar groups are multi-institutional groups of academic researchers, postgraduate students and non-academic users who meet regularly to exchange information and ideas with the aim of advancing research within their fields. Where appropriate, seminar group members should be drawn from the public sector, commercial private sector, third sector and other relevant organisations as well as from academic institutions. We would particularly encourage seminar groups designed to bring together leading researchers from across disciplines to identify new research agendas or capacity building priorities. These grants are non-fEC and are limited to £15,000. This covers:

  • travel and expenses for speakers and participants
  • administrative costs
  • stationery, postage, copying and telephone costs
  • hire of rooms and facilities

An additional £3,000 can be made available when applicants have made a strong case for the inclusion of international academics or the holding of events abroad.

Further information regarding eligibility can be found on the RCUK website: (http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/research/Pages/Eligibilityforrcs.aspx).

The deadline for applications is 10 November 2011.

If you’re interested in submitting an application, please contact the RKE Operations team.