News from 2008
As the term comes to an end, teaching yields to research and thoughts turn to the conference papers, journal articles and book chapters that await in 2009 - see you there!
Review of Book Proposal for Policy Press
I was asked by Policy Press to review a book proposal on international perspectives on rape. The proposal was excellent and should provide a much needed text on the issue of legislation and policy development in this area. Politically the book is very timely and I can see that it will be an invaluable addition (and indeed fill a gap within the literature) for policymakers, academics and students. Good luck to the authors.
ELISS - Journal
Issue Two of 'Enhanced Learning in the Social Sciences' is now available and I have an article in it:
http://www.eliss.org.uk/CurrentIssue/Abstracts/tabid/73/Default.aspx
Back in the USA!
I spent the first part of this month in the US, observing the election and discussing the Spring IEE with two of the international partners.
Book Chapter
I have been asked to contribute to a book being edited by Dr Julie Scott Jones (Department of Sociology, MMU) & Dr Sal Watt (Department of Psychology, Liverpool Hope University) entitled ‘Ethnography in Social Science Practice’.
Conference
I will be giving a paper at C-SAP's annual conference in Edinburgh on 27/28 November. See here for abstract:
http://www.c-sap.bham.ac.uk/events/conference_08/abstracts/Jones.html
Tyneside Rape Crisis Centre
Kate Cook and I have had an article published in Tyneside's newsletter about our book 'Responding to Rape Crisis'. Higher Education Academy Subject Centres and British Criminology Society meeting
Criminology does not sit easily within any of the HEA Subject Centres so this month I met with 4 of the more relevant Subject Centres in Birmingham with Anne Brunton of the BCS to discuss forging closer links between these parties for the benefit of the wider criminology teaching community. Plans laid out include ideas around a co-sponsored annual prize to be awarded at the BCS annual conference and participation in a range of conference/workshop venues over the next year. Collaboration with Glasgow Caledonian University Last month I mentioned a collaboration with GCU to utilise wikis as a research medium on teaching and learning. Well the wiki is set-up now and students from both universities are due to start a project mid-October. The site is http://focusoncrime.pbwiki.com
Teaching starts again this month so a lot of time and energy is going into making sure all is ready. I'm teaching two new modules as well as my usual timetable this year so it will be busy!
 |
Third Stream Developments
I've been involved in collaboration with the local Community Safety Network on two projects, one to establish a Research Hub where local community groups can work with undergraduates to produce a piece of research and the other project is about developing an intern system for students wanting experience of the working world.
|
Research plans continue with a collaboration with Glasgow Caledonian University to utilise wikis as a research medium and discussion forum - I hosted a meeting for C-SAP and the National Fellows this month. I discussed the wiki plans and C-SAP have agreed to support the initiative. I'll be adding the C-SAP logo to the site. Also at this meeting the idea was raised of editing a special journal edition on teaching sensitive issues - again, more on this when I have more information myself!
I've also been helping out the Rape And Sexual Abuse Centre in the Wirral with their recent recruitment.
I'm supposed to be on holiday during this month but I don't seem to have more than a couple of days where I'm not doing stuff! Big task for the month is to submit an application to the ESRC ... Watch this space for more news of that!
Book Launch
The launch was a really joyful event. Huge thanks must go to those who helped to organise it, Helen McLynn of MMU we couldn't have done it without you, and those who took part, Annie Muse and Claire Mooney for their music and Jo Wood for speaking on behalf of Rape Crisis. Thanks also to heads of the Law School Miceal Barden and the Sociology Department Bernard Leach. Claire Mooney was a real star as she donated a big percentage of her CD sales to Rape Crisis and her humour balanced with the insights of her music was inspired. The event was supported by over 50 people who joined us to celebrate the launch of this book and by numerous people who couldn't make it - so a huge thank you to everyone! We have just been informed by the publisher that the first print run has sold out (wow !) but if you have an order in it will be with you soon as the second print run is almost ready!
Conference
The British Society Criminology conference takes place this month:
http://bscconference2008.hud.ac.uk/
I am a presenter on an HEA sponsered panel on research informed teaching:
COMBINING RESEARCH AND TEACHING IN CRIMINOLOGY –
Tom Ellis, University of Portsmouth
Richard Lynch, Sheffield Hallam University
Stephen Case, University of Swansea
Helen Jones, Manchester Metropolitan University
ELISS
I have been invited onto the editorial board of ELiSS, Enhancing Learning and Teaching in the Social Sciences. The journal is supported by C-SAP, the Higher Education Academy Subject Network for Sociology, Anthropology, Politics. The mission of ELiSS is to provide a forum for pedagogic research within the social sciences, and to utilise the opportunites afforded by new technolologies to present this research in new and innovative ways.
http://www.eliss.org.uk/Default.aspx
Pathfinder
Jointly funded by the Higher Education Academy and MMU, the broad aim of the project is to understand the barriers and enablers of inter and intra faculty collaboration on the development, use and re-use of e-learning resources and to therefore increase such collaborative activity by managed change. I was filmed to explain the international exchange that I run:
http://www.celt.mmu.ac.uk/pathfinder/projects/projectpage.php?id=1&keyword_id=13
New Book
|
This month sees the publication of the book Rape Crisis: Responding to sexual violence. It can be bought at either the publisher's website or from Amazon.
From the publisher's website "Rape Crisis centres have provided the most effective and valued source of support for survivors of rape in Britain ever since the centres were developed as part of the women’s movement of the 1970s. Yet now, at the same time as Britain is failing survivors of rape in the courts, there is also a threat to the work delivered through the centres.
For anyone who wants to understand how we reached this point of crisis, or who wants to be able to respond, this book helpfully provides:
- an understanding of the strengths that these centres can add to how we respond to rape in our society
- an explanation of the knowledge, ideas and skills that comprise the centres’ unique model of support
- an account of the rape crisis movements struggles in starting and sustaining the centres.
- a permanent record of the philosophies and ideas that underpinned the founding of the original centres, and a history of how they have changed and evolved over 30 years.
Too few people know about the centres or how they are run. This book documents the work and story of Rape Crisis in England and Wales, drawing comparisons with similar centres and networks in Scotland and Ireland. It provides the reader, whether an interested individual, a student or academic, a professional or voluntary worker, with a flavour of the original Rape Crisis work, and assesses its actual and potential value, here and now".
|
New Book
Rape Crisis
Order here
or at
Amazon
|
It has been a busy month at work, culminating in a successful programme review of the Criminology, Sociology and Media, Culture and Society programmes offered by the department. Well done to all who participated.
I was sad to learn of the death of Pauline Campbell who was a friend and an inspiration - see the
Crime, Risk and Security site (under May 2008) for more on this.
The Gender and Sexualities group expressed an interest in forming a wiki so I helped with getting that started - it is in development
here.
The conference in Vancouver was fantastic and there are a number of photos posted on the
Truth About Rape website.
I reviewed a book this month for MMU's Learning and Teaching in Action bulletin and I have been invited to be a reviewer for
Feminist Criminology.
As I finish the indexing for the forthcoming book 'Rape Crisis: Responding to Sexual Violence' Kate Cook and I have been invited to write an article about the history of the UK rape crisis movement for The Source, the magazine for the women’s voluntary and community sector, which is published every other month. Packed with features and useful information for women’s groups, the Source is distributed directly to the
Women's Resource Centre members.
Other news:
I will be an invited guest at the University of West Florida and the University of North Carolina Wilmington. I'm due to speak on the key differences between criminal justice systems in the UK and the US.
During the same trip I will be attending the
Southeastern Women's Studies Association conference in Charlotte North Carolina USA to hear bell hooks and Cynthia Enloe giving presentations.
Later in the month I will be an invited guest of
Vancouver Rape Relief Shelter as they celebrate their 35th anniversary. I'm really looking forward to meeting the good women there as I've had a fair bit of communication with them so far on their campaign plans.
I have been awarded the status of
C-SAP Associate with a £1000 bursary for the development of learning and teaching activities. C-SAP have been very supportive of my work so far so it will be great to take some ideas forward with them.
I will be speaking at two conferences in February:
Breaking the Silence: Healing the Wounds
Providing Effective Community Led Services for Victims of Sexual Violence: Rape Crisis is Valuable
Women’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (Cornwall)
in partnership with the
Home Office and the Eden Project
February 1st 2008 - at the Eden Project Cornwall
Annual Rape Crisis Conference
4th - 5th February 2008
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.