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On 24 October Dr Kirsten Harris spoke at the Working Class Movement Library in Salford, as part of their Invisible Histories series.

The Working Class Movement Library houses a rich collection of material relating to Britain’s working classes, telling the fascinating stories of their lives, work and activism.

Having made extensive use of the Working Class Movement Library collections, Kirsten presented her research on Walt Whitman and his impact on British socialism in the nineteenth century. Despite Walt Whitman’s outright refusal to endorse socialist politics, his poetry was read enthusiastically by young socialist activists in Britain and America who believed that it spoke to and for the modern socialist cause.

Dr Gavin Schwartz-Leeper has been appointed as a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Senior Fellowships are awarded to recognize leadership and excellence in higher education. The examining panel commented that they were particularly impressed by his "contribution to the development of the department’s distinctive pedagogy of transdisciplinary problem-based learning. His support for colleagues and students has created a strong culture of enquiry, and an environment which supports students as partners in co-developing in the curriculum. Particularly innovative is the way in which he begins to enculturate students before they arrive at Warwick, and mechanisms he has developed to support students as they transition into and through the programme. Evidencing leadership within a flattened hierarchy can be challenging, but it is clear that he has been instrumental in leading iterative change."

The Higher Education Academy (HEA) is the national body which champions teaching excellence. They work with governments, ministries, universities and individual academics in the UK, and around the globe. The HEA provides value to the HE sector by focusing on the contribution of teaching as part of the wider student learning experience.

Good luck to our Cross-Faculty students from Global Sustainable Development and Liberal Arts who will be presenting their research on 25th September, 2018 at the (ICUR). The two-day annual forum utilises video technology allowing students to present the very best in undergraduate research to a global audience.

Tuesday 25th Sept

08:00-09:30 (Oculus 1.06) - Nicola Blasetti (GSD) - Climate Action in Europe: the costs of climate change and the necessity for adaptation in the EU Member States

08:00-09:30 (Oculus 1.06) - Constance Frohly (GSD) Understanding inequalities in multicultural cities as a dynamic process

11:30-13:00 - (Oculus 1.09) - Rhys Hillan (GSD) - Demonstrating the correlation between food insecurity and mental health issues and the positive role food sovereignty can play in addressing this

11:30-13:00 - (Oculus 1.01) - Virág Belavarí (Liberal Arts) Understanding Revolution Narratives: The Role of Topophilia and Topophobia

14:00-15:30 - (Oculus 1.06) - Davida Mottram-Epson (Liberal Arts) Iranian Women and the State: exploring stasis-kinesis in the revolution through Iranian Literature

17:30-19:00 - (Oculus 1.01) - Najma Ahmad (Liberal Arts) Using gender quotas to meet Sustainable Development Goal 5, gender inequality: A case study analysis of India, Rwanda and Norway

17:30-19:00 - (Oculus 1.01) - Anna Kindleysides-Seidl (Liberal Arts) Blinded by the light: The Moscow Metro and the political use of prestige projects

We wish you all every success!

In the first week in August 2018 Liberal Arts was delighted to work with History, Classics and French to deliver the historical and cultural studies stream of Warwick’s Sutton Trust Summer School programme. The Sutton Trust is a foundation which works to combat educational inequality, and their funded summer schools offer young people the opportunity to experience university life.

The week’s theme was ‘Objects with Agency’ and workshops covered a diverse range of topics such as the circulation of power in ancient coins and currency, sacred medieval relics, a museum of the NHS, rap music and brand identity, posters and virtual realities, and much more! A highlight of the week was the group visit to the Ashmolean museum in Oxford, where we critically explored how history is interpreted, collected, displayed and told. We were really impressed with the enthusiasm, energy and insight of all the students involved, and are already looking forward to next year! Dr Bryan Brazeau and Dr Kirsten Harris have also enjoyed contributing to the Experience Warwick Year 10 and 12 Summer Schools.

Volunteers from Liberal Arts are joining Warwick in Africa over the summer months, a programme which works in partnership with African schools to support educational development. First year student Marco Casanova will work as a Volunteer Teacher in Agona East, Ghana, assisting teachers by delivering high-impact lessons and extra-curricular activities. He is pictured here [right] with Ghanaian teacher Kingsley Amesedzi, one of a growing network of Lead Teachers in our partner schools.

Dr Kirsten Harris is collaborating with South African Lead Teachers Thandi Ntsoele and Anthony Mkhabele [pictured below] to deliver a professional development workshop for English teachers in the Soweto area. More details about Warwick in Africa, including information about how to support the programme, can be found on its web page.