Keep Your Pet - Dogs Visiting Sociology 22 November (W/222)

We are looking forward to being back @UoYSociology on Thursday with some of our supporters and their dogs ready to meet students during their stressful assessment period

 

PhD 2018 Conference - Empowered Bodies

REGISTRATION OPEN

Call for Papers

We are pleased to announce our Postgraduate Conference for students and researchers interested in the role of the body in social sciences and the concept of embodiment as a source of critical reflection in diverse disciplines. We invite abstracts that deal with embodiment in any thematic or methodological way, from a diverse range of disciplines like Gender Studies, Politics, Philosophy, Geography, Arts, Health, Media, STS, Social Policy and any other approach.

Topics include (but are not limited to):

• Power, gender and identity
• Politics of the body
• Body transformations
• Health, Food and Practices
• Disabilities, agency and control
• Affect and Emotions
• Technology, humans and cyborgs
• Body as Mediation
• Arts, performance and creation
• Cultural representations of the body
• Measurement, tracking and datafication of the self

Masters and PhD Students are particularly encouraged to submit an abstract, as well as other postgraduate students in early stages of analysis, as this is an excellent chance to present your work in a constructive and supportive environment. We also welcome works in progress by any other level of early career researchers.

If you are interested in presenting a paper, please submit an abstract of up to 300 words to empowered-bodies@york.ac.uk by Friday, 14 April 2018 at 5:00 pm.

We also welcome any other form of presentation or performance such music, dance, video, etc. as long as it can be fitted within the program. Please send us your idea with your abstract and try to be as specific as possible of any technical or room requirements and the kind of activity that you would like to present.

A limited number of travel bursaries will be available.

Further information will be released by the end of March 2018. Please direct all enquires to empowered-bodies@york.ac.uk

Registration Open  £5.00

Future Sociology – PhD at York (2)

Daniel Robins on Necro-Waste

I am just approaching the end of my first year as a Sociology PhD student here at York. I have two fantastic supervisors: Ruth Penfold-Mounce and David Beer, whom I have been working closely with to develop my project on necro-waste. I did not start with the concept; it just found me about two months in. It affirmed to me that a PhD is always in progress, always amenable to change.

My research focuses on this idea of necro-waste, which is essentially the analogy of corpse parts as waste. By drawing on theories of value, I am exploring the value attached to and generated out of necro-waste as it passes through the UK Death Industry. It’s highlighted at three stages.  The first of these is the gatekeeping stage. This is where the necro-waste is prepared for disposal by the funeral director. Two methods of disposal are then explored; disposal through cremation and disposal through natural burial. This is because these produce two different types of waste; dry waste and wet waste. Each of these offers the opportunity for the necro-waste to be commemorated. As such, the third stage focuses on the artists that reuse cremated remains in these commemorative rituals. This stage also explores what becomes of the natural burial ground.

In the background, I have also been writing through some ideas. I recently published a piece for Discover Society, where I conceptualise Ian Brady’s remains as akin to radioactive waste, otherwise known as ‘toxic necro-waste’. The SATSU department here at York also provides PhD students with a lot of opportunities. I was able to extend these thoughts and write them on the SATSU Threshold blog. Each of these encouraged me to write an article on the Social Epistemology Review and Reply Collective, where I discuss toxic necro-waste further. I understand it as a concept that can be used to further extend the study of necro-waste.

Writing these has helped me as a PhD student in a couple of ways. First, as the PhD is always in progress, it’s helped me to develop some of the ideas in my thesis. Second, it’s provided content, along with my research, to discuss at conferences through both talks and networking with fellow death researchers. Last, it's helped build my confidence as an academic and develop my writing.

I am trying to treat my PhD as an apprenticeship and am actively seeking as many opportunities as I can. I am on the board of studies, and am working with other Sociology PhD students to develop this year’s York Sociology Postgraduate Conference on ‘embodiment’. I also teach two seminar classes on the first year undergraduate module ‘Introducing Social Psychology’, which I really enjoy. So, it’s been a busy, but excellent year.

The Elites, The Establishment and The ‘People’ – Analyzing the “Micro-Politics” of Rightwing Populism

The Elites, The Establishment and The ‘People’ – Analyzing the “Micro-Politics” of Rightwing Populism

In my lecture, I explore the ‘new face of politics’ of right-wing populist parties and discuss adequate qualitative and quantitative methodologies to analyse the – ever more acceptable – exclusionary rhetoric (distinguishing between US- the people and ‘THEM- the establishment and the strangers) while focussing on the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) and the German Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), and the recent presidential and national election campaigns in Austria and Germany (2016, 2017).  The main question to be posed – why are such parties and their programmes successful – requires a careful context-dependent, multi-methodical, multimodal, and critical interdisciplinary analysis of the ‘micro-politics’ of the Far Right; i.e. how they actually produce and reproduce their ideologies and exclusionary politics in everyday politics, in the media, in campaigning, in posters, slogans and speeches. The dynamics of everyday performances frequently transcend careful analytic categorisations; boundaries between categories are blurred and flexible, open to change and ever new socio-economic developments.

Biog
Ruth Wodak is Emerita Distinguished Professor of Discourse Studies at Lancaster University, UK, and affiliated to the University of Vienna. Besides various other prizes, she was awarded the Wittgenstein Prize for Elite Researchers in 1996 and an Honorary Doctorate from University of Örebro in Sweden in 2010. She is past President of the Societas Linguistica Europaea. 2011, she was awarded the Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver for Services to the Republic of Austria.

She is member of the British Academy of Social Sciences and member of the Academia Europaea. 2008, she was awarded the Kerstin Hesselgren Chair of the Swedish Parliament (at University Örebrö).

She is member of the editorial board of a range of linguistic journals and co‐editor of the journals Discourse and Society, Critical Discourse Studies, and Language and Politics. She has held visiting professorships in University of Uppsala, Stanford University, University Minnesota, University of East Anglia, and Georgetown University. In the spring 2014, Ruth held the Davis Chair for Interdisciplinary Studies at Georgetown University, Washington DC. In the spring 2016, Ruth was Distinguished Schuman Fellow at the Schuman Centre, EUI, Florence. 2017, she holds the Willi Brandt Chair at the University of Malmö, Sweden.

Her research interests focus on discourse studies; gender studies; language and/in politics; prejudice and discrimination; and on ethnographic methods of linguistic field work. Ruth has published 10 monographs, 27 co authored monographs, over 60 edited volumes and ca 400 peer reviewed journal papers and book chapters. Recent book publications include The Politics of Fear. What Right‐wing Populist Discourses Mean (Sage, 2015; translation into the German Politik mit der Angst. Zur Wirkung rechtspopulistischer Diskurse. Konturen, 2016); The discourse of politics in action: ‘Politics as Usual’ (Palgrave), revised edition (2011); Migration, Identity and Belonging (with G. Delanty, P. Jones, 2011); The Discursive Construction of History. Remembering the German Wehrmacht’s War of Annihilation (with H. Heer, W. Manoschek, A. Pollak, 2008); The Politics of Exclusion. Debating Migration in Austria (with M. Krzyżanowski, 2009); The SAGE Handbook of Sociolinguistics (with Barbara Johnstone and Paul Kerswill, 2010); Analyzing Fascist Discourse. Fascism in Talk and Text (with John Richardson, 2013), and Rightwing Populism in Europe: Politics and Discourse (with Majid KhosraviNik and Brigitte Mral, 2013). See http://www.ling.lancs.ac.uk/profiles/Ruth‐Wodak for more information on on‐going research projects and recent publications.

Thresholds - A pop-up symposium

22 September 2017
University of York

21 Exciting abstracts have been accepted !

Spaces now limited - book via eventbrite ASAP

This event platforms scholars working across the humanities and social sciences around the theme of ‘thresholds’. It explores perspectives on the liminal edges of everyday, organisational and social life. What and who reside beyond or within different types of thresholds? Who has to cross thresholds? What prevents people or things crossing? How does power operate through different thresholds? How do thresholds articulate with limits, extremes, dangers and tipping points? These are just some of the questions explored in this one day symposium.

Thresholds is intended to bring together diverse disciplines including sociology, politics, history, anthropology, women’s studies, critical management, human geography, social policy. The format will be short papers (10 mins) followed by discussion.

Organisers: Joanna Latimer, David Beer, Nik Brown, Rolland Munro

SATSU – Sociology – University of York

Time and Place: 10:30 to 15:30; Berrick Saul Building, The Treehouse - University of York


REGISTER HERE

Supported by: the University of York ‘Culture and Communication’ Research Theme; The Department of Sociology; Science and Technology Studies Unit (SATSU)

Critical Emotional Reflexivity in Social Activism

Autumn Term Departmental Seminars

Wednesday 5 October 2016, 3.00pm to 16:00

Speaker: Deb King - Associate Professor in Sociology at Flinders University

Examining how (rather than why) everyday people become social activists provides insights into the emotionality of not only the personal process, but of bringing about social change. Through interviews conducted with 26 activists in Australia, I examine the emotional dynamics involved in generating and participating in the kinds of critical reflexivity that helped them revision themselves and their social world. I argue that while emotions are central to the reflexive ways people react to social change, they are perhaps even more necessary in proactive change, particularly where that change seeks to redress structural power.

Deb King is an Associate Professor in Sociology at Flinders University. She is currently on study leave at the University of Edinburgh as a reward for being Dean of the School of Social and Policy Studies for the past three years. Deb’s research focus in the sociology of emotions has been on the relationship between personal and social/organisational change, and on the emotional practices used by aged care workers. She also has a body of work in the sociology of work on the health and social care workforces, with a special focus on workers in aged care.

Location: Wentworth College, W/222

Admission: FREE - ALL WELCOME

Tickets available here

Making the Difference Award

Ruth Penfold-Mounce, Daryl Martin and Clare Jackson have received the Making the Difference Award. This award is part of the University wide recognition scheme of excellence among its staff. The award was granted on the basis of the Ruth, Daryl and Clare's work as a team on the implementation of the York Pedagogy (YP).

Ruth Penfold-Mounce

Daryl Martin

Clare Jackson

Katy Mann Benn, part of the ProPel team and a member of University Teaching Committee nominated the team on the basis of 'their sheer hard work, commitment and outstanding achievement in ushering in the York Pedagogy.' The University Teaching Committee working group were ‘very impressed by the work and output’ and the Programme Learning Outcomes and Statement of Purpose for one of the programmes was selected to be used on the York Pedagogy website as an exemplar. 

Katy Mann Benn

Katy described working with the YP team as having been a 'consistently productive experience and have been impressed by the collaborative, diligent and thoughtful approach they have consistently demonstrated. Their ability to engage constructively and meaningfully with the review process has been outstanding. I have been particularly impressed by the dedication of the team and the well-organised, conscientious review that they have enabled. Moreover, they have sought feedback from colleagues across the university to inform their plans to enhance the programmes.'

John Robinson

The leadership demonstrated by the YP team has been widely noted including by John Robinson Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Teaching, Learning and Students who said 

‘I know of the contribution of Clare, Daryl and Ruth indirectly through the reports of the ProPEL team and.... can confirm that it accords with the evidence, and that I judge it to be an excellent appraisal of a team who are making a difference in learning and teaching.’

Many congratulations to Ruth, Daryl and Clare.

Congratulations Class of 2016

On thursday 14th July our Sociology Department Graduands gathered at Central Hall for their Graduation Ceremony. It was certainly a memorable event with too witty and fairly political speeches by the Honourary Doctoral recipients - Dr the Lord Victor Adebowale and Professor Sir Ian Kennedy. Victor talked about wanting to look the future in the eyes and to encourage the graduands to make sure they went to places they shouldn't go and make a difference. Ian meanwhile reflected on the Brexit and the challenges ahead. Nik Brown did a fine job presenting our Sociology students and got most of the names pronounced correctly - its a nerve wracking job!

By the closing of the ceremony our 2016 graduands became graduates and we couldn't be more proud. Congratulations to you all.

Ruth Penfold-Mounce, Wes Lin and Steph Lawler

Wes Lin, Ruth Penfold-Mounce and Nik Brown

Sociology and YUSU Excellence Awards

Sociology has been recognized for its excellence in 2016 though the YUSU Excellence Awards.

There were a range of staff and postgraduates who teach (PGWTs) to be nominated this year by anonymous undergraduates. There was a total of 18 nominations in a range of categories:

• 5 nominations for Teacher of the Year
• 4 nominations for Supervisor of the year
• 2 nominations for Most Inspiring
• 2 nominations for Most Enthusiastic
• 3 nominations for Most Supportive
• 1 nomination for Best Communicator
• 1 nomination for Promoting Diversity

Staff were genuinely honored to receive this recognition from our students. Thank you to those individuals who took the time to nominate us.

Scholarship for Masters in the Department of Sociology

We're delighted to announce a new annual scholarship for taught Masters-level study in the Department of Sociology at the University of York.  The Maria Bourboulis scholarship is awarded in memory of York Alumna Maria Bourboulis. We are able to to offer one scholarship each year for EU/ UK fee paying applicants.

Details

• The scholarships include a fee waiver covering fees (Home/EU) with £12,000 paid as a stipend towards living costs
• The scholarships are tenable for up to one year of full time Masters study

Eligibility

Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic excellence and are eligible for all applicants that hold a conditional and/or unconditional offer from the University for 2016 study for the following MA courses:

• MA in Social Research
• MA in Criminology and Social Research
• MA in Social Media and Social Research
• MA in Society, Culture and Globalisation

It's not too late to apply for these courses in time to also apply for the scholarship.  Deadline for scholarship applications is 1 July 2016.  See: https://www.york.ac.uk/sociology/postgraduate/masters/pgt_funding/#tab-2 for more information.

Sociology wins Bronze for Green Impact

We're delighted to announce that the Sociology Department won Bronze Award for our Green Impact actions for 2015-16.  This is the third consecutive year that we've achieved Bronze and we're very proud to be one of the longest serving Green Impact teams at York!  

Well done to all who contributed and let's finally get that much coveted Silver award next year...

Dr Merran Toerien receiving the award on behalf of Sociology from Professor Saul Tendler, Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of York.

Final call for papers: The Sociology of Contemporary Urban Life: Economies |Cultures| Politics| Aesthetics

The final call for papers for an exciting event titled ‘The Sociology of Contemporary Urban Life: Economies |Cultures| Politics| Aesthetics’ on Thursday 16th and Friday 17th June 2016 has just been announced.

This two-day conference, co-organised by the Department and CURB (Centre for Urban Research), is an attempt to provide a lively, open-minded forum for urban sociologists to gather and discuss the challenges of conducting the craft of urban sociology in a fragmented, hierarchical urban world; an urbanizing planet where the very concept of ‘the city’—traditionally the unit of analysis for urban sociologists—faces unprecedented levels of scepticism.  The title of the conference is a riff on T.J. Clark's (1984) book on Manet and Paris, The Painting of Modern Life. As such, the conference aims to engage the contours of contemporary urban life in a comparable critical manner, using a  multiplex of economies, cultures, politics and aesthetics to explore  our contemporary urban experience/s (with or without the city).  The conference will also address the distinctive role that urban sociology has played, does play and may in the future play within the broader academic endeavour of Urban Studies.

Several leading urban sociologists have already agreed to speak at this event including Fran Tonkiss (LSE), Michael Keith (Oxford), Emma Jackson (Goldsmiths, London), Phil Hubbard (Kent), Ayona Datta (Leeds), David Pinder (Roskilde) and Richard Sennett (LSE) (a public lecture given as part of the York Festival of Ideas).

However, the intention is also to run a limited number of open streams and will be considering abstracts for papers that connect empirically or theoretically with the four interconnecting themes of the event. 

250 word abstracts should be sent to both Gareth Millington (gareth.millington@york.ac.uk) and Daryl Martin (daryl.martin@york.ac.uk) by Friday 25th March please. Decisions on abstracts will be made the following week. We especially welcome contributions from early career researchers. Registration details for non-speakers will be released shortly.

BA Criminology Undergraduates work with the North Yorkshire Youth Commission

Following a call from the North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner in July 2015 some of our BA Criminology Students have participated in the North Yorkshire Youth Commission. Ida Sadlowska, Fay Wileman, Sarah McMullen, Jake Longhorn, Amy Collingwood (all 2nd year), and Enya Lee and Samantha Burns (3rd year) all helped conduct a survey of some 1500 young people at various venues across the county to find out what they wanted from the police. They found that young people wanted police officers to be more consistent in how they interact with the age group and not judge them on age or appearance. A formal report is currently being collated.

Samantha Burns (far right) a BA Criminology Third year

Well done everyone involved!

Follow the links to York Press coverage of their work: Don't judge us by our age and Police Chiefs listen to Young People in North Yorkshire

Surveillance Society in Information, Communication and Society Journal

Rosie Smith, a first year doctoral student has had a book review published in Information, Communication and Society. She reviewed Monahan's (2013) SuperVision: an introduction to the surveillance society.

When asked why she has bothered to write a book review she says:

'Writing book reviews has been a great introductory way to ease myself in to publishing academic work. I’ve found it a good opportunity to read books that are both related to my thesis, but which also perhaps draw on wider themes that my research doesn’t necessarily always allow for. But more than this, it encourages me to critically engage with a piece of literature in its entirety, rather than favouring a more selective reading because of the time constraints of a PhD. As a result I feel am on a learning curve whereby I am constantly evaluating my work and thinking about my writing in a critical way, to ensure it strikes the balance between being academic, accessible, and clear. Not only is it a way of getting the odd free book, writing book reviews, so far, has been a friendly and less-pressurised way of entering the academic world.' 

Follow the link to access the review: SuperVision Review

Call for Papers: Discourse(s) in the Social Sciences Conference May 2016

Rosie Smith, Gillian Loomes and Germaine Stockbridge are organising the annual Sociology Postgraduate Conference. The event will be held on 10th May 2016 between10am-5pm at Kings Manor, University of York.

Confirmed keynote speakers are:

Professor Robert Reiner

Professor Charles Antaki

Call for Papers

We invite abstracts that deal with discourse in any thematic or methodological way.

Topics can include (but are certainly not limited to):

• Conversation Analysis

• Power, resistance and discourse

• Crime and deviance and social control

• Discourse and identity

• Political discourses

• Health, disability and lifestyle

Masters students and first year PhD students are especially welcome to submit an abstract, as this is an excellent chance to present your work in a constructive and supportive environment. Other postgraduate students and researchers are also more than welcome to submit.

If you are interested in presenting a paper, please submit an abstract of up to 350 words to discourses2016@york.ac.uk by Friday, 4 March 2016. Please indicate if you would like to be considered for a travel bursary. 

3 New Short Courses in CA announced

Workshop on Action Sequencing with Gene Lerner and Ray Wilkinson,

University of York, 16-17 June 2016

Action Sequencing Workshop

Gene Lerner and Ray Wilkinson

16-17 June 2016, University of York

Intensive ‘hands on’ workshop with leading conversation analysts:

Professor Gene Lerner, Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA

Professor Ray Wilkinson, Human Communication Sciences, University of Sheffield, UK

12 places only – likely to be over-subscribed, so register your interest early to avoid disappointment!

Cost: £150

Contact: sarah.shrive-morrison@york.ac.uk

Further info: ray.wilkinson@sheffield.ac.uk

See also: http://www.york.ac.uk/sociology/shortcourses/

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Additional skills-based training courses in Conversation AnalysisOctober 2016, University of York

Developing Conversation Analytic Skills 3: Repair (3 days)

Tutors to include: Sue Wilkinson and Celia Kitzinger

Date: 11 – 13 October 2016

Pre-requisites: Developing Conversation Analytic Skills 1 and 2 (Turn-taking and Sequence Organisation)

This course is one of two – on repair and on word selection – designed to provide further core training in conversation analysis (CA).

It will provide a systematic grounding in the CA domain of repair.  It will be an intensive course, limited to 12 participants.  The course will be taught via mini-lectures, practical activities and exercises, with an emphasis on hands-on work with data.  It is intended for those with some prior familiarity with CA – especially turn-taking and sequence organisation – who want to acquire key skills for working with conversational data.  It is not necessary for participants to have their own data set.

Location: University of York

Cost: £360 (to include course materials, lunches, tea & coffee)

Contact: sarah.shrive-morrison@york.ac.uk

See also: http://www.york.ac.uk/sociology/shortcourses/

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Developing Conversation Analytic Skills 4: Word Selection (3 days)

Tutors to include: Sue Wilkinson, Clare Jackson and Celia Kitzinger

Date: 18 – 20 October 2016

Pre-requisites: Developing Conversation Analytic Skills 1 and 2 (Turn-taking and Sequence Organisation)

This course is one of two – on word selection and repair – designed to provide further core training in conversation analysis (CA).

It will provide a systematic grounding in the CA domain of word selection.  It will be an intensive course, limited to 12 participants.  The course will be taught via mini-lectures, practical activities and exercises, with an emphasis on hands-on work with data.  It is intended for those with some prior familiarity with CA – especially turn-taking and sequence organisation – who want to acquire key skills for working with conversational data.  It is not necessary for participants to have their own data set.

Location: University of York

Cost: £360 (to include course materials, lunches, tea & coffee)

Contact: sarah.shrive-morrison@york.ac.uk

See also: http://www.york.ac.uk/sociology/shortcourses/