News
The Frank Wright Lecture
Dr. Tim Wilson
'Vibrating with Murder'
Frank Wright and the Idea of Representative Violence
Wednesday March 6, 5pmPFC/02/026 All Welcome!
Staff in the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy, and other QUB schools, have been successful in securing research funding of over £235,000 for their “HANDHOLD: Science, Security and Power in Action” project. As part of the Cross-Council Global Uncertainties Programme, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) in collaboration with the UK government DSTL Futures and Innovation Domain are funding this project under the call “Science and Security: Linking Social Science, Arts and Humanities to understand the impacts of science and technology on defence and security.”
This is an 18 month inter-disciplinary research project linking the social sciences and science and technology. The project involves Dr Mike Bourne (PI), Dr Heather Johnson and Dr Debbie Lisle from the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy; Dr Teresa Degenhardt and Dr Katy Hayward from the School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work; and Dr Charles Gillan, Dr David Linton and Dr Ivor Spence from the Institute of Electronics, Communication and Information Technology (ECIT).
This research maps and analyses how new security technologies are developed in practice, by focussing on the development of an integrated portable Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) detection device. It addresses some of the top tier of UK National Security concerns and contributes to cross-disciplinary and applied knowledge about the drivers of Science and Technology development in relation to defence and security needs. It explores how issues of science and security shape each other and will offer important lessons for technology development, implementation, and policy making, as well as for academic knowledge.
The annual conference which the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy holds for 6th form pupils studying for the Northern Ireland A2 ‘Government and Politics’ examination, will be held on 12 April 2013. Further information for this event is available below.
In the meantime, if you’ve any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the School.
The School Open Day for all UCAS applicants (and their parents/guardians) holding offers for our undergraduate degrees will be held on Friday 1 March 2013, from 9.30 am until 1.45 pm, in the University’s Elmwood Hall.
Further information:
Inaugural Lecture - Professor David Archard
Making a Difference:
Normative Philosophy in the World of Law and Policy
February 28, 5pm
Lanyon Building, Room LAN01/052
All Welcome!
Professor Beverley Milton-Edwards has been invited by Lieutenant General David Capewell of the MOD Command Advisory Group to a joint discussion of Experts in the Military and Academia on the Syrian Crisis and its Regional Implications.
The encounter is designed to foster critical thinking, allow for external scrutiny of existing military assumptions and enable better understanding of particular contemporary challenges relating to Syria and the wider Middle East.
'Peak oil, climate change and energy security: decarbonising the economy', last Thursday (19th January) at Queens University, the first of the 'Debating Europe' seminar series co-organised by the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy, the Northern Ireland Assembly Business Trust and the European Commission
The Debating Europe seminar series has been designed to bring together policymakers, businesspeople, trade unionists, politicians, academics, postgraduate students and members of the voluntary sector, to learn about and discuss key policy issues and themes facing contemporary society in Northern Ireland.
The objectives of the proposed series are to:
Raise awareness and develop understanding in Northern Ireland of European integration themes and issues of major public importance
Identify the economic, political and social significance of these themes for Northern Ireland
Stimulate academic and policy debate at national, regional and local level which the Commission Representation locally (in Belfast) and in London can feed back to the Commission in Brussels
Introduction by Prof. David Phinnemore (Head of School) http://www.mediator.qub.ac.uk/ms/PIS/Intro.mp4
Dr. Barry’s presentation http://www.mediator.qub.ac.uk/ms/PIS/Dr_JohnBarry.mp4
Dr Ada Regelmann has been awarded a three-year grant by the University Association for Contemporary European Studies (UACES) to support the development of a Collaborative Research Network (CRN) on Centrifugalism in Europe.
The purpose of the network is to encourage comparative perspectives on ‘centrifugal’ tendencies across Western and Eastern Europe and their repercussions on European integration. Centrifugalism refers to at least three processes: the open talk of a multispeed Europe focusing on nation-states; reinforced regional self-governance movements from Scotland to Catalonia, from Flanders to Bavaria and Upper Silesia; and social movements and parties boldly contesting the accountability and legitimacy of the political establishment, for example Greece’s Golden Dawn or Germany’s Pirates. The network is open to scholars from across the social science disciplines and the humanities at any stage of their research career to yield understanding of how ‘centrifugalism’ at three levels (EU, state, society) is inter-related. The network seeks to assess the different patterns of societal, national and European integration that we are likely to face as the EU enters its third decade. The network will convene regularly at annual research symposia and workshop meetings over the coming three years.
The US-UK Fulbright Commission is delighted to announce a new ground-breaking joint award with the Northern Ireland Assembly and Queen’s University Belfast. This annual award will offer an American student the opportunity to come to Belfast as a Fulbright Scholar to pursue an MA in Legislative Studies and Practice. The highly innovative postgraduate degree, based within Queens University Belfast’s School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy, allows participants to spend a significant amount of time at the Northern Ireland Assembly acquiring hand-on skills and inside knowledge of the legislature.
This new Fulbright award has been formally recognised by the US Presidentially-appointed Fulbright Scholarship Board in Washington DC, and will be formally announced by the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Mr William Hay MLA on Thursday 17 January 2013 at a lunchtime reception which will also be attended by the American Consul General, Greg Burton.
The US-UK programme is the most competitive of the 150 Fulbright bi-national programmes in the world. The first recipient to hold this new award, in academic year 2014/15, will have been chosen from amongst the best and the brightest American students.
This award will add to a growing portfolio of Fulbright opportunities between the USA and Northern Ireland, for incoming American and outgoing Northern Irish ‘Fulbrighters’. In academic year 2012, there were more America Fulbrighters at Queen’s University Belfast than any other university in the UK.
Speaker William Hay said: “This new award is a fantastic opportunity for a student to gain first-hand experience of political life here as well as gaining a unique insight into how the Northern Ireland Assembly works. We look forward to welcoming the new student to Parliament Buildings and are pleased to be working with the well-respected Fulbright Commission. This programme will further strengthen the links between Northern Ireland and the United States and we look forward to playing our part in educating the next generation of American leaders.”
U.S. Consul General Greg Burton, added: “Many Americans have greatly enriched their academic or professional experiences through a Fulbright Scholarship in Northern Ireland and we are delighted that the Fulbright Commission is building on these successes. I applaud everyone involved in this collaborative project which will deepen our transatlantic ties and provide life-changing opportunities for those selected. “
Professor Rick Wilford the Director of the Legislative Studies and Practice program at Queen’s said: ‘The addition of a Fulbright Scholarship to the Programme is a recognition of both its quality and its growing international reputation. It helps to further strengthen the relationship between the University and the Assembly and helps both to develop their links with a key educational provider in the United States. We very much look forward to welcoming the first recipient of the Scholarship in the autumn of 2013’.
For further information contact
Michael Scott-Kline
Director, Fulbright Awards Programme
0207 498 4014 or 077 0807 1970
michael@fulbright.org.uk
Or Penny Egan
Executive Director
07885 398050
penny@fulbright.org.uk
Notes for editors
About the US-UK Fulbright Commission:
The US-UK Fulbright Commission was created by treaty on 22 September 1948. The Fulbright Commission offers grants at postgraduate and postdoctoral level for study in any discipline and at any accredited institution in the US and UK, as well as a number of special exchanges programmes for shorter projects or for younger scholars. During the last six decades, approximately 15,000 UK nationals have studied in the US and 13,000 US nationals in the UK as part of the Fulbright Programme. Prominent alumni of the Fulbright Programme include poet Sylvia Plath, Charles Kennedy MP, journalist and author Toby Young and the economist and noble prize winner Milton Friedman.
About the Fulbright Programme Worldwide:
Created in the aftermath of the Second World War through the vision of US Senator J. William Fulbright, the Fulbright Programme promotes the twin goals of academic excellence and cultural understanding. It operates in more than 150 countries, providing students, scholars and professionals with the opportunity to observe each others’ political, economic and cultural institutions, exchange ideas and embark on joint ventures of importance to the general welfare of the world’s inhabitants.
About the Fulbright Advisory Service:
The US-UK Fulbright Commission also supports exchange through its advisory service. The advising staff provide information and host events for those interested in US study. The service is the UK’s official source of information on educational opportunities in the US and is part of the EducationUSA network.
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Contact Info
School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy
25 University Square
Queen's University
Belfast
BT7 1PB
Tel: +44 (0)28 9097 5028
Email: pisp@qub.ac.uk
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