We sat down with Professor Ed Morgan-Jones, who talks about one of his favourite aspects of teaching – supervising final-year projects. He shares how helping students tackle pressing topics like austerity’s impact on politics not only sparks their passion, but also deepens his own learning, whether through the latest insights from The FT’s Political Fix or his favourite reads like Piranesi.
What’s your favourite part about teaching your students?
One aspect I really enjoy is supervising final year projects. This is because I get to work one-on-one with students helping them to develop a project on a topic they are really passionate about. I enjoy talking with students about their ideas in depth and helping them to think about how they can put together a project that answers really important questions.
Helping students to think about how to match research questions, theory and data together is very satisfying. When they get excited about how this process helps them answer their question, it is great. The topics can be very varied and I learn a lot. At the moment students are very interested in the effects of austerity on politics (did it increase support for the far right) and policy outcomes such as health and education.
They are also interested in the sources of democratic discontent and polarisation. Work on these projects really helps students build their skills and confidence and it is great to hear how they use and build on these in life after Kent.
What’s your favourite thing about Kent?
My talented and inspiring colleagues and students.
What’s your favourite book at the moment?
I read a lot of very different things but my most memorable fiction books of recent years are Piranesi by Susanna Clark and memoir is Once upon a time in the East by Xiaolu Guo.
Are there any podcasts you are enjoying at the moment?
At the moment my regular listens are The FT’s Political Fix – it’s a great follow for expert reflections on UK politics.
Foreign Policy’s Ones and Tooze has great insights on global politics and economics
What are your tips for staying on top of your studies at University?
Take time out to plan your schedule. Improvising when you do what when can be fun but is stressful, better to plan so you can do it all.