The School of Politics and International Relations visitor speaker programme presents Maurice Glasman. Maurice Glasman will be giving a talk entitled ‘Common Good and Foreign Policy’ on Wednesday 4th March 2015 at 5pm, Grimond Lecture Theatre 3. All are welcome to attend.

Maurice Glasman is a Labour life peer and one of the founders of Blue Labour. Maurice Glasman is the author of Unnecessary Suffering and was educated at Cambridge University, the University of York and the European University Institute in Florence where he received his doctorate. He is vice chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Kurdistan. Maurice is married with four children and lives in Stoke Newington London.

Hosted by Rutherford College and in conjunction with the Former Staff Association, Dr Keith Dimond will be giving a talk on ‘Everyday Life in Palestine’ on Wednesday 18 February, at 6pm in Rutherford Lecture Theatre One.

Keith Dimond spent three months serving with a World Council of Churches programme in the Northern Palestine City of Tulkarm.

During this time he accompanied Palestinians in their everyday life, going with farmers to their fields located across the Israeli Barrier or workers who cross the barrier each day to work in Israel.

He also met with charitable organisations both Israeli and International that provide aid to Palestinians. Over the three months he was able to meet with many Palestinian families and see something of their life.

Keith will illustrate the talk with pictures he has taken. All welcome.

Submissions are now invited for the Student Prize for Feminist Scholarship (2015) hosted by the ‘Radical Women: 50 Years of Feminism at Kent’ project.

Open to undergraduate and postgraduate students currently registered at the University of Kent.

The competition aims to celebrate innovative student scholarship grounded in feminist theory and practice.

Full details available on the ‘Radical Women’ webpages.

Submissions deadline: 15 April 2015.

Laura Garcia Rodriguez Blancas will present her research on Tuesday 17 February at 1pm in G1-04, Gillingham Building, Medway campus.

Laura Garcia Rodriguez Blancas PhD candidate and Graduate Teaching Assistant Mainstream news coverage of social movements: beyond protests and demonstrations.

Laura Garcia Rodriguez Blancas comments:

‘My research looks at how the news agenda that drives mainstream media as well as other newsroom factors frame, and sometimes limit, their coverage of social movements. Driven by their timely, and sometimes rushed, reporting on public demonstrations (protests, marches, strikes, industrial action) journalists can sometimes overlook contextual information that would portray a social movement accurately.

‘Social movements exist beyond just protests and demonstrations and my research is trying to figure out where these stories are lost. My proposed case studies include bloggers who write for or about social movements and eventually get used as sources by mainstream journalists.

‘I intend to compare the original stories they write and how information gets filtered out in publication in mainstream media. This alters the narrative of social movements that people read in newspapers or watch on TV. I am generally interested in how journalists cover and interact with social movements and activists.’

Acts of Random Kindness is a lovely way for Medway Campus Chaplaincy to offer love and care to students and staff around the campus.

Coming up for Pancake Day on Tuesday 17 February between 12 – 2pm, an A.R.K. will be FREE pancakes at School of Music and Fine Arts Clocktower common room for students and staff.

Come and share the YUM!

Templeman Library
Level 2 Centre
17 – 20 February

As part of the Templeman Library development Information Services is seeking to review and enhance wayfinding and signage across the building, improving the student experience by providing easy access to services, resources and facilities.

Come to our display where you will be able to see the new wayfinding proposals and let us know what you think.

Online questionnaire

You can also share your views on Library wayfinding and signage by completing our online questionnaire (open until 22 February). On completion you will be given the opportunity to enter a prize draw to win a £20 Amazon gift card.

To celebrate Kent’s 50th anniversary the Centre for Professional Practice would like to invite you to attend an Open Lecture on Happiness in the Work Place by renowned public speaker Ash Charlton on 6th March 2015.

‘Happiness at work is a major factor in the success of staff members and organisations, and yet it is rarely addressed as a resource which can be nurtured and conserved like any other. Drawing on the vast number of ideas and insights he has stolen from participants on his training courses over the last 30 years, Ash Charlton will be talking about ways of increasing and retaining happiness at work. Starting with positive ways to increase everyday enjoyment of the job, he will go on to look at how happiness is lost or given up, providing positive examples for protecting valuable well-being. Finally, he will look at methods for maximising and sharing happiness and well-being with others, increasing team effectiveness, as well as quality of life in the workplace.’

The Open Lecture takes place in the Pilkington Building, Medway campus. For details see: http://www.kent.ac.uk/cpp/centre/50th%20event/happiness%20in%20the%20workplace.htmland. To reserve a seat please visit: http://store.kent.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?compid=1&modid=1&prodid=687.  We look forward to seeing you there.

The Music Theatre Society bursts into the Colyer-Fergusson Hall next weekend with this term’s showcase, ‘Bad’.

The show promises to explore some of the characters you love to hate, with songs from The Lion King, West Side Story, Les Miserables, and Wicked. Performances are Sat 21 Feb and Sun 22 Feb, starting at 7.30pm, with tickets a mere snip at £5 (students) or £8 (full price). Find out more on the Society’s Facebook Event page, and book your tickets online via The Gulbenkian.