Professor Martti Koskenniemi, a scholar of international law from the University of Helsinki will deliver a guest lecture on the law of nations at Kent on 11 February.

Professor Koskenniemi is Director of the Erik Castren Institute of International Law and Human Rights in Finland, Centennial Professor at the London School of Economics, and a former Finnish diplomat. He has been invited to Kent by the Centre for Critical Thought and Kent Law School. His talk, ‘Sovereignty and Property: some thoughts about the history of the law of nations’, will examine the transformations of the notion of the “law of nations” from early modern legal thought to the end of the natural law tradition in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The talk (supported by Clio, a law and history research group at Kent Law School), will be held at 5pm in Grimond Lecture Theatre 3 on the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus.

Prof. Koskenniemi’s special fields of interests lie in international law, and international legal history, state succession and human rights. His current research interests include the fragmentation of international law. He has published widely in these fields with main publications including From Apology to Utopia; The Structure of International Legal Argument (1989/2005), The Gentle Civilizer of Nations: The Rise and Fall of International Law 1870-1960 (2001) and The Politics of International Law (2011).

Test your knowledge during Quiz Night @ Cargo on Sunday 8th February.

£1 entry per person all money goes into the prize pot.

As the cold weather continues, here’s a timely reminder of the University’s snow policy for both the Canterbury and Medway campuses.

It is the aim of the University to provide a complete and uninterrupted educational service to all of its students throughout the year. In addition, the University operates a residential accommodation business, which must be maintained. To this end, the University will endeavour to provide these services in all weather conditions, including periods when there may be extreme ice and snow either at the Canterbury campus, the Medway campus, or both. Safety of staff and students must be the priority of all services.

In the event of snow and or extreme freezing conditions:

• The University will not normally close
• All staff  and students should attempt to get to campus, if it is possible and safe to do so
• Staff and students who are unable to travel to campus must communicate the reasons for this to their line manager or School
• Your School will inform you if your lecture or seminar has been cancelled

Further details are available on the Estates webpages.

If you have any queries relating to this policy, please discuss them with your line manager or School.

In the event of adverse weather, staff and students should consult the following for local/regional travel updates:

• Southeastern Trains
• Stagecoach East Kent
• BBC weather and travel for Kent

Come along today, Wednesday 4 February from 1 – 5pm when guest speakers will be sharing their careers insights with you. Events will be taking place on the Medway and Canterbury campus.

More information can be found on the SSPSSR website.

Congratulations to Janet Ogunwusi who was drawn as the termly prize winner in our 50:50 Passport scheme!

The scheme was set up to reward active Kent Sport members, who are entitled to a free goodie bag and entry into the termly draw for a FREE Kent Sport membership after obtaining 50 stamps on their passport. Individuals are given a stamp each time they participate in any activity on Kent Sport facilities.

Introduced in October 2014, the 50:50 Passport forms part of the university’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

Janet has visited Kent Sport facilities a staggering 93 times since the start of the autumn term that’s once a day since the start of the academic year! – and predominantly attends our studio classes such as Body Pump, Zumba and Spinning. She is also taking part in this year’s Xercise Factor and is being mentored by our own Jeni Dexter.

Keep up the good work Janet!

The passport scheme free of charge is available to all Kent Sport members. You can collect your 50:50 Passport from the Sports Centre or Pavilion reception desks.

As part of Holocaust Memorial Week the University was privileged to host Joan Salter, a Holocaust survivor, for an hour’s talk on 21 January.

The event was organised by students from the Comparative Literature module The Shoah in Literature, Film and Culture, convened by Dr Axel Staehler in cooperation with the Holocaust Educational Trust, the Kent Jewish Society, and the Kent Union.

The talk was attended by an audience of more than 440 students and guests from the wider community of Canterbury and Kent. It was followed by a commemorative event on Holocaust Memorial Day, 27 January 2015, at which the Undergraduate Shoah Studies at Kent blog was officially launched with speeches, presentations, readings, and a memorial service.

For those who missed the talk, a full video has been uploaded to YouTube.

Your exams probably feel a long time away however it’s best to be prepared and start early. Here are the Student Learning Advisory Service’s (SLAS) top revision tips:

• Do a little revision each week and step up the amount each week. This will build up your revision-strength gradually for maximum examination athleticism! Find out more about revision and exams.
• Get organised and make a revision timetable. Don’t forget to leave free time for breaks and if you have to attend to an emergency.
• Learn to ‘over-learn’. Over-learning simply means rewriting notes, using index cards and trying varied and interesting ways of going over material. Don’t write out essays and learn them off by heart. It is better to spend time reflecting on a range of answers so that you over-learn the material.
• Break the work into small pieces and carry with you. Have an exam question in your head each day and scribble down ideas at odd moments.
• Use past exam papers. Check which questions come up regularly and brainstorm answers. It’s also a good idea to familiarise yourself with exam paper instructions. These can be difficult to understand if you read them for the first time under the stress of exam conditions.

Keep reading
Pick up additional tips and prepare for exams at SLAS workshops and have a look at our online revision and exams leaflets.