Jon Williamson, Professor of Reasoning, inference and Scientific Method in the Department of Philosophy, has recently published a new book entitled Lectures in Inductive Logic (Oxford University Press, 2017).

Logic is a field studied mainly by researchers and students of philosophy, mathematics and computing. Inductive logic seeks to determine the extent to which the premisses of an argument entail its conclusion, aiming to provide a theory of how one should reason in the face of uncertainty. It has applications to decision making and artificial intelligence, as well as how scientists should reason when not in possession of the full facts.

In this book, Professor Williamson embarks on a quest to find a general, reasonable, applicable inductive logic (GRAIL), examining why pioneers such as Ludwig Wittgenstein and Rudolf Carnap did not entirely succeed in this task.

He presents a general framework for the field, and reaches a new inductive logic, which builds upon recent developments in Bayesian epistemology (a theory about how strongly one should believe the various propositions that one can express). The book explores this logic in detail, discusses some key criticisms, and considers how it might be justified. Is this truly the GRAIL?

For more details about the book, please see the publisher’s page.

Following on from a great autumn series, the University of Kent’s Q-Step are excited to be celebrating a year of pubTALKs and to announce the line-up for our spring series:

• Monday 6 February – Paycheck to Paycheck: Lone parents as members of the “working poor”
  Recent reforms in the UK place increased pressure on lone parents to work.  In this talk, Q-Step director Tina Haux outlines the rationale for these reforms, before discussing the challenges lone parents face in finding “good jobs” and avoiding joining the growing group of “working poor” in the UK. The talk concludes by discussing the way forward for the government.

• Monday 6 March – Negotiating with Terrorists: Is it ever an option?
  State leaders have repeatedly told us that they would never, ever negotiate with terrorists. Despite secret talks being held in numerous conflicts across the world, the rhetoric remains strong. Why can’t state negotiate with terrorists? Harmonie Toros has spent a decade investigating negotiations with terrorist groups and argues that such talks may, in some cases, represent the best way out of terrorist violence.

• Monday 3 April – Diagnosing Down’s Syndrome
  Melina Malli will be leading a discussion on the non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) which will be rolled out by the NHS from 2018. Details TBC.

• Monday 15-Wednesday 17 May – Pint of Science Festival
  The University of Kent will be participating in the Pint of Science Festival for the first time. Details coming soon!

The talks take place at the Jolly Sailor in Canterbury from 19.00 onwards. The evenings are free to attend (although you do need to pay for your own drinks!) and all are welcome to stay behind to continue the discussions afterwards. Please feel free to pass on the information to other people who may be interested in coming along or you can get up-to-date information via our website or mailing list.

We hope you will join us for some great evenings of drinks, discussions and debates!

Keli Jenner/ Joe Warriner
Kent Q-Step Centre, School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research

Improve your English for FREE with the Centre for English and World Language classes.

When are the classes and who can attend?
We offer English language classes every weekday from 19 June to 20 July. The classes are for anyone aged 16 or over whose first language is not English – you don’t have to be a Kent student. They are taught by students on our CELTA teacher training course.

What do the classes cover?
They cover the four skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking, as well as grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. You will have the chance to meet new people and practice speaking English. Find out more and sign up now:

Find out more:
https://www.kent.ac.uk/cewl/courses/celta/free-english-classes.html

Do you need help with your academic writing? Want to improve your essay writing? Or need guidance with other types of writing such as book reviews, written assignments, reports?

The Student Learning Advisory Service (SLAS) is very pleased to welcome back our Royal Literary Fellows: Maggie Butt, Sarah Salway and Diana Evans at both the Canterbury and Medway campuses.

The three Royal Literary Fellows bring a diverse background in writing to their work supporting and developing students’ academic writing at university. They are available by appointment to help all students, in any subject.

Diana Evans is based in DB034 in the Drill Hall Library on the Medway campus, on Mondays and Tuesdays during term-time. She will be happy to see students on a one to one basis to help them with their academic writing skills.To book an appointment with Diana, please find below the Medway contact details:
SLAS CONNECT
Phone: 01634 888884
Email: learningmedway@kent.ac.uk
Or just drop in to SLAS office: G0-09.

Maggie Butt and Sarah Salway are based in the Student Learning Advisory Service in UELT, Canterbury on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, during term-time.  They will be happy to see students on a one to one basis to help them with their academic writing skills.

To book an appointment with Maggie or Sarah, please find below the Canterbury contact details:
SLAS CONNECT
Phone: 01227 824016
Email: learning@kent.ac.uk
Or just drop in to SLAS offices next to Santander bank.

For those of you wishing to learn more about the Royal Literary Fund, please visit the Royal Literary Fund website.

Kent Professor Amanda Perry-Kessaris is a finalist for Law Teacher of the Year 2017.

Professor Perry-Kessaris is one of six teachers across the UK who is shortlisted in the prestigious national competition sponsored by Oxford University Press. She now moves on to the second round of judging, which involves a campus visit, observed teaching session, and interviews with students and colleagues.

With qualifications in economics and visual communication as well as in law, Professor Perry-Kessaris takes an innovative and cross-disciplinary approach to her teaching and research. She focuses primarily on the application of design strategies (such as user interaction and prototyping) and design outcomes (such as images, sound and typography) to understand and communicate about processes of econo-legal change. Her current research project, funded by a grant from the Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA), investigates the use of graphic design in the negotiations over the possible reunification of Cyprus.

In her endorsement of Professor Perry-Kessaris’s nomination, Head of Kent Law School Professor Toni Williams praised her capacity to engage, inspire and motivate students which she said had become legendary at Kent since she joined the Law School in 2013.
She described her development of legal pedagogy through images and objects as truly innovative and said her teaching practice was notable for its breadth.

Professor Perry-Kessaris said: ‘I see teaching as an opportunity to refresh, sustain and apply my own learning. I learn through formal empirical and theoretical research as well as casual daily inquiry.’

Professor Perry-Kessaris blogs about her work at econosociolegal.wordpress.com. She also tweets @aperrykessaris and publishes videos on Vimeo.

The Law Teacher of the Year award was previously won by Kent Law School Senior Lecturer Dr Karen Devine in 2012. This year’s winner will be announced on Thursday 29 June.

International Partnerships is delighted to be hosting an International Partners Week from 27 to  31 March 2017. Key staff at our partner universities across the world have been invited to attend the event, which will provide an invaluable opportunity to network, develop relationships and foster debate across a wide range of topics.

The University of Kent is committed to driving forward a range of global partnership activity. This event is one of a growing number of activities undertaken by the new International Partnerships Directorate to raise the University’s profile internationally through deeper interaction with overseas partners.

The theme of the week is Managing international communications in an increasingly interconnected world and the programme will focus on the following:

• Working with international press/media
• Crisis management; how does your institution approach international incidents?
• Intercultural communication workshop
• Managing the perception and response to students’ behaviour
• Using Social Media

International Partnerships and Corporate Communications will work together in delivering the workshops. Staff from partner institutions will also be given the opportunity to deliver their own sessions and share good practice.

For more information about the event visit: https://www.kent.ac.uk/global/partnerships/partners/week.html

The Joint Staff Negotiating and Consultation Committee is the main forum for consideration and negotiation between the University and its staff. Its membership includes Management, Union, and Staff representatives who meet each term. The second meeting of the academic year is due to take place on Wednesday 01 February 2017. The Committee website contains links to all of the previous meeting minutes and forth coming meeting papers, and can be accessed here: https://www.kent.ac.uk/hr-staffinformation/jsncc/index.html

If you would like to comment on any of the Agenda items / papers, please contact your Representatives.

GMB representatives:
– Lou Cogger (l.cogger@kent.ac.uk)
– Robin Hornsey (r.k.hornsey@kent.ac.uk)

UCU representatives:
– Dr Owen Lyne (o.d.lyne@kent.ac.uk)
– Dr Paul Hubert (p.j.hubert@kent.ac.uk)
– Sian Lewis-Anthony (s.lewis-anthony@kent.ac.uk)

Unison representatives:
– Phil Rogers (p.rogers-89@kent.ac.uk)
– Derek Baldwin (unisonbranchsec@kent.ac.uk)
– Katie Norton (K.S.Norton@kent.ac.uk)

Unite representative:
– Trevor Reece (t.w.reece@kent.ac.uk)

Non-union staff:
– Mark Ellis (M.K.Ellis@kent.ac.uk)
– Linda Lough (l.m.lough@kent.ac.uk)
– Stephen Rowlstone (s.rowlstone@kent.ac.uk)

The new exhibition in the Colyer-Fergusson Gallery, an exploration of beauty in the scientific environment from the School of Biosciences, is now open.

Curated by Dr Dan Lloyd, the collection of images, each generated through engagement with current research, showcases the beauty in scientific data. The exhibition aims to shed some light on laboratory life and the process of discovery in the biological sciences.

Every image shown has a story to tell, and explores cutting-edge research in the fields of biomedical science, biochemistry, genetics and biotechnology. In addition to introducing new and interesting concepts at the forefront of scientific research, the exhibition aims to encourage the viewer to explore their own perspectives on art within the context of the biological sciences.

The exhibition forms the backdrop to an exciting lunchtime concert on Weds 1 February in the concert-hall, ‘Cellular Dynamics,’ which brings together science and music in image-projection and time-lapse photography, accompanied by live music for piano by Philip Glass Tarik O’Regan, and Gavin Bryars, performed by Dan Harding and Matthew King (details here: https://www.kent.ac.uk/music/whatson.html?tab=february).

Admission is free, and the exhibition is on display during building opening hours. The exhibition is generously supported by Creative Campus.