Monthly Archives: August 2018

law school

Law School’s links with Canadian alumni lead to articling placement in Toronto

The strength of Kent Law School’s ongoing links with its alumni in Canada led to a summer of work experience and an articling placement for Mark Lauriola who is now employed at the offices of Law School alumna Sarita Samaroo-Tsaktsiris in Toronto.

Both Mark and Sarita studied the Law School’s two-year Senior Status LLB; Mark graduated from Kent in 2016 and Sarita graduated in 2005. Sarita is now Principal of her own real estate law firm, SST Law Professional Corporation, and Mark is her first articling student.

Mark first applied for a summer of work experience at Sarita’s firm during his studies at Kent thanks to the support of the Law School’s dedicated Employability and Career Development Officer Jayne Instone. Jayne’s weekly bulletins detail placement and networking opportunities at home and abroad for the diverse international student body at Kent.

Mark said: ‘In the second half of my first year at Kent I began to become familiar with how Canadian firms did their hiring and tried to build a network through the research. In the meantime, Jayne was constantly sending emails to facilitate networking to former Kent students. This made it easier to meet Canadian lawyers who previously attended Kent Law School.’

Mark is keen to encourage other Canadian students who are studying their law degrees in the UK and hoping to practice law in Canada: ‘In all honesty, there will be hurdles but it is possible to overcome those and you can do it. Try hard to get your first opportunity wherever in Canada and go from there. Any experience is good experience. With some luck you’ll be fine. I’m always happy to help Canadian Kent Students, especially in Ontario if they have any further questions on this.’

David Willetts

Foundation Day Lecture 2018

The University will be hosting its annual Foundation day lecture on 28 September with a talk from The Rt Hon Lord David Willetts.

Lord Willetts is currently the Executive Chair of the Resolution Foundation and Chair of the British Science Association, as well as the Chancellor of the University of Leicester.

Foundation Day is held each year in celebration of the foundation of the University of Kent.

The talk will be held in the Colyer-Fergusson Concert Hall. No booking is required but seating will be on a first come, first served basis.

Amanda Cottrell

Join us for the Inspire Challenge Excel Conference

On the 26 September Kent Innovation & Enterprise are hosting the inaugural Inspire Challenge Excel Conference at Canterbury Cathedral Lodge. Marking the first anniversary of the Inspire Challenge Excel Programme (ICE-P) this will be a day of inspiring talks and workshops from a range of speakers and facilitators.

Among the speakers are Kent Honorary Graduate Dr Amanda Cottrell OBE, delivering her talk ‘Suffrage to Ceilings (glass or otherwise)’ which takes a light-hearted but profound look at the journey of women through a century of change and the University’s very own Professor Amalia Arvaniti from the SECL presenting on language and gender. Workshops will be delivered by representatives from Enterprise Rent-a-Car, who have made it onto The Times list of the Top 50 Employers for Women for the last two years, as well as the Business of Brand.

The conference is open to everyone and will be a unique opportunity to learn, develop and network with likeminded individuals.

The programme was launched in September 2017, with a lecture from the inspiring Dr Sue Black. It aims to bridge the gap between the university and business communities and create opportunities to support women in all stages of their lives and careers.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided and you can book your place here: https://bit.ly/2BsuBlX

Kent Gives Back at bOing festival – Thank you!

Thank you to our inspirational alumni and student volunteers who stewarded at the bOing! festival last Saturday as part of the Kent Gives Back project.

You all did a fantastic job! We hope you enjoyed the performances and exhibitions as well!

If you are Kent alumni and are interested in getting involved in future Kent Gives Back volunteering events please contact N.Fleet@kent.ac.uk. Thank you!

Kent Alumni Barbeque

Kent Alumni BBQ – thank you!

Thank you to all the alumni, students, and staff for attending the Kent Alumni BBQ last Friday at Dolche Vita.

It was great a turnout and it was lovely to see everyone socialise and network. We hope you enjoyed all the food and drinks!

Don’t forget to clear your evening on Tuesday 25 September at 18:00 and attend our Alumni Pub Night! Speaker will be announced soon. This will be a great opportunity to network with fellow alumni and current Kent students and catch up on the news from Kent. We will be at the Miller’s Arms in Canterbury. First drink and nibbles will be provided.

To get involved in events like this, make sure your follow the Kent Alumni Facebook page or email N.Fleet@kent.ac.uk for more information on future events.

 

Condolences for John Simmonds MBE

The University was very sorry to hear of the death of John Simmonds MBE, former Chair of the University Council.

John served as a member of the University Council for twelve years from 2002.  In 2006 he started his appointment as Deputy Chair of the Council/Chair of the Finance and Resources Committee and from 2011 until 2014, John was Chair of Council.  John’s strong and wise leadership helped steer the University during that time and he also acted as an effective bridge between the University and the wider community in Canterbury and Kent, due to his involvement with and commitment to local government and education.

John was awarded an MBE in the 2014 New Year’s Honours List, for services to local government, and was also made a Doctor of the University in November 2014.  He was a long-serving Kent County Councillor, elected to the Kent County Council in 2001, and at the time of his death he had only just stepped down as Cabinet Member for Finance.

John Simmonds was a calm, friendly, approachable and supportive person, who was very generous in his service to the University and to his Council and University colleagues.  He will be much missed.

A Service of Thanksgiving in memory of John Simmonds will be held on Thursday 6 September at 1pm in All Saints Church, Whitstable (7 Church Street, CT5 1PG).  This will be followed by drinks and canapes at John’s home (43 Downs Avenue, Whitstable, CT5 1RR) for all who would like to raise a toast and share their memories of John.  A private cremation will have taken place earlier in the day attended by family members.

Family flowers only.  Donations in memory to the RNLI (quote supporter number 45996835).

For further information please contact Council Secretariat on 01227 823903 or councilsec-staff@kent.ac.uk.

New book by Professor Geoffrey Samuel re-examines legal reasoning

A new book by Kent Law School Professor Geoffrey Samuel re-examines legal reasoning through the context of legal knowledge (or epistemology).

Rethinking Legal Reasoning, published by Edward Elgar as part of their Rethinking Law series, offers new insights into the nature of legal reasoning.

In the book’s introduction, Professor Samuel defines legal reasoning as “the reasoning used by lawyers to solve a legal problem, to advise a client, to justify a legal decision and (or) to comment on a legal text or case.” It’s also the reasoning attached to the application of legal knowledge to specific problems. He goes on to distinguish legal reasoning from legal argumentation saying that “one has the aim of both arriving at and justifying a decision while the other aims to convince.”

Rather than offer a new theory, Professor Samuel’s book aims to examine historical perspectives on legal reasoning and suggest epistemological and ontological frameworks to help readers rethink it. The book, for example, compares legal reasoning to medical reasoning and to reasoning in film studies. It also suggests consideration of Vaihinger’s ‘as if’ fiction theory and the importance of the notion of an interest as a way of understanding and rethinking legal reasoning.

Whilst introducing new topics, this latest book shares certain topics and approaches with Professor Samuel’s earlier work in A Short Introduction to Judging and to Legal Reasoning (Edward Elgar, 2016).

Professor Samuel is Professor of Law at Kent and Professor affilié, École de droit, Sciences-Po in Paris. He holds doctoral degrees from the Universities of Cambridge, Maastricht and Nancy 2 (honoris causa). He has also held many visiting posts in France, Belgium and Switzerland and continues to visit at Aix-Marseille Université and at the University of Rome Tor Vergata.

Tips for starting university

Do your reading

Learning at university is way more independent than in college/sixth form. You have signed up for the degree and have therefore committed to managing your own workload throughout your three years at university.

This may suit those with different learning styles as it’s less regimented than school and nobody is going to check whether you have done the reading, but it may be fairly apparent during a two hour seminar if you have nothing to say.

So my advice is to occasionally check those further reading lists and get ahead on the topics you enjoy early otherwise when the deadlines start piling up, you will wish you’d done the extra reading to help you get the higher grade.

Check out the study support  on offer to help you through university life.

Get organised

The word independence pretty much covers all aspects of uni life. Whether you’re already quite mature and independent or have no idea how to start a washing machine, university definitely forces you to take some responsibility as you go into adulthood.

This may seem daunting but its ultimately really good for propelling you into working life-  but don’t worry you have three years to grasp it.

Budget for Fresher’s, don’t get carried away with the fancy dress and offers, because after Fresher’s Week you’ll find many more excuses to go out the following weeks. Don’t forget your student loan needs to last a whole term! Check out our budgeting tips. 

Also, depending on your course, you may have to buy a few expensive books but before you get onto Amazon check out the university library (I made the mistake of buying the entire reading list when half of the books were available in the library…annoying). And Amazon Prime is half price for students!

Stay healthy

Initially it seems great waking up whenever you want and having whatever you want for dinner, and really it is I mean who complains about freedom? However health is always forgotten and let’s be honest, eating well is at the back of your mind during fresher’s however fresher’s flu is no myth, and once you get ill at some point you’ll be sick of pizzas and pot noodles and all you’ll want is your mum’s famous stew.

So, if cooking is totally unfamiliar to you, before heading to university ask your parents for some tips, check out a few simple recipes and learn off your housemates because you may as well build your immune system up, until exam time comes and you’re sitting in the library with a family size bar of chocolate for dinner.

Check out the University’s wellbeing services and advice.

Utilise your time

When you start university the first term is all about getting to grips with your course, buying books, checking out the expectations and deadlines and aside from that, going out with your flatmates (nearly every night) and embracing uni culture.

However, once you have been to every event and that initial novelty wears off or fresher’s flu attacks you, you may realise that you have a lot of free time outside of your course. Now, of course this depends on your subjects, contact hours but generally first year is the time to utilise those empty hours in the evenings with volunteering, attending extra seminars/workshops, finding a student job or joining and committing to a society.

Weekends are commonly quiet during the day and after a term of Netflix marathons, maybe it’s time you explored the opportunities Kent Union offers, check your emails and the Student Guide and discover societies’ socials or if you’re already part of one, start committing those extra hours. Not only do these things look great on your CV but you meet so many different people who share that same interest as you, and who you may not have met if you hadn’t joined!

Enjoy it

There may be a few ups and downs, moments when you are homesick, feel stressed with your work load and you just want some home cooked food. But, ultimately uni life is great and once you’re settled everything will be fine so embrace the challenges and have fun!
Written by recent Kent graduate Sophia Cheraitia.

Information for new postgraduate students

The Graduate School aims to ensure that your academic and social interests are appropriately provided for within the University wherever you are based.

Professor Paul Allain (Dean of the Graduate School) and his team, work in partnership with academic schools, faculties, central service departments and the Students’ Union to enhance the quality of the postgraduate student experience across all campuses and European centres to create a vibrant postgraduate community.

The Graduate School also supports a wide range of activities enabling postgraduates to promote their research interests and studies as well as opportunities to meet and socialise.

In addition to the initiatives highlighted below please keep an eye on the Graduate School’s events calendar for further information.

The Graduate School is located on the third floor of the Cornwallis East building on the Canterbury campus, with offices for its staff and a postgraduate training room. There is also an adjacent networking space which postgraduates can used for socialising and study.

Postgraduate inductions

University-level postgraduate inductions are taking place on the following dates:

Wednesday 19 September – Canterbury Taught Master’s students
13.00 – 14.30  Social Sciences (Woolf College Lecture Theatre)
14.45 – 16.15  Humanities and Sciences (Woolf College Lecture Theatre)

Thursday 20 September – Medway postgraduate students
10.30 – 12.00 Taught Master’s students (Rochester Building R2-09)
11.15 – 12.00 Taught Master’s and Postgraduate Researchers
(Rochester Building R2-09)
12.30 – 15.45 Postgraduate Researchers (Rochester Building R2-09)

Friday 21 September – Canterbury Postgraduate Researchers
9.30 – 10.45    Social Sciences (Cornwallis South East, COLT 2)
10.30 – 11.45  Sciences (Cornwallis South East Lecture, COLT 3)
11.30 – 12.45  Humanities (Cornwallis South East Lecture, COLT 2)

The GradPost newsletter

The quarterly postgraduate newsletter (The GradPost) is supported and coordinated by the Graduate School. Postgraduate students can join the GradPost editorial team and/or contribute articles for publication in the newsletter. Further information about the GradPost can be found online. Please email GradPost if you would like to become involved with the newsletter.

Postgraduate Community Experience Awards

Postgraduate students have the opportunity to bid for funding up to £1,500 via the Postgraduate Community Experience Awards to coordinate their own events and projects aimed at enhancing the postgraduate experience at Kent. Proposals for funding are required to have an interdisciplinary and/or external focus.

Projects funded previously have included a cross-disciplinary Latin American Society and Research Network, an interdisciplinary conference on Social Movement, and a short story reading group.

Postgraduate students will be notified when the awards are open for applications during the course of the academic year.

Postgraduate Festival

The annual Postgraduate Festival in the summer term provides our students with the opportunity to present their work to a wider audience, network with their peers from across the University and attend academic talks. If you would like to be involved in the planning of the 2019 Festival please contact Felicity Clifford, Postgraduate Experience Officer

Global Skills Award

The Global Skills Award programme for postgraduate taught Master’s students which comprises of a range of lectures on global issues and a series of workshops, has been specifically designed to improve your employability in a competitive job market. The programme is free and those who successfully complete the programme will receive an award certificate.

Researcher Development Programme

The Researcher Development Programme for postgraduate researchers is coordinated by the Graduate School.

The programme provides a range of workshops and online training opportunities designed to enhance your skills as a researcher and prepare you for a variety of careers.

The coverage of the programme has been developed in line with Vitae’s Researcher Development Framework and it reflects the UK Research Councils’ aims to develop exceptionally skilled researchers for the 21st century.

PhD students will be notified in September about booking a place on one of our ‘Kick-start your PhD’ Workshops.

 

Postgraduate Handbooks

All new postgraduate students will receive a copy of the 2018-19 Postgraduate Handbook at the induction. You can also download a copy online or pick one up from the Graduate School.

The handbooks contain useful information about postgraduate study and research at Kent, details of academic and regulatory processes as well as local information for students who are new to Kent.

We look forward to welcoming you to Kent – come and meet the Graduate School staff in Cornwallis East or contact us via: