Thinking of further study? Kent are holding a Postgraduate Open Event on Tuesday 5 March at Darwin College from 17.00 to 19.00.

We have a wide range of subjects, most of which are available full or part-time and some by distance and blended learning. Kent’s programmes are informed by the latest research so students develop career-focused skills and knowledge relevant to today’s issues.

The event will cover all Kent’s programmes offered at our locations in Canterbury, Medway, Athens, Brussels, Paris and Rome and you will be able to:

• find out about Kent’s £11m postgraduate scholarship fund and Research Council funding
• discuss your specific study needs and raise any questions you may have with academic staff
• hear from the Dean of the Graduate School

Book today on our courses webpages.

Everyone is welcome to attend so please share this invitation with your friends, family and colleagues, wherever they are studying now or if they would like to return to study in the future.

The Researching the Rainbow Conference will be held at the University of Kent on Saturday 16 February from 09.00-17.15 and is free to attend and open to all. Tickets for the Conference  are available now on Eventbrite.

This is the University of Kent LGBT+ Staff Network’s third annual Researching the Rainbow Conference and will be held on the University’s Canterbury campus.

The conference, which takes part during LGBT History Month, is to showcase the vast array of excellent research being done on or related to LGBT+ people and issues, and to encourage multi-disciplinary collaboration and networking.

Topics this year include: university peer group intervention for LGBT students at high risk of mental health issues; the experiences of transgender students in higher education; bisexual individuals in LGBT+ spaces; homophobia in Africa; homosexuality and fascism. There will also be round table discussions with Schools Out, Porchlight and METRO Charity. For the keynote lecture we welcome Munroe Bergdorf, model and social activist.

Join the audience for a unique opportunity to be part of this news discussion panel, with University of Kent Chancellor Gavin Esler, FTI Consulting’s Head of UK Public Affairs, Alex Deane, and our very own Kent students, for what promises to be an exciting debate!

Confirmed topics are:

• Brexit – where are we now?
• The landscape of American politics

The debate will take place in Templeman Lecture Theatre from 18.30 – 20.30 on Thursday 31 January and there will be a buffet reception following the discussion.

Entry to the debate is free with seating on a first come first served basis. Arrive promptly to avoid disappointment.

The Medway Steering Group would like to invite you to take part in an Open Space meeting on Tuesday 5 March from 16.00 to 18.00 in Pilkington room PK011.

An Open Space meeting provides an opportunity for staff to put forward topics for discussion at the session, share ideas, meet like-minded people and facilitate an initial discussion forum on the opportunities of intra-institutional collaboration.

Following the discussions you are invited to make recommendations about how to move forward.

An Open Space meeting is facilitated around one key question. Ours for the meeting is: How can we work collaboratively to enhance the student experience in Medway?

The main purpose of this question is to enable us collectively to support our students, enhance their experience and develop a collaborative atmosphere across campus.

Further Information:
In 2018, the Medway Steering Group funded a collaborative project involving CCCU, UoK and Greenwich, which is currently running. The project is titled GLAM (Gameful Learning at Medway) and aims to enhance critical thinking skills and employability of international and home students through games, discussions and mentoring. Funding for 2019 projects is available and we would like to encourage colleagues to apply for it.

All staff on the Medway campus are invited to participate and bring ideas!

To confirm your attendance please email cpdbookings@kent.ac.uk

For any further information please contact a member of the Medway Steering Group from your University:

• Silvia Colaiacomo, S.Colaiacomo@kent.ac.uk
• Barbara Sheehy, B.A.Sheehy@kent.ac.uk
• Rosie Greenslade, rosie.greenslade@canterbury.ac.uk
• Yang Yang, Y.Yang@greenwich.ac.uk
• Kristina Masuwa-Morgan, K.Masuwa-Morgan@greenwich.ac.uk

The Examination and Assessment Check for 2019 exams is now open.

Please check your details are correct for the 2019 exam period and ensure you are:

• Registered for the correct modules
• Assessed as expected (ie coursework and/or exam)

To do this log on to SDS, select Registration

Then select Examination and Assessment Check and check through your details.

You will then need to confirm if your modules are correct.

If there is a problem you will be taken to a new screen, please let us know what the issues are by submitting your changes.

Closing: Wednesday 27th February, 4pm

If you have any questions please contact us exams@kent.ac.uk

www.kent.ac.uk/exams

Colleagues are invited to attend this collaborative Teaching and Technology event taking place on Tuesday 26 February from 10.00-14.00.

The morning session, in Sibson Lecture Theatre 2, will include presentations from academics from all three Faculties on their successful TESSAs (Teaching Enhancement Awards) projects involving technology.

During the afternoon, colleagues will demonstrate technology and discuss support available at the University in the format of workshops and hands-on sessions.  Students will also be involved in a panel discussion on how they are using technology to support their learning.

Please click on the TESSAs webpages for the programme for the day and to book a place.

Yvonne Sherwood, Professor of Biblical Cultures and Politics in the Department of Religious Studies, was recently interviewed for BBC Radio 4’s ‘Beyond Belief’ programme for an episode on blasphemy.

Yvonne describes how many people trace the roots of blasphemy to the Ten Commandments and to the idea of ‘taking the name of the Lord in vain’, but also discusses the general uncertainty over what blasphemy means in a modern context.

Discussing the right to free speech and causing offence, Yvonne says: ‘Many people feel the privileging of religious beliefs is a special category that needs to be protected over political beliefs…and also the idea that someone’s religious identity goes to the very core of their person and must be respected.’

Student Services are running a series of informal lunchtime talks in spring term 2019. These talks are given by specialist staff on a variety of student related topics to help share experiences and best practice. All staff are welcome to attend and there is no need to register in advance. The talks are presented in Canterbury and available via live video link in Medway.

Each talk will start at 1.10pm and finish by 2.00pm. Staff can bring their lunch if they wish.

• Self-care when supporting students – Suzanne Balabil: Tuesday 5 February 2019, Keynes Lecture Theatre 6 / Medway Building Room 1-16
• Impact of sport on improving mental health – Oli Prior: Wednesday 20 February 2019, Keynes Lecture Theatre 5 / Medway Building Room 1-16
• LGBT+ Mythbusters – Becky Lamyman: Monday 25 February, Keynes Seminar Room 16 / Medway Building Room 1-16
• Supporting student attendance – Stone Fitzgerald: Thursday 7 March, Keynes Lecture Theatre 6 / Medway Building Room 1-16
• Supporting international students – looking at cultural differences and adjusting to university life in England – Charlene Earl: Friday 22 March, Keynes Seminar Room 16 / Medway Building Room 1-16
• Guidance for staff encountering suicidal behaviour – Coral Warner: Monday 1 April, Keynes Seminar Room 16 / Medway Building Room 1-16

Dr Oliver Double, Reader in Drama within the School of Arts, will feature of the next episode of the BBC documentary series imagine…, which focuses on comedienne and national treasure Jo Brand. The episode will be broadcast on BBC1 this Monday, 28 January 2018, at 10.45pm.

Jo Brand is a familiar face from regularly presenting BBC1’s Have I Got News For Youand Channel 4’s An Extra Slice.

Brand first burst onto the nation’s largely male stand-up comedy scene in the 1980s – dressed in baggy black outfits and Dr Martens boots, and calling herself the Sea Monster. In doing so, she revolutionised what women could be – and say – on stage.

The documentary is presented by Alan Yentob and explores Brand’s working-class background, from a teenage tearaway to a psychiatric nurse. Olly is one of several contributors appearing in the programme. Other luminaries that will feature in the programme include Peter Capaldi, Alan Davies, Victoria Coren Mitchell, Mark Thomas, Mary Beard, Morwenna Banks and Ian Hislop.

The programme will be available on the BBC’s iPlayer after broadcast.