Monthly Archives: April 2019

A Night in the West End 1914-1918: A free lecture-concert at Westgate Hall, Canterbury

On Saturday 27th April Gateways to the First World War presents a free lecture-concert with the Invicta Concert Band at Westgate Hall, Canterbury, as part of our AHRC-funded public engagement programme.

Dr Emma Hanna (School of History) and Dr Helen Brooks (School of Arts) will bring together their respective expertise in the histories of wartime music and wartime theatre to explore the story of the West End during the First World War. In August 1914 theatre managers were worried about the impact of the war on their businesses. Yet rather than causing a decline in theatre-going, the war provided a much-needed boost to the British theatre industry. Across the country theatres played a vital role in the war effort: encouraging recruitment, raising money for various war charities, and maintaining the morale of both civilians and service personnel.

With the Invicta Concert Band and professional singers bringing the songs to life, this is a unique opportunity to experience the music and stories from some of the biggest hits of the war years, including Chu Chin Chow, A Little Bit of Fluff, and The Bing Boys Are Here.

A must for any fan of musical theatre and theatre history!

Doors and bar open 6.30pm. Concert starts at 7pm. You can book your place online.

The Maltese Falcon tickets now available

The University of Kent Players present a live recording of The Maltese Falcon, a staged radio play performed outside in the Eliot Cloisters, Canterbury on 4 and 5 May 2019.

In this noir classic, detective Sam Spade gets more than he bargained for when he takes a case brought to him by a beautiful but secretive woman. As soon as Miss Wonderly shows up, trouble follows… Entangled in a dangerous web of crime and intrigue, Sam realises he must find the one thing they all seem to want: the bejewelled Maltese falcon.

Radio dramas were once the most popular form of entertainment and were usually broadcast as live performances. This performance recreates the entire experience – from actors performing to a foley team creating sound effects such as slamming doors and gun shots.

The performance duration is approximately one hour. This is an outdoor event, bring a picnic, a blanket and relax outside as we take you back to the golden age of 1940s radio style entertainment. Tickets can be bought online here.

Situated in the heart of campus, Eliot College is accessible to all. Visitors can park in Eliot Car Park (recommended), Becket Court Car Park, and Keynes College Car Park. If using sat nav use post code CT2 7NS.

What is a Staged Radio Play?

Radio dramas were once the most popular form of entertainment and were usually broadcast as live performances. The staged radio plays performed by the University of Kent Players aim to recreate the entire experience- from actors performing to a foley team creating sound effects such as swimming pools and doors slamming.

You can view a highlight reel from the University of Kent Players November 2017 staged radio play – The Philadelphia Story.

Funny Rabbit

Funny Rabbit, the comedy club created by Dr Oliver Double, Reader in Drama in the School of Arts, is a new kind of comedy club – radical and exciting, but also warm and snuggly as a bunny rabbit. Whether you’ve never seen live comedy before or you’ve been watching it for decades, Funny Rabbit is for you.

The third show on 12 April 2019 features star acts Vikki Stone, who has appeared on The John Bishop Show (BBC1), The Now Show (Radio 4), as well as This Morning (ITV), and Jack Gleadow, winner of Great Yorkshire Fringe Comedian of the Year 2017, Amused Moose National New Comic 2017, and Leicester Mercury Comedian 2018. The show will also feature a joke competition from Olly as host and compere.

In addition, two students from the School of Arts will be performing guest acts: Christy Hinchliffe and Patrick Mckinley, who are both studying on the BA (Hons) Drama and Theatre programme.

Tickets cost £5/£7. For details and to book, please click here.

Kent-Ghent Asian Studies Day

The Department of Religious Studies will be hosting the 2019 Kent-Ghent Asian Studies Day with the theme ‘Health, Well-Being and the Body’, at the University of Kent on Saturday 18 May.

Organised by Dr Leslie de Vries, Lecturer in East Asian Studies, the event is open to students, staff members and the general public, and will explore ideas on health, well-being and the body in a variety of Asian cultures. Combining diverse methodological approaches from the humanities and social sciences, the speakers will cover a wide range of fascinating topics, including meditation, traditional medicine, self-cultivation and modern perceptions of ‘good food’.

The aim of the day is not only to showcase teaching and research on Asia at the universities of Kent and Ghent but also to stimulate debate across academic disciplines and to enhance comparative reflection by taking Asia seriously. How Asia can contribute to the medical humanities and social sciences? How should we raise growing awareness in regards to decolonising the curriculum? The Kent-Ghent Asian Studies day will answer these questions and more, and is the first in a series of research and teaching events focused on Asia organised in the framework of the strategic partnership between the University of Kent and Ghent University.

Launch of 2019 Graduate School Prizes

Nominations can now be made for the 2019 Graduate School Prizes.

The Graduate School annual prizes were set up to recognise the excellence of its postgraduate researchers and the outstanding work carried out by academic and administrative staff members in support of postgraduate research and education.

There are five categories:

PG Researcher
Research Degree Supervisor,
School Director of Graduate Studies
Postgraduate Administrator
Postgraduate Teacher

Apply or nominate a candidate now via the Graduate School website. Deadline for nominations is 8 May 2019, and winners will be announced on 30 May 2019 at the Researcher Showcase.

Update on Brexit deadline extension

At a summit on Thursday 10 April, the European Union and UK Government have agreed to extend the Brexit deadline to 31 October 2019. This means that the UK will remain part of the EU until that date, unless the Government is able to secure a deal beforehand.

The University’s Brexit Working Group, led by Jeremy Carrette, Dean for Europe, has been meeting for a number of months to prepare for Brexit, prioritising our response in the event of ‘No Deal’ with the EU. This group will continue to work on the various possible outcomes to ensure that – whatever happens – we are well prepared and are doing all we can to minimise disruption to our work. This will include long-term planning for Brexit to ensure continuity of relationships across Europe for teaching and research.

We will continue to update students and colleagues as the situation unfolds. There is more information on settled status, travel and other issues on the Brexit webpages:

http://www.kent.ac.uk/brexit

If you have any further questions about what this could mean for you, please contact one of the following:

For Students: studentEUqueries@kent.ac.uk

For Staff: staffEUqueries@kent.ac.uk

Indoor Tennis and Events Arena development

As part of our ongoing commitment to provide Kent Sport members with the best facilities, we are excited to announce that the building of a brand new indoor tennis and events arena.

The new arena will provide Kent Sport members with four indoor acrylic courts which will be a huge improvement on our current provision. It will also provide students with improved space and conditions for exams.

After much consultation with key stakeholders at the University, it has been agreed that rather than improving the existing structure we will demolish this and rebuild from the beginning. This will result in a prolonged construction period and Kent Sport has sought external facilities for our student tennis club, in particular the BUCS matches on Wednesdays. Over the summer, we will be providing grass tennis courts at the Pavilion for members to use.

The existing tennis centre will be open until Friday 26 April. After this time, the site will be handed over to the contractor so they can begin work.

Kent Sport includes frequently asked questions for this project and will also be updated with designs of the new structure and a timeline of when we expect the facility to reopen. Should you have any questions or concerns, please email memberships@kent.ac.uk and your email will be forwarded to the relevant member of staff.

Volunteers needed for English Hub for Refugees project

The Department of English Language and Linguistics are looking for students to support the English Hub for Refugees project, taking place during the Summer Term, every Tuesday from 11:00 to 13:00.

The project helps unaccompanied refugees and asylum seekers aged 16 to 18 to integrate into their new communities and access mainstream education by working with them to improve their English language and computer literacy skills.

The project involves undergraduate and postgraduate students teaching English to the young refugees for two hours every week. Students work very closely with the refugees using an online programme, which also allows them to develop computer literacy skills, as some of them have not used a computer before or do not have access to a computer at home. Developing English language and computer literacy skills are key for the refugees to be able to access mainstream education and to work. Many of the young refugees who started the project in 2016 are currently attending college.

Students are interested in volunteering as part of this project can contact Dr Gloria Chamorro at G.Chamorro@kent.ac.uk.

Congratulations to HEA Senior Fellows

The Unit for Enhancement for Learning and Teaching (UELT) are pleased to congratulate our new Higher Education Academy Senior Fellows, listed below, who have achieved their Senior Fellowship through the Route to Recognition for Experienced Staff Professional (RRES).

The Route is a non-taught recognition scheme and was created to ensure all University of Kent’s experienced staff, with a minimum of five years’ experience of leading, teaching and/or supporting learning in higher education have the opportunity to be recognised for this work whatever their role: academic, support or professional services staff.

The Scheme is aligned to the UK Professional Standards Framework for Teaching and Supporting Learning in Higher Education, a nationally recognised framework for benchmarking success within higher education teaching and learning support.

To find out more about becoming recognised for your teaching and/or support of learning at our University visit the HEA Route to Recognition webpage.

Congratulations:

Jennie Batchelor – School of English

Richard Perks – School of Music and Fine Art

Amanda Perry-Kessearis – Kent Law School

Ru Su – Centre for English and World Languages

Condolences for Dr John Court

Dr John Court, long-time Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies at the University of Kent , died on 31 March after a long illness.

John retired from teaching in 2001. In the course of a distinguished and versatile academic career, which included 30 years at Kent, he served as General Editor of the prestigious Cambridge University Press ‘Society for New Testament Studies’ monograph series.

A service of thanksgiving will be held at Boughton-under-Blean Parish Church at 15.00 on Tuesday 16 April.