Kent Union has this year relaunched the Teaching Awards as the Above and Beyond awards, to recognise any member of staff throughout the academic year.

Now, as soon as a member of staff is nominated, they will be surprised while they’re working (whether that be teaching, in their office etc.) so that everyone around them can see how amazing they are.  We’ve just done the first one of these and we’re excited to continue it throughout the year!. If you know someone who has gone Above and Beyond for students, you can nominate them here!

Above and Beyond video: http://ow.ly/mPUp309qH6

There are now 75 extra study spaces in the East wing of the Templeman Library, and more group study desks will be available soon.

The windows in Templeman East have recently been replaced, to make this side of the Library brighter. Now that the temporary walls around the windows have been removed, it frees up more room for study desks. There are also great views over Canterbury and the countryside from the upper floors.

You’ll find the extra study spaces on Floors 1 and 2, near the windows. Later this month, there will be further group spaces on Floors 1 and 2.

To find out more about study spaces across campus, visit our webpage.

As part of the School of Politics and International Relations Public Speaker Programme, we are pleased to welcome Joan Hoey. Joan, Regional Manager in the Europe team at The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and Editor of the EIU’s annual Democracy Index, will discuss the recent upsurge of populist movements in Europe. She argues that the ascendancy of populism in Europe has been driven by the exhaustion of mainstream political parties and their estrangement from their old social constituencies. The talk will consider the broader socio-economic, political and cultural mainsprings of contemporary populist movements and discuss what it means for the future of democracy. Do populist movements pose a threat to democracy or are they potentially a vehicle for reviving its fortunes?

The talk will take place on Wednesday 8 March 2017 at 17.00 in Grimond Lecture Theatre 3, followed by a drinks reception in Grimond Foyer.

This is a free event and booking is not required. All are welcome to attend and we look forward to seeing you there. For further information, please contact polirnews@kent.ac.uk.

An evening of cinematic treasures, on Friday 17 February, celebrates 100 years since the creation of Charlie Chaplin’s set of masterpieces known as the ‘Mutual Comedies’in Colyer-Fergusson Hall.

Acclaimed musicians, violinst Matthew Trusler and pianist Ashley Wass, perform live alongside screenings of memorable set pieces from The Immigrant, The Adventurer, The Great Dictator, The Gold Rush and Behind the Screen, accompanied by several of Chaplin’s own compositions, together with music from the acclaimed silent film composer, Carl Davis.

Ticket prices are: Full £15/Students £7. Further details are available on the Gulbenkian webpages.

“Good Mothers” and “King Tyrants” in the Mesozoic: An Anthropology of Dinosaur Science and Spectacle is the title of the annual HG Wells Lecture.

The lecture will be given by Dr Brian Noble, Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, Dalhousie University on Wednesday 1 March  in the Templeman Library at Canterbury campus.

Drawing on his recent book, Articulating Dinosaurs: A Political Anthropology, Dr Noble will discuss how dinosaurs have come to make a difference to us as humans, and us to them.

Dr Noble combines his background in paleontology and museum exhibit design, with expertise in ethnographic research and critical literary, film, and cultural studies. He brings to bear this interdisciplinary in tracing how fossils and spectacles collide in the resurrecting of two particular dinosaurs: Tyrannosaurus rex and Maiasaura peeblesorum – and with that, details how these supposedly bygone creatures express the hopes and fears of our past and present moments.

The lecture, hosted by the University’s Centre for the History of the Sciences and the Kent Animal Humanities Network, takes place from 17.15-18.45 will be followed by a reception.
Entry is free and open to all.

Jennifer Akhust, currently studying the Comparative Literature and English Language & Linguistics BA (Hons) programme, has had a viral success with an online article for the module Writing in the Media: A Practical Approach.

Writing in the Media is convened by Heidi Colthup, and is designed for those who are considering a career in journalism, freelance writing, publishing and related fields. Part of the coursework involves producing a portfolio of original journalism.

Jennifer’s online article ‘What I Wish I’d Known Before I Got a Greyhound’ has so far received more than 15,000 views in just three days. In the humorous piece, she announces: ‘They’re not real dogs. People will try to convince you otherwise- but don’t fall for it,’ before listing seven peculiar attributes of the breed.

As of Monday 6 February the article has had 63,000 views and has been read over 45,000 times.

To read the article, please see: https://medium.com/writing-in-the-media/what-i-wish-id-known-before-i-got-a-greyhound-5b571dd3662e#.6uj1akm4r