Tag Archives: Campus online

Kent to host festival on Blasphemy and Freedom of Expression

The Department of Religious Studies will host the Blasphemy and Freedom of Expression Workshop and Festival over the weekend of 2 and 3 June.

The two-day event is open to students, staff and members of the public, and the programme is as follows:

2 June 2018

Performing Blasphemy – a panel session chaired by award-winning director Shakila Mann. Other panelists include Christa Harris (director of documentary Inside Pussy Riot) and feminist activist Inna Shevchenk.

Blasphemy, Colonialism and the Politics of ‘World Religions’ – a panel session chaired by Yasmin Rehman from the End Violence Against Women Coalition and the Centre for Secular Space. Other panelists include writer and journalist Gita Sahgal and Professor Richard King from the Department of Religious Studies.

Sticks and Stones: Why Words Still Hurt – A talk by Maureen Freely from the University of Warwick.

Film screening: Stewart Lee’s 90s Comedian – A screening of Stewart Lee’s comedy performance 90s Comedian.

3 June 2018

Law, Blasphemy and Censorship – A panel session chaired by Professor Maria Drakopoulou of Kent Law School. Other panelists include Shakila Mann and Clara Connolly, lawyer and activist.

Speaking Out on Sexual Violence within Sikh Communities: An Interview with Gupreet Kaur Bhatti – Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti is a British Sikh writer who writes for stage, screen and radio. Her play Behzti [Dishonour] was controversially cancelled by the Birmingham Rep after violent protests. Her most recent play is Elephant. She will be interviewed by Sukhwant Dhaliwal.

Blasphemy and Comedy – A discussion with comedians Daphna Baram, Giacinto Palmieri, Ravi Holy and Sameena Zehra, chaired by Dr Shaun May of the School of Arts.

Stand-Up Blasphemy – A comedy session in the Gulbenkian, performed by Daphna Baram, Giacinto Palmieri, Ravi Holy and Sameena Zehra.

2018 Summer Schools

The dynamic and exciting range of summer schools at the University of Kent are back this July.

The summer schools are for students or professionals looking to enhance their knowledge on a subject they are passionate about. With more than 50 institutions across 20 different countries to choose from, why not get a taste of the Go Abroad experience this year?

Martina Saiu, an International Business undergraduate, attended an Intensive German Language Summer School in Vienna and gave the following testimonial:

“I am really glad I was offered the possibility of attending the summer school. It was a wonderful experience, which helped me to improve my skills, widen my horizons and open my mind to new cultures and lifestyles.”

Attending a summer school overseas is a great way to experience another culture, gain a global perspective, enhance your studies and make friends from around the world. Don’t leave it too late to apply!

New podcast launched by Dr Chris Deacy

Dr Chris Deacy, Reader in Theology and Religious Studies in the Department of Religious Studies, has just released the first in a new podcast series on nostalgia.

The podcast accompanies Chris’ research on nostalgia. It asks:

We often know what our colleagues are researching and teaching, but we don’t always know what it is that inspires those interests and passions. What is it that shapes us?
How did we end up where we are – not just the books we read and the ones we wanted to write ourselves, but what influenced us in terms of the music, the films, the sporting events and the relationships and family members that brought us to where we are now?

The podcasts will consist of unscripted interviews. The first interview is with Dr David Walsh from the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies, and covers everything from music taste to whether he has fulfilled his childhood dreams.

You can listen to the podcast on the audioboom website.

SMFA Postgraduate Presentations Wednesday 23 May

The annual School of Music and Fine Art (SMFA) Postgraduate Presentations take place on Wednesday 23 May in the Galvanising Shop Performance Space at Medway campus.

The Postgraduate Presentations are an excellent opportunity for SMFA to celebrate the successes of our postgraduates and the contribution they make to the life, work and academic community of the school.

The day will run from 10.30am until approximately 3pm and includes a range of presentations from students studying Music and Fine Art MA and PhD programmes, as well as a participatory tour of a Fine Art Degree showpiece from a MA Fine Art student.

There will be an opportunity for the audience to ask questions after each presentation and a lunch will be provided for presenters and the audience at which further discussion can take place.

If you would like to attend contact the SMFA postgraduate team or visit the SMFA Facebook page.

Participants needed for study on biofeedback of eating behaviour

Researchers from the School of Engineering and Digital Arts are seeking participants to take part in a study relating to biofeedback of eating behaviour.

This study aims to investigate the interaction of users with biosensor driven feedback during the consumption of a small meal. Participants are required to take part in a single study session lasting no more than 60 minutes.

You will be asked to consume a selection of free food during the session, including pizza, jam sandwiches, yoghurt, apples and water. In return, you will receive a £10 Amazon e-voucher on the successful completion of the study session.

If you would like to learn more or volunteer to take part in the study complete the online form or email Ben Nicholls.

Survivors’ Forum Friday 18 May

Silke Grygier, founder of the Not The Only One Project, will be facilitating the next Survivor Forum from 18.30-20.30 on Friday 18 May in Rutherford Ext 12.

The main aim of this format is to create a safe space for survivors of sexual abuse to come together, meet others, share experiences, and discuss the issues and themes which affect them. The experience of being in a space with other survivors, can be hugely empowering for survivors and can alleviate common feelings of shame, stigma, and isolation, and foster experiences of connection and feeling understood.

In the Survivors’ Collective, Silke has facilitated forums on themes such as ‘access to healthcare’, ‘media representation’, ‘our experience in education & the workplace’, and workshops such as ‘speaking out’, ‘connecting to our body’, as well as a ‘giving testimony session’ where survivors had the opportunity to tell their story.

Not The Only One is a project designed to reach out to university students who have experienced childhood sexual abuse (CSA). As a group, CSA survivors are often invisible, not only to society, but also to each other, and suffer stigma and isolation. At the same time, survivors tend to experience great difficulties especially in young adulthood, and are often left with a lack of understanding and support. Through workshops, presentations, info-stalls, support groups, open forums, and therapeutic support this project aims to raise awareness, create spaces for survivors to come together, and offer specialist support.

Further Survivor Forums will take place on the following dates:

15 June (Rutherford Ext 12)
20 July (Grimond Seminar 2)

You can find out more about Not The Only One here. You can also contact Debbie Worthington, Student EDI Officer for further information.

Managing Mental Health for Line Managers

Learning and Organisational Development is running six sessions on Managing Mental Health for Line Managers, which will take place on:

Tuesday 12 June am or pm session

Thursday 14 June am or pm session

Tuesday 19 June am or pm session

The sessions are targeted at members of staff with management responsibilities. If you would like to attend a session, book via the Learning and Organisational Development website.

Dr Xiaofan Amy Li awarded travel fund

Dr Xiaofan Amy Li, Lecturer in Comparative Literature, has been awarded the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation travel fund by the European Association for Chinese Studies (EACS).

The funding will allow Amy to undertake research trips to sinological libraries within the UK. She will use this opportunity to consult scholarship on classical Chinese literature and its translation history, to complete a book manuscript she is co-authoring with colleagues at the University of Oxford.

The book is provisionally entitled Translation and Literature in East Asia: Between Visibility and Invisibility. It will ask: What specific problems do the translation and circulation of Chinese-script-based literature pose? What does translation render visible and invisible, especially if we compare various modern translations of classical Chinese literature into modern vernacular Chinese (baihua), modern Japanese, English, and French? Finally, do literary translational practices in pre-modern East Asia say something about a world literature before (rather than in) the global age?

Paul March-Russell on the Arthur C. Clarke Award

Dr Paul March-Russell, Specialist Associate Lecturer in the Department of Comparative Literature and editor of Foundation: The International Review of Science Fiction, is on the judging panel for the Arthur C Clarke Award for science fiction literature for the second year running.

The shortlist for 2018 has just been announced. The six shortlisted books for the best science-fiction novel published in 2017 are:

Robert Cargill, Sea of Rust (Gollancz)
Anne Charnock, Dreams Before the Start of Time (47 North)
Omar El Akkad, American War (Picador)
Jaroslav Kalfar, Spaceman of Bohemia (Sceptre)
Jennie Melamed, Gather the Daughters (Tinder Press)
Jeff VanderMeer, Borne (Fourth Estate).

‘The 2018 shortlist is perhaps one of the most eclectic ever,’ commented Paul on the shortlist, ‘From a giant flying bear in a post-apocalyptic landscape, to the future of reproductive technology; from an absurdist satire on the meaning of existence, to a dystopian society where paedophilia is a virtue not a sin; and from the prospect of a second American Civil War to a post-human world of scavenging robots and global AIs, this is a list that demonstrates the imaginative possibilities of sf being written today.’

The winner will be announced at a public award ceremony held in partnership with Foyles Bookshop, Charing Cross Road, London, on Wednesday 18 July 2018.

Further details of the Arthur C. Clarke Award and the shortlist are available at: www.clarkeaward.com

Enjoy grass tennis at Kent Sport this summer

New grass tennis courts are now available to hire at the Pavilion thanks to the tireless work of University of Kent Groundsmen Lee Ballard and Derek Hockett. Kent Sport tennis coordinator Matthew Brears caught up with Lee and Derek to speak to them about their work.

What do you and your team do throughout the year?

Our main tasks are to maintain the sports facilities to the highest standard possible. this includes mowing the grass pitches and marking them out, and brushing the three artificial pitches we have on campus.

Derek and I really take pride in what we do and always want the people taking part in sports such as American football and now tennis to have the best experience.

How did you create these grass courts and what challenges did you face?

The biggest challenge was the time and the weather. We lost two days of work due to rain and we had a Bank Holiday. so another work day was lost. We were really excited about the challenge of setting out grass court tennis, so once we were asked we set to the job straight away.

We mowed the area with our cricket pitch mower, which hadn’t been used for three years. Our first few cuts were at 15mm so that we didn’t take the grass too short too soon. Next, we measured for three courts and over-marked them. Rolling the court took four days, but when we had finished we were happy with the end results. We have now lowered the grass cut height to 10mm and it looks great.

How are you going to maintain the good quality playing surface throughout the summer?

The biggest maintenance job will be the mowing as I think we will have to do this every other day to keep the grass to a playable height. I’m sure as we get into the summer (hopefully a hot one!) we will also have to water the courts.

Is there anything you would like to do differently in the coming years to improve on what you have achieved this year?

Hopefully this really takes off and we can have a few extra courts next year!

The only job we couldn’t do this year was scarify the courts. If we do this next year it will take out the weeds and thatch that is in the ground. Removing this should help with the bounce of the ball and make the court quality better.

Matthew Brears, Tennis Coordinator and Head Coach, said: “The work that Derek and Lee have done in such a short space of time has been exemplary and I’m grateful for their efforts over the last three weeks, and of course the work they will put in over the summer. They have shown a glimpse of what we can achieve here at the University and I’m looking forward to working with them to provide a great grass court tennis offering for years to come.”

Sean Edwards, UKC Tennis Society President, said: “The new grass courts installed by Lee and Del are a huge step forward for UKC Tennis this year and have great potential for years to come. I’d like to thank them for their efforts as the courts are incredibly flat and have a bounce that nobody expected.”

The new grass tennis courts can be booked by Kent Sport members at the Pavilion reception. For more information about tennis and other activities visit the Kent Sport website and follow @UniKentSports on social media.