Dr Bashir Abu-Manneh, Reader in Postcolonial Literature in the School of English, will give a talk as part of the PalREAD project at Freie Universität Berlin, entitled ‘War and Palestinian Writing’ on Tuesday 23 June 2020 at 14.00.

The PalREAD project aims to tell the story of Palestinian literature by tracing, collecting, mapping and analyzing the development and evolution of Palestinian literary and cultural production and practices from 1948 to the present across various Arab, European, American, and Latin American & Caribbean countries.

Bashir’s talk will explore how Palestinian writers, including Najwan Darwish and Atef Abu Saif, have grappled with tracing Israel’s “war on terror,” launched in 2000. ‘What does it mean for an occupying power to launch wars against those it occupies in the context of the Oslo peace process?’, Bashir asks. ‘For this talk in particular, I’m interested in the wars launched by Israel after 2000 in occupied Palestine: West Bank 2002, Gaza 2008-9, 2012, and 2014’.

Bashir’s talk is part of a series of lectures, public readings and workshops on Palestinian literature of the past and present entitled ‘Country of Words: Reading and Reception of Palestinian Literature from 1948 to the Present’. Through their research (Dr Bashir Abu-Manneh and Dr Lindsey Moore) and public readings of their works (Ghayath Almadhoun and Nemat Khaled), the events will explore what, how and why Palestinian writers write experiences of displacement, exile and alternative belongings from various critical and creative perspectives.

By showcasing creative practices and scholarship on Palestinian literature, the talks will invite new questions on trends and developments of Palestinian writing in past and recent times. This series also situates why Palestinian writing gives us vital sources of insight into the wider dynamics of diasporic, migrant and exilic literatures.

A summary of the lectures, public readings and workshops can be found on the Middle East Eye webpage.

The full programme of events can be found on the PalREAD project’s website. 

What’s your background and when did you join the University?

After graduating from the University of Manchester, I left my native Cheshire and my wife and I relocated to Kent. I joined the University in 2007 and spent three years working as a software instructor in the Centre for Music Technology. I’m a musician and it felt like a dream job teaching people how to use industry standard technology in state-of-the-art facilities. I undertook the University’s PGCHE programme and became increasingly interested in the use of technology in education.

Since 2010, I’ve worked as a Learning Technologist within UELT.

 What does your role at Kent involve?

In a nutshell, it’s my job to support academic staff in using technology as part of their teaching. Ultimately, what learning technologists do is try to enhance the teaching and learning process through careful and considered choices of technology and selecting the appropriate one for the situation. On a more practical level, much of my time is spent delivering training, creating instructional materials and advising on different technologies.

How has your role changed as a result of Covid-19?

I’m a lot busier! The E-Learning Team have always been in demand, but Covid-19 and having to deliver our teaching online has taken things to a new level. I think it’s also made my role more visible, and enabled people to see what the purpose of my role and area of work is.

Can you tell us more about how you’ve developed Kent’s online teaching and learning provision?

I can’t take much credit! It’s the academic staff who have to re-think how they’re going to deliver their modules online. The big challenge is that different disciplines teach in different ways and so there’s no simple solution that works for everyone. That said, my team and I have worked really hard to support staff through the process and so, alongside all of the training and guidance we provide, we’ve used our expertise to promote best practice in online teaching wherever we can.

We ran ‘emergency’ webinars for staff when we first entered lockdown (with over 500 people attending) and devised a process for delivering over 800 exams online. Now, we’re finalising a set of resources to support academic staff in online delivery.

 What kind of a response have you had so far from staff and students?

On the whole, it’s been very positive. It’s a stressful and uncertain time for everyone and we all should be mindful that people react to change in different ways. What I am certain of though, is that every colleague I speak to wants to ensure our students receive the best possible education come September, regardless of delivery method.

Outside work, and out of lockdown, what do you enjoy doing?

I’m a long-distance runner and the lack of a commute to campus has allowed me to stretch my morning miles a little further! My wife and I travel to the Lake District a lot and so I do a lot of fell running up there. It’s my plan to complete the three big British fell running ‘rounds’ before I’m 40, so I’ve got a few years yet!

 What will you look forward to most once we’re back on campus?

I’ve missed bumping into colleagues and the spontaneous conversations that follow. As well as the ‘buzz’ on campus during term time and seeing students move from class to class. I’m looking forward to having coffee with colleagues and enjoying some lunchtime runs into Blean Woods.

 How do you like to celebrate good news?

Pre-lockdown, my wife and I would go to the pub for a meal! So, it’s a take-away at the moment!

 What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

I’m something of a worrier. My dad always says “only worry when you know there’s something to worry about.” I think that’s actually a nice way of knowing there’s some things you can control, and other things you can’t. There’s no point wasting energy on what’s outside of your control – focus instead on what you can.

L&OD are pleased that in conjunction with Planned Future, they are still able to offer the Pre-Retirement Bite Size session on 7  July.

The session will run for three hours and will be held by Zoom.

The workshop aims to give advice on financial aspects of planning for retirement and is open to members of staff planning ahead for their retirement – aimed at age 50+

The seminar will provide you with an introduction to the issues affecting your retirement. It will help you to plan both financially and emotionally for the next phase of your life.

Research has shown that both financial considerations and social and emotional impacts are important when planning for retirement. This seminar will include sessions on: financial planning including investments and taxation and adjusting to and planning for retirement.

Planned Future provides an experienced retirement educator to host the event. The financial speaker is from our vetted panel of IFAs, who is experienced and clear and able to answer a wide range of your questions. Adjusting and planning for retirement is presented by the host retirement educator.

Learning outcomes                          

• Understand the financial implications of retirement.
• Identify personal and financial actions which will help make the most of your retirement
• Start the process of planning for a successful retiremen
• View the details and book your place via Staff Connect.

Please email LDev@kent.ac.uk if you have any questions.

If you haven’t already participated in our Crucial Conversations workshops, why not join us for our virtual version of the programme? We have converted the existing 2-day classroom programme into five ‘bite-sized’ 2-hour sessions via MS Teams.

This could be the programme for you if you have ever wanted to:

• Better understand what makes a conversation ‘crucial’
• Identify the conversations that you’re not holding (or not holding well)
• Stay in productive dialogue when you’re angry, scared or hurt
• Speak persuasively, not abrasively
• Be able to talk to almost anyone about almost anything
• Turn your crucial conversations into action and results

Here’s what participants from our pilot virtual programme in May said afterwards:

• Thank you for the truly enlightening sessions’
• It was one of the most useful courses I have attended’
• I can only strongly recommend this course to ALL my colleagues, as – at some point – we all need to have crucial conversations’

Who is eligible?

The programme was initially made available to line managers and leaders – we’re now delighted to welcome other members of staff who, as part of their role, communicate across a team or more broadly across the University.

How do I register?

We still have places available for our August programme (please note that you’ll need to attend all five to complete the programme) which will run from 10.00 – 12.00 on the following dates:

• Monday 10 August
• Wednesday 12 August
• Monday 17 August
• Wednesday 19 August
• Monday 24 August

Registration is via Staff Connect. For any queries, please contact Learning & Organisational Development: Ldev@kent.ac.uk.

A team of academics (Dr Paraskevi Triantafyllopoulou & Dr Damian Milton) and PhD researchers (Krysia Waldock and Anna Xygkou) from the Tizard Centre (SSPSSR), launched their first event on the 9th of June in their new Virtual Reality channel called AUTISM.

AUTISM is an open, global platform of researchers and academics that focuses on accommodating autistic people as well as parents/carers/professionals in this life journey, providing awareness and information across the age span and across variations on the spectrum.

All this is taking place with the support of the most immersive technology, Virtual Reality. The launch event was very popular and attracted people from around the world.

The AUTISM team invites everyone with an interest in autism to join them and subscribe to the channel.

Please check out the Subscription link to the AUTISM channel.

As we’re all still dealing with the impacts of Covid-19, Care First have still got some webinars for you for next week.

Please find the schedule below.

Monday 16 June 2020 –‘Mental Health and Support for the LGBTIQ+ Community 

Time:  12:00 -12.30 – To register click on this Go webinar link

Tuesday 17 June 2020 – ‘Tips for support with Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD)

Time: 11.00 – 11.45 – To register click on this Go to webinar link 

Wednesday 18 June 2020  – ‘Domestic Abuse Information’ 

Time: 15.00 – 15.30 – To register click on this Go to webinar link 

Thursday 19 June 2020 – ‘Tips to achieve a healthy Work Life Balance’

Time: 11.00 -11.30 – To register click on this Go to webinar link

Friday 20 June 2020 –  ‘Men’s Health Awareness’ 

Time: 13.00 – 14.00 – To register click on this Go webinar link 

I didn’t want this week to go by without following up on last week’s joint statement on racism. I recognise we need to do more than simply make statements. The conversations and interactions I have had this week make it clear we are falling short and need to do more. We are identifying areas we must focus on and take further action.

Many staff and students are affected by these issues and working hard to raise awareness and address them and I am inspired and humbled by their work, experiences and commitment.

Combatting institutional racism is a serious challenge, but we must address it if we are to ensure that the University provides an environment in which everyone can thrive. I am committed to keeping this a high priority within the University.

Professor Karen Cox | Vice-Chancellor and President

My continued thanks to everyone for all that you are doing across the University. As lockdown continues to ease, our plans for a phased return to campus are progressing well, thanks to the considerable efforts of all those involved. I recognise though that there remain many unknowns, concerns and uncertainties that we will need to continue to engage with and address over the coming weeks and months. I also know that Covid-19 is having many varied and serious impacts on the lives of our staff and students and that it can be incredibly difficult to manage the many demands you experience. Please continue to prioritise your health and wellbeing and please ask for support if you need it.

Covid-19 continues to have a major financial impact on Kent as it does across the sector. I will be writing to you about that with more information shortly. You will no doubt have seen a range of articles and opinion pieces in the media about the unprecedented financial harm it has caused universities across the sector and the risks it poses to longer term sustainability. While there has been some Government support – in the form of bringing forward Student Loan Company payments and Quality Research Funding – which will help support cash flow in the early part of 20/21, there has been no new money offered to the sector. Student Number Controls have been brought in as a way of ‘stabilising admissions’ for 20/21 but this brings with it challenges as competition for students (international and home) only intensify.

Together with other vice-chancellors, I have been engaging with Universities UK on a regular basis to feed into and lobby Government. This has enabled meetings with the Minister of State for Universities, where we have set out the case of need for financial support for universities to protect the teaching and research base, raised the need for Government to provide timely advice on opening up campuses, as well as asking Government to proactively promote UK HE internationally. In addition, we have been in touch with our local MPs across Kent and Medway updating them as to the challenges we face and asking them for their support as we engage with Government on these issues.

Universities have a crucial role to play in the economic and social recovery from the impact of Covid-19. This morning I will be presenting to other Board Members of the South East Local Enterprise Partnership, on the impact of Covid on the 9 universities within the SELEP region. I will be noting the economic and social impact of these universities, the significant role they have within our region and the part they will play in its recovery from the impact of COVID-19, a role we can only play if we are in a sustainable position ourselves. I will be asking for their support to advocate on our behalf for additional government support to enable us to play our part in regional and national recovery.

I will continue to do all I can to help navigate us through these challenging times and I thank you for your support.

Yours sincerely

Karen

Professor Karen Cox | Vice-Chancellor and President

As the Covid-19 lockdown eases, plans to re-open our campuses are progressing according to schedule. The health and safety of all our staff and students remains the priority.

Colleagues in Estates continue to work hard on re-opening buildings on both the Canterbury and Medway campuses. The first phase remains the research labs, libraries and the Registry. At Medway, where there are shared facilities, the Estates team is working closely with Greenwich and Canterbury Christ Church universities.

We continue to work with the trade unions and staff representatives as we move through this process and the risk assessments for opening of the labs have been approved by the JSNCC. The risk assessment for the wider University will be considered at next week’s meeting.

Once the assessments have been approved, HR will engage with senior leaders to identify staff in their areas who need to return to campus. Due to the complexity of the work required, we have revised the previous estimates of when anyone who is currently working at home might return to campus. We are now looking at the start of July at the very earliest.

Deciding who will return to work on campus will depend on a range of factors, including building capacity, personal circumstance, home-working conditions and flexible working arrangements. Our overarching principle remains that we are keeping to national guidance, which states that you should work at home if you can and that only essential staff should be on campus. We will continue to revise our Health & Safety policy in line with any changes to government guidelines.

The move to online exams and assessment has gone well and Exam Boards are in progress. A paper on the shape of the academic year 2020-21, which provides a framework for learning and teaching for next year, has gone before today’s meeting of Senate.

Our aim is to welcome all students on to campus this autumn. If we need to prioritise groups to accommodate social distancing, we will prioritise first years and postgraduate taught and research students.

We will continue to provide updates on our return to campus over the coming months.

The “Think Kent Discovers series”, which started in May is a series of nine cutting edge research documentaries produced by the University of Kent in association with KMTV.

Each event starts with the screening of a research documentary followed by a live panel discussion on the topic and is live streamed via Research Services ‘YouTube channel and the university’s facebook page.

All events are FREE to watch and to book your place,  please visit EventBrite. 

Here are the rest of the events coming up:

Thursday 11 June at 19.00: “La Cristiada – A Civil War” 

Dr Mark Lawrence, from the School of History,  explores Mexico’s bloodiest civil wars.

Panel members:
– Dr Mark Lawrence, Lecturer in Latin American History at the  University of Kent
– Dr Nathaniel Morris, Leverhulme Research Fellow at University College London
– Dr Ben Fallaw, Professor of Latin American History at Colby College in USA (Maine)

Thursday 18 June (time tbc): “Virus to Vaccine”

Professor Colin Robinson and Dr Alison Walters (School of Biosciences) are leading a British-Thai consortium in mass producing a vaccine to tackle Porcine Circovirus disease.

Thursday 25 June at 19.00: “Counting Butterflies”

The film explores the research carried out by Professor Morgan and former student Dr Emily Dennis, who have developed advanced mathematical models which are now being used to map and manage butterfly populations in the UK and abroad.

Panel members:
– Professor Byron Morgan, Emeritus Professor of Statistics at the University of Kent
– Dr Emily Dennis, Senior Ecological Statistician at the Butterfly Conservation Trust
– Ian Middlebrook, Butterfly Monitoring Coordinator at the Butterfly Conservation Trust

Week commencing 29 June: “The Mohawk of Consciousness” (details to be confirmed)
This film charts the investigation into brain injury and whether analysing brain activity can reveal the true level of consciousness in patients believed to be in a vegetative state.

Week commencing 6 July: “Catching Cancer: Rapid Diagnosis” (details to be confirmed)
Can you detect Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) not with a traditional blood test but with a kit which gives an immediate indication from a simple pin-prick?

Week commencing 13 July: “The Science of Making Babies” (details to be confirmed)
In July 1978, the world’s first test-tube baby, Louise Brown, was born in Oldham to her parents, Lesley and John. It’s now estimated 1 in 50 babies born in Britain today are the result of IVF or similar methods that allow an egg to be fertilised.