university of Birmingham

News: “IASS Academics Showcase New Approaches to Using Social Media for Research, Teaching & Learning”

Just posting an article from the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Applied Social Studies website that involves me. The original news article can be viewed by clicking here.

IASS Academics Showcase New Approaches to Using Social Media for Research, Teaching & Learning

On Friday 19th April, two IASS academics – Tarsem Singh Cooner and Chris Allen – facilitated a Higher Education Academy (HEA) event at the University of Birmingham titled, ‘Changing the Learning Landscape – Practical uses of social media in social work and social policy teaching and research’.

Bringing together around 40 participants from different universities and practical settings who were involved in teaching, research or directly managing degree programmes in social work and social policy, the event provided participants with an opportunity to find out more about the role social media can play in enhancing the student and tutor experiences. Comprising two workshops – the first on research and dissemination, the second on teaching and learning – participants engaged in a series of practical hands-on activities and discussions as a means of introducing them to a range of new and innovative social media approaches and methods. In doing so participants explored the use of Storify in their research and dissemination as also closed Facebook groups for teaching and learning.

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IASS News: “IASS Academic Chris Allen’s Research Praised by British Politicians”

Reproduced below is some news featured on the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Applied Social Studies (IASS) website.

To view the actual page, click here.

Alternatively, you can read it below:

Chris Allen’s research into Islamophobia has been publicly praised by two high profile politicians.

At an event in London on the evening of 24th January 2013, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi – Minister for Faith and Communities and former Chair of the Conservative Party – and Simon Hughes – Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats and MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark – not only drew on findings from his research into Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred but also praised him for its timeliness and impact.

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Video: QT@IASS

Following on from an article I posted here back in September, I’ve recently uncovered a short video that was made immediately after the event.

If interested – and I’m sure most people won’t be – then you can view the video below.

Report: A Taste of Multiculturalism – 28th September 2012

I’m reproducing below a report from an event I organised and facilitated last Friday as part of the University of Birmingham’s ‘Brum Dine With Me’ research day. To read the report in its original form, click here.

On Friday 28th September, the University took its research ‘onto the streets’ of Birmingham as part of a Europe-wide day of celebrating research. Along with 52 other universities across the continent, the theme of food was used to highlight the wide range of research that is currently being undertaken across the University.

As part of ‘Brum Dine With Me’ – the name given to the University’s celebration – IASS’s Chris Allen hosted an event entitled ‘A Taste of Multiculturalism’ at MAC Birmingham.

As well as inviting those visiting Mac Birmingham to indulge in a range of foods that reflect the diversity of today’s Birmingham – including meals from Britain, the Caribbean, Poland and South Asia – visitors also had the opportunity to participate in a quiz and watch a short presentation on multiculturalism. Those who did were surprised to learn that in today’s Birmingham, people with almost 190 different nationalities are currently resident in the city. Likewise also, that Birmingham is likely to become the UK’s first ‘minority-majority’ city.

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Report: QuestionTime@IASS event – 27th September 2012

Reproduced below is a short news report about the Question Time event I organised for students last week at the University of Birmingham. To read the original report, click here.

Around 75 students gathered in the Business School on Thursday 27th September to take part in the ‘QuestionTime@IASS’ event. Based on the popular BBC1 television programme, the IASS event brought together an eight strong panel of politicians, policymakers and commentators.

As well as Gisela Stuart (Labour MP for Edgbaston) and John Hemming (Liberal-Democrat MP for Yardley), students were able to put their questions to James Burns (Chair of the West Midlands Green Party), Alison Garnham (Child Poverty Action Group), Paul Nowak (TUC), and Siobhan Harper-Nunes (Shakti Women). The panel was completed by the inclusion of IASS’s own Professor of Social Work, Sue White and Owen Williams, the Vice-President of the University’s Conservative Futures group.

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“We are Birmingham”: throwing the spotlight on the realities of religious discrimination

I am very proud to have been featured in the University of Birmingham’s latest advertising campaign which celebrates the impact of the research we’re doing here in Birmingham. Entitled, “We Are Birmingham” the campaign celebrates how the University has been “pushing boundaries to create impact locally, nationally and internationally for more than a century”.

My inclusion focuses on the impact my research into Islamophobia, anti-Muslim hatred and other forms of discrimination has had and hopefully, will continue to do so.This is of course extremely flattering and something that is a great honour for me.

As well as being featured collectively on the University’s website – view here – the campaign is also being promoted via a series of individually focused advertisements on the London Underground, mainline train services and across a range of different locations in London and the South East as well as in Birmingham and the West Midlands. My advertisements – currently on Great Western trains – is being promoted by the strapline:

“We are throwing the spotlight on the realities of religious discrimination”

And in support this, I am really excited to confirm that the College of Social Sciences here at the University has recently made a firm commitment to fund an exciting and timely project into religious discrimination…but more of that in the coming weeks.

Given that the campaign states that “From our world-class expert academics to our outstanding students – we inspire success, change lives and transform society” then if my research is able to inspire just one person, I’d be very happy…