The Heads and Professors of Sociology Group (HAPS) is the new name for the Professors and Heads of Department of Sociology Group (generally called HoDS). The new name was adopted at the meeting in November 2006 to make it clear that membership encompasses all Professors and Heads concerned with Sociology in the Higher Education Sector.
The Group is a forum for discussion and action related to educational policy concerning the development of sociology as a discipline. The Group works closely with the Executive Management Team (EMT) of the BSA, who maintain the Groups HAPS Register, collect subscriptions and organise the residential meeting. Recent discussions have concerned the Research Assessment Exercise, postgraduate training, post-doctoral provision, the undergraduate syllabus, and the archiving of teaching materials.
All Professors of Sociology are automatically members of the Group and will receive information about meetings, are entitled to attend and contribute to these meetings, and will be consulted over submissions made to policy initiatives. All Heads of Department (including Heads of Schools, Subject Groups, etc administratively responsible for delivering a sociology curriculum) are also members of the Group for the period of their term of office. The Group is financed by a subscription charged per Department or unit. No individual subscription is payable by Professors.
The most active members of HAPS are the Heads, and we attempt to ensure that each Department is represented by its Head at the regular meetings. All members are, however, warmly encouraged to attend these meetings. Meetings are held in October or November each year, generally in London, and at the Annual Conference of the BSA (recently held at the University of East London, April 2007). In addition, a residential meeting is held every other year (the next event is provisionally scheduled for May 2008) on a special topic relevant to Departmental work.
Minutes and Reports of Meetings
Meeting held on Friday, 2nd November 2007, Lionel Robbins Building, LSE, London
Further to the Minutes, the Academy of Social Sciences response to the earlier DfES Consultation on Reform of Higher Education Research Assessment and Funding can be found at: http://www.acss.org.uk/docs/raeconsultation.pdf
AcSS is very pleased to take the lead in co-ordinating a response across the social sciences and to liaise with BSA / HAPS and other professional associations.
The current officers of HAPS are:
Incoming Chair: John Holmwood, University of Birmingham (April 2007 - )
Outgoing Chair: John Scott, University of Essex (March 2005 - April 2007)
Secretary: John Eade, Roehampton University and University of Surrey.
Treasurer: Christine Cnossen, Queen Margaret University College.
Communications to the group, please contact John Eade.
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