Latest News Archive

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Call for BSA Regional Postgraduate Day School Events (Posted 27/10/2010)
 
The BSA would like expressions of interest from postgraduate students interested in organising a regional postgraduate day event in 2010-11.
 
In 2009-10, five successful events were held throughout the UK. These one-day events express the diversity and dynamism of the postgraduate experience. The 2009-10 events were:

• The Politics of Sociology: Negotiating Politics as a Social Researcher, University of Warwick
• Whose knowledge is it anyway?. University of Edinburgh
• Bourdieu and Education: A Postgraduate Conference and Three Masterclasses on Post-Primary, Higher and Professional Education, Queens University Belfast
• 'Bridging the Gap': Translating Knowledge into Action in Health and Social Research, Newcastle University
• Subcultures Past and Present: Space, Technologies and Social Control, University of York

It is hoped that Regional Postgraduate Day Events will provide a variety of events throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and that they will become an annual series in the BSA calendar.

We are looking for postgraduate organisers willing to co-ordinate with speakers and the BSA to organise a day event at the student's institution. The BSA will provide upto £1,000 support for the event, which should be free for BSA members to attend. The grant can be used to pay for room hire, speakers, lunch and refreshments. The BSA Office will also promote and publicise the Postgraduate day schools through a number of outlets including flyers in membership packs, the BSA website and member e-newsletters. 

Please email all expressions of interest to BSA Membership Services Directors via the BSA Office.

Address all correspondence:  BSA REGIONAL POSTGRADUATE EVENTS

Expressions of interest should include name, institution, proposed theme for the event, month of the proposed event date, but may also include proposed programme, potential speakers, etc.  Expressions of interest should be received before Friday, 12 November 2010.

Special Section of Sociological Research Online journal - 60 Years of Impact: reflecting on 60 years of the BSA and British Sociology (Posted 20/10/2010)

In August 2011, in the year that the British Sociological Association (BSA) reaches 60, we will publish a Special Section of the journal focusing on 60 Years of Impact: reflecting on 60 years of the BSA and British Sociology Edited by Professor John Brewer (current BSA President) and Professor Jennifer Platt (past BSA President)

Some papers may be commissioned, but it is hoped also to receive submissions that engage with a range of relevant issues and topics, which could include ones that:
examine the work of the BSA and its significance to the discipline, or relate it to other professional associations offer short reports on the development of particular fields in British sociology, perhaps relating those to the role of BSA Study Groups reflect on the impact and influence of particular fields, particular institutions such as university or government departments, or particular individuals, on British Sociology present expatriate views of the BSA or British Sociology and how they have changed, and/or compare them with equivalents elsewhere; document the impact of diasporas on British sociology Papers on other topics will also be welcome.

Deadline for submissions is 30 March 2011. Submissions can be in the form of standard papers (4000 - 8000 words) or shorter 'think' pieces, autobiographical accounts etc. (approximately 3000 words).

Jennifer Platt and John Brewer are happy to be contacted prior to submission for advice on suitability and/or possible overlap with commissioned pieces.

Please submit papers in the usual way to Cathy Ternent.

Consultation on the BSA Medical Sociology Group newsletter/journal  - your input required(Posted 08/10/2010)

As part of the BSA Medical Sociology Group's work to support communication among those interested in medical sociology, the group publishes a newsletter which, in addition to 'news', has also featured academic articles, opinion pieces and other comment. From 1973 to 2005 the publication was called Medical Sociology News (MSN) and since 2006 it has been an online publication called Medical Sociology Online (MSo). Previous issues can be viewed on the BSA website and MSo.

Editorial responsibility rotates every 2-4 years between teams composed of members of the group, who give their time freely. We are currently looking for a new team to take it on. In view of this, and in light of changes made to the publication over the last four years, we would welcome your views on its future style and format, editorial arrangements and funding.  Please could you take a few minutes to contribute to a short survey on these matters.  The survey will be open until 31 October 2010, and is open to anyone with an interest in the publication, whether or not they are BSA members.

Research Sought for Refugee Council etc's Refugee Week (Posted 08/10/2010)

The Refugee Council's press team is seeking research on UK public opinions on providing protection to refugees and asylum seekers or 50th/60th anniversaries of the 1951 UN Convention for possible use in Refugee Council + UK NGOs' Refugee Week 2011 campaign.

The Refugee Week Coalition* (see below for partner agencies), are looking for academic or policy research, either recent or research in progress exploring UK public opinions on providing protection and sanctuary to asylum seekers and refugees, and/or any research around the 50th or 60th anniversaries of the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. They are loosely exploring the idea of using relevant research to highlight some of the key messages in their media campaign around the ideas of refugees' protection, contribution and courage.

It would be very helpful if anyone involved in relevant research and interested would email Cathy Baldwin at Refugee Council's press team to discuss further.

* Refugee Week Coalition of participating organisations includes: Refugee Council, Amnesty International UK, British Red Cross, United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the Children's Society, the Home Office, Oxfam, Refugee Action, Refugee Council, City of Sanctuary, Scottish Refugee Council, STAR (Student Action for Refugees) and Welsh Refugee Council.

House of Lords Consultation: Behaviour Change (21/09/2010)

Deadline for responses: 1st October (for responses to BSA), 8th October (for responses direct to Science and Technology Committee)

The BSA invites members with relevant research experience to respond to the current House of Lords call for evidence on behaviour change.

Submissions may be sent to Judith Mudd, BSA Chief Executive at or directly to: Christine Salmon Percival, Clerk to the Science and Technology Committee, House of Lords, London SW1A 0PW and preferably by email.

Please ensure that you include relevant contact details. Evidence should be attributed and dated, with a note of your name and position, and should state whether it is submitted on an individual or corporate basis.

If you are submitting directly to the Science and Technology Committee please cc. Judith Mudd.

The Science and Technology Committee will invite some of those who submit written evidence to give oral evidence at Westminster. Transcripts of such evidence will be published.

You can follow the progress of the inquiry via the Science and Technology Committee web pages.

For ease of reference the questions and further details are available here.

The Committee would also be interested to hear about any other issues not already covered by this call for evidence that are relevant to the scope of the inquiry.

The Committee will hold public meetings from November 2010 and the Committee's report will be published during the summer of 2011.

Please ensure that you include relevant contact details. Evidence should be attributed and dated, with a note of your name and position, and should state whether it is submitted on an individual or corporate basis.

Short submissions are preferred; longer submissions (more than 6 pages) should include a summary. Hard copy should be clearly printed or typed on single sides of A4 paper, unstapled. Paragraphs should be numbered.

Evidence should be prepared specifically for this inquiry. Witnesses are encouraged to focus on those issues of which they have particular knowledge or experience-submissions are not required to cover all questions.

Evidence becomes the property of the Committee, and may be printed, published electronically or circulated by the Committee at any stage. If your evidence is not printed, it will in due course be made available to the public in the Parliamentary Archives.

You may in addition publicise or publish your evidence yourself, but in doing so you should indicate that it was prepared for the Committee. If a submission is substantially the same as work that has already been published or disseminated for some other purpose, or is deemed not to be relevant to the inquiry, it will not be treated as formal evidence.

Personal contact details supplied to the Committee will be removed from evidence before publication and from the copy deposited in the Archives. However, personal contact details will be retained by the Committee Office and used for specific purposes relating to the Committee's work, for instance to seek additional information or to send copies of the Committee's Report.

Real Life 'Good Will Hunting' Amongst Recipients of the Prestigious 2010-11 Fulbright Awards (Posted 29/06/2010)

Opportunity for Social Divisions/Social Identities Stream Coordinator (Posted 23/06/2010)
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a paid up member with a strong research interest in Social Divisions/Social Identities to be more closely involved in the organisation of the BSA's annual conference. As you are likely aware, the conference is now organised in terms of streams reflecting the key areas of research undertaken by the membership and each stream is organised by a stream coordinator. The Social Divisions/Social Identities stream, which incorporates issues of race, gender, sexuality and class (among others) is in need of a coordinator.

Being a stream coordinator at the BSA annual conference is an opportunity to strengthen your research networks, to work with internationally renowned researchers in your area, to help shape the main annual event for your professional association, and to add more strings to your bow. Each year there are about a dozen streams at the annual conference. Stream coordinators are supported by designated members of the BSA Council and by the Events Officer at the BSA Office. They meet twice a year as a group and support each other via a JISC mailing list.

Anyone interested in being Social Divisions/Social Identities Stream Coordinator would be requested to take on this role for three years in the first instance. The main duties involve sorting through the abstracts submitted to this stream, organising those accepted into sessions and being involved in organising stream plenaries related to the topic area. 

To find out more and/or to register your interest in taking on the role, please contact Rose Barbour or Gurminder Bhambra.

Please respond by 5pm on 28 June 2010.

C-SAP Call for Papers: Room for improvement? - what makes an excellent teacher in Higher Education? (Posted 15/06/2010)

C-SAP Call for case studies: International students and their learning experiences in UK social science education (Posted 15/06/2010)

Ethics & Social Welfare: Jo Campling Memorial Prizes 2010 (Posted 18/05/2010)

The editorial board of Ethics & Social Welfare are pleased to announce the return of the Jo Campling Memorial Prize for essays written by students on the theme of 'ethics and social welfare'.

This year there will be two prizes awarded, one for an essay written by an undergraduate (bachelors) student and one for an essay written by a postgraduate (masters/doctoral) student. The author of each winning essay will receive a £150 cash prize, plus one year's free personal print subscription to the journal.

The deadline for submissions is 30 September 2010.  Find out more.

Free Online Trial to SAGE Sociology Journals - ends 30 April 2010 (Posted 31/03/2010)

Access SAGE's 34 journals in Sociology now during a free online trial period. Registration only takes a minute, and once completed you will have hundreds of articles available to you for free. Register to see the list of journals included in the trial.  The free trial offer ends on 30 April 2010. Register today.

International Benchmarking Review of UK Sociology launch (Posted 31/03/2010)

The International Benchmarking Review of UK Sociology, sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the British Sociological Association (BSA) and the Heads and Professors of Sociology (HAPS), is now published on the ESRC website.

The Report will be formally launched at the BSA Annual Conference on 7 April 2010, 3.30-5.00pm, Carnegie Lecture Theatre C001, Glasgow Caledonian University.  If you plan to attend the conference, you will be most welcome at this event.

Peer review: a guide for researchers (Posted 23/03/2010)

A new guide from the Research Information Network sets out the processes involved in peer review for both grant applications and publications. It also looks at the issues that have been raised in a series of recent reports on the costs of the system, and how effective and fair it is.  See the report,Peer review: a guide for researchers.

Teaching about Islam in the Social Sciences: Request for Case Studies (Posted 10/03/2010)

Web link:  www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/universitiesandcolleges/islamicstudies

Further Information:  RTF/DOC format

The Centre for Sociology, Anthropology and Politics (C-SAP) invite you to consider submitting a case study describing teaching you currently do which is related to the study of Islam. A fee of £250 will be paid to those whose proposal for a case study is successful in being commissioned and accepted for inclusion in the final portfolio of case studies. The case studies will form part of a resource bank being developed by a national Islamic network for learning and teaching.

Background

Following recommendations from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) a team from across the HEA subject network is working to build a national Islamic Studies network in order to:

• Support academics working in different disciplines or institutions, including those who are currently working in isolation;
• Provide opportunities to share good practice;
• Develop an enhanced picture of the provision of Islamic Studies in UK HE;
• Build on work carried out since the designation of Islamic Studies as a strategically important subject;
• Establish UK higher education as an exemplar for Islamic Studies in Europe.

As a part of this wider project, C-SAP is developing a resource base for academic staff who are considering teaching about Islam within their social science curriculum. As part of this project they are keen to capture existing good learning and teaching practices related to Islam in sociology, anthropology, politics and criminology. C-SAP would like to share existing practice with other colleagues in all three discipline areas. This may take the form of a module that you have devised and teach upon or it may be one element within a mould or course design. This could be at undergraduate or postgraduate level.

12 to 15 such examples are being sought. A report, and, with your permission, these pro-forma, will appear on the C-SAP and HEA web-sites in June 2010. The report will provide staff teaching in the social sciences with a series of case studies and ideas for incorporating the teaching of Islam within the curriculum.

What to do next

Professor Max Farrar has been employed as an Associate by C-SAP to oversee this work. If you are interested in forwarding a case study, please use the proforma document and forward to Max Farrar.  Please also contact Max for further information about this project.

When proposals are accepted, the deadline for submitting case studies is the 30 April 2010.

Free Anniversary Issue of the British Journal of Sociology available (Posted 10/02/2010)

The British Journal of Sociology has recently published a 60th Anniversary Issue called The BJS - Shaping Sociology Over 60 Years which is freely available.  For more information on this Anniversary Issue, please visit www.bjsshapingsociology.co.uk.

Nominations for the Associate Board of BSA Journal Sociology (Posted 22/12/2009)

Nominations are invited for the Associate Board of the BSA Journal Sociology.  Read the Call for Nominations and download a Pro-Forma Application Form.  Deadline for nominations:  16 April 2010.

Sociology Journal - Special Issue 2011: Call for Papers (Posted 22/12/2009)

Submissions are invited for a special issue of Sociology:  Sociology and the 2012 Olympic Games.  The issue will be published in 2011.  Deadline for submissions:  31 July 2010.  Download the Call for Papers.

Announcing the 2010 Taylor & Francis Sociology of Religion Postgraduate Essay Competition (Posted 25/11/2009)
The British Sociological Association Sociology of Religion Study Group is now inviting entries for the 2010 Taylor & Francis Sociology of Religion Postgraduate Essay competition.

We welcome essays from postgraduates at all stages of their studies on any aspect of contemporary religion grounded in a sociological perspective. The prize for the winning essay is £100 and, subject to undergoing the usual refereeing process, it is hoped that the winning essay will be published in the Journal of Contemporary Religion.

Essays should be between 5000 and 7000 words, and should be submitted electronically as a single MS Word document to Kristin Aune, including bibliography and cover sheet (which can be downloaded from the BSA Sociology of Religion Study Group website).  The deadline for submission is 11 March 2010 and entries can be submitted at any time between now and then.

The winner of the competition will be announced at the Study Group's Annual Conference Dinner at the University of Edinburgh (6-8 April 2010).  If you are not already a member of the Study Group, you will need to join prior to submitting an essay.   

If you are a member of staff, please download a poster to display on your departmental notice board and encourage your postgraduate students to submit essays. If you are a postgraduate this is great opportunity to work towards an early publication on your thesis topic, or a chance to explore another area of interest.

Visit the BSA Sociology of Religion Study Group website for further information about the competition or to download a poster.

Social Sciences Open Access Repository (Posted 25/11/2009)
Expand the visibility and reach of your work by making it available via SSOAR - Social Sciences Open Access Repository.

If you wish to make your documents available via a repository, there are a number of reasons for choosing SSOAR:

• SSOAR is geared towards a scholarly audience in the social sciences wishing to search quality-controlled content across disciplinary boundaries and to access documents directly and free of charge.
• SSOAR is an important resource for German, English and Spanish-speaking social scientists who wish to make documents freely accessible to the research community in order to increase the visibility and citation frequency of their research papers.
• SSOAR offers unrestricted world-wide access to full texts - all with a standard browser.
• Each document has an individual URN (Uniform Resource Name), thereby facilitating reliable referencing adhering to scientific standards.
• Additional subject metadata ensures that documents can be sought and found easily. A simple Google search request suffices.
• Cross-linking with other resources such as portals (www.sowiport.de) and disciplinary databases enlarges the searchable content.
• SSOAR is networked within the growing Open Access community and guarantees technological innovativeness.

The document-deposit process comprises five easy steps and you can either self-archive your papers on the SSOAR website.

Or SSOAR can archive the papers for you - if you have any questions relating to self-archiving, please contact Agnieszka Wenninger of the SSOAR team who will be happy to give you advice and to assist you with the deposit process.

National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) - The NTFS Individual Awards 2010 Call for Nominations is now open (Posted 25/11/2009)
The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) is applicable to those working in England and Northern Ireland. It is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), and the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland (DEL NI) and administered by the Academy on their behalf.

NTFS Individual Awards
Under the individual scheme up to 50 awards of £10,000 are made to recognise individual excellence. The award is intended for National Teaching Fellows' professional development in teaching and learning or aspects of pedagogy. Nominations are invited from eligible institutions in England and Northern Ireland.

The NTFS Individual Awards 2010 Call for Nominations is now open. The deadline for receipt of electronic nominations is Wednesday, 3 February 2010 (12:00 noon).  Find out more>

New Reciprocal Agreement with SRA for BSA Members (Posted 17/11/2009)

The BSA and the Social Research Association are pleased to be entering into reciprocal arrangement. We hope a 15% discount will encourage BSA members to attend SRA conferences and other events, and in particular their training programme which is aimed at equipping social researchers with the competencies required to be a practicing social researcher.

The SRA provides a comprehensive programme of training to support the professional development of social researchers. A wide range of introductory courses are available which are intended for those who are new to the profession or to the topic or approach covered by the course. A grant from the ESRC's Researcher Development Initiative (RDI) has enabled the SRA to develop a range of advanced expert development workshops that are aimed at mid-career or senior researchers who want to stay at the cutting edge of developments in their profession or develop expertise in new areas of social research.

SRA training and professional development activities are of interest and relevance to social researchers no matter what sector or setting they are working in. Typically courses attract participants from: central and local government; government agencies; universities, colleges and research institutes; private sector research companies; voluntary organisations; and also independent researchers and consultants. This cross-sector approach offers the added benefit of learning from others' experiences. View the January-July 2010 programme.

The SRA are offering a 15% discount to BSA members on the normal full costs of courses and also conferences.  However, by joining the SRA it is possible to gain further discounts, and this could be particularly advantageous to students, and indeed those in full time employment wishing to attend more than one course - SRA Membership Fees.

The vacancies pages on the SRA website provides details of a wide range of positions across the spectrum of organisations employing social researchers.

Find out more about the SRA Annual Conference on 15 December 2009.

Launch of new free online magazine - Radical Politics Today (Posted 10/11/2009)

In the wake of the crisis, what has become of radical politics today?

This new magazine documents, catalogues and analyses the spirit of radical politics in our times.

Clearly written articles, visual and audio debates from people including: James Tully, Noel Castree, Peter Hallward, Anthony Giddens, Jenny Pickerill, Clive Gabay, David Oswell, Mary Mellor, Neera Chandhoke, Swapna Banerjee-Guha, Daniele Albertazzi, Clodagh Brook and Charlotte Ross, David Chandler, Will Hutton, William Outhwaite …

You can find the magazine in the Spaces of Democracy and the Democracy of Space network website or go directly to Radical Politics Today.

All interest should be directed to The Editor, Jonathan Pugh.

New Policy Brief by Asghar Zaidi, European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research Vienna (Posted 10/11/2009)

"Welfare-to-Work Programmes in the UK and Lessons for Other Countries"

Abstract:
Welfare-to-work programmes have long been pursued in European countries, and the so-called Nordic model of the active labour market policies had served as a role model in the mid-1990s, offering policy learning to the rest of Europe. The UK had shown more interest in learning from the US workfare model than its European neighbours, and its policy de­sign and the experience of the past 10 years offer a number of insights for other countries. This Policy Brief summarises the New Deal programmes pursued in the UK since 1997/98 and draws some generic lessons for other countries.

Important features of these New Deal programmes are the personalised employment services that are consistent with the needs of the groups in question, their combination with the tax credit policy and, last but not least, the learning obtained from the pilot programmes before rolling them out at the national level. The contracting-out of service delivery to the private and voluntary sector organizations is another important feature which potentially draws upon the expertise of a variety of local sources to engage with local client groups and meet their needs and, also, result in cost savings for the government. There are mixed views from the experience of other countries whether such involvement of the private and voluntary sector can result in efficiency gains cost savings or innovations in modes of service delivery.  Read more.

If you are interested in information about the work of the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research you may consider subscribing their Newsletter/Policy Briefs via their homepage, left column.

BSA Update on the REF Consultation Autumn 2009 (Posted 23/10/2009)

Key clauses selected by BSA Council for comment:

27 b.

Overall the REF will give greatest recognition to units that demonstrate excellent research activity (as measured by outputs and environment) as well as achieving the highest impacts. Greatest weight in the assessment will be given to output quality , as the most direct indicator of an excellent submission. Significant weight will also be attached to the other two elements. Reflecting its importance in policy terms, impact will be weighted more highly than environment, and will significantly influence the overall outcomes where strong impacts build on the submitted unit's excellent research.

36.

Institutions will select outputs to be submitted for assessment. We propose there be a maximum of either three or four outputs submitted for each researcher. We consider this number to be sufficient to enable panels to form a robust view as to the achievements of individuals and of submitted units while discouraging the submission of individual staff who do not have a sufficiently strong personal research record (subject to the safeguards discussed above). A reduction in the overall maximum from four to three could make a material contribution to reducing the burden on expert panels, especially in fields where citation indices are not well developed, and would in our view be justified if the assessment period were to be set at five years (the anticipated period between the 2008 RAE and a REF exercise in 2013).

37.

Panels may also wish to 'double-weight' certain types of output, as discussed at paragraph 50b.

Reviewing outputs

50.

We have discussed with the EAGs the wider question of how the burden on panels of reviewing large volumes of outputs could be reduced. One option is to reduce the number of outputs submitted per person from four to three (particularly if the assessment period is five rather than seven years). Further options include:

a.             Sampling the outputs to be reviewed in detail, particularly where citation data are available. We propose that panels should specify in their criteria statements the proportion of outputs they expect to review in detail.

b.             Explicitly double-weighting more substantive outputs such as monographs that encapsulate several years' work. We propose that panels should consider whether certain types of output should be double-weighted (counting as two submitted outputs) and where applicable to develop criteria for this. The criteria should be sufficiently clear so that when making submissions, the institution can be confident about which outputs will be double-weighted.

Mary Langman Prize Essay 2009/2010 - £500 Prize (Posted 20/10/2009)
The Pioneer Health Foundation exists to disseminate the ideas of the Peckham Experiment, a unique enquiry into the nature of health that took place between 1935-1950.

As part of its activities, the Foundation is offering the 'Mary Langman Prize'; an annual award for an essay that furthers the lessons learnt at the Pioneer Health Centre about the social, emotional and environmental contribution health.

Mary Langman was personal assistant to Dr George Scott Williamson who with Dr Innes Pearse founded the Peckham Experiment. She ran Oakley Farm at Bromley Common which produced organic food for the Experiment, and founded and ran 'Wholefood', the ground breaking organic shop in Baker Street, London. She worked closely with Lady Eve Balfour of the Soil Association, and was one of its founder members with George Scott Williamson and Innes Pearse. After Scott Williamson's death, she assisted Innes Pearse in the editing of his papers, put together in the book 'Science Synthesis and Sanity'.

It is believed that the Peckham Experiment, the emergent hypothesis and the findings, bring together a nexus of ideas that are beginning to be seen as central to problems facing society today.

Mary Langman made a generous bequest to the Pioneer Health Foundation and wefeel it appropriate to use it in the creation of an intellectual platform and philosophical basis that is rational, ethical and inspired.

The Mary Langman prize will be awarded annually for an essay of not more than 3000 words which shows an understanding of the principles of the Peckham Experiment, which identifies key aspects, and which explains their relevance to today's issues. The competition is open to all students studying at Universities and Higher Education institutions in the U.K. The title of the essay is 'The Relevance of the Peckham Experiment in the 21st Century'.

Register your intent to enter by 30 October 2009.  The deadline for submissions is 1 January 2010.  Find out more.

Council for British Research in the Levant Awards 2010-11 (Posted 08/10/2009)

The Council for British Research in the Levant (CBRL) aims to promote, sponsor and carry out high-quality research in the humanities and social sciences throughout the countries of the Levant: Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria.

Further details of all CBRL award schemes for 2010-11 are now available on the CBRL website.

Applications are invited for the following schemes:

• Research Awards - closing date: 1 December 2009
• Pilot Studies and Pump Priming Awards - closing date: 1 December 2009
• Travel Grants - closing date: 15 January 2010
• Visiting Research Fellowships - closing date: 15 January 2010

Second Consultation on Research Excellence Framework released (Posted 07/10/2009)

HEFCE has released the second consultation on the Research Excellence Framework.

Highlights of discussion point include:

1. Replacement of Esteem by Impact.
2. Standardisation of weighting: Outputs 60%/Impact 25%/Environment 15%.
3. Reduction of output items from 4 to 3 and double-weighting of monographs (to reduce amount Panel members need to read).
4. Merged Panels; Sociology to be joined with Anthropology.
5. A pilot study will be undertaken to check a proposed methodology for the assessment of impact.

Deadline for consultation is 16 December 2009.  Download the Digest of Consultation questions.

Social Policy Digest - September 2009 update now available online (Posted 07/10/2009)

The Social Policy Digest provides up-to-date listings of policy developments, practice changes, research reports and publications in the whole range of social policy areas, complete with links to original documents and related comment/press coverage. The archive of material, dating back to 2002, now contains some 24,000 items. The September 2009 update is now available online.

The Social Policy Digest was recently made a freely accessible resource.

The Social Policy Digest site has also been redesigned, and now provides a listing of the latest news items in social policy, updated on a near-daily basis. An RSS/Atom newsfeed is also available.

AHRC/ESRC Public Policy Fellowships - Pilot scheme (Posted 02/10/2009)

Overview

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) are pleased to announce a co-funded pilot Public Policy Fellowship Scheme.  AHRC/ESRC Public Policy Fellowships will provide opportunities for arts and humanities and social science researchers to spend time within partner organisations to undertake policy relevant research, to develop research skills and facilitate knowledge exchange within Government, public sector organisations and across academic networks.  Public Policy Fellowships also encourage colleagues from partner organisations to spend time within academic units to work on an agreed project(s) and to increase their research skills.  Fellowships will be jointly-funded by the AHRC and/or ESRC as appropriate, and with Public Sector partners while the Fellows will remain employed by their institution or organisation.

Public Policy Fellowship opportunities are normally for 3-6 months in duration but placements up to 12 months might be considered.  Fellowships can be on a full or part-time basis.  Applicants should currently be employed at a university (or have a university willing to manage the award on their behalf), other similar research-based organisations or a recognised Independent Research Organisation.  

In addition to Public Sector partners, Public Policy Fellowships with business and Third Sector partners are encouraged where the research has a policy focus.

Output and Impact
ESRC and AHRC require Fellows to submit a short end of award report within one month of the end of the Fellowship stating the benefits of the Fellowship to the Fellow, the HEI and the partner organisation and any short or longer term impacts that are anticipated.  A short report is also required from the Fellow's line manager.

Fellows are encouraged to hold seminars during their Fellowship to pass on their methodologies, skills and knowledge to the partner organisation and to other stakeholders where appropriate.

Further information about specific AHRC/ESRC Public Policy Fellowship Opportunities will be announced shortly.

For more information on this pilot Scheme contact Lesley Lilley.

Invitation to Tender: vinspiredstudents research - student volunteers and the volunteering involving community organisations (Posted 02/10/2009)

The National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement vinspiredstudents programme invites interested parties to tender for a research project which will play a key role in developing the evidence base around student volunteering in the UK.

The research project has two dual aims:

• Contribute to the development of a robust evidence base for student volunteering in the UK.
• Further explore and define the role of universities and students' unions within the volunteering landscape.

Information regarding the tender can be accessed via the University of Bristol's e-tendering system.

Further information is available on request. Please do not hesitate to contact David Owen if you have any questions or further enquiries relating to the tender.

Mixed Messages: Researchers' Perceptions of Research Assessment affects what they publish and why - new RIN report published (Posted 02/10/2009)

A new report Communicating knowledge: how and why UK researchers publish and disseminate their findings published by the Research Information Network (RIN) and JISC shows how researchers are concerned by what they perceive as mixed messages about the channels they should use to communicate their research findings. The report highlights the need for more consistent and effective guidance from funders and higher educational institutions. If they wish to encourage researchers to disseminate their work through a variety of channels as well as in high-status journals, they must give stronger and more positive messages about how those channels will be valued when it comes to assessing researchers' performance they must give stronger and more positive messages about how those channels will be valued when it comes to assessing researchers' performance.

The rise in investment in research over the last ten years has been accompanied by an increasing emphasis on measuring, assessing and evaluating research, its outputs and impact. Commissioned by the RIN in conjunction with JISC, this report investigates how researchers' perceptions of how they are being assessed affects their decisions on when, where and how to publish and disseminate their findings. It demonstrates the significant variations between researchers in different disciplines not only in the dissemination channels they use, but also in their patterns of collaboration (and how they acknowledge the contributions that members of a team have made), and in how they decide cite the work of others.

All these patterns of behaviour are changing, in part as a result of technological developments. And there are signs that the citation practices, for example, of younger researchers are different from those of their more senior colleagues. But the readiness with which outputs in the form of scholarly journal articles can be assessed and measured has underpinned their increasing dominance over all other forms of publication and dissemination. Researchers' perceptions and understanding of the messages they receive from funders and from universities may often be mistaken, but they influence what researchers publish and how, and they give rise to real concerns. Many researchers see a damaging tension between their desire to communicate via channels which enable them to reach and influence their intended audiences - often beyond academia - as rapidly as possible, and the pressures to publish in high-status journals. Changes in assessment procedures, whether via the Research Excellence Framework (REF) or from other sources, will change researchers' behaviour further. Many are already considering citing their colleagues' work more often.

The report provides important evidence for funders and policy makers, as well as for the research community, in the continuing consultations about the future mechanisms for assessing research performance. It also shows that it is necessary for this to be an ongoing process to keep monitoring the changes in technology and research practices. It is important that changes in those mechanisms are based on a detailed understanding of both the behaviours and the motivations of researchers across the full range of disciplines and subjects.

A short podcast interviewing Michael Jubb, Director of the RIN and Neil Jacobs, Programme Manager Information Environment at JISC is also available.

Virtual Research Environment Collaborative Landscape Study (Posted 02/10/2009)

You are invited to participate in an online survey on on-line research collaboration in Virtual Research Environments (VREs). The focus of the study (funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) and jointly undertaken by King's College London and the University of Oxford) is to scope developments in VREs around the world, across all disciplines.

The study aims to stimulate debate about the benefits of research collaboration facilitated by Virtual Research Environments so as to assist the UK Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) to provide services and strategies to support it.

What is a VRE?

"...a Virtual Research Environment (VRE) is an an online framework of collaborative tools and resources that allow researchers to share and re-use data, combine services, and undertake tasks to promote new collaborative research practices...."

If you are a user, manager, information specialist, developer, or provide support for VREs, your input would be most welcome. Answering the questions will take about 20 minutes - your input and experiences will help others to develop and support a better on-line infrastructure for research!

Take part in the survey. The survey will close 24/10/2009.

The project is being undertaken by the Centre for e-Research at King's College London and the Oxford e-Research Centre at the University of Oxford.

The Science of Generosity: Research Funding (Posted 01/10/2009)

The Science of Generosity at the University of Notre Dame is pleased to announce the commencement of its second letter of inquiry (LOI) submission period for those interested in seeking research funding to study generosity in the human and social sciences.  Proposed project budgets are restricted to $150,000 or less for a project period of approximately 20 months.  LOIs will be accepted for review and full proposal consideration through 5.00pm (EST), 1 December 2009.  Selection of LOIs for full proposal development will be made in February 2010.  Complete information can be found at the Science of Generosity website.

The aim of this initiative is to stimulate scientific research on the practice of generosity in human life and society. We are particularly interested in better understanding three key aspects of generosity:

• the sources, origins, and causes of generosity
• the variety of manifestations and expressions of generosity
• the consequences of generosity for both the givers and receivers involved

The University of Notre Dame Request For Proposals (RFP) initiative in the study of the Science of Generosity is supported with funds from the John Templeton Foundation.

ISA Calls for Nominations (Posted 01/10/2009)

The International Sociological Association has issued a call for nominations for the eight places on the Executive Committee as well as for the Presidency and the five Vice-Presidencies. Nominees have to be paid up ISA members and have the backing of two other ISA members.

The deadline for delivery of nomination documentation to the ISA is 31 January 2010.  See the ISA website for more information.

Academy of the Social Sciences: Nominations for academician (Posted 29/09/2009)

The deadline for the winter round of nominations for academicians for the Academy of the Social Sciences will close on Friday, 18 December 2009.  Forms and guidelines can be downloaded from the homepage of the Academy of Social Sciences website.

Postgraduate Opportunity - Sociology of Religion Study Group (Posted 14/09/2009)

Sarah-Jane Page, the SOCREL Postgraduate Liaison Officer, will be stepping down from the role at the next SOCREL Annual Conference, after submitting her PhD thesis. This will leave the Group with a vacancy.

Are you interested in being the SOCREL Postgraduate Liaison Officer?

The new appointment will work with the rest of the SOCREL committee to make sure that student members of SOCREL are kept up-to-date with matters of specific interest to them. They will also facilitate contact between student members and the SOCREL committee. In return for their hard work and dedication, the Group offers the Postgraduate Liaison Officer free places at SOCREL events and all travel expenses are reimbursed. The appointment will also enable the Liaison Officer to make many worthwhile contacts with people in the SOCREL community and will, of course, enhance the Officer's CV.

The Liaison Officer's tasks include:

• Circulating information to other postgraduates via the postgraduate e-mail distribution list. This includes the weekly job list.
• Obtaining feedback from the postgraduate community about their experiences within SOCREL by administering an annual electronic questionnaire.
• Helping organise postgraduate workshops/events.
• Representing the interests of Postgraduate members at the AGM.
• Writing an annual report on postgraduate activities, presented at the AGM.
• Helping to organise (with the Study Group Chair) the 'Religion' stream at the BSA annual conference.
• Offering general support to postgraduate SOCREL members.

If you would like to become the new Postgraduate Liaison Officer, send an e-mail to Sarah-Jane by 31 October 2009. Include a statement about why you want to become the Postgraduate Liaison Officer and attach a CV. Informal enquiries about the role can be addressed to Sarah-Jane at the same address. The role will become vacant at next year's SOCREL Annual Conference (due to take place April 2010) giving you plenty of time to learn about the role from Sarah-Jane. We will offer you all the support you need to settle in.

Professor Peter Townsend's Katharine Buildings Study, 1957-62 - Call for Information (Posted 04/09/2009)

Rosalind Edwards and Val Gillies are conducting a qualitative secondary analysis of material from Professor Townsend's unpublished Katharine Buildings study, which has been archived through Qualidata at Essex University.  They would like to contact anyone who knows anything about this study to ask them some questions about the research process.

If you can help, please contact:  Rosalind Edwards, telephone: 0207 815 5795 OR Val Gillies, telephone: 0207 815 5875.

Jo Campling Memorial Essay Prize 2009 (Posted 06/08/2009)

The editorial board of Ethics & Social Welfare is delighted to announce the award of the Jo Campling Memorial Prize for the best student essay (maximum length 3,000 words) on a theme relevant to 'ethics and social welfare'. The author of the prize-winning essay will be awarded £500 and one year's free subscription to the journal. Two further prizes will also be given of £50 each and a free journal subscription.  Find out more>> 

The deadline for submissions is 30 September 2009.

Call for New BSA Trustees/Council Members (Posted 22/07/2009)

The BSA has a trustee vacancy. Thinking ahead and succession planning, someone who feels they can contribute to monitoring and controlling the finances of the association as a potential future Treasurer is sought. Emmanuelle Tulle, whose term of office as Treasurer ends June 2010, will be replaced by Eric Harrison, the current Vice Treasurer. Hence the Vice Treasurer's post will become vacant.

If you are interested please send a short statement detailing any relevant experience and skills you could bring to the role. Please send this to Kerry Collins (Company Secretary) at the BSA officeon or before 28 August 2009. This will enable an election to take place before the next Council meeting on 9 October 2009.

Applicants to become new Council members need to be proposed by any other fully paid up member of the BSA. If elected you will become a trustee of the association (trustee training is provided) and, in the first instance you will be expected to attend three Council meetings a year. The Council focuses on three main areas of business - governance, publications and membership services - and the successful trustee will be active under governance.

Deadline: Friday, 28 August 2009.  For an informal discussion please contact Emmanuelle Tulle.

Winners of the Data Review Prize Draw (Posted 22/07/2009)

Very warm thanks to all who sent in their Data Review Forms in time for the prize draw deadline of 29 June 2009.  We had approximately 2000 entries and three winners were chosen at random by Judith Mudd, Chief Executive.

Congratulations to the winners!

• Reverend Graham Stacey, Kings College London
• Dr Mairi A. S. Levitt, University of Lancaster
• Professor Raf Vanderstraeten, University of Ghent

Each winner will receive £100 worth of books from SAGE Publications. The prize has been generously donated by SAGE, our publishing partner for the Sociology, Work, Employment and Society and Cultural Sociology journals.  SAGE has always generously supported our efforts to promote the discipline and this is greatly appreciated.

SAGE Publications is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology and medicine. An independent company, SAGE has principal offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC.

Vitae is inviting bids to a new £100,000 fund to promote innovation in the personal, professional and career development of researchers (Posted 29/06/2009)
Vitae has announced today the first funding stream of a new initiative to promote innovation in the personal, professional and career development of researchers.

Bids are invited for any amount up to the full £100,000 to pay for projects taking anything up to two years to complete, funding up to 100% of a project. Vitae are inviting bids from individuals, organisations or consortiums with an interest in researcher development.

This funding stream of £100,000 is the first round to support innovative projects.

Bids must be submitted by 31st July 2009 and further information from Vitae can be found here.

International Benchmarking Review of UK Sociology (Posted 24/06/2009)

The ESRC, the British Sociological Association (BSA) and the Heads & Professors of Sociology (HAPS) have formed a partnership in order to internationally benchmark the quality and impact of UK Sociology.

The Review is managed by a Steering Group (PDF) of senior academics and users of sociology research, chaired by Professor Sue Scott, immediate past President of the BSA. The Review will be undertaken by a Panel (PDF) of leading international experts who will consider a number of sources of evidence and visit the UK, in October 2009, in order to discuss the standing of UK Sociology with academics and research users. After the visit the Panel will prepare its report.  The public launch of the report is planned for early 2010.

The review partners will be careful to ensure that there is no overlap between the Review and the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. This goal should be easily achieved as the purposes of these activities are very different. In particular, the benchmarking review will assess the international standing and contribution of the discipline as a whole and will not make judgements about individual departments. The Panel will be informed of the outcomes of the RAE as part of the evidence that they will use in order to benchmark UK Sociology internationally.

The Review will not cover the areas of Social Policy or Social Work. These areas will be benchmarked on another occasion using assessment methods and criteria which are appropriate for these more nationally, policy and practice focused disciplines. This approach will also ensure that the scope and remit of the International Benchmarking Review of UK Sociology is well defined and manageable.

For queries about the ESRC's International Benchmarking activity, please contact Pui-Yee Chan.

Sociology Journal Editorial Board 2010-2012 - Call for Nominations (Posted 16/06/2009)

Nominations are invited for seven new members of the Sociology editorial board to serve for three years from January 2010 - see the Call for Nominations for further details.  Download the application form.  The completed form should be submitted no later than 1 September 2009.

 e-pisteme, A Postgraduate Electronic Journal - Call for Peer-Reviewers (Posted 16/06/2009)

e-pisteme, a postgraduate electronic journal based in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Newcastle University, is currently looking for peer-reviewers in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.  Applications from PhD students are particularly encouraged.

If you are interested in becoming a peer-reviewer for e-pisteme, please download the Peer-Review Information Form available on the e-pisteme website, and e-mail it to e-pisteme together with an up-to-date CV.

e-pisteme conducts double-blind peer reviews on all submitted articles.  Visit the e-pisteme website for further information about the peer-review process.

Nominations for Academicians in the Academy of the Social Sciences  (Posted 03/06/2009)
The Nominations Committee will next meet in July 2009 and nominations can be accepted by the office at any time until 30 June 2009. The current forms and updated guidance notes (including a summary of the process and timescales) can be downloaded from the Academy website. An announcement of the outcome of the process will be made early in October, following the September meeting of the AcSS Council.

New International website for Applied Sociologists/Sociologists Outside Academia (Posted 24/04/2009)

The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) has awarded their Applied Sociologists Thematic Group funding to launch an International web site for Applied sociologists/sociologists outside academia. The website called "Sociology At Work" will serve four primary functions. 

First, it will host an online forum to enable applied sociologists to network, as well hosting other resources that promote and support the work of applied sociologists. All members will be able to post their biographies and to make their profiles available to the public. 

Second, the site will host a free online publication that will feature the research activities of applied sociologists, including shorter refereed articles and general interest papers where contributors can reflect upon their career trajectories or offer anecdotes about their activities and research. The first edition is expected to be launched in December 2009.

Third, the site will address the employment needs of sociology graduates, by offering career planning advice, job vacancy notices, and other materials that provide guidance on how to maximise a sociology degree beyond a university setting.

Fourth, the site will aid cooperation between universities, government, industry and non-government organisations, by encouraging workplaces to register their interest to host sociology interns in their respective home countries.  This workplace register seeks to establish and strengthen industry links to groups that may not be currently visible to universities, by tapping into our members' professional networks.

The BSA's specialist group Sociologists Outside Academia has built up a relationship with Australian convenor Zuleyka Zevallos and will help get the website up and running.

Zuleyka has put a call out for further help and their are vacancies for the following resources and roles:

• Resources, papers and other materials of interest to applied sociologists
• Forum moderators
• Newsletter editors
• Reviewers

If you think you would like to get involved with the website or want further information, please get in contact with Annika Coughlin, Co-convenor of the BSA's Sociologists Outside Academia group who will put you in touch with Zuleyka.

Vacancy - Co-convenor of the BSA Postgraduate Forum (17/04/2009)

Lara Killick, one of the BSA's Postgraduate Forum convenors, will soon submit her PhD thesis. This will leave us with a vacancy on the team of four.

Are you interested in being a Postgraduate Forum Convenor?

Being a Postgraduate Forum (PGF) Convenor is a very rewarding experience both personally and professionally. The role of PGF Convenors is to make sure that student members of the association are kept up to date with matters of specific interest to them. Convenors facilitate contact between student members, and between student members and the BSA Council.

Please see the announcement for more details. If you're interested in hearing about experiences directly from one of our convenors, send an email to the PG Forum.

If you would like to join the PGF team, send an email to the BSA. Include a short note about why you want to co-convene the PGF and attach a CV. All shortlisted candidates will be contacted, and unsuccessful applicants will be informed via email.

Submission deadline: Friday, 15 May 2009.

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ESRC/MRC call in Addictions (30/03/2009)
The ESRC and MRC have recently announced a new strategic initiative to help accelerate the impact of research into public health benefit in the area of addiction and substance misuse.

The ESRC is particularly keen to see a number of applications led by the social science research community and in order to try to encourage this a meeting will be held for interested applicants from the social science community on 17 April 2009 between 10am and 1pm in London.

Further details can be found on the ESRC website. Call closes 11 May 2009.

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BSA Food Study Group seeks new co-convenor/s (25/03/2009)

The food study group (SCOFF) is currently one of the most active study groups of the BSA. Its aims are to promote the sociological analysis of any aspect of food production and consumption and the group meets several times each year for informal seminars in London and Edinburgh. Last summer the group organised an international conference on Food, Society and Public Health which attracted more than 130 delegates.

The time has come to find a new co-convenor to strengthen the group's activities in Scotland. Sue Gregory (University of Edinburgh) after many years involvement with the food study group, as an active member, a member of the advisory committee and more recently as co-convenor, is taking retirement. Debra Gimlin (University of Aberdeen), whilst happy to share the role of co-convenor with someone new, is equally happy to stand down to let 'new blood' reinvigorate the group's Scottish activities. Wendy Wills (University of Hertfordshire) will remain as co-convenor for the rest of the UK.

The new co-convenor, who should be a BSA member (from any category, including students), will need to be based in Scotland and bring enthusiasm to galvanising the membership to meet regularly and organise themed seminars and events. An interest in the sociology of food is a prerequisite!

If you are interested or would like to find out more about what the role will entail, please contact Wendy Wills, Sue Gregory or Debra Gimlin as soon as possible. We would hope that the new co-convenor (or convenors  - the role could be shared by more than one person) would take on this role by Sept-2009.

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Health Sociology Review - Call for New Editorial Team (19/03/2009)

The TASA Executive seeks to appoint a new editorial team for the journal Health Sociology Review for the four-year term 2010-2013.

Applicants must be TASA members and must be able to demonstrate interest and involvement in the sociology of health (broadly defined). Applications for Associate Editors are particularly welcomed from TASA members living outside of Australia.  Find out more.

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Sociology - Special Issue Call for Papers (18/03/2009)

In the last 40 years, there have been enormous transformations in the theorisation of sexuality, which have had significance for social and cultural theory.  Sexuality is now central to much groundbreaking work by sociologists and to contemporary public interest and policy making.  Sociology 2010 Special Issue aims to theorise and develop new understandings of sexuality and intersectionality.  Deadline for submissions: 31 July 2009.  Queries to Mark Casey.  Download the Call for Papers.

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Work, Employment and Society Conference 2010:  Invitation to Tender (24/02/2009)
Every three years Work, Employment and Society organises a conference.  The previous conferences at the Universities of Aberdeen, Kent, Cambridge, Nottingham and UMIST have been very successful events, attracting large numbers of national and international contributions.  The editorial board of the journal is now inviting expressions of interest from organising teams who would like to host the September 2010 Conference, entitled Work, Employment and Society Conference 2010.  Download the Invitiation to Tender.

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Call for Nominations - Sociology of Health & Illness Book of the Year (18/02/2009)

The Sociology of Health and Illness Book of the Year is now accepting nominations for the 2009 prize.

The prize of £1,000 is awarded annually at the BSA Medical Sociology Group Annual Conference to the author(s) or editor(s) of the book making the most significant contribution to medical sociology / sociology of health and illness and having been published over the three years preceding the 1st January of the year in which the award is made, ie: January 2006 to December 2008 for the 2009 prize.

A Nomination Form and Book Prize Rules are available to download where you can also find a list of previous winners.

The winner will be announced at the Medical Sociology Annual Conference, which will take place at the University of Manchester from the 3rd to 5th of September 2009. For more details on this event please visit the SHI Book Prize webpage. 

Should you have an enquiry about the book prize, please contact Sandra Harris.

Call for New BSA Trustees/Council Members (11/02/2009)

The BSA has four trustee vacancies. If you are interested, please send your name and contact details and a short statement detailing your interest and the particular skills that you could bring to the role to Kerry Collins (Company Secretary) at the BSA office on or before the deadline of Friday, 6 March 2009.

Applicants need to be a fully paid-up member of the BSA and need to be proposed by any other fully paid-up member of the BSA. A separate email supporting the nomination should be sent by the proposer to Kerry Collins as above.

If elected, you will become a trustee of the Association as well as a company director. Trustee training is provided but applicants are advised to read the available guidance before applying. We recommend the following:  Governance basics from the NCVO and Responsibilities of a company director from Companies House.

Trustees are expected to attend three Council meetings a year. The Council focuses on three main areas of business - governance, publications and membership services - and all trustees are active in at least one of these areas.
 
For an informal discussion please contact Rob Mears (Council Chair).

C-SAP Associate Scheme 2009 (08/01/2009)

C-SAP are pleased to announce the third year of applications and nominations for Associates is now open. All interested Applicants must complete the attached proforma and submit it to C-SAP by no later than Monday 9 February 2009.

C-SAP Associate status is awarded to individuals who have developed an area of innovation or pedagogic interest but are yet to have received national recognition. Associates are awarded a £1000 grant and expected to use £500 for their professional development and £500 for a workshop or activity within their own department. Guidelines and information about the role are available on the C-SAP website.

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