Latest News Archive

Abstract Submission now open for BSA Annual Conference (23/07/2008)

We're delighted to announce that abstract submission for the next annual conference is now open. Last date for submission is Friday, 26 September 2008. Please visit the Annual Conference webpage for further details.

International Benchmarking Review of UK Sociology (15/07/2008)

In 2005, the ESRC launched a major programme of international benchmarking reviews to assess the comparative performance of disciplines in the UK.

The Council works in partnership with professional bodies to benchmark the UK social sciences against international standards. This is an important and high-profile initiative to highlight the standing and contribution of UK disciplines, identify ways of enhancing performance and capacity, and to promote future research agendas.

The results of the ESRC’s International Benchmarking Reviews will probably suggest actions for the profession, funders and users of research. Whilst there may be recommendations for the ESRC, the outcomes more>>

Looking for data on health? (20/06/2008)

ESDS has created a suite of web pages to aid researchers looking specifically for data on health and health behaviour.

As a theme, 'health' covers a wide range of topics and cuts across many academic disciplines: the boundaries of what constitutes health data and health research are both fuzzy and shifting. Data have been collected and are made available via the ESDS on topics as varied as the experience of illness, child development, access to care, lifestyle behaviour, subjective physical and mental well-being, diet and nutrition, immunisation programmes and attitudes towards health service provision. Data on health can cover not only a person’s status, behaviour, attitudes and expectations but also the provision of health care, including the mechanics of policy making, government expenditure and service coverage.

The ESDS thematic health pages contain case studies, pointers to key data sources, ready-made searches demonstrating how to find health-related data, and web-based videos to showcase ESDS’s online data exploration tools. The ESDS resources section contains overview and work-through guides and presentations. The presentations are from workshops organised by ESDS where expert speakers talk about data they have created or re-use of data.

The web-based videos demonstrate how researchers can view frequencies, conduct simple online tabulations, and produce graphs and subsets for a selection of health-related data, all using ESDS’s online data exploration tools.

New Website Initiative for Graduates (19/06/2008)

The Graduate Junction is a brand new site which gives research students an easy way of making contact with others who share their research interests no matter which department, institution or country they work in.

The Graduate Junction has been created by two graduate research students, who felt isolated within their own research projects. This isolation was lessened at conferences, where graduate researchers can meet others performing similar research. However, relevant conferences don't happen all the time. The other primary information source for research, published literature, is essential but can only inform on completed work. The Graduate Junction provides the first online meeting place for graduate research students from any background so that you can find out what research is currently being done by your fellow students.

The Graduate Junction also has a bold vision to break down the disciplinary and national boundaries that exist in research. Our own experiences have taught us that research in different subject areas has much overlap. The Graduate Junction allows links to be made based on research keywords rather than subject area, department or institution. Visit The Graduate Junction today!

NESTA gives researchers room to experiment together (02/05/2008)

Thirty up and coming researchers from across the world of science and social science came together this weekend for the first of four innovation Labs being run by NESTA (The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts), designed to act as spring boards where researchers can take risks, and embark on new collaborations across a range of disciplines.

The Crucible programme is now in its fifth year and aims to inspire innovation by bringing together early career researchers from different disciplines, to develop new ideas and explore the wider potential that collaboration can bring to their work. This year Crucible has been expanded to consist of four residential Lab weekends, and an even wider range of participants who are encouraged to continue working together once the programme has completed.

Crucible 2008 sees the broadest range of disciplines collaborating on the programme yet. Participants this year include university-based researchers in as varied subjects as structural biology and nanotechnology; industry people from corporations such as Proctor & Gamble and ColorMatrix Europe; and fellows from institutes and universities from Dundee to Sussex, as well as the Wellcome Trust MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology.

One of the exceptional participants to attend the Labs this year is Hua Dong, a lecturer at Brunel University, and co-founder of the Human Centred Design Institute. Dong has recently published a book on the topic ‘Design for Inclusivity’. Also attending is Alison Holt, an ecologist and researcher from the Catchment Science Centre at the University of Sheffield. Alison is currently setting up a consultancy to deliver advice to public and private sector businesses....more>>

New Booklets from Intute: Social Sciences (09/04/2008)

Two new A5 subject booklets have been published by Intute: Social Sciences this month; "Internet resources for education" and "Internet resources for Olympic studies". The booklets offers a taster to some of the best online information resources for researching the Olympic Games and education studies, which have been selected, evaluated and made available through the Intute: Social Sciences Web catalogue.

These are two of eight new titles that are freely available in three different versions for ease of use. Print copies are available to order online; subject to availability. Online versions (PDF for downloading and printing, and html for online access with clickable links) are available via the Intute website.

Over 24 booklets have been published by Intute in recent years, and everyone is welcome to copy, re-purpose and distribute the booklets for non-profit, educational use with suitable attribution, as the work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence.

Attention all BSA Annual Conference Delegates - Changes to the advertised Conference Plenary Session (25/03/2008)

Due to unforeseen circumstances Professor Nikolas Rose has had to cancel his plenary on “The Normal and the Pathological: Managing Bodies and Minds in the Age of Molecular Medicine“ which was scheduled for 14:00hrs on Saturday, 29th March. Professor John Urry will now present “Complexity and Climate Change” - further details can be found on the Annual Conference Plenary Speakers webpage.

UK Scientists to Tackle Problems of the Developing World (20/03/2008)

An innovative new scheme that will match-make UK scientists with communities in the developing world facing particular problems will launch today with support from the National Endowment for Science, technology & the Arts and the Sloane Robinson Foundation.

Established as a new not-for-profit organisation, ‘Science for Humanity’ will bring together scientists, international development agencies like Practical Action, and local social enterprises to develop workable and sustainable science based solutions to specific problems in developing world communities.

Issues around water, energy, disease diagnosis and treatment, environmental sustainability and agriculture will all be posed to scientists from across a range of disciplines, who will be encouraged to come forward with ideas for potential solutions.

Science for Humanity will then work with scientists, NGOs and a wide range of community partners on the ground to help raise the necessary funds and provide support for those ideas to be put into practice.

Scientists who would like to get involved or who think their research could have broader applications in the developing world are being encouraged to sign up www.scienceforhumanity.net.

Intute Social Sciences Blog: Favourite Blogs - Sociology (07/03/2008)

As part of the Festival of Social Sciences, Intute are running a series of articles on their favourite social sciences blogs - today's being on Sociology. Find out who Suzanne Barbalet has identified as her favourites at Intute: Social Sciences Blog.

Nominations for Associate Board Members of Sociology (07/03/2008)

Nominations are invited to join the Associate Board of the BSA journal, Sociology. Nominations should be submitted by Friday, 25 April 2008. Download the Invitation to Join the Associate Board of the BSA journal, Sociology and Application Form.

Sociology of Religion - New Postgraduate Essay Competition (12/02/2008)

There are still nearly three weeks to go until the deadline for entries to the new Postgraduate Essay Competition (28th February 2008).

The aim of the essay competition is to encourage new scholars in the Sociology of Religion. Essays are welcome from postgraduates at all stages of their studies and on any aspect of contemporary religion grounded in a sociological perspective. The winning essay will receive £100, and there will also be an opportunity to publish the winning entry in the Journal of Contemporary Religion, subject to the journal's normal peer review processes. Full details are on the Sociology of Religion Study Group's website - there is also a poster available for download.

Pandemic Influenza Study at LSE (12/02/2008)

A team at the London School of Economics and the University of Edinburgh is currently making a study of the United Kingdom's preparedness for responding to an epidemic influenza (Pandemic Influenza). As part of this project, they are trying to assemble a database of social scientists (interpreted very widely) who have expertise in any areas which might inform such a study. The team would be most grateful if people with such interests and expertise would send them a note of their names, institutional affiliation(s), qualifications and relevant research experience, and any significant publications which may be relevant to the study. It may be the case that people have been researching responses to disasters or other infectious disease epidemics - their experience would be relevant as well.

If you are working (or have worked) on the sorts of projects mentioned above could you please send an email to A S Barnett "PI socscien" in the subject field.

Call for Applications for Sociology Editorship (07/02/2008)

Applications are invited for a new Editorial Team from one or more universities to take over the editorship of the BSA's journal, Sociology. Please visit the Publications Vacancies page for further details. Completed applications should reach the BSA Office by Friday, 14 March 2008.

Call for Expressions of Interest - C-SAP Staff Project Funding 2008-09 (25/01/2008)

C-SAP are pleased to announce our eighth round of funding and support for the development of learning and teaching. C-SAP funding is available for staff in UK universities and colleges delivering HE programmes in Sociology, Anthropology, Politics and in the cognate interdisciplinary areas of Criminology, Gender Studies and Race and Ethnic Studies.

You can bid for a maximum of £15,000 to work with fellow staff in an area of learning, teaching and training issues of concern to you.

Projects could explore one of the following themes:

Assessment and Feedback.
Employer Engagement and Employability.
Internationalisation.
Learning Environments.
E-learning.
Gender, Equality and Diversity.
Widening Participation, Recruitment and Retention.

C-SAP will be happy to discuss any ideas for projects and to provide feedback on draft applications. Deadline for bids: 4 February 2008.

To receive further details and to download an application visit C-SAP’s website, alternatively, email Mike Buckle or telephone: 0121 414 7919.

Call for proposals for the 16th Sociology of Health and Illness monograph (25/01/2008)

Proposals are invited for the sixteenth volume in the monograph series to be published by Sociology of Health and Illness in conjunction with Blackwell Publishers. The Board of the journal considers all proposals for the Monograph series at the first board meeting of each year. The monograph will be between 70,00 and 72,000 words in length comprising between 8 and 10 peer-reviewed papers and will appear both as a regular issue of the journal and in book form. The planned publication date is September 2010. more>>

Vacancies on the BSA PG Forum Team (22/01/2008)

Two of our postgraduate forum convenors, Kerrin Clapton and Ruth Lewis, will soon submit their PhD theses. This will leave us with two vacancies on the team of four.

Would you be interested in being a Postgraduate Forum Convenor?

The new appointments will work with our remaining convenors, Lara Killick and Samantha Caslin, to make sure that student members of the Association are kept up to date with matters of specific interest to them. They will also facilitate contact between student members and between student members and the BSA Council.

The Convenors’ tasks include:

Circulating information to other postgraduates via the Postgraduate Forum email distribution list;
Keeping the Postgraduate Forum pages of the BSA website up to date;
Making contributions to Network;
Assisting with the processing of BSA Support Fund applications by joining the panel of members who grant awards from the Fund;
Helping organise the Postgraduate Workshops/events at the BSA Annual Conference;
Representing the interests of Postgraduate members at Council meetings.

Review the Job Description for the role.

If you would like to join the PGF team, please email the BSA for more information and how to apply. The submission deadline is: Friday, 1st February 2008.

In Memory of Anne Witz (19/11/2007)

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

This to let you that there will be a one day Colloquium in memory of Anne Witz, entitled 'Embodying Gendered Sociality', at Keele University on Saturday 10th May 2008. The title is an attempt to encapsulate the major themes of Anne's work, but we don't want this to be interpreted narrowly, rather we want to celebrate her contribution to sociology and especially to feminist theory, work and organisations and questions of embodiment. We would like to hear from any of you who would like to give a paper or to organise some other kind of presentation e.g a roundtable discussion, by Friday 4th January (contact Sue Scott, details below). Do please forward this information to anyone you think would like to present and or attend. More information and a detailed programme will be sent out in January. We hope that you will be able to come.

All best wishes,
Sue Scott and Stevi Jackson

C-SAP confirmed as BSA Annual Conference Dinner Sponsor (13/11/2007)

We are delighted to confirm that the Centre for Sociology, Anthropology and Politics (C-SAP) will be the exclusive sponsors of the conference dinner at the BSA Annual Conference 2008.

This sponsorship agreement sees the linking of two key organisations within sociology. Conference delegates will benefit from C-SAP’s active involvement during the conference dinner as it will provide a unique opportunity to discuss how C-SAP aim to promote a scholarly and disciplinary-specific approach to the innovation and reform of learning and teaching in the social sciences.

The BSA’s Annual Conference is to be held at the University of Warwick on 28^th – 30^th March 2008 and this year’s theme of Social Worlds, Natural Worlds is attracting a vast amount of attention across social science networks. The conference dinner sponsored by C-SAP will be held in the Panorama Suite at the University of Warwick on Friday 28^th March 2008.

Auto/Biography Publishing Developments (12/11/2007)

From 2008, the Auto/Biography Study Group will be publishing (through Clio Press) an annual Auto/Biography Yearbook. This will be a high quality hardback of 75K words containing some of the best articles in the area of auto/biography produced the previous year. The Auto/Biography Yearbook will be edited by Andrew Sparkes. All submissions will be peer reviewed. Articles for consideration for the Yearbook should be sent to Professor Andrew Sparkes, School of Sport Sciences, University of Exeter, Heavitree Road, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK. A publicity leaflet for the Yearbook will be distributed in December of this year and copies of the Yearbook will be on sale at the annual BSA conference in March.

C-SAP E-Learning Survey (08/11/2007)

The Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Sociology, Anthropology, Politics (C-SAP), is undertaking a scoping study of e-learning use across UK social science departments. The survey will be conducted across two main phases, the first being an online questionnaire available until early January 2008. This consists of 6 sections, dealing with different aspects of e-learning use, with mandatory and optional questions, and should take about 20 minutes to complete. The web address is: http://www.survey.bris.ac.uk/csap/elearning.

No personal data is required, however in the second phase of the survey, between January to March 2008, C-SAP will carry out a number of further telephone interviews with a selection of respondents who leave contact details, and indicate that they are willing to participate. All those who leave contact details will be put forward for a randomly drawn prize of £100 in book tokens. C-SAP would like to encourage as many people as possible to complete the survey - whether you are teaching staff, senior departmental staff, technical specialists, or departmental support, if part of your work involves e-learning they would like to hear from you! This scoping exercise will help C-SAP understand in greater detail the variety of current practice with e-learning, in order for C-SAP to better support your needs in the future.

Social Scientists sought to help FSA meet Strategic Goal (31/10/2007)

The Food Standards Agency is looking to appoint a Chair and up to ten members of a new, independent Social Science Research Committee (SSRC).

The SSRC will play an important role in helping the Agency achieve its strategic goal of strengthening its capacity for social science research. It will advise and critically assess how the Agency gathers and uses social science evidence and advice. The Agency will rely on the SSRC to keep it in touch with relevant social science activity both in the UK and internationally, and to draw on wider expertise as appropriate to advise the Agency. Both Chair and members will therefore come from a variety of social science disciplines, be experts in their subjects, with proven academic or professional records, and have good links with a wide range of academics and research organisations.

An opportunity also exists for one lay member to be part of the Committee. The lay member will have experience of working on consumer issues and of working with others in a committee context. They will need to be able to work with the social science members to ensure that the Committee’s advice takes account of consumer concerns.

The deadline for applications is 7 December 2007. For more information or an application pack, please visit the FSA's website or call Jane Barrett on 020 7276 8263.

Visual Sociology Study Group - Call for Nominations (10/10/2007)

The BSA Visual Sociology Study Group is calling for nominations for 5 people to take on key roles in the Study Group Committee.

The call for nominations refers to the following committee roles:

Events Officer
Publicity Officer
Finance & Membership Officer
Postgraduate Membership & Liaison (x2)

Full details of the nomination process and committee roles can found here. Joint nominations for the posts are welcome.

1968 Conference - Booking Form Available (10/10/2007)

The British Sociological Association's Theory Study Group will be hosting a conference on the events of May 1968 in collaboration with the Birkbeck Institute of Social Research. The conference is timed to coincide with the fortieth anniversary of May 1968 and seeks to provide a forum for reflecting back on the events of that time as well as thinking about their implications for current and future endeavours – theoretical and political. Registration is open and a booking form is now available.

Places available: Theories of Race & Ethnicity MPhil Course (03/10/2007)

There are still places for this ten week evening course ran by Trinity College, Dublin, which will introduce participants to theories of ‘race’ and ‘ethnicity, locating ‘race’ within social, economic, political and ideological relations and situating ‘race’ and racism in relation to other divisions such as class and gender and to emerging changes in Irish society. Issues specific to Irish society will include the position of the Traveller community, the links between racialisation and the asylum/migration processes, and between racism and anti-racism. The course is given by lecturers who contribute to the MPhil in Ethnic and Racial Studies, which has been run by the Department of Sociology since 1987. It is open to all participants, but is specifically suited to public sector and NGO employees.

Proposal for New Study Group in Sociology of Rights (19/09/2007)

A group of BSA members are proposing to form a new BSA Study Group to bring together people interested in promoting the sociological study of rights. The group will embrace a wide range of rights based perspectives including for example: theories of rights, indigenous peoples, women's rights, social movements, transnational organisations, security and surveillance, conflict and divided societies, migration and environmental rights. However this list is not exhaustive and as the membership of the group grows, we would expect it to reflect the fields of interest of its members, whilst ensuring that it continues to focus on the core theme of human rights.

The aims of the group are:

To ensure a presence at BSA Conferences and events through establishing a sociology of rights stream;
To create an online community that can share information on developments in the field, job opportunities and forthcoming conferences;
To open up opportunities to promote the discipline of sociology and rights within universities that have a human rights focus;
To create links with other disciplines working in the field of human rights (for example law, politics and philosophy);
To communicate activities regularly to the BSA so that new people entering the field are aware of the group.

If you would like to participate, please email Michele Lamb with details of the institution that you are affiliated to and your area of interest. We will also need committee members so if you are interested in helping to run the group, please also let us know.

Volunteers Needed (14/08/2007)

Sociology has been a flagship journal of the BSA for forty years. Your opinion can help shape the Sociology of the future.

We would like to invite any BSA members attending the ESA conference in Glasgow to take part in a focus group on the journal. The focus group will take place on Tuesday 4th September from 2pm to 3.30pm.

Attendees will be asked to discuss the journal, what they feel are the positive and negative aspects of the journal and how they think it could be improved.

If you are interested in attending, please send an email to Libby Marks including your name, email address, sociological areas of interest and current position either within academia or outside. Please email by the 29th August 2007.

Call for New BSA Trustees/Council Members (07/08/07)

The BSA has five trustee vacancies. If you are interested please send a short statement detailing your interest and the particular skills you could bring to the role. Please send this to Kerry Collins (Company Secretary) at the BSA office on or before the deadline of Thursday, 30th August 2007. This will enable an election to take place before the next BSA Council meeting on 12th October 2007.

Applicants to become new Council members need to be a fully paid-up member of the BSA and also be proposed by any other fully paid-up member of the BSA. Click here for a Nomination Form.

If elected you will become a trustee of the Association (trustee training is provided) and be 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 Gayle Letherby (Council Chair).

Free Online Access to SAGE’s Sociology Journals - Free Trial! (07/08/07)
Get acquainted with SAGE’s many journals in Sociology now during their free online access period. SAGE are currently offering free full-text access to more than thirty journals until September 30, 2007! Register for free online access and you will gain immediate access to these and other high quality journals:

American Behavioral Scientist
Clothing & Textiles Research Journal
Cross-Cultural Research
Cultural Sociology
Current Sociology
Gender & Society
International Sociology
Journal of Black Studies
Journal of Contemporary Ethnography Journal of Sociology
Journal of Sport & Social Issues
Labor Studies Journal
Sociology
Space & Culture
Theory Culture & Society
Work, Employment and Society
Young
Youth & Society

Don’t forget to inform your colleagues and students so they can also take advantage of this special offer! We hope you enjoy your free trial to these highly read and cited journals published by SAGE.

The World of Sociology DVD - New Low Price! (26/07/07)

To further facilitate the promotion of Sociology as a discipline, we are delighted to be able to offer The World of Sociology DVD at a new low price of £19.99 + P&P. The DVD is designed to offer students considering a career in Sociology a unique insight into the world of Sociology. An invaluable resource for Heads of Department, teachers, careers advisors, etc. Buy your copy now!

Company Secretary Appointed (26/07/07)

The BSA are delighted to announce the appointment Kerry Collins as Company Secretary. Kerry graduated from Leeds University and is a qualified Chartered Management Accountant with over twenty years financial management experience within large retail and telecommunications companies. Kerry's role as Company Secretary is to oversee the financial, statutory and legal responsibilities of the Association as the Charities Commission increases it's requirements.

Sociology of Health and Illness Book of the Year 2007 (04/07/07)

The Sociology of Health and Illness Book Prize of £1,000 is awarded annualy each September to the author(s) or editor(s) of the book making the most significant contribution to the sub-discipline of medical sociology/sociology of health and illness and having been published over the three years preceeding 1st January 2007.

This year the following books have been short-listed:

Timmermans, Stefan. Postmortem: How Medical Examiners Explain Suspicious Deaths (University of Chicago Press 2006) nominated by Jonathan Gabe.
Dopson, S., Fitzgerald, L. Knowledge to Action? Evidence-Based Health Care in Context (Oxford University Press 2005) nominated by Jane Sandall.
Weinberg, D. Of Others Inside: Insanity, Addiction and Belonging in America (Temple University Press 2005) nominated by Dana Rosenfeld.
Lehoux, P. The Problem of Health Technology: Policy Implications for Modern Health Care Systems (Routledge 2006) nominated by Carl May.

The winner will be announced at the British Sociological Association Medical Sociology Group Annual Conference, which will be held at the Britannia Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool between 6th - 8th September 2007. For further information about the SHI Book Prize and the Medical Sociology Group Annual Conference, see the Medical Sociology Study Group webpage. Back to top.

Sociology Journal Focus Group (04/07/07)
Do you have views on the BSA journal Sociology? Rate it or slate it, we want to hear your feedback! The journal will be having a focus group at the ESA conference in Glasgow in September. Watch this space for further details. Back to top.

Sociology and its Public Face(s) Event - Wednesday, 5 September 2007 from 16.00 - 17.30 (04/07/07)
The BSA are proud to annouce a prestigious panel event based on the 40th anniversary special issue of 'Sociology' journal. More details to follow soon. Back to top.

Professor Richard Kemp Brown 1933 - 2007 (06/06/07)

Professor Richard Brown died at 7.30pm on Thursday, 31st May 2007. Richard was an outstanding contributor to sociology and a long-standing member of the British Sociological Association, having joined the association in March 1960, held the position of President from 1983-1985 and Editor of Work, Employment & Society journal from 1987-1989.

We have opened a Book of Condolence of the kind thoughts and memories we have received from members of the association on hearing the news. Should you wish to add your memories of Richard, e-mail them to Debbie Brown. Back to top.

Free Internet Sociologist Released (14/05/07)

A new edition of the FREE Internet Sociologist online tutorial has been released in the Intute: Virtual Training Suite at: http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/he/tutorial/sociologist

The tutorial, which teaches Internet research skills, has been completely updated and revised. Back to top.

SAGE Prizes for Innovation and/or Excellence - Winners announced! [19/04/07]

The BSA Annual Conference saw the launch of a new prize for BSA journals, the SAGE Prize for Innovation and/or Excellence. You can find more details about the prize on the Publications Prizes page. Congratulations to Liz Stanley and Sue Wise, and Roger Burrows and Nicholas Gane for winning the prize for their papers in Sociological Research Online and Sociology respectively.

BSA Philip Abrams Memorial Prize 2007 - Winners announced! [19/04/07]

Congratulations to John Bone of the University of Aberdeen, and Bridget Byrne of the University of Manchester. They share the 2007 BSA Philip Abrams Memorial Prize for their outstanding debuts in the UK monograph market. You can find out more information on the prize and the winning books on the Publications Prizes page.

WES conference going swimmingly [19/04/07]

The Work, Employment and Society Conference 2007 looks set to be a roaring success after receiving more than 300 abstracts on the conference theme 'Beyond these shores: sinking or swimming in the globalised new economy?'. For more information about the WES conference, visit BSA WES Conference 2007 webpage for further details.

We're Celebrating! [19/04/07]

The BSA are celebrating in 2007. We are launching (with SAGE Publications) a brand new journal, Cultural Sociology, and our existing journals are both celebrating special anniversaries. Please visit our 'Celebrating 40 years in 2007' page for more information about our events and parties. BSA journals are your journals, so join us for bubbly and birthday cake throughout the year.

University of Glasgow Announces 2 New Sociology Courses (29/03/2007)The Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Applied Social Sciences are delighted to announce the introduction of two new taught postgraduate courses for entry in academic year 2007/2008. The MSc in Racism and Imperialism and the MSc in Equality and Human Rights. The former offers students the chance to investigate the part played by racism and imperialism in shaping the cultures and structures of the modern world. The latter offers a unique opportunity for people to gain knowledge about a wide range of equality issues and to think across the dimensions of inequality.

Two studentships are available for these courses. If you would like further information please contact Clair Clarke or visit the University of Glasgow's webpage: http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/sociology/pginfo/msctaught.htm.

BSA Annual Conference Sold Out! (21/03/2007)

This year's Annual Conference may be the largest yet! We are delighted to report that the 2007 Conference is now sold out. Bookings have been closed as the Conference is now fully subscribed. We look forward to seeing you there!

Michael Young Prize 2007 (19/03/2007)

In 2006, the ESRC announced the launch of an annual prize in honour of the SSRC's founder and first chairman, Michael Young.

The prize is aimed to encourage new researchers (those within three years of a successful viva for their PhD) conducting research of evident social value and public relevance to communicate in a clear way for the non-academic audience. The winner of the prize will have clearly demonstrated the relevance and wider interest of their work to non academic audiences.

This annual competition will be run by the ESRC with support from the Young Foundation. To find out more, please click here or visit ESRC Today.

Call for 2009 Organising Team (26/02/2007)

The Executive Committee of the BSA invites bids from members to organise the academic content of the British Sociological Association 2009 Annual Conference. The team will consist of four or five members.

The Conference theme will remain as generic as possible. The aim is to choose a conference title, which deters or excludes as few potential attenders as possible. The academic programme will therefore be as broadly based as possible to attract participation from as wide a cross section of the sociological community.

Interested? Then please visit the Call for Organising Team 2009 webpage for further details.

Nominations invited for the Medical Sociology Book Prize (30/01/07)

Nominations are now open for the Sociology of Health & Illness Book of the Year Prize. Can you nominate a book you consider to have made the most original and significant contribution to the sociology of health and illness? Then visit the SHI webpage for further details of how to nominate.

First Issue of 'THE WORD' now available! (26/01/07)

The Urban Theory and Research (UTR) Study Group are really excited about the launch of their members Newsletter - 'The WORD'. The UTR Study Group is a new member of the growing community of BSA study groups that seek to foster friendly, creative and collaborative environments for theorists, professionals and researchers, in any stage of their career. The very first issue is available online now and can be found on the UTR Study Group's webpage - please visit to find out more. This is supplement to the work of the group in connecting people together, raising the profile of the Study Group and the BSA as well as registered members. This will be circulated to all interested parties on request, and we encourage you to REGISTER with the Study Group to make distribution easier as membership expands.

Medical Sociology Online Launched (25/01/07)

Good news for all Medical Sociologists! The first issue of this free access publication of the British Sociological Association is now available. MSo (formerly Medical Sociology News - MSN) includes peer reviewed papers and debate in the broad area of Medical Sociology. Please click on the link to be taken directly to MSo.

Postgraduate Forum appoints 2 new Co-Convenors (22/01/07)

The search for the 2 new Co-Convenors of the Postgraduate Forum is now over. Please join us in congratulating Lara Killick and Samantha Caslin on their appointment.

Lara Killick - Having completed her UG at Durham University in 2000 and an MA at Leicester University in 2005, Lara is now based (under the supervision of Prof. J Maguire) at Loughborough University. Lara's current PhD study focuses on the sports-related risk, pain and injury experiences of young people. Lara looks forward to meeting as many of you as possible in the upcoming year.

Sam Caslin - Having previously studied for a B.A. at the University of Liverpool, Sam is currently studying for a Masters degree at the University of Manchester as part
of an ESRC studentship. Upon completing this course she intends to take up a PhD on prostitution in Britain.

Both Lara and Sam's contact details can be found on the Postgraduate Forum webpage.

Medical Sociology Group Annual Conference 2007 Call for Papers (22/01/07)

The Medical Sociology Group Annual Conference 2007 takes place at the Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool on 6-8 September 2007.

Plenary speakers this year are Professor Gareth Williams (Cardiff University) who will address ‘Incapacity’ and Professor Jane Seymour (University of Nottingham) who will speak about “Windows on Suffering: Sociological Perspectives on End of Life Care”.

In addition to the usual conference streams, this year’s meeting will also feature two new keynote symposia on Bridging Organisation Studies and Medical Sociology: The Critical Management Studies Perspective and Knowledge and Technology in Science and Medicine: Building Dialogues Between Medical Sociology and Science and Technology Studies (STS).

If you have an interest in medicine and society and wish to submit an abstract for the conference, please download and complete the abstract form and send it to the BSA before 28 April 2007. Please visit the MedSoc Conference webpage for further details.

SAGE Prize for Innovation and / or Excellence 2007 (18/01/07)

The SAGE Prize for Innovation and Excellence is awarded annually to one paper in each of the BSA’s four prestigious journals: Cultural Sociology, Sociological Research Online, Sociology and Work, Employment and Society.

The prize will be awarded at the BSA Annual Conference to the paper published in the previous year’s volume judged to represent innovation or excellence in the field.

The prize is £250 worth of SAGE books or a free annual individual subscription to a journal of the winner’s choice. All nominees for the prize will receive publicity from the BSA and SAGE Publications, and winners’ papers will receive a period of free electronic access to their article (to encourage usage and citation). For more information, go to the Prizes page.

Outline Programme Available for BSA Annual Conference 2007 (09/01/07)

The BSA Events team have been working really hard over the last few months to put together the programme for the BSA Annual Conference. All abstracts have been processed and an Outline Programme is now available. Please visit the BSA Annual Conference 2007 webpage for further details.