Safeguard the Future Funding of the Social Sciences
Dear BSA Member
You will be aware from Network and our website that the BSA is actively engaged in action to defend the future funding of sociology.
We have already received some valuable contributions to the ‘impact’ debate initiated by the BSA President.
Now we would like to add weight to the appeal from the Academy of the Social Sciences for further evidence which will help safeguard the future funding of the social sciences.
Please read the Academy’s appeal and example below/linked and send me your own examples by no later than Thursday 22nd October so that I can collate and forward them to the Academy on behalf of the BSA.
Thank you in advance for your time and contribution to this important appeal.
Best wishes,
Judith Mudd
Chief Executive
British Sociological Association
Judith.Mudd@britsoc.org.uk
Appeal from the Academy of the Social Sciences
Making the Case for the Social Sciences
All Academicians and member learned societies have recently received an email asking them for brief details of their work and, in particular, specific examples showing how it has affected society. This is the basis of a major project through which the Academy will be able to ‘make the case’ for the social sciences in the face of so much public attention being given to the STEM subjects. We will be compiling the most compelling stories into a series of booklets and briefing documents to be delivered to key public figures and bodies. Around forty responses have been received but we urgently require many more if we are truly to 'Make the Case'!
The sort of statement we have in mind would outline the general area of your work [planning, organisational behaviour, healthcare, etc.] and follow up with one or more examples of specific projects, outlining what issue was being addressed, what you set out to do and, most importantly, what you achieved. Clearly, an example where your work influenced or even changed public policy would be the most useful sort of evidence for this project. An example might be:
"I work across a variety of fields where the key theme is impact on society. Probably the best-known example is the Camberwick Green Literacy Initiative. I set up the Initiative with Camberwick Green Council as a visionary 10-year project from 1997-2007. Its aim was not only to raise the educational achievement levels of all children and young people, but to eradicate illiteracy among school leavers – an aim which had never been achieved anywhere in the world. We achieved our goals at the end of the research phase of our project in 2007, by which time the landscape of literacy in Camberwick Green had been transformed with a view to sustained inter-generational change.
The benefits of this project led to the setting up of the independent National Literacy Commission in Trumptonshire, which similarly has the aim of transforming achievement at national level. The work has been recognised as having major impact on society, and has been front page headlines in the national press on many occasions. It is also the subject of a chapter in a book written by Gordon Brown, Prime Minister, published in July 2007.
This is a direct contribution of social science to society, since the entire foundation of the project is scientific. It is the application of the evidence base from psychology, mainly the fields of educational and organisational psychology, to providing major benefits to society at large. All of the work has therefore been the subject of peer review and publication."
Thank you to all those who have contributed so far: some great stories are emerging demonstrating clearly that the world would be a worse place without social science. We are aiming to have this work that is so important to the future of social science ready in the New Year and need in the meantime to collect, sort and follow up as many good stories as possible, so time is short. If you have not already sent your short initial statement, please do so as soon as possible to the Communications Officer. Please mark your contribution ‘Making the Case’.
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