Sociology & Communications Impact Strategy
Working with publics and communities
Academics in the Department of Sociology & Communications cover a diverse range of areas, from the sociology of leisure, the sociology of humour, media studies (with a strong focus on new and social media), to the sociology of biomedicine and bioscience, bioethics, urban sociology, critical multiculturalism and social and political theory. Engaging with publics and communities lies at the core of what we do; our staff work closely with practitioners, artists, policy makers and media audiences at every stage of our research, and our work has had a wide range of impacts in these communities:
- Monica Degen works with local councils in the UK and Spain to help urban regeneration strategies (Barcelona Council, Milton Keynes Planning Department, Preston Council and Bedford Council).
- Sarita Malik collaborates with the British Film Institute, on an AHRC-funded project examining the relationship between screen culture, stakeholders and communities. Sarita has also written for a broad range of non-academic publications that reach wider audiences; e.g. she is a contributor to the Guardian’s ‘Comment is Free’ weblog, Arts Professional and screenonline.
- Sanjay Sharma was co-investigator for the AHRC-funded Noise of the Past project which increased public awareness of issues concerning the post-colonial histories of World Wars during national ceremonies and rituals of remembrance in the UK. The project also encouraged ways of increasing multicultural inclusion amongst minority groups in the UK.
- Health research led by Clare Williams argued that if couples undergoing IVF consent to the donation of ‘spare’ embryos for research, such donation must not affect treatment. Under current consent arrangements, this may not always be the case. To protect couples’ reproductive interests and maximise treatment outcomes, the team recommended that in most cases, only frozen embryos that are, preferably, coming to end of their statutory storage term, should be sought for research. This has led to debate about consent in IVF clinics, within the HFEA, and the UK Stem Cell Bank.
- In October 2010 John Roberts was invited to a reception organised by the Speakers’ Corner Trust, a charitable body that aims to launch public spaces for free speech in towns and cities across the UK. Since then, John has been involved in events organised by the Trust and has written an article about the development of free speech in modern Britain for their website. John has also met the Trust’s Director to discuss further research collaborations.
Promoting dialogue with organisations, citizens, practitioners, and stake holders
Ongoing collaborationswith non-academic partners include the British Film Institute, the Big Difference Company (responsible for Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival), the Runnymede Trust, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, the UK Stem Cell Bank, the Centre for Contemporary Culture Barcelona (CCCB), and the Rathenau Institute for Science Policy and Technology Assessment in The Hague, NL. We regularly organise events for practitioners and stake holders. Examples include:
- A forthcoming symposium on how solidarity can help to find new solutions for biobanking, biosecurity, and health inequalities, to be hosted by the Brocher Foundation in Geneva in March 2013. This symposium, organised by Barbara Prainsack in collaboration with The Nuffield Council on Bioethics, brings together academics working on these issues with experts from international organisations (such as the WHO) and practitioners in relevant areas;
- In Autumn 2012, a conference on Living with Parkinson’s Disease organised by the Wellcome Trust funded LABTEC project, (led by Clare Williams), brings together patients, ethicists, social scientists and clinicians.
- In September 2013 an exhibition and conference organised by Monica Degen and colleagues will bring together architects, designers, visualisers and planners to share the findings of a research project about the impacts of digital visualising technologies.
- Lesley Henderson worked with disenfranchised communities (on an AHRC grant), exploring how young people connect with political news reporting on UK television; and developing the principles of a young persons’ charter with broadcasters. Recently, she organised a colloquium for academics, policy makers, activists and public participants to debate the future of media regulation (in light of the Leveson Inquiry and the introduction of what has been called a ‘snoopers’ charter’)
Contributing to public discourse and policy making
Our staff are closely involved in policy-related work at regional, national and international levels. Activities include membership of National Bioethics Councils (Austria); British and European research funding organisations (e.g. Wellcome Trust, European Cooperation in Science and Technology [COST]); the Medical Research Council), and the European Science Foundation (ESF). Research carried out in our Department is frequently discussed in local, national and international media. Examples from the last two years include:
- Coverage of Sharon Lockyer’s comedy research in the Leicester Mercury, East Midlands Today, IdeasTap, IdeasTap and on Chortle: The UK Comedy Guide;
- Sarita Malik’s panel contribution to a 2010 edition of Crosstalk broadcast by Russia Today, discussing the relationship between reality television and society;
- John Roberts’ interview on eFM Primetime in South Korea (11th Jan 2012) about the launch of a Speakers’ Corner in Seoul;
- Simon Weaver discussing his prize winning book The Rhetoric of Racist Humour on BBC Radio Leicester and the ‘Martin Ballard, Drive Time show’. Simon was also asked to comment on controversial humour for two Canadian newspapers;
- Lesley Henderson is a member of the Associate Parliamentary Group on Media Literacy. Recently she explored the implications of mental distress in popular drama with Shift (an anti-stigma/discrimination campaign for Department of Health), British drama producers and writers. This builds on innovative research conducted with the Glasgow Media Group that first mapped mental health in the media and the impact of stigmatising images and messages on public understandings. The Royal College of Psychiatrists used this as the basis for a statement on broadcasting policy and guidelines for journalists.
For further information, please contact:
Professor Barbara Prainsack (barbara.prainsack@brunel.ac.uk), Department Impact Co-ordinator
Last Updated August 2012
