James Piggott, undergraduate student at the Warwick University History Department, has been selected to present at the British Conference of Undergraduate Research this April. James has provided the following information regarding his forthcoming presentation:

My presentation presents two related ideas. Firstly, video-games should be considered a historically-relevant medium, through their capacity to both generate narratives and lessons of the past. Subsequently, the issue of censorship – the doctoring of the past when creating said narratives – is equally detrimental to history within video-games as in alternative formats. The historical significance of censorship within video-games, however, has been largely ignored, due to the ‘trivial’ or ‘ludified’ nature of video-games. As a result, the trivialisation and undermining of the historical practice remains within video-games.

These arguments are covered over three sections. The first unpacks several criticisms of video-games, in turn showing the medium’s historical capacity. The second uses the example of Nazism to describe and explain the presence of censorship within video-games. The final section links these two ideas, discussing the historical impact of censorship within video-games, and why the ‘ludic frame’ of video-games seemingly shadows their equally significant ‘historical frame’.

I hope that, with this paper, video-games will be taken more seriously within academia. I hope to demonstrate their potential utility for the historical practice, and, subsequently, why protecting them from censorship is important. The historical field will be greatly enhanced when developers and historians are not fearful of presenting their novel or controversial arguments. If censorship is abhorrent in alternative historical formats, so should it be in video-games.

This will entail providing a brief 10 minute presentation to a variety of different undergraduate researchers and experts; there will then be time for a short Q&A afterwards to answer any queries or loose ends.

BCUR - the British Conference of Undergraduate Research - is a yearly conference aimed at promoting and sharing undergraduate research in all disciplines. It is a fantastic opportunity to receive feedback and interest in one's work, and to meet with fellow researchers and academics. This year, the conference is being hosted at the University of South Wales, and consists of both oral and poster presentations.

The Conversation has published an article by Dr Rosa Salzberg of the Warwick University History Department on the accommodation issues faced by Venice during the Renaissance. Please see the full article on The Conversation's website.

The Warwick University History Department seeks to appoint two full-time Research Fellows for the fixed-term period of thirty-six months to conduct research as part of the Wellcome Trust funded project, What’s at Stake in the Fake? Indian Pharmaceuticals, African Markets and Global Health.

The Warwick University History Department is one of the largest history departments in the UK, with teaching and research notable for its disciplinary range and geographical scope. The Department is comprised of 53 academic staff, 17 postdoctoral staff, 10 support staff, ~1,000 undergraduate students, and ~100 postgraduate students. The Department has a strong international reputation and high rankings in university guides and surveys, and was ranked first in the UK in the last Research Excellence Framework (REF) for the proportion of world-leading research activity (4*) in the Department. The Department is committed to maintaining and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion amongst its staff and student community.

You will have a first degree or equivalent, a PhD in History, Anthropology or a related field, and experience of conducting archival, oral history and/or ethnographic research. Preference will be given to candidates with the ability to conduct research in Gujarati and/or Kiswahili.

If you have not yet been awarded your PhD but are near submission or have recently submitted your PhD, any offers of employment will be made as Research Assistant on level 5 of the University grade structure (£29,515). Upon successful award of your PhD and evidence of this fact, you will be promoted to Research Fellow on the first point of level 6 of the University grade structure (£30,395 pa).

All applications must be accompanied by a CV and covering letter. Short-listed candidates will be required to provide names of two referees as well as a writing sample (of not more than 10,000 words). For the full advert, job description, and a link to the application form, please see the Warwick University HR website. Please direct all informal inquiries to the project PI, Dr Sarah Hodges, at S.Hodges@warwick.ac.uk.

Closing Date: 23:59pm on Thursday 11th April

The Warwick University History Department seeks to appoint a Postgraduate and Research Coordinator on a full-time indefinite contract.

The Warwick University History Department is one of the largest history departments in the UK, with teaching and research notable for its disciplinary range and geographical scope. The Department is comprised of 53 academic staff, 17 postdoctoral staff, 10 support staff, ~1,000 undergraduate students, and ~100 postgraduate students. The Department has a strong international reputation and high rankings in university guides and surveys, and was ranked first in the UK in the last Research Excellence Framework (REF) for the proportion of world-leading research activity (4*) in the Department. The Department is committed to maintaining and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion amongst its staff and student community.

We are seeking to appoint a Postgraduate and Research Coordinator, responsible for the management and coordination of the support for postgraduate study in the History Department, including direct support to the Director of PGR Studies and the Director of PGT Studies, and for contributing to the support for research in the History Department. The successful candidate will possess relevant experience of working in an office environment within the HE sector, excellent interpersonal skills, strong organisational and planning skills, and the ability to use initiative and to work quickly and accurately under pressure to cope with competing priorities.

All applications must be accompanied by a CV and covering letter. For the full advert, job description, and a link to the application form, please see the Warwick University HR website. Please direct all informal enquiries to Jennifer Spalding at J.J.Spalding@warwick.ac.uk.

The closing date for applications is Monday 8th April 2019.

The provisional results of the Warwick University Students' Union 2019 elections have been announced.

Congratulations to all of the successful candidates, and particularly to History students Charlotte Lloyd, Warwick SU Sports Officer Elect, and Taj Ali, Warwick SU Ethnic Minorities Officer Elect. 523 History students voted in the elections, the largest turnout of all of the University's academic departments.

 
Professor J E Smyth (author of "Nobody's Girl Friday”; Professor of History at Warwick University), Karina Longworth (author of "Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes's Hollywood"; creator of the "You Must Remember This" podcast), and Victoria Riskin (author of "Fay Wray and Robert Riskin: A Hollywood Memoir"; former president, Writers Guild of America, West), were recently interviewed by KQED News:

A Retroactive #MeToo from Hollywood's Golden Age

In 2017, the #MeToo Movement began exposing Hollywood’s culture of sexual violence, which then broadened into a global rallying cry. But sexual coercion and abuse has long had a place in Hollywood as three recently-released books attest. The books examine the working conditions of women during Hollywood's Golden Age and the abuses of casting couch predators like Howard Hughes and Harry Cohn. We'll talk with the authors about the vast contributions - and challenges - for women in the studio era.

Please see the KQED News website for the full interview podcast.

The Warwick University History Department seeks to appoint a Department Administrator on a full-time indefinite contract.

The Warwick University History Department is one of the largest history departments in the UK, with teaching and research notable for its disciplinary range and geographical scope. The Department is comprised of 53 academic staff, 17 postdoctoral staff, 10 support staff, ~1,000 undergraduate students, and ~100 postgraduate students. The Department has a strong international reputation and high rankings in university guides and surveys, and was ranked first in the UK in the last Research Excellence Framework (REF) for the proportion of world-leading research activity (4*) in the Department. The Department is committed to maintaining and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion amongst its staff and student community.

We are seeking to appoint a Department Administrator with experience of successful administration and management in a complex, customer-facing environment, ideally in higher education. The successful candidate will be a key member of the Department’s management team, working across the full breadth of the Department’s operations, supporting the Head of Department in developing the strategic priorities of the Department, and having lead responsibility for all administrative operations of the Department. This role represents an excellent opportunity for the successful candidate to hone and expand their existing skills, and to further their professional development in a busy and stimulating environment.

All applications must be accompanied by a CV and covering letter. For the full advert, job description, and a link to the application form, please see the Warwick University HR website. Please direct all informal enquiries to Robert Horton at R.S.Horton@warwick.ac.uk.

Closing date for applications: 25th March 2019

Dr Claire Shaw (University of Warwick) is the recipient of the 2018 BASEES Women’s Forum Book Prize for her book Deaf in the USSR: Marginality, Community, and Soviet Identity, 1917-1991 (Cornell University Press, 2017). The judges, Barbara Heldt and Dan Healey, issued the following citation:

‘From the beginning of the Soviet era, the social power of the deaf, their agency and autonomy, was tied to sovietness. This statement, however, oversimplifies a complex history, which Claire Shaw explicates in remarkable detail, drawing on both published and archival sources. Her book expands the scope of our understanding of behaviours and identity in Soviet history, while also providing glimpses into the pre-revolutionary and post-Soviet eras. How deaf identity has been marked by separateness v. inclusion, the status of sign language, the dignity of work, criminality, gender and many other issues will make this landmark study a classic read.’

For more details, please see the BASEES website's press release.