The department has been successful in obtaining two slots for the British Science Festival, 10-13 September 2019! Michael Scott will be giving a lecture and there will be a panel discussing 'What makes money?' Don't forget to check out the full programme of the festival when its released!

The following is an obituary written by Dr Margaret Shewring (Theatre & Performance and Cultural & Media Policy Studies). We note his considerable contribution to the Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies, where Ronnie taught for many years, particularly on Shakespeare and his Contemporaries, and on poetry. Ronnie also worked alongside Jack (later Lord) Butterworth to protect the Faculty of Arts against cuts by the University Grants Council in the 1980s. The funeral will take place on Monday 25 February 2019 at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon at 12.00 noon. His wife, Eithne, welcomes all friends and colleagues.

Dr Shewring writes:

It is with great sadness that we write to let you know that J.R. (Ronnie) Mulryne died on Monday 28 January. He had become increasingly unwell in the past two months and, although he remained mentally alert, his body had become very frail as the cancer had spread and the treatments became more difficult to cope with. He died at home during in his sleep.

Throughout his career Ronnie has been a tireless and distinguished contributor to academic teaching, research and publication. He has inspired generations of students and scholars, developing resources and a scholarly framework for the interdisciplinary study of European Renaissance Culture and of Early Modern Performance.

Ronnie joined the Department of English at the University of Warwick in 1977. Among his many University roles he was Director of the Centre for the Study of the Renaissance from the 1980s to 2003, a role that reflected his determination that postgraduate students would benefit from being a part of an interdisciplinary grouping for teaching and research at MA and doctoral level. With colleagues associated with the Centre he convened numerous interdisciplinary conferences at Warwick, Warwick in Venice, Columbia University New York, Bergamo and the Warburg Institute (University of London) as well as two EURESCO-funded conferences in Lucca, Tuscany. Ronnie actively promoted international partnerships with the University of Venice, Ca’ Foscari, the University of Paris-Sorbonne and the University of Tours. Under his directorship, the Centre developed European academic exchange programmes (ERASMUS and SOCRATES) with colleagues and postgraduate students in Venice and Paris. Ronnie’s own frequent contributions to conferences of the Société Internationale de Recherches Interdisciplinaires sur la Renaissance (S.I.R.I.R) at Paris-Sorbonne, and his subsequent publications on aspects of Renaissance literature and performance, were recognised by the French Ministry of Education and Culture in 1992 when he was made a Chevalier of l’Ordres des Palmes Académiques.

In the late 1990s Ronnie led Warwick’s successful application for funding from the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Board for Warwick’s Centre for the Study of the Renaissance to host the AHRB Centre for the Study of Renaissance Elites and Court Cultures, chairing this Centre for three years and leading one of its interdisciplinary research programmes with a focus on court and civic festivals of the European Renaissance, a project that resulted in a 2-volume, large-format publication making available to readers the texts of court and civic festivals, transcribed, translated and annotated with scholarly introductions. He also led the creation of a website, in collaboration with the British Library, to make more than two hundred and fifty festival books from the Library’s collection available in searchable, digital format.

On his retirement from Warwick in 2004 Ronnie was made Professor Emeritus. He continued to be an active scholar, editor, conference convenor and participant. As a co-founder of the Society for European Festivals Research he continued to collaborate in conferences in Warwick, Venice, London, Bergamo, Mons and Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He particularly enjoyed our collaboration with the European Science Foundation’s PALATIUM research network. As a general editor of the European Festival Studies, 1450–1700 series of books he encouraged interdisciplinary research in an increasingly international context for students, doctoral and early career researchers and more senior scholars, collaborating in research networks with curators, archivists and performance practitioners.

His energy, his generosity in encouraging others and his love of theatre, music, poetry, architecture and history have been an inspiration to many. He will be greatly missed.

Department of Film and Television Studies Statement on recent disciplinary hearings

The Department of Film and Television Studies wishes to reassure past, present and prospective students of its ongoing commitment to the provision and maintenance of an environment of respect, dignity and inclusion. Our students must feel safe to learn and work together, in the knowledge that hate speech and acts of any kind will not be tolerated, and that in the event of any such incident, swift and appropriate action will be taken.

We also want to express our ongoing support for the victims of the group chat case at Warwick, and to call upon the University to ensure that these students are fully supported, and able to continue and return to further study at the University without fear of further difficulties. We have not been involved in, or privy to, any aspect of the current disciplinary cases and appeals, and have been in touch with senior management at Warwick today, to express our concern.

Film and Television Studies at Warwick has always been, and will remain, a safe, inclusive and respectful learning and working environment. Any students who need support in relation to this, or any other incident, should contact their Personal Tutor, the departmental Senior Tutor or Head of Department.

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.

The Department of History of Art wishes to express its profound concern at the recent events involving students who posted rape threats and hate speech online. While the department had no involvement with the incident, the disciplinary process, or the appeal, we are of course very troubled by this incident and by details that have emerged through the widespread reporting of it in the press and other media. Like our colleagues across the university, we feel particular disquiet at the decision to reduce the suspension of the students to one year.

First and foremost, we would like to reassure our students that we shall continue to do everything in our power to ensure their safety and well-being. As a department­­­–a department, moreover, with a student body made up almost entirely of women-we have created an environment of mutual respect and support, where we value difference and have zero tolerance for prejudice. This will not change. If any of our students feels threatened or unsafe, they should contact the Senior Tutor, their Personal Tutor, or the Head of Department, all of whom will be very happy to provide whatever help is needed.

We also join our colleagues in other academic departments in asking the university urgently to clarify the reasons for the decision that has been made, insofar as the constraints of confidentiality allow. Given the recently reported details of the investigation process and claims that the suspended students have been given greater protection than the victims, such clarification is now more pressing than ever.

The members of staff of the History of Art Department

No one achieves anything alone...

To find new solutions to the big problems we face today, we have to bring people together to create the best ideas possible. But what factors lead to a team being creative and innovative? How can you make sure you get the best ideas out of your team?

Linda Folk is a PhD student in the Centre for Cultural and Media Policy studies and will introduce you to the basic principles and techniques of creative teamwork in this hourlong workshop. You will leave with valuable insights into how to lead and work in teams that strive for innovation and change.

You will explore:

• Different ways to generate ideas in teams

• Structures that foster creative teamwork

• What to do and not to do when creating the big new idea.

Please note that this workshop includes team exercises that are part of Linda's PhD research at the University of Warwick. By participating in the workshop you are giving your consent for the anonymized output of these exercises to be used in the completion of her doctoral thesis at the University.

Sounds good. How do I get involved?

If you would like to take part, please complete the online form indicating your availability on the following dates by no later than 17.00 on Friday 2nd February 2019.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with Linda by email: L.Folk@warwick.ac.uk. We will let you know as quickly as possible which slot you have been allocated to.

The Humanities Research Centre funds a number of fellowships for PhD students and early career scholars wanting to conduct short periods of research abroad. These fellowships are intended to support trips of 2-4 weeks that will deepen and broaden research links between Warwick and research institutions in North America and Europe and/or to further individual research projects in archives and collections. Applicants are responsible for arranging travel, itineraries and accommodation, although we can provide support and assistance in these areas. We encourage applicants to seek out contacts in the institutions they want to visit in advance of their applications and to provide details of these in their material (you do not need to provide written references). Your trip must be more than simply presenting a paper at a conference and you must clearly demonstrate the potential benefits to Warwick in your application.

We are accepting applications for 3 fellowships of £2,000

Closing date 6th March 2019.

CIM is now accepting PhD applications for students who wish to be considered for a number of University scholarships, including ESRC scholarships (for social science applicants), CADRE scholarships (for arts and humanities students) and Chancellor's International Scholarships (for international students).

A School of Life Science event with contributions from speakers from the departments of Classics and History.

The School of Life Sciences are pleased to invite you to their next Public Science Evening ‘Back to the Future: How Studying History Helps Medical Science’. This event will explore the exciting topic of how we can use historical medical knowledge in today’s practices. A variety of time periods will be explored, from Galenic medicine in the 2^nd century, to early 20^th century phage therapy advancements. Also included will be talks from not only members of the School of Life Sciences team, but the Classics and History departments as well. If you are a fan of the History of Medicine and its applications today then this is surely an event not to be missed.

This public science evening will take place on Tuesday 12 March 2019 from 18:00 – 20:00 in the School of Life Sciences atrium. Please visit warwick.ac.uk/publicscience for more information and to register for this event.