Global Sustainable Development News
Blog post: A Sustainable Serenissima
Senior Teaching Fellow in the Liberal Arts Department Dr Bryan Brazeau looks back on the largely successful Venice and Sustainability project, hosted in Liberal Arts. Find out what staff and students discovered in this innovative problem-based module during their time in Coventry and Venice, and watch a media project looking at cultural sustainability in the city produced by Global Sustainable Development students.
Paper accepted for publication: Laughter in oral histories of displacement
Recently, the Head of School for Cross-faculty Studies Dr Stéphanie Panichelli-Batalla’s paper on laughter in oral histories of displacement was accepted for publication by The Oral History Review. The Oral History Review aims to explore the nature and significance of oral history and advance understanding of the field among scholars, educators, practitioners, and the general public.
Title: Laughter in oral histories of displacement: 'one goes on a mission to solve their problems'
Abstract
Although the use of humor and laughter in oral history has started to appear in oral history literature, it is still very much under-researched. Most of the studies analyze humor and laughter together, while Kate Moore focuses on laughter on its own. Humor and laughter, although linked, are two different concepts. While humor is a mental ability to perceive and/or express something funny, laughter on the other hand is a sound or a sequence of expirations, produced as the expression of an emotion, which can be set off by a humorous trigger, but not necessarily. It is therefore important to distinguish both. This paper will build on Moore’s study by exploring the use of unilateral laughter in eleven oral histories of exiled Cuban internationalist healthcare professionals. However, unlike Moore’s study, this research will not be limited to difficult memories. Our analysis will deepen our knowledge on the history of the Cuban global universal healthcare system by giving a voice to its participants, analyzing therefore, not solely the facts and statistics of the program but, as Portelli states, the meaning that its participants give to it when reflecting on their experience from the present. By exploring the occurrence of laughter, this paper intends to shed light on the relevance of focusing on unconscious reactions in oral history narratives, in order to better understand emotions linked to the narrated memories. The analysis will show that unilateral laughter is recurrent in the interviews when participants reflect on a change in their identity, the implications of working for a state program, and their need for respect of human dignity. It will highlight the impact the mission had on their personal and professional lives during and after their humanitarian experience. These stories of displacement will also show what Norrick has called the dual humorous perspective of the participants, but rather than solely referring to the time of the interview and age of the participants, we will also assert that another key factor to be taken into consideration is the situation of displacement as well as the degree of acculturation of the participants.
Students voice hope and concern at Warwick Climate Negotiating Forum
The inaugural Warwick Climate Negotiating Forum (WCNF) took place at the University across two days last month. Run by students and led by GLOBUS Warwick, the student-run online journal at the School for Cross-faculty Studies, this project was the first of its kind at the University. The event gave students the opportunity to experience global climate negotiations first-hand, in a setting that encouraged a rounded learning experience by inviting guest speakers and offering a number of workshops.
Institute for Global Sustainable Development Launch
On Wednesday 25 September (tomorrow!) at 10am, the official launch of the Institute for Global Sustainable Development (IGSD) will take place at Scarman Conference Centre.
The event will outline the strategy of the IGSD and the support that it will provide to researchers interested in engaging with the Global Goals. There'll be an exhibition of case studies highlighting some of the research already being done across Warwick, and the opportunity for networking and community building. The launch is timed to coincide with Global Goals Week, an annual week of action, awareness, and accountability for the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Institute for Global Sustainable Development is a recently established research initiative at the University of Warwick with the mission of being a hub for transdisciplinary research on global sustainable development, i.e. research that crosses disciplinary borders and includes non-academic stakeholder communities to achieve effective sustainable development impact.
To find out more about the launch and the agenda for the day, please see here. Although the event is now fully subscribed, please email Stephanie Whitehead (s dot whitehead at warwick dot ac dot uk) to see if any spaces have become available.
School for Cross-faculty Studies students to present at ICUR 2019
The International Conference of Undergraduate Research (ICUR) is an annual academic conference, led and sponsored by the University of Warwick and Monash University, that connects student researchers globally using video conferencing technology.
ICUR encourages participants to rethink their own work in an international context. As a forum, it requires presenters to consider the perspective of students from different backgrounds, and to anticipate what may be shared across cultures and local contexts. This challenge also translates to research questions, encouraging students to examine global and regional trends in their research field, and how these might conflict with local concerns and specificities.
This year, the forum will take place on the 24th and 25th of September in the Oculus building, where several students from the School for Cross-faculty Studies will be presenting their research.
Prof Cathia Jenainati leaving the department and Dr Stephanie Panichelli-Batalla appointed as the new Head of School
After 20 years working at our University, and five years leading our School, Prof Cathia Jenainati has left Warwick University to take up a role at another University.
As a colleague of tremendous intelligence and loyalty, and an extremely supportive and energetic Head of School, Cathia will be sorely missed. She has been a wonderful friend and colleague, the true backbone of our School. We wish her the very best for a successful future!
Dr Stéphanie Panichelli-Batalla has now assumed the role of the Head of School, and she is looking forward to lead GSD staff and students to further success. We believe this to be very exciting news and we wish Stéphanie well in this new phase of her academic career!
Event: "Les Raconteuses du Levant — untold stories of Female Hakawatis and the challenges they pose to sustainable development discourse in the Arabic-speaking world", Cathia Jenainati (Wednesday 29th May at 4pm)
You are all invited to the following seminar:
Les Raconteuses du Levant — untold stories of Female Hakawatis and the challenges they pose to sustainable development discourse in the Arabic-speaking world
Professor Cathia Jenainati is a multidisciplinary academic whose teaching and research interests range from Literature to Enviromental Studies. She is the Head of the School for Cross-faculty Studies.
Event: "Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change Among Smallholder Farmers in Kagera Region, Tanzania", Theobald Theodory (Wednesday 15th May at 4pm)
You are all invited to the following seminar:
Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change Among Smallholder Farmers in Kagera Region, Tanzania
Dr. Theobald Theodory is a social scientist focusing on environment and natural resource management. He has published extensively in areas of climate change adaptation, land investments, water resources governance and natural resources management.
Event: “From Warwick University to Blueprints: the challenge of achieving economic justice”, David Solomon (Wednesday 1st May at 4pm)
You are all invited to the following seminar:
David Solomon is a University of Warwick alumnus who studied Economic and International Studies in 1995-98. Today, he is the CEO of Blueprints, whose mission is to make a meaningful change to address the problems facing some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. Blueprints intends to do this by replacing spontaneous generosity with scalable investment and it was built to establish economic justice, to enable indigenous and developing countries to secure an equitable share of their own development.
David will talk about building a new model for economic development through his organisation Blueprints, which works in Cuba, Colombia and Costa Rica. David has advised Heads of State, Heads of Intelligence and notable global leaders on how to create a more equitable path to economic development.