Other News
New book based on British Academy-funded research
Dr Nick Vaughan-Williams, Reader in International Security in PAIS, has published a new co-edited book, entitled 'European-East Asian Borders in Translation', as part of the Routledge Interventions series. The volume is the primary output of a British Academy-National Science Foundation Taiwan Joint Project Grant (JP100035) awarded to Nick (PI) and Professor Joyce C. H. Liu (Co-I) at National Chiao Tung University in 2011.
Based on a workshop held at the University of Warwick, the book aims to decentre the production of knowledge about borders and bordering practices in global politics beyond the West. It explores a range of historical and contemporary border concepts and issues connecting European and East Asian politics – particularly relating to China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan. Chapters focus on the ‘translate-ability’ of border theorising across European and East Asian histories, cultures, and identities.
Featuring scholars based in East Asia, Europe, and North America, the volume offers perspectives from International Relations, Political Philosophy, History, Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies, Sociology, and Translation Studies.
Among the contributors is Hidefumi Nishiyama who holds an East Asia Research Fellowship in PAIS.
Reviews of 'European-East Asian Borders in Translation':
“An outstanding work, particularly owing to the synthesis it provides on European-East Asian scholarship, the application of European philosophers’ writings on sovereignty, power, and security in East Asian geopolitical and historical contexts – all that bound together through tackling translation, translatability, language and communication”.
Karin Dean, Estonian Institute of Humanities, Tallinn University, Estonia.
“A stimulating intervention for researchers, teachers, and students in the field of critical border theories and bordering practices, 'European-East Asian Borders in Translation' is part of an emerging trend in social sciences and humanities that seeks to de-center and de-territorialise knowledge production beyond Eurocentric/Western-centric theories and experiences”.
Ching-Chang Chen, College of Asia Pacific Studies Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan.
Further information about the book can be accessed here: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415831314/
Professor Shaun Breslin in the China Daily
Professor Shaun Breslin's has been quoted in the China Daily.
Chinese economy needs more high-end, foreign investors, Expert says.
A British expert on Chinese international relations says foreign direct investment into the country since it started opening up in the 1980s has failed to play as significant a part as the Chinese government had hoped in the upgrading of its domestic industries.
Professor Sean Breslin, director of the Centre for the Study of Globalization and Regionalization at the University of Warwick's department of politics and international studies, says as the Chinese economy continues its structural shift to more consumption-led growth, foreign investment into the country could have allowed a lot more local skills and technology transfer than it has.
Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey
The department has performed well in the 2014 Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) results, achieving a 91% satisfaction rating overall on the Joint Academic Coding System (JACS), up several points over last year.
The PTES is the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey, which analyses a range of feedback from students on teaching quality (such as contact, feedback), course design, student satisfaction, and career development.
The Joint Academic Coding System (JACS) system is used by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) in the United Kingdom to classify academic subjects.
PAIS have excelled especially in teaching and learning, organisation and management, and resources and services.
Dr Trevor McCrisken media appearances discussing the US & Iraq
Trevor McCrisken, Associate Professor of US Politics and International Studies, has been interviewed by a number of different news outlets this week, discussing the US and Iraq.
Dr McCrisken appeared on the BBC News channel in the UK on Tuesday August 12th:
As well as the BBC, he was interviewed by television news channel Arise TV:
On Wednesday August 13th he was interviewed on the Annie Othen radio programme on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, you can listen to this using the player below.
Dr McCrisken has also appeared on ABC1 in Australia and in an interview with the Press Association.
NSS success for PAIS
Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick has achieved an impressive 90 per cent overall satisfaction rating in the National Student Survey (NSS).
The NSS is completed by finalist students, across all our degree programmes, and is used to help compile university and subject league tables.
Our scores have significantly increased across the range of NSS questions. Our Departmental figures show particularly large increases of 8 per cent on feedback and 16 per cent on personal development.
Our score for feedback is now 2nd in the Russell Group (a group of 24 leading teaching and researching universities in the UK) and the highest in the Faculty of Social Sciences, amongst departments with core BA degrees.
We are number 1 in the Russell Group for organisation and management and enhancing the communication skills of our students. We are number 3 in the Russell Group for personal development.
Overall we are 3 points above the Russell Group average in terms of overall satisfaction and ahead of the Russell Group average in 5 of the 6 NSS Categories (feedback and assesment, academic support, organisation and management, learning resources, and personal development).
We would like to thank all our graduating students for this great result and all our staff for their hard work in promoting teaching excellence and the student experience.
We look forward to working with all our students next year to further enhance the student experience in PAIS.