News

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Sociology students are invited to write a short piece on why you love studying Sociology at Warwick.

All entries will be entered into a prize draw and the winner will be selected at random on Valentines Day (14th February).

The prize is a £50 voucher for Le Gusta Oven and Bar, on campus.

Submissions should be emailed to Alison Boffin, along with contact details, and a photograph. Download an example of a typical entry.

SUBMISSIONS MAY BE USED TO CREATE A YEAR BOOK, POSTED ON THE SOCIOLOGY WEBSITE AND INCLUDED IN NEWSLETTERS

Jacqui Gabb, Social Policy and Criminology, The Open University

The Enduring Love? study (ESRC RES-062-23-3056, 2011-2013) is exploring what it means and feels like to be a couple in contemporary Britain. Shifting the emphasis away from media hyperbole and unsubstantiated claims about what everyone is doing, and policy–professional practice emphasis on the ‘stressors’ which may contribute to relationship breakdown, we are focusing on the things that help people sustain their ‘enduring’ relationships. Drawing on survey (n=5494) and qualitative (n=50) data this paper will explore which factors count in shaping relationship experience, and, in particular, the in/significance of sex and sexuality. Survey findings indicate that gender, parenthood and sexuality are significant factors in shaping couple relationship experience. For example, non-heterosexual participants are the most positive about their relationship; in heterosexual relationships, parenthood appears to have an adverse impact on sexual desire. However, differences in sexual frequency and desire do not per se affect perceptions of relationship quality. To tease apart these survey patterns, I draw on rich multiple methods data to explore how couples variously work to fit themselves into the ideal or extend ‘the story’ to fit their lives. These data provoke us to rethink the couple (dyadic) relationship and its slippage into and conflation with cultural understandings of the heteronormative ‘couple norm’. For more information please see our project website: www.enduringlove.co.uk

The Commission, set up by the Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT), the Food Ethics Council, and the University of Warwick, will give parliamentarians, industry and academics the opportunity to discuss issues food companies face in ensuring the sustainability of supply chains and explore upcoming policy developments that seek to tackle them.

• Riots?
• Alternative research methods?
• Sociological perspective?

Nathaniel Tkacz, Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies, University of Warwick

Dashboards are now an increasingly ordinary and handy feature of everyday life. City dashboards display real-time data on transport, weather and administrative performance; mobile devices allow users to configure their own dashboards, keeping them updated on various indicators and data flows; political authorities construct their own dashboards, so as to keep performance indicators constantly available. But this type of interface or device has received little critical or theoretical scrutiny in itself. In the past 'audit' and 'risk' have been explored as foundational rationalities or templates for entire cultures or societies. What would it mean to treat 'dashboard' in a similar way?

For more information, visit the website

A celebratory buffet plus wine and refreshments will be held for graduating students between 4.00pm – 6.00pm in the Gillian Rose Room.

Guests attending the ceremony are welcome to attend.

5pm-7pm in Room R0.12 (Ramphal)