mortiz069

On 11th October 2014 an interview with Dr Kevin Yuill on the subject of euthanasia and assisted suicide was published in the Dutch magazine Trouw . In the interview, Kevin discusses the apparent contradiction - for some - encapsulated in the headline: 'Ik ben humanist en dus tegen euthanasie'. Kevin is the author of Assisted Suicide: The Liberal, Humanist Case Against Legalization (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013).

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817–98) Dr Geoff Nash gave the annual Sir Syed Memorial Lecture to the Aligarh Muslim University Alumni Association (UK) at 41 Fitzroy Sq. London on October 19, 2014. His address was entitled; 'Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan and the Postcolonial Age'. Geoff discussed the conundrum of this great Victorian Indian thinker, reformer and seminal figure of Islamic Modernism being today well known but little studied. He discussed Sayyid Ahmad's attitudes toward British imperialism and modern Islam in the context of today's religious extremism and the contribution of British Muslims of South Asian origin to multicultural Britain.

In an article co-authored with Dr Michael Higgins (University of Strathclyde), Dr Angela Smith examines forms of political and public engagement to emerge  in Web  2.0.  Focusing on the platform  Twitter, the  authors look at both antagonistic and agonistic  types  of  political engagement. Their article discusses Twitter’s capacity for direct contact with main political party leaders as part of  an antagonistic  public discourse,  geared towards creative expressions of individualised disaffiliation. However, in interventions around @EverydaySexism, the authors find collectivising practices more in keeping with an agonistic public discourse based upon involvement and the tactical use of irony and humour. While showing that the platform provides for new forms  of antagonistic engagement  with  political  elites,  the article therefore offers  support for the view that Web  2.0 gives  rise ...

Philip Roth in 1973 The first English Research Seminar of the academic year will take place at 5pm on Wednesday 22nd October in Room 313, Priestman Building. The speaker is Peter Dempsey (University of Sunderland), who will be giving a paper entitled 'Philip Roth and the Writing Life'. All staff and students are welcome.

Maria Fotiadou, who graduated with First Class honours in BA English Language and Literature in 2014, has been awarded a three-year studentship to pursue doctoral research in the Department of Culture. She will be using corpus-assisted methods to explore the discourses of employability in the context of UK higher education. Her work will be supervised by Drs Mike Pearce and Angela Smith .

The Department of Culture is teaming up with the ‘Canny Space’ at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Sunderland to launch 'Canny Culture' - a series of events organized by academics and students in the department. The inaugural event, which will take place on Friday 26th September 2014 between 6-10 pm., sees the launch of Spectral Visions: The Collection (ed. Colin Younger ), an anthology of short stories and poetry written by our own students, staff, academics from other institutions and local (and not so local) writers. There will also be talks by Professor John Strachan (Bath Spa University) and Dr Mike Pearce (Sunderland University) on aspects of the history and dialect of the region. The evening also includes live music, a light buffet and a wine reception. Limited copies of the book will be available at the event but it can also be purchased on Amazon here .  All are welcome and admission is free. RSVP to colin.younger@sunderland.ac.uk. The Canny Space Church of ...

Dr Peter Hayes has co-authored an article which appears in September's edition of Family Law. He and John Hayes QC examine a recent change in the law: the repeal of the requirement in the Adoption and Children Act 2002 to give 'due consideration' to the racial and ethnic background of the child. They argue that the new 'colour-blind' law, properly construed and applied, should bring about a fundamental change to decision-making in adoption which is firmly rooted in securing the welfare of the child. John Hayes and Peter Hayes. Adoption in England: The end of placements dictated by race, culture, religion and language . Family Law, September 2014.