The GES has been working with Plan-International, a major global civil society organisation operating in 49 countries around the world committed to advancing the educational rights of children in poor communities. The Strategic Plan is to guide Plan's education operations 2009-2014.
Plan recently organised their Strategic Planning Workshop for Education in Bristol (6-9th April, 2009) with the assistance of the GES. This involved presenting a specially commissioned piece of research undertaken by the GES and funded by Plan - by Dr. Dave Bainton. The report Realising Children's Right to Education: Priorities, Strategies, Policies and Trends (PDF, 951.1Kb) outlined the work of NGO's like Plan, undertaking similar kind of work. Participants in the workshop came from around the world--working either in regional and local offices of Plan, or in the International Headquarters. Participants also included other NGOs operating in collaboration with Plan in Latin America and Africa.
You are invited to participate in the fourth seminar in the ESRC Seminar Series will be on Education and Changing Cultures of Competitiveness. The seminar will be hosted by the Centre for Globalisation, Education and Societies, Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol.
Date: 23rd January, 2009
Time: 9.30 Registration; 10.00 start until 4.30.
Location: Burwalls Conference Centre, University of Bristol
To register for this free event, please email Bianca Soucek. For other queries, please email Professor Susan Robertson or phone Susan on 01173314390.
GES members - Roger Dale, Peter Jones and Susan Robertson all have chapters in a new edited collection by Bob Jessop, Norman Fairclough and Ruth Wodak (2008) Education and the Knowledge-Based Economy, Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
Peter Jones' chapter is called 'Requisite Irony' and the 'knowledge-based economy: a critical discourse analysis of the drafting of education policy in the European Union (PDF, 139.3 Kb)
Susan Robertson's chapter is entitled: 'Embracing the global: crisis and the creation of a new semiotic order to secure Europe's knowledge-based economy' (PDF, 251.2 Kb)
Roger Dale's chapter concludes the collection - 'Shifting discourses and mediating structures in the construction of Europe, knowledge and universities'.
The long standing 'GES Reading Group' will begin meeting again for around 8 weeks beginning on Thursday 15th January, 2009.
We will be meeting in Room (tba) from 5.00-6.00 pm - 35 Berkeley Square, Bristol, BS81JA.
The topic of GES reading group will be 'Democracy'. We will produce a Reader of the key readings.
All welcome - and especially for a drink afterwards. For further information, please email Susan Robertson or by phone on 3314390.
In September GlobalhigherEd celebrated its 1st birthday. The blog, a WUN initiative, is co-edited by GES's Susan Robertson and her colleague Kris Olds (Wisconsin, Madison), has been hugely successful in attracting a following of leading academics, policymakers and programme directors who use the blog to keep themselves informed on what is happening out there in transnational space. The blog averages over 10,000 hits per month.
This month we say goodbye to Rixia Zang who has been working in the GES for the past year. Rixia is a PhD student at Beijing Normal University and her visit to the GES, University of Bristol was supported by the China Scholarship Council. Rixia's research has focused on educational governance, mainly in the higher education sector. The GES hopes to continue its collaboration with Beijing Normal, one of China's leading university.
Earlier this year, Roger Dale was appointed 'Scientific Coordinator' for NESSE, the Network of Experts in Social Sciences of Education, who advise and support the European Commission in the analysis of education policies and reforms through seminars for the Commission staff, advice on questions on an ad-hoc basis, research reviews and support in organising symposia to strengthen the dialogue and networking between the academic and policy communities.
GES member, Susan Robertson, also a member of NESSE, and has been involved with the EC around questions of evidence-based policy and practice.
INRP, Lyon, France, take responsibility for the administration of NESSE.
Like other GES members, Frances Giampapa has been 'out' and 'about' presenting her work at Conferences recently. Check out her paper - "Discourses of italianita', space and the politics of identities in Toronto" which she gave at the International Seminar Series on Language and Migration. Theme: Multilingual Transnational Neighbourhoods held by the Centre for Transnational Studies, University of Southampton. UK.
Frances Giampapa also visited the land of canals, windmills and tulips--the Netherlands--earlier this year and gave a paper entitled "Authenticity, legitimacy and power: Discourses of italianita' and the politics of identities". Sociolinguistic Symposium 17, Amsterdam.
Roger Dale and Susan Robertson were both invited to participate as members of the Network of Experts in Social Science and Education (NESSE) in the European Commission's Annual Symposium held on the 14th October, 2008. Roger Dale is the Scientific Coordinator for NESSE. The EC Symposium theme - 'Early Matters' - was concerned with early childhood and early years education. Participants in the Symposium came from all over Europe, and included key stakeholders.
Thomas Muhr and Susana Melo both gave conference papers at the 2008 International Sociology Association (ISA) Conference in Barcelona, Spain 5-8th September 2008. Susana's paper, was entitled Creating Best Performing Nations in Education: the Case of the European Union's Use of Benchmarking.
Peter Jones presented a paper entitled Toward a Critical Cultural Political Economy of Education at a 2 day invitational seminar 'International Governance in Education: Theoretical Perspectives, Themes and Areas' in Tubingen, Germany, 2-5rd October, 2008. The seminar, organised by Professor Karin Amos of the University of Tuebingen, used different theoretical frameworks to explore the governance of education.
Susan Robertson was invited by Brazil's ANPED - the Associacao National de Pos-Gradiacao e Pesquisa em Educacao ( the BERA or AERA equivalent for Brazil) to give a paper in a special session on the globalisation of the Bologna Process in higher education. The conference, the 31 Reuniao Anual Da Anped, was held in Caxambu, Minas Gerais, Brazil on the 20-22nd October, 2008. Susan also presented a seminar paper on the 17th October, 2008 at the Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil on the World Bank and higher education.
Roger Dale and Susan Robertson both participated in an 'away day' in Nimes, France 2-5th October, 2008 with the research team involved in the ESRC funded LLAKES Centre. Roger and Susan are both leading projects within the Centre.
Welcome back to Yuan Ting Ting who has been completing her fieldwork on Chinese aid to Africa. Ting Ting has been in Tanzania during collecting data for her doctoral thesis. She is particularly interested in the difference in aid logic that is guiding the Chinese government in comparison to western donor organisations.
Well done to Tim Knowles and Merecia Sirera (pictured below), both who have successfully completed and defended their doctoral theses recently. Both Tim and Merecia were supervised by Roger Dale.
Congratulations to Susana Melo who has won an ESRC doctoral scholarship. Susana will be working with Susan Robertson and Roger Dale on the role of the Council of Europe in the Bologna Process in Europe. Susana will be doing her fieldwork on the Council of Europe in Strasbourg over the autumn and spring terms.
Congratulations to Peter Jones and Thomas Muhr, both members of GES and ESRC doctoral scholarship holders.
Peter Jones will be mentored by Roger Dale on the dissemination of his doctoral research on Europe, the Lisbon Strategy, education and the development of a European knowledge economy.
Thomas Muhr will be working with Professor Bronwyn Morgan in the School of Law, University of Bristol, on disseminating his doctoral work on Venezuela, higher education and human rights. Thomas will also continue his affiliation with the GES.
The GES extends a warm welcome to new doctoral students starting at the University of Bristol who are working with GES staff and attached to the Centre.
Tahani Aljafari from Saudi Arabia will be working with Susan Robertson and Roger Dale on developments in higher education in Saudi Arabia.
Mike Gow, also attached to the Centre of East Asian Studies, will be working with Susan Robertson and Jeff Henderson (CEAS) on transborder higher education developments in China.
Paul Morrissey, also attached to the Centre of East Asian Studies, will be working with Roger Dale on higher education and globalisation in Hong Kong.
The GES and C-Shape hosted a seminar led by Professor Jane Kenway and Dr. Jo Fahey, Monash University, Australia, on the 11th November, 2008
Their presentation was titled: "The research imagination in a world on the move: what is it, who has it and how might you get it?"
Their presentation was based upon a research project and publication 'Globalising the Research Imagination', funded by the Australian Research Council.
This is a day seminar organised by the GES will be held at the Burwalls Conference Centre. Leading academics will consider the key ways in which the education sector has been transformed as a result of discourses and practices associated with competitivism. Details to follow.
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