Graduate Survey

Dear graduate,
Many congratulations on the recent completion of your studies.

The School of Advanced Study is conducting a survey of its graduates in order to find out more about your experience studying here. The survey is similar to others completed by postgraduate students throughout the UK, and has the aim of identifying areas where we can improve the experience for students.

We would be grateful if you could complete the survey. The survey will only take about 10-15 minutes to complete and will close on 30 April 2011.

To thank you for your time, all completed surveys will be entered into a draw to win iTunes or Amazon vouchers (winner’s choice). A first prize of £50, a second prize of £25 and five prizes of £15 are available to be won. Only one entry per student is permitted. The winners of the draw will be notified by email after the survey has closed. You will be given the option to complete the survey anonymously if you wish. If you provide your email address to be entered into the prize draw, the data in this survey will be provided to the Institutes in aggregated form only and will not be used to identify any individuals.

Please click on the relevant link below to begin the survey:

Master’s: www.surveymonkey.com/s/sasgradmasters_Dec2010
Research: www.surveymonkey.com/s/sasgradresearch_Dec2010

If you have any queries about the survey, or you would like to receive the survey in hard copy, please contact the School marketing office on SAS.marketing@sas.ac.uk

Stay in touch with the School: join the School’s Alumni Association (free of charge) by emailing your preferred contact email address to sasalumni@sas.ac.uk. Become a fan of the School via our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.

Many thanks for your time, and best wishes for the next stage in your career.

Renoir Cinema Screening, Saturday 23rd October, 2pm: "The Brunswick"

Two former MA Understanding & Securing Human Rights students led a School-commissioned human rights film project in collaboration with Pan Intercultural Arts over the summer.  Gaia Marcus and Esther Ojulari worked with Pan and local community organisations to investigate the lives of the residents of The Brunswick. This work resulted in a film which highlights the different lives of neighbours, specifically focusing on the rights of the child.

The premiere screening of The Brunswick will take place on Saturday 23rd October, 2pm, at the Renoir Cinema.  This event is free and open to the public.  For further information and to register in advance (highly recommended) please visit the Bloomsbury Festival website at http://www.bloomsburyfestival.org.uk/.

Bloomsbury Festival 2010

The School of Advanced Study will be participating in the forthcoming 2010 Bloomsbury Festival taking place between 22 - 24 October. For further information and to sign up to the mailing list: www.bloomsburyfestival.org.uk

SAS Student Profiles

The School is seeking current and past students to complete student profiles which will feature in our prospectus, advertorials, website and other literature. If you are interested please contact troy.rutt@sas.ac.uk who will send you a student questionnaire to complete.

Many thanks!

SAS Graduation 2009 - View Online!

To view the 2009 SAS Graduation click here

Institute of Historical Research Event - 16th August 2010

Tudor-Stuart Midsummer Seminar

16th August 2010, 10am - 4.30pm

Speakers: Malcolm Smuts, Lisa Ford, Hiram Morgan, Alexandra Gadja, Michael Ullyot

Description: Programme

Venue: IHR

Institute of Classics Event - 13th August 2010

Digital Classicists

13th August 2010, 4.30pm-6.30pm

Speaker: Linda Spinazze (Venice)

Description: Musisque Deoque. Developing new features: manuscripts tracing on the net

Venue: STB9 (Stewart House, Basement)

Movement for Colonial Freedom - Rt Hon Tony Benn

http://www.sas.ac.uk/832.html

The Institute of Commonwealth Studies was delighted to welcome the Rt Hon Tony Benn to speak on the Movement for Colonial Freedom, as part of the Institute's 60th Anniversary Lecture Series. This event was filmed as is now available on-line to view.

One year on from graduation - 5 lessons learnt

It suddenly dawned on me this morning that it's been almost exactly one year since I graduated from ICS. I thought I'd jot down a few things I learnt from the course (you know, other than all the fancy schmancy book learnin'):

1. No human rights issue that exists in isolation to any other - this sounds obvious, but it was consistently reinforced when I was trying to separate out which were the most 'important' rights that supported all others.
2. Environmental rights (especially around climate change) are going to be the 'new frontier' of human rights - I remember having some pretty terse debates with a researcher from Amnesty who argued that environmental issues have no 'violator, violated, remedy' scenarios and therefore cannot be counted in the same bracket as civil and political rights. I disagree completely and think that we're going ot see more and more legal, social and NGO activism/advocacy around environmental rights - new organisations like Client Earth, for example.
3. Empowerment through acknowledging people's autonomy and agency is important - Another obvious one, maybe, but I've seen too often in NGOs, development and public opinion the idea that 'victims' need to be 'taught' how to 'develop' and get 'rescued' from poverty. Luckily, I work for an incredible development research institute (Institute of Development Studies) in a team developing genuinely collaborative approaches with partners in the majority world (i.e. 'developing' countries) on climate change adaptation.
4. It's not what you say, it's what people hear - this is especially important in communications and advocacy, which I work with. People generally can't deal with overtly negative and demoralising images and messages, they just switch off mentally. We in human rights, development and environmental rights need to be aspirational and positive in our communication, even with issues that are heavy and bleak. That doesn't mean glossing over things or sugar-coating things, just speaking to our audiences in ways that mobilises thier sense of justice and motivates them to act.
5. While you make plans, the gods laugh - One of the most important lessons I learnt at ICS was to try and develop a flexible mind and a determined patience with the unpredictable. Studying a masters, working part-time in the public sector and going through some serious health problems meant that I had to rely much more on the kindness and patience of my fellow students; ICS staff; my friends and family; and, sometimes, complete strangers. I also had to be open to changing my plans - I went in wanting to focus on gender rights and came out with a thesis written on environmental rights (and gender).

New Beginnings

Welcome to the School's New Alumni Blog!