Discipline-based training in the School of Social Sciences
The School of Social Sciences offers a programme of multidisciplinary training workshops. Subjectspecific training and support is also offered via a diverse range of specialist research groups.
1. Multidisciplinary training workshops
In response to student feedback from 2014/15, the following training workshops and drop-in
sessions will be available in 2015/16. Sessions are open to all. Please contact the workshop
coordinator to confirm attendance.
Date
Nov 25th 2015
2:00-4:00pm
Naseby 18
Jan 27th 2016
2:00-4:00pm
Sulgrave 137
Feb 10th 2016
2:00-4:00pm
Naseby 18
Mar 30th 2016
2:30-4:30pm
Sulgrave 137
Session title
Preparing risk assessments for research in Social Sciences
Sarah Steers and Dr John Horton
This session is designed to support postgraduate students in
Social Sciences who are the process of conducting a risk
assessment for their research. Inadequate risk assessments are
a common reason why students’ research proposals and ethics
applications are rejected by Research Degrees Boards or
Research Ethics Committees. The session will:
 explain the requirements for risk assessment;
 provide hints and tips for conducting an effective risk
assessment in Social Sciences;
 help you to develop a risk assessment for your project.
Research ‘impact’: being ‘impactful’ and auditing ‘impacts’
Katie Jones and Dr John Horton
This session will explore the idea of research ‘impact’, which
has become a fundamentally important part of being an
academic researcher in the UK. For example, impact is central
to the REF (Research Excellence Framework), Research
Councils’ funding requirements, and many academic job
descriptions. The session will:
 explain what is meant by impact in this context;
 share experiences of developing ‘impactful’ research;
 provide guidance and tips about recording and evidencing
impact;
 support you in discussing and auditing the potential impacts
of your research.
Preparing ethics applications for research in Social Sciences
This session is designed to support postgraduate students in
Social Sciences who are the process of preparing or revising an
ethics application for their research project. Members of the
Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee will be on hand to
answer queries, provide hints and tips, and give feedback on
your draft application.
Researching with ‘vulnerable’ groups
Dr Michelle Pyer and Dr John Horton
This session is designed to support postgraduate students
whose research involves working with groups of people who
are defined as ‘vulnerable’ by most research ethics processes in
the UK (e.g. children, young people, people with disabilities).
The session will:
Booking details
Please email
john.horton@northampt
on.ac.uk to book a place
Booking via Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.c
o.uk/e/research-impactbeing-impactful-andauditing-impacts-tickets19075570545
Please email
john.horton@northampt
on.ac.uk to book a place
Booking via Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.c
o.uk/e/researching-withvulnerable-groupstickets-19075746070
May 25th 2016
2:00-3:00pm
Sulgrave 137
 explain what is meant by ‘vulnerability’ in this context;
 provide a space to share experiences of conducting research
with vulnerable participants;
 provide guidance and tips about developing research
strategies and ethics applications for research with
vulnerable participants.
We invite attendees to tell us about the groups that they are
working with, and via a workshop-based approach we will seek
to identify a range of strategies to support researchers in
planning and undertaking their project work.
Open Access in the REF: A review
Dr Miggie Pickton and Nick Dimmock
HEFCE have stated that certain research outputs must be made
available in an open access form if they are to be eligible for
submission to the next REF. What does this mean for you and
how can you make sure you are compliant? Comprising a
presentation covering the key points of HEFCE’s open access
policy, followed by an opportunity for questions and discussion,
this session will be of interest to anyone who aspires to submit
their research to the next REF.
Booking via Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.c
o.uk/e/open-access-inthe-ref-a-review-tickets18999264311
2. Support and training offered by specialist research groups
Given the broad range of subject areas with the School of Social Sciences, and the breadth of
methodological approaches adopted, discipline-based training is also offered by specialist research
groups. Their various provision is summarised below. All postgraduate students are very welcome to
engage with Centre activities or contact the coordinators listed below.
Group
About the group
CCBE
(Collaborative
Centre for Built
Environment)
Key expertise:
 urban design and urbanism
 planning and housing
 design for wellbeing
 heritage and culture of place
making
 universities and place making
 built environment education
Key expertise:
 children and young people’s
everyday lives, mobilities and
geographies
 conceptualising childhood and
youth
 participatory, qualitative, visual
and creative research with children
and young people
 services, spaces and policies for
children, young people and families
 children, young people and
sustainable urbanism
 children and young people’s play,
CCY (Centre for
Children and
Youth)
Events planned for
2015/16
Annual programme
of conferences,
seminars, symposia
and CPD
opportunities – To
be confirmed
Contact
Half-day conference
on ‘new research
with children, young
people and families
at the University of
Northampton’,
March 16th 2016, 14pm
john.horton@northamp
ton.ac.uk
If you would like to
present or attend,
please email please
email
john.horton@northa
mpton.ac.uk
sabine.coadyschaebitz
@northampton.ac.uk
See: www.ccbe.co.uk/
See:
www.northampton.ac.u
k/research/researchcentres/the-centre-forchildren-and-youth-ccy
CSAPP (Centre
for the Study of
Anomalous
Psychological
Processes)
History
IPSCJ (Institute
of Public Safety,
Crime and
Justice)
Law
NIUA
(Northampton
Institute for
Urban Affairs)
popular culture and identities
Key expertise:
 scientific study of Anomalous
Psychological Processes
 extrasensory perception,
psychokinesis and so-called psychic
experiences
 exceptional states of mind
(spiritual, mystical, and peak
experiences among others)
 impacts of Anomalous
Psychological Processes
experiences on client wellbeing
Key expertise:
 social and cultural histories, with
expertise mainly relating to Britain
in the long 18th century, although
we also work on early-modern and
early 20th-century England.
 histories of gender, consumption,
material culture and crime
 histories of ideology, intelligence
and security (e.g. Europe and North
Africa in the 20th century, military
intelligence, colonialism and postcolonialism, and Far Right politics)
 public engagement in
history/heritage
Key expertise:
• criminal justice and public safety
interventions
• crime prevention, crime science
and criminal justice practice
• Strategic crime analysis
• Community Engagement and
criminal justice agencies
Key expertise:
• public Services Law
• citizenship
• Intellectual Property Law
• International Terrorism Law
• Equality law
• Consumer Law
• European integration
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• International Environmental Law
Key expertise:
• social innovation
• community and social enterprises
• social policy
• community development housing
Annual programme
of meetings and
events – To be
confirmed
Opportunities to
engage with Level 7
research methods
training Psychology –
Contact
chris.roe@northamp
ton.ac.uk for details
Seminar programme
– all welcome to
attend:
http://blogs.northa
mpton.ac.uk/history/
2015/09/10/historyseminar-series-201516/
chris.roe@northampton
.ac.uk
matthew.mccormack@
northampton.ac.uk
See:
http://www.northampt
on.ac.uk/research/resea
rch-centres/history
Annual programme
of writing workshops
and academic
conferences – To be
confirmed
Annual programme
of conferences,
seminars and events
– To be confirmed
Annual programme
of meetings and
events – To be
confirmed
Annual programme
of conferences and
events – To be
confirmed
sarah.armstronghallam@northampton.a
c.uk
See:
www.northampton.ac.u
k/research/researchinstitutes/institute-forpublic-safety-crime-andjustice
jim.davies@northampto
n.ac.uk
chris.durkin@northamp
ton.ac.uk
RRG (Radicalism
Research
Group)
Social and
Cultural
Research in
Psychology
(SCRIP)
SIRD (Sociology,
International
Relations,
Development)
Key expertise:
 radicalism, such as the
development of populist and
extreme right politics, and Islamism
 print and material cultures of
radicalism and extremism
 historical and contemporary
studies of extremist and radical
political groups
Key expertise:
 qualitative and critical research in
psychology
 personal and social relationships
 impacts of policy and political
context on subjectivity and lived
experience
 transitions, including educational
and professional transitions
 intersectionalities of class, race,
ethnicity, gender, sexualities,
abilities, etc
 mental health
 health and wellbeing
 family life
 education
 disability
 gendered violence
 bullying
Key expertise:
 political and social theory (e.g. in
relation to identity, Otherness,
ethnicity, development,
communication and social division
in a global context)
 international political economy
 international relations
 local governance
 security and development in Africa
 networks and communications
 power, security and conflict
Annual programme
of conferences and
events – To be
confirmed
paul.jackson@northam
pton.ac.uk
Regular programme
of meetings and
workshops – To be
confirmed
jane.callaghan@northa
mpton.ac.uk
Next meeting: Nov
17th 10-12, Fawsley
building
See:
http://www.northampt
on.ac.uk/research/resea
rch-groups/social-andcultural-research-inpsychology-group-scrip
Opportunities to
engage with Level 7
research methods
training Psychology –
Contact
jane.callaghan@nort
hampton.ac.uk for
details
Annual programme
of seminars and
events – To be
confirmed
glyn.daly@northampton
.ac.uk