Here is my suggested list of academic activities for you to engage in over the holiday...
1) Read some book chapters and journals for upcoming assignments.
2) Engage with some academic texts and make some notes on what you've remembered.
3) Open some of the tomes in the library and look at the words which make up the sentences.
Then record some of these sentences.
4) Find some academic literature from your chosen subject; then look at it.
5) Find publication, peruse publication.
6) Locate text, conduct scrutiny of pages.
Got the message yet?!?! Good!
I wish you all a relaxing and warm break (punctuated by some reading, maybe?) and I'll see you again in January. My last day is tomorrow (Tuesday) and I won't be going near social media over Christmas so hopefully you'll be fine.
Much love and a successful 2015 to you all.
Alan
Monday, 15 December 2014
Tuesday, 9 December 2014
The What, Why and How of Podcasts
It's easier than it's ever been to make information come to you.
Missed a TV show? Just use catch-up or on demand services.
Missed a gig? Someone will have recorded it and put it online.
Very little media is now gone forever and radio shows can be caught up with via Soundcloud or Podcasts.
This post is just looking at Podcasts and how you can use and reference them effectively.
You can find Podcasts in every corner of the web and if you're unsure of what they actually are then it's simply a digital recording of a radio show which is converted into an MP3 format, so it can easily be downloaded. Podcasting is easy and all you need is a mic and a web-enabled device.
There's a lot of Podcasts out there (both on itunes and elsewhere) that are certainly broadly relevant to the social sciences so you'll need to explore, but I'm going to suggest five specific Casts that I think are worth a listen.
1) Thinking Allowed is a Podcast covering the Sociology radio show on radio 4.
2) Digital Human is a show debating different psychological/sociological aspects of our relationship with the Web.
3) British Psychological Society (BPS) Podcasts page is a list of psychology-related programmes, some of which cover topics of interest to anyone studying criminology, child-related topics or mental health.
4) More or Less is a good listen for anyone trying to get their head around statistics and research-it's much more interesting than it sounds!
5) Podology is a general resource for sociological-related Podcasts. It's a bit of a mixed bag, but certainly worth an explore.
Finally, remember you can reference Podcasts. If you need help with that bit then use your unit handbook or contact me and I'll show you the format.
Happy listening.
Missed a TV show? Just use catch-up or on demand services.
Missed a gig? Someone will have recorded it and put it online.
Very little media is now gone forever and radio shows can be caught up with via Soundcloud or Podcasts.
This post is just looking at Podcasts and how you can use and reference them effectively.
You can find Podcasts in every corner of the web and if you're unsure of what they actually are then it's simply a digital recording of a radio show which is converted into an MP3 format, so it can easily be downloaded. Podcasting is easy and all you need is a mic and a web-enabled device.
There's a lot of Podcasts out there (both on itunes and elsewhere) that are certainly broadly relevant to the social sciences so you'll need to explore, but I'm going to suggest five specific Casts that I think are worth a listen.
1) Thinking Allowed is a Podcast covering the Sociology radio show on radio 4.
2) Digital Human is a show debating different psychological/sociological aspects of our relationship with the Web.
3) British Psychological Society (BPS) Podcasts page is a list of psychology-related programmes, some of which cover topics of interest to anyone studying criminology, child-related topics or mental health.
4) More or Less is a good listen for anyone trying to get their head around statistics and research-it's much more interesting than it sounds!
5) Podology is a general resource for sociological-related Podcasts. It's a bit of a mixed bag, but certainly worth an explore.
Finally, remember you can reference Podcasts. If you need help with that bit then use your unit handbook or contact me and I'll show you the format.
Happy listening.
Tuesday, 2 December 2014
Kate Tempest, subjectivity and truth and the need for more rap on this blog
As part of my critical thinking lecture I like to have a debate with you on what counts as truth or fact.
One of the reasons this is fun is because it's never the same twice. I can never tell which bit is going to rile people and which bit is going to go unchallenged. This week it was about whether countries (specifically Spain!) exist in any 'factual' sense. The idea that countries change borders, languages and populations to me suggests that countries are as transient as individual lives. Borders are often arbitrarily drawn up by third parties, as in the case of India and Pakistan.
Anyway. In other news, I've been listening to the Kate Tempest LP a lot these past weeks (she should have won the Mercury prize this year...) and it's currently my 5th favourite LP of the year. These things matter.
There's a track on it called The Truth which features these lines:
"Whose truth even counts?
One final thing; it's also a bit sweary at one point so don't play if you're likely to be offended.
Alan
One of the reasons this is fun is because it's never the same twice. I can never tell which bit is going to rile people and which bit is going to go unchallenged. This week it was about whether countries (specifically Spain!) exist in any 'factual' sense. The idea that countries change borders, languages and populations to me suggests that countries are as transient as individual lives. Borders are often arbitrarily drawn up by third parties, as in the case of India and Pakistan.
Anyway. In other news, I've been listening to the Kate Tempest LP a lot these past weeks (she should have won the Mercury prize this year...) and it's currently my 5th favourite LP of the year. These things matter.
There's a track on it called The Truth which features these lines:
"Whose truth even counts?
Is it the person who doubts
What a person proclaims they're about?
Whose version is perfect?
Is there a truth that exists
Outside of perception?
This is the question".
I love that. Clearly, I need to include more lyrics to illustrate my points.
Expect a Coldplay song at some point in the future to illustrate how we're all doomed...I love that. Clearly, I need to include more lyrics to illustrate my points.
One final thing; it's also a bit sweary at one point so don't play if you're likely to be offended.
Alan
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