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Researching the contemporary moral landscape: concepts, methods and approaches to public engagement
An intensive residential training programme for doctoral students and early career researchers run by the Centre for Religion and Contemporary Society, University of Kent in conjunction with the RSA
Monday 10th – Friday 14th September, 2012
The AHRC’s Care for the Future research theme emphasises the importance of studying the ‘ethical, moral, cultural and social landscapes’ of contemporary life. How do we engage with this challenge conceptually, though, or practice research in ways that engage effectively with these complex phenomena? What public audiences do these questions matter to and how can we communicate our work in creative and useful ways?
This week-long intensive training workshop, delivered in conjunction with the RSA, will provide doctoral students and early career researchers with a unique opportunity to address these questions through workshop sessions with a range of experienced researchers. The programme content will include a range of disciplinary perspectives and will aim not so much to provide a comprehensive framework, but diverse theoretical and methodological perspectives which can act as a stimulus for participants’ future research.
Specific areas to be covered in the programme will include:
- forms of ‘belief’ in everyday life
- visual and material culture as media of moral life
- understanding the contemporary moral landscape through literature and the arts
- the good life and the ‘social brain’
- the contemporary significance of the sacred and the profane
- new forms of ritualization in contemporary society
- the policy context for understanding the contemporary moral landscape
Other training sessions will also explore different approaches to public engagement through print, digital and broadcast media.
The event will run from the morning Monday 10th September until the end of the afternoon on Friday 14th September at the RSA’s offices just off the Strand in central London. There is no registration fee. Lunch and dinner will be provided free of charge, and free overnight accommodation will also be provided in central London for those participants who require it.
Places on this training programme are likely to be highly competitive. To apply for a place, please complete this application form, and return it as an email attachment to morallandscape@kent.ac.uk by Monday 4 June. If you have specific queries about the programme, please email Professor Gordon Lynch at g.lynch@kent.ac.uk
The programme is open to applications to any doctoral student or any early career researcher who is within three years of having completed their PhD. When considering applications, priority will be given to applicants who have both:
- an excellent previous academic record with clear evidence (or potential) to make a significant future research contribution
- research interests to which the training would be of clear relevance
In addition to this, the programme team will ensure that a significant number of places are reserved for applicants who are current or recent recipients of AHRC funding (e.g. AHRC doctoral funding), and will also seek to ensure a range of disciplines and institutions are represented.
In addition to this residential training programme, a three month internship is also being offered for a current AHRC-funded doctoral student to undertake a placement with the RSA exploring issues relevant to this training programme. More details on this are available here.