Arts Update Te Kaupeka Toi Tangata

Mike Grimshaw (Sociology): My thoughts on Free Speech and Academic Freedom having attended the Free Speech Union AGM and been on the Academic Freedom panel. Both Free Speech and Academic Freedom are too important to be left to the Left or the Right- or the Liberal Centre – politically. For all positions hold within them […]

Mike Grimshaw(Sociology) was interviewed by Dom George of REX Rural Exchange radio regarding on-line lectures, the state of the tertiary sector and wider societal issues of the broken social contract. This arose out his widely read article on the tertiary sector  https://plainsight.nz/the-broken-system-and-broken-social-contract-of-tertiary-education-in-new-zealand/ that has been reposted across of number of on-line sites and forums.

It’s not often a distinguished professor offers to explain the academic theory of ‘Bullshitology’ to the world, but a public talk at the University of Canterbury offers exactly that, livestreamed and free to attend.  In this upcoming free public lecture – titled Bullshitologically speaking … really? – the University of Canterbury’s Te Amorangi | Pro-Vice-Chancellor Pacific, Distinguished Professor […]

Jeremy Moses and Sian Troath have published a piece in The Conversation on New Zealand’s policy on autonomous weapons systems and how this relates to its interest in joining Pillar 2 of AUKUS.

Michael-John Turp recently published an essay in Philosophy Now magazine on moral authority, truth and relativism

Mass shootings in the United States are depressingly routine. As are the responses, that are generous on thoughts and prayers and miserly on anything meaningful. But the recent shooting in the mall in Allen, Texas, had an unusual element that confounded many.            

Erin Harrington spoke with the New York Times about how and why breastfeeding has become a key motif in contemporary body horror.

The commitment to truth-telling has been pushed back as the news becomes more politicised in the US, according to UC Professor Donald Matheson. He spoke to 1NewsNZ about recent Fox News events and how it has been pulled further and further to the right as it competes with alternative media outlets.

Massey university, on behalf of an all universities discussion group on air travel, is circulating this survey to try and gauge how people are feeling about air travel and how limits on air travel might impact different communities and stages of career development.

You might be aware that UC currently doesn’t offset air travel – they are developing a policy, I believe, to encourage staff to make real reductions in the amount we travel in a technical committee Professor Jan Evans-Freeman leads. This survey informs the wider debate for UC and all universities about how we as staff are currently thinking about our air travel. If you have time to fill it in, I know the organisers would appreciate this.

‘Is academic air travel affecting career development in the post-Covid-19 era? Assessing the impact of perceptions of climate change.’

UC’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor Pacific, Distinguished Professor Steven Ratuva says, “it’s huge for the Pacific.”