Critical Ecologies Symposium 2025

Symposium Date: Wednesday, 9th July 10 – 3
Where: Catalyst Building, Leek Road, University of Staffordshire
Expression of Interest in Contributing: Friday June 20th, by 5pm
Registration via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/critical-ecologies-symposium-2025-tickets-1376317244929
PDF Details and Programme: https://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/c3centre/wp-content/blogs.dir/1790/files/sites/1790/2025/06/CriticalEcologiesSymposium-2025-1.pdf  

Critical Ecologies is a grassroots research hub, generating a community of practice holding space to focus discussion and innovation around nature recovery and environmental justice.

The 2025 Symposium supports shared visioning for future collaborations and practice-led research connections. We invite all researchers and practitioners interested in these themes to come together via an experimental, generative format, where throughout the day, we will propose provocations that generate knowledge around specific enquiries.

We invite you to propose either a 10-minute sharing provocation of your practice and/or research or a 30-minute hands-on making activity that responds to one of the enquiries.

The Enquiries:
1. Nature Recovery Strategy:
In this session, we will consider the Local Nature Recovery Strategies being prepared nationally; what role and purpose they need to fulfil, and how we, as creative and academic practitioners, might inform the processes or support communities in having a voice within the proceedings. What role can the strategy play in our research and practice in the coming years? More broadly, how can our work as practitioners and researchers better inform policy development?

2. Declaration of Intent:
This session aims to create a shared understanding of the Critical Ecologies Research Hub and to formulate a declaration of intent for the upcoming seasonal cycles. We will discuss the current functions of the hub, which include providing space for resistant research, supporting practice-led research, and fostering transdisciplinary connections and networks. How can we strengthen and build upon these aims?

3. Body/Brain:
Through a haptic experience of the subject themes, this session will enable us to synthesise the insights gained throughout the day, making them visible through practice-led guided engagement with material processes. From this collaborative process, visual motifs will emerge that will reinforce the strategic directions of the research hub moving forward. This session will also facilitate the cross-pollination, discussion, and experimental generation of ideas that occur during a practice-led workshop or workshops.

The outcomes of our collaboration throughout the day will form a Research Document, which will be shared immediately after the Symposium with all participants and will inform our ongoing efforts for the next year’s cycle of Critical Ecologies Seasonal Gatherings for 2025/26.

Symposium Date: Wednesday, 9th July 10 – 3
10 -10.30 – Introduction and framing the day.
10.30 – 11.30 – Enquiry 1: Nature Recovery Strategy
11.30 – 12.30 – Enquiry 2: Convening a Declaration of Intent
12.30 – 1.30 – LUNCH
1.30 – 2.30 – Enquiry 3: Body/Brain
2.30 – 3.00- Wrap Up

Expression of Interest in Contributing
To send in an Expression of Interest to
• present a 10 minute sharing provocation of your practice and/or research or
• a 30 minute hands-on making activity which responds to one of the enquiries,
please send us up to 500 words indicating which of the enquiries you are responding to, and what you intend to present or share by 5pm Friday June 20th to rebecca.nunes@staffs.ac.uk

Attending the Symposium:
If you would like to simply attend the Symposium, please sign up via our EventBrite link above. (We will contact you to ascertain any dietary requirements etc).
Further detail to follow.
We look forward to sharing the day with you.

London’s EPOD conference set to highlight education through podcasting in June

Education through Podcasting (EPOD) is organising its second conference on 26th and 27th June 2025 at Morley College London. A group of educators, podcast practitioners and industry experts will gather to discuss ‘Between entertainment and education’. Speakers will share how they use podcasts, best practices, and themes around ethics and inclusivity.

This conference continues a partnership formed between University of Staffordshire’s C3 Centre, Routledge, Morley College London, the University of Leeds and the University of South Florida. Industry sponsors include Audio UK, Broadcast Radio, HHB, Morley Radio, Routledge, and The Radio Academy.

It was announced also on the Podnews’s newsletter at https://podnews.net/press-release/epod-conference-25, which has a distribution of 32,457.

Carola Boehm, EPOD committee member and C3 member, said: ‘This is a fabulous conference that highlights the opportunities of podcasting to lean into higher education, and universities to lean into podcasting’.

This year’s keynote speakers include freelance producer and presenter Meera Kumar, recently named Producer of the Year 2024; Naomi Mellor, host and producer; and Stephen Coleman, author and emeritus Professor of Political Communication at the University of Leeds.

Camilo Salazar, EPOD committee member and manager at Morley Radio in London, said: ‘We are excited to host this event again. It will be so interesting to bring together people from all over the world and hear how media industry expectations apply in educational contexts.’

Each year, speakers will be given the opportunity to write up a chapter for a book in the EPOD book series, published by Routledge. The first book from the inaugural conference is due for release later this year. For more information about the event or to get tickets to attend, visit: https://www.epod.org.uk/epod-conference-2025

 

Education Through Podcasting EPOD Conference Deadline coming up: Don’t miss the deadline!

The deadline for submitting abstracts for EPOD 2025 Conference is fast approaching. Don’t miss your chance to be a part of this year’s conference!

https://www.epod.org.uk

This conference cements a partnership of EPOD with Routledge. For this year’s conference Morley College London is partnering with the University of Staffordshire, Leeds University, and the University of South Florida. In this conference, academics, researchers and practitioners will share and disseminate research and experience of teaching, learning and training through podcasts.  

The focus of the conference this year will be Between entertainment and education: balancing media industry expectations within educational contexts

We invite you to submit a paper abstract of 300-500 words to be reviewed for inclusion in the conference programme. This should be submitted by 28/02/2025 and you can find the Call For Papers here.  Note that this is an in-person conference and it will not be possible to present online.

Presenting authors will be given the opportunity to submit a paper for peer review and consideration for the next Routledge publication.  

A publication from last year’s conference contributors is in press and will be published by the time this conference rolls around!

We would really appreciate it if you could help spread the word about EPOD over email to anyone who may be interested, and social media. You can follow, like and share our social media posts on Instagram, X and Facebook, as well as sharing the Call for Submissions to networks.

Many thanks again, looking forward to seeing you in June 2025!

Warm regards, 

The EPOD Team

 

Education Through Podcasting Conference 2025 – Announcement of 2025 Dates and Theme

Education through Podcasting (EPOD) is a collaboration between Keele University Tim Canfer), University of Staffordshire (Carola Boehm) and Morley College (Camilo Salazar and Joanna Duchesne)  and includes an annual conference and a book series focusing  on discussing  and disseminating research and practice of learning/educational contexts using podcasting and recorded audio media.

EPOD welcomes academics, researchers and professionals to be part of our growing network that explores the intersections between podcasting and education. 

Main Website: https://www.epod.org.uk

EPOD’25 Education through Podcasting Conference

EPOD  2025 will be hosted again on 26th and 27th June 2025 by Morley College’s facilities at their Waterloo Campus in Central London, made for an ideal venue. Our theme for 20025 will be: Between Entertainment & Education: balancing media industry expectations within educational contexts.

Key Date and link to more Info:

  • 03/02/2025               Deadline for Conference Abstracts (see call)

Proceedings Publication

The proceedings from the conference will be published by Routledge. More details can be found here.

About:

Themes of the conference include, but are not limited to:

EVENT: Critical Ecologies, Thursday 11th July 2024

  • Thursday 11th July 2024
  • Catalyst CA2 Creative Lab
  • 10 am – 5pm

Critical Ecologies is an opportunity for academic and non-academic staff to come together and share research in alliance with communities and ecologies.

We have two exciting keynote presentations, and space for 6 presenters from within the University to share their research. In creating this fledgling research hub we are acknowledging the need for an open and respectful space where we can build (and rebuild) an interdisciplinary research culture. We also aim to centre nature recovery and environmental justice within these interdisciplinary conversations.

2022 Communities and Communication Conference: Call for Papers

The theme for this year is: Diverse Voices.

The deadline for submissions is FRIDAY 17th DECEMBER
2021.

Conference website is at https://filmfreeway.com/Communitesandcommunication

This year we are expanding the range of accepted submissions to artworks, performance, video submission, and other non-conventional forms.

Potential Topics:

  1. Representation
  2. Local vs global
  3. Crossing boundaries 
  4. Accessibility
  5. Platforms for dissemination
  6. Collective voice
  7. Art as activism 
  8. Quiet voices

The need for Diverse Voices’ inclusion into the conversation on communities and communication has never been more urgent. Connecting communities only makes sense when a variety of experiences share the stage in a respectful and engaging way, building a network of support and understanding between disciplines and different forms of expression. Building upon the success of last year’s edition, we are excited to invite participants from around the globe to engage in the discussion, in the hope for a more integrated approach to knowledge generation.

For more information and proposals contact: CommunitiesandCommunication@staffs.ac.uk 

GUIDANCE FOR AUTHORS

The deadline for submissions is FRIDAY 17th DECEMBER 2021.

The proposals should include: Title, up to 5 keywords, abstract (250 words), author name, affiliation and short bio (50 words) + if relevant, sample of the artwork/description/still/video.

All the proposed submissions must respond to the brief and be linked, in one way or another, to the ideas of communities, communication and diverse voices. All the creative work must be copyright free.


All proposals should be emailed to CommunitiesandCommunication@staffs.ac.uk
All Audio Visual submissions: https://filmfreeway.com/Communitesandcommunication

We encourage submissions from Early-Career, PhD students and independent researchers and artists. The conference is organised by the Department of Media and Performance, School of Digital, Technologies and Arts at Staffordshire University and will take place over two days 19-20 May 2022.

DanceCult Conference is back

DanceCult Conference

Dancecult Research Network (DRN) is an interdisciplinary network of academics, scholars and students researching all aspects of electronic dance music culture (EDMC). The DRN acknowledges that, from proto-disco through what is today labelled “EDM”, from the practice of the DJ to the present ubiquity of dance clubs, the aesthetics, politics and cultures of electronic dance music permeate underground and popular movements.

As an educational and research network, the DRN facilitates information exchange, resource sharing and collaboration among international researchers of the genres, identifications, aesthetics, technologies and other manifestations of EDMC. Researching techniques and locales, scenes and events, ethnicity and gender, production and distribution technologies, digital arts, drugs, sexuality and other subjects, members hail from various disciplines, operate in many different global locations, and employ diverse methodologies.

Programme at https://dancecult-research.net/2021-agenda/

More info and registration at https://dancecult-research.net/conference/

Image

Catch up up on our C3 Centre Launch?

Our new C3 Centre is all about new conceptual and critical insights into practices used by individual artists, collectives and creative thinkers who are passionate about engaging, interacting and co-creating with their surrounding communities.

And we discussed theses issues at our official launch, which happened on Friday 18 June 2021. The YouTube video is now available below.

Browse through, skip, speed up or listen during a lunch time break. We also had fun at our virtual pub, which sadly is not part of the YouTube experience.

Included in the video is our introductory panel discussion where you can get to know (some of) us; and our concluding panel debate about why we think research in the arts is so important for our regions. 

As part of the event we had various showcases of our work, which was not recorded as part of the video, but some of the work can be viewed on our website at http://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/c3centre/ .

We welcome you to become part of our collective narratives, exploring with us some of the questions that we have been asking in our research projects.

Contact of our staff at http://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/c3centre/contacts/