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Philosophy and Public Affairs

Summary of the impact

St Andrews philosophers have brought their expertise into dialogue with professionals and members of the wider public, on matters of current concern. The impact has been created in three domains:

  • Impact on professional practice (Haldane's research on values, practical reasoning and punishment helps healthcare professionals make difficult decisions, and helps judges reflect upon ethical dilemmas);
  • Impact on Christian organisations and institutions (Haldane's research on the role of religion in education and in public life influences educators, campaigners, and policy-makers);
  • Impact on public debate about environmentalism and climate change (Mulgan's work on future generations and Scruton's research on environmental conservatism have played significant roles in public debate, in part mediated by Mulgan's introductory writings).

Submitting Institution

University of St Andrews

Unit of Assessment

Philosophy

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies, Literary Studies
Philosophy and Religious Studies: Philosophy

Promoting Philosophical Literacy in Pedagogy and Public Health

Summary of the impact

The impacts of Hutchinson's and Crome's separate, yet closely interlinked bodies of research emerge from their shared commitment to the value of philosophical literacy. They have both argued that professional practice across the domains of Education and Public Health is subject to the effects of cognitive and conceptual frames, which Philosophy can help to identify, appraise and improve. Crome follows this strategic path in his work on pedagogy, which seeks to highlight the theoretical assumptions that support key elements of current teaching and learning policy. Hutchinson is pursuing a collaborative partnership with Public Health professionals concerning the correlation of shame, stigma and sexually transmitted infection (STI), for which Hutchinson's work on shame provides part of the conceptual and methodological rationale. The end users and beneficiaries of their shared promotion of philosophical literacy are professionals and patients in the healthcare sector and teachers and their students in education.

Submitting Institution

Manchester Metropolitan University

Unit of Assessment

Philosophy

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Education: Curriculum and Pedagogy, Specialist Studies In Education

The Influence of Research-Oriented CPD on Religious Education Professionals

Summary of the impact

Professor Julian Stern was one of the lead organisers of, and contributors to, a series of eleven research-oriented seminars (between 2004 and 2010), bringing together teachers, advisors, and higher education professionals working on, and interested in, religious education research in UK schools and internationally. This impact case study identifies the influence of those seminars on the 161 participating professionals, on pupils, and on schools. Evidence is provided of the widespread and long-term impact of the research, particularly on the participants and on pupils, both directly through the seminars and through the various seminar-related publications.

Submitting Institution

York St John University

Unit of Assessment

Education

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Education: Curriculum and Pedagogy, Specialist Studies In Education

Spinoza Research Network

Summary of the impact

The Spinoza Research Network (SRN) contributed to public discourse through online presence, public lectures and radio interviews, with impact through increased understanding and awareness, and changes in behaviour. The project had impact on cultural life through engagement with artists and impact on their practice. The SRN was a 2-year AHRC-funded project for researchers in multiple disciplines working on Spinoza with non-academics. In 2008-10 SRN gained 200 members from over 16 countries. Membership is currently around 250. The outputs were an interactive website, two conferences, and an edited book, public speaking, a Facebook group, a reading group, and two radio interviews.

Submitting Institution

University of Dundee

Unit of Assessment

Philosophy

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Literary Studies
Philosophy and Religious Studies: Philosophy

2) 10 Minute Puzzle Podcasts

Summary of the impact

Promoting public diffusion of philosophical research via new and online media, The 10-Minute Puzzle podcast series seeks to engage lay audiences with some of the central puzzles driving contemporary research in analytic philosophy. As of September 19th, 2013, there had been over 63,000 downloads.

The series has two interrelated aims: to provide an innovative springboard for listeners (who may have had no previous exposure to philosophy) to engage with these puzzles on their own, and to provide a new, free resource for educators at all levels to stimulate interest in contemporary philosophy at any age.

As of September 19th, 2013, the three episodes of The 10-Minute Puzzle described in this case study had been downloaded 14,418 times, with downloads continuing steadily.

Submitting Institution

University of Aberdeen

Unit of Assessment

Philosophy

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Policy and Administration, Sociology
Philosophy and Religious Studies: Philosophy

Morality, Humanity and Narrative – the Impact of Rai Gaita’s Work

Summary of the impact

Rai Gaita's work brings a distinctive conception of good and evil to bear on a range of central and abiding moral questions. His work has shaped and changed the understanding of core moral and political issues by the general public in Australia and in other countries, and it has influenced the attitudes of policy makers and lawyers. Some of his books are on the reading list for the Higher School Certificate in Australia and have therefore had an immediate impact on the moral sensitivities of young Australians.

Not many contemporary moral philosophers have had such impact beyond the academic sphere. Why and how has Gaita achieved this impact? While academic philosophers tend to present their ideas in more technical form, Gaita's work crosses the boundaries between philosophical inquiry and literature. He brings philosophical issues to life by using the narrative form. For instance, his book Romulus, My Father, which uses biography to meditate on the human condition, has reached and influenced vast numbers of people. It was adapted into a film of the same title internationally released in 2007 and 2008. The inextricable connection between form and content in Gaita's work enables non-philosophical audiences to engage with, and respond to, his moral philosophy. In addition, his work has made a substantial contribution to the publishing and creative industries through the outstanding success of his books and related outputs.

Submitting Institution

King's College London

Unit of Assessment

Philosophy

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Literary Studies
Philosophy and Religious Studies: History and Philosophy of Specific Fields, Philosophy

Sexuate difference in education and art

Summary of the impact

The impact was on practitioners in art and education who used research on sexuate difference in their practices. Sexuate differences are bodily, social and cultural differences around gender that are not strictly based on sexual difference; for instance, they can be cultural differences around pregnancy. The research raised awareness of the significance of gender in contemporary cultural production and the development of educational practices. Three conferences and a network website generated dialogue, new works and novel ways of thinking about gender across artistic and educational communities. Public space for art works was made available through a website and public events.

Submitting Institution

University of Dundee

Unit of Assessment

Philosophy

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies, Literary Studies
Philosophy and Religious Studies: History and Philosophy of Specific Fields

Improving academic induction for higher education lecturers in professional fields

Summary of the impact

Across the Higher Education sector, in the UK and in much of Europe, university lecturers in professional fields are usually appointed on the basis of their practitioner experience and expertise, and they may have little prior experience of teaching at Higher Education level or of research activity. The impact of the research in this case study has been on individuals, Heads of Department, academic developers and universities across the UK in influencing changes in academic induction practices leading to enhanced professional development of university lecturers in professional fields, especially in teacher education, nursing and the allied health professions. The dissemination of the research included the publication by the Higher Education Academy (HEA) of guidelines for academic induction of teacher educators.

Submitting Institution

University of Cumbria

Unit of Assessment

Education

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Education: Curriculum and Pedagogy, Specialist Studies In Education

Reading publics in Renaissance Italy, c. 1400–c. 1650

Summary of the impact

New studies at the University of Warwick into the writing, production and reading of philosophical works in Renaissance Italy have reassessed the importance of works written in the vernacular language for the diffusion of classical philosophy (1400-1650). The research findings have improved the quality of catalogue entries for relevant holdings in libraries and a database, and have enhanced the knowledge of librarians working with these collections worldwide. The research has been communicated to professionals and the general public internationally, particularly in Italy, the US and the UK. The research has also been used to inform pedagogical activities for adult learners and secondary school students.

Submitting Institution

University of Warwick

Unit of Assessment

Modern Languages and Linguistics

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies, Literary Studies
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Defending the Subject

Summary of the impact

A unique insight in The Dangerous Rise of Therapeutic Education (2008), and developed through an ESRC Seminar Series, is that a therapeutic ethos in education is creating a diminished human subject through a `dual attack' on the human subject as a knowing subject and the subject-based curriculum.

A conscious public defence of the subject-based curriculum was then undertaken through seminars, debates and conferences involving think tanks, charities and union organisations. The appointment of Professor Dennis Hayes to the London Mayoral Education Inquiry (2012) was one consequence. The Inquiry resulted in funding of £24.5 million for the London Schools Excellence Fund.

Submitting Institution

University of Derby

Unit of Assessment

Education

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services
Education: Curriculum and Pedagogy, Specialist Studies In Education

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