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-- Apologies for Cross Posting -- Higher Education in the Liquid Modern Era: Swirling Down the Drain? CALL FOR PAPERS University of Leeds September 9th 2011 The Coalition Government's removal of state funding for the social sciences and humanities, and subsequent allocation of state funding to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects only, belies an assumption that the value of higher education can and should be measured by instrumental, direct, economic 'output'. This is a clear attack on the subjects which it believes to be self-indulgent, valueless and outdated. We invite postgraduates from the social sciences and other related disciplines to respond to this challenge. This one day, BSA sponsored conference, hosted at the University of Leeds in conjunction with the Bauman Institute, will be looking to address these concerns. We welcome 15 minute papers exploring (but not limited to) any of the questions below: - How has sociological theory impacted on the ethical, economic, social and political landscape? - Is there space for substantive ethical development within 'the academy'? - How might proposed drives towards efficiency, impact and 'value-for-money' lead to irrational outcomes? - Can postgraduate students assert the value of sociology by opposing the changes inside academic institutions? - Will there still be space for critical sociology or will changes to funding limit critical thought? The conference itself will be divided into a mixture of keynote speeches, workshops and postgraduate led papers. Speakers include; Dr Mark Davis (University of Leeds) Dr Katherine Smith (University of Bath), Dr Paul Taylor (University of Leeds) and Dr David Harvie (University of Leicester). From the conference, we intend to produce a collaborative resource, detailing the concerns and solutions offered by postgraduates in defence of sociology, the humanities and the social sciences generally. Abstracts of no more than 150 words should be submitted to Leon Sealey-Huggins at [log in to unmask] by July 1st 2011. The event is free to BSA members and £25 to non members. To register for the event, please email Sam de Boise at [log in to unmask] Limited travel reimbursements are available for attendees. For more details please go to http://www.sociology.leeds.ac.uk/bauman.