FOAH2001 - Projects for 2022-23
Project Title: Globalizing 20th century women’s stories in science and technology
Project Lead: Graeme Gooday
We need to know much more about the many women whose work in research and construction helped to build the world around us. Barely mentioned in textbooks (with the exception of Marie Curie), their lives are much less well-documented than those of male experts, especially those working outside Europe and North America. Fortunately the UK’s Women’s Engineering Society (WES) recently put online a historical resource that has many stories of women scientists and engineers. This is a digitized version of 'The Woman Engineer' journal (hosted by the Institution of Engineering and Technology Archives) with articles dating back to WES’s founding in 1919.
Students on this project would draw upon material in The Woman Engineer and the Electrifying Women project to produce blogposts, webpages and audio-visual materials on selected women’s activities, as well as some oral history work (subject to ethical approval). Student swould be supported and advised by WES and the Electrifying Women project led by Prof. Gooday. The priority would be writing the stories of women scientists and engineers in Africa, Asia and Latin America, including any participation by then in the International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists which started in 1964.
Students taking on this project (now in its second year) will need a passion for telling stories and a commitment to raising the profile of women's stories, especially in a broad multi-cultural perspective. You won't need to have advanced skills in history - a GSCE or equivalent in a history-related subject would be quite enough. You also don't need to know much about science and technology.
By taking on this project you will acquire skills in researching printed historical materials, correlating stories from different periods in time, and assembling narratives that interpret women's changing place in the world of science and technology.
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Project Title: Making a Museum Catalogue
Project Lead: Mike Finn
Project Description: You will be working with the Museum of the History of Science, at the University of Leeds. There is no need for any previous experience or knowledge of working with museums, but an interest and background in science, or history more generally, would be an important starting point. Students will be gathering information about objects within the Museum, through time spent in the store room, visiting collections around campus, and gathering information from the Museum's website, catalogue and archives. You will also be researching other museum catalogues online as background research. There will be no need to travel off-campus. Typically, students would work directly with objects on Monday evenings after project meetings, from 5-6:30, whilst other work would be done throughout the week. Access to objects at other times in term can be arranged with the project leader.
Project Outputs: The main output would be designing a new documentation catalogue for the museum. That is, some form of database, spreadsheet, etc, for recording data about objects and collections in the museum. Students would be reflecting on how to make this accessible, informative, simple, meeting museum standards, and adaptable for future users. The project would also involve recording information into the new catalogue, to confirm it is fit for purpose. Students may also write for the Museum blog along the way, recording their research, discoveries, and competing challenges. Other forms of output may also be arranged in consultation with the module and project leaders.
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Project Lead: Katie Carpenter
Project Title: LS6: Local History in the Community
External Partner: Antony Ramm, Leeds Libraries, Galleries and Museums
Project Description: In this project we would like students to delve into our archival collection for the LS6 region (Headingley, Burley, Hyde Park, Meanwood and Woodhouse) and develop a way of engaging the local communities in the area with that material.
Leeds Central Library has an excellent collection of local history material, much of it relating to the areas of Leeds outside the city centre. A large proportion of that collection is largely underused through being relatively inaccessible – a missed opportunity in our current, post-covid age of increasing emphasis on the hyperlocal, the places communities live.
By taking on this project you’ll develop knowledge in public library resources and how the Library Service manages them; experience in working with a community-facing partner and its audiences; and a variety of skills depending on how you choose to develop the collections – anything from design skills to article writing to public speaking (and more besides).
Knowledge of history (or local history) is not essential – what’s more important is the ability to think creatively about the collections and how best to market them to an audience that may not even be aware the material – or the library service - exists at all.
The local history material is primarily held at the Central Library so some time will be required in the building to get familiar with the collection. Trips to Headingley public library may also be required to run events, meet local contacts and/or work with community librarians for that area.
Project Outputs: The output of the project depends largely on the direction the student group decides to take the material – in consultation and partnership with Library staff. That could be a printed or electronic guide to the collection (unconstrained by Library marketing templates); an interactive website; a social media account (Twitter or Instagram most likely); a series of articles on our Secret Library Leeds blog; a set of engaging materials for schools in the LS6 area – whether a pack or even a workshop session for a school visiting the Central Library); a public event – a collections handling workshop or a local history talk, or even something more creative: a craft event inspired by images or stories from the collection, for example. We’re open to any ideas however – previous suggestions from student groups working with our collections have included short films, poster campaigns and artistic remixes of the materials.
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Project Title: Weaving a Sacred Canopy: Stories From Chinese Communities in Yorkshire
Project Lead: Caroline Starkey
Project Description: This is a new and live research project which aims to uncover seldom heard stories of the sacred from Chinese communities in Yorkshire, including accounts of religious practice and identity. This will add detail to existing conceptualisations of sacredness and religion, rooted in the diasporic experience, filling a significant gap in our understanding of the religious practices of Chinese in Britain, a complex, diverse and hypermobile community. The project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between staff from Philosophy, Religion and History of Science with the School of Languages Cultures and Societies, and will be working with community organisation in the region. Students will be undertaking a supported mapping of religious and community organisations, helping to plan research events, and undertake interviews with Chinese students at Leeds. Students will have the opportunity to be an integral part of the development of the innovative research project.
Project Outputs: Community events, contributing to report/literature review, opportunities for more creative presentation of data depending on student interest.
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Project Title: Who is 'international'? (and why does this matter)
Project Lead: Corrine Painter
External Partner: Fidelis Chebe, Migrant Action
Project Description: What makes international students international? “International Student” is a term that is frequently used by and within the university to refer to a wide range of students, and for a wide range of purposes. While the term “international student” can be a helpful way of understanding and supporting some aspects of student experience, some uses of the term can lead to “othering” or create divisions between UK (or “home”) students and those who fit under the umbrella of “international”. In this project, you will research when and how the university students and staff use the term “international” and identify the effects and /or consequences of this label for students. You will analyse university communications and outputs to examine how the word “international” is used and you can conduct focus groups to discuss how students and staff feel about this language. How can we create a university that is more mindful of the language used and build a more inclusive community?
In this project, students will be encouraged and supported to conduct empirical research with UoL students, and will be working closely together with Migrant Action and academic supervisors. You will learn how to conduct focus groups and about critical discourse analysis. No prior knowledge or expertise is needed but an inquiring mind and the ability to be a good listener are essential. Migrant Action (established 2016) is an Advocacy and Rights based organisation providing information, guidance, advocacy support and direct practical assistance to ‘vulnerable’ migrants. Migrant Action works with migrants, including students, who have fallen through the cracks of the immigration system including (but not restricted to) stateless people, those who have been unable to regularise their status and those on temporary visas.
Project Outputs: The outputs from this project will put student voices and experiences at the centre. You can create a resource pack for the university (to be shared by the International Student Office), sharing your findings and making suggestions for communications. This could be used as a stimulus for discussion in staff and student training sessions. We also encourage creative responses, which could include a zine, podcast, video, etc.
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Project Title: Education support for refugees and asylum seekers
Project Lead: Mel Prideaux
External Partner: Tina Brocklebank, Leeds Asylum Seekers Support Network (LASSN)
Project Description: In this project you will be working with students from other Leeds Universities and MA students on a sister project to develop materials to support refugees and asylum seekers to access education in Leeds. You will be conducting research and working with professionals from a range of organisations in the city to further develop an existing online resource and supporting materials ready for a public launch in 2023. Leeds Asylum Seekers Support Network is our key city partner who will be providing training and support. You will further develop your research, teamwork and communication skills as well as develop your knowledge and expertise in matters relating to refugee and asylum seeker experience. You will need to be proactive and willing to develop your skills but you do not need expertise in UK education systems or refugee and asylum seeker issues. Training will be provided. As well as the weekly meetings and training you will need to be able to travel to visit partners across the city, usually but not always during office hours.
Project Outputs: Development of existing web resource and supporting materials. Report for partners on how to use this resource.
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Project Title: Inclusive citation in audio-visual culture
Project Leads: Stephanie Dennison and Priyanka Verna
Project Description: This project seeks to encourage a new generation of researchers to think before they cite. By this we mean that, despite a great deal of good work taking place in terms of "decolonising the classroom" and shifting away from an Anglocentric curriculum, most of the sources we use to, for example, discuss World Cinema, continue to be written by white men. A first step to challenging the dominance of such voices, then, is to make alternative voices and views available, as often these exist but are hidden: consider, for example, Netflix's Black Stories selection, which almost exclusively focuses on US productions, despite the existence of Afro-Latino and African films in the Netflix catalogue. Students will work together to produce a user-friendly database of accessible resources, eg short summaries and links to open-access and subscription journal articles, films available on VOD of subtitled films and translated texts produced by minoritised filmmakers and scholars that deal with the key themes of race and gender.
As well as gaining an appreciation of the importance of inclusive citation, students will develop an enhanced understanding of concepts such as feminism and intersectionality, race and decoloniality. They will receive supervision from two staff members from the Centre for World Cinemas with specialisms in South Asian and Latin American audio-visual culture respectively, They will also have the opportunity to attend a series of workshops and events with external speakers that form part of a research seminar series entitled New Voices in Cinephilia. Students will develop their independent research skills and they will learn how to build an inclusive bibliography/filmography. While no knowledge of languages other than English is necessary, students with knowledge of other languages will be encouraged to make use of this on the project. Likewise, a background in audio-visual culture is not essential, but students with interests in film and television beyond Hollywood are encouraged to apply for this project.
Project Outputs: The main output for this project will be a database. Students are also encouraged (in conjunction with the project leaders) to produce a more creative output (e.g. a presentation for the Cinephilia programme, or a zine) to present some of the research carried out for the database.
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Project Title: African Playwrights and Leeds
Project Lead: Jane Plastow
External Partners: Tim Procter and Sarah Prescott, Special Collections & Galleries, University of Leeds Libraries
Project Description: Special Collections holds a unique collection of play scripts and correspondence from African playwrights including J P Clark, Wole Soyinka, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Yulisa Pat Amadu Maddy and many others. The material was collected by Martin Banham, former Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies at the University. Banham was well known to the playwrights featured, many of whom would write to him and send draft scripts of their work.
This is an exciting opportunity to discover this collection. Students will have the opportunity to explore the activities of the writers featured, performance of their works, and their relationships to Banham and Leeds.
These areas could be explored by:
- Mapping performance: creating visualisations of the locations of the development and performance of plays. Where were these writers working, where and how were there plays performed?
- Using Special Collections holdings to explore the writers’ relationships to Banham and their interaction with Leeds.
- Exploring play scripts themselves: many are the only record of a play and its performance, others are unpublished or are unique drafts of earlier works. Is there related material in other archives around the world?
Through this project you will develop skills of archival research and critical analysis drawing on a variety of sources. You will gain experience of working with a range of digital humanities tools. You will gain a deeper understanding of the activities and work of some of the most significant writers of sub-Saharan Africa.
The project will require some in person research on the archival material – the wider research work can be done remotely.
Project Outputs: Outputs could take various forms, depending on how the research develops, and there is the opportunity for the students to help to shape the outputs. The project could produce digital resources including network visualisations, promotional activities and events.
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Project Title: Performing Federico García Lorca in the UK
Project Lead: María Bastianes and Duncan Wheeler
Project Description: Federico García Lorca is the most internationally renowned and performed Spanish author. This exciting project seeks to trace and create a database (the first one) featuring information on productions of Federico García Lorca's theatre in the UK, as well as collating and curating materials for a potential future exhibition.
Our research team is comprised of academic staff and post-graduate researchers, thus allowing you the opportunity to be in close contact and collaboration with early-career researchers (who were in your position not that long ago!).
You will learn how to work with digital archives and to be self-reflexive and critical of your findings. We will meet periodically to discuss your progress, and there may well be opportunities to travel to actual archives.
There are no pre-requisites for joining the project (beyond curiosity and enthusiasm!), but an interest in performing arts and cultural history would be desirable. Students willing to share their digital creativity and help us developing digital tools (such as digital maps) for the project are also very welcome.
Project Outputs: An online database and project webpage. Depending on the materials uncovered, and capacity, we may create a digital, or physical exhibition.
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Project Title: Autism and Spirituality - What are the spiritual needs of autistic people and are they being met?
Project Lead: Joanna Leidenhag
Project Description: It is estimated that 1 in 50-100 people in the UK are autistic. Whilst much work is being done around helping autistic people have equal access of education and employability, little attention has been given to the spiritual needs of autistic people and their place in religious communities. This is important not only because social scientific evidence suggests that frequent participation in a religious community correlates to better mental health, life satisfaction, and even physical health, but also because autistic people should not be disadvantaged in freedom of religious expression and spiritual development. As such, this is a cutting-edge project that seeks to investigate what the spiritual needs of autistic people are and whether these are currently being met by religious organisations. You do not need to have any prior knowledge about autism or religion/spirituality, nor do you need to identify as either autistic or religious to participate in this project. Curiosity about the topic and respect for others is all that is required.
In semester 1, weekly supervisions will explore some of the difficulties in defining “autism” and “spirituality”, drawing on literature in psychology, philosophy, English literature, theology, and other disciplines. This will provide a strong knowledge-base and critical awareness of the key issues and prepare you for empirical research. In semester 2, you will then conduct focus-group research into the self-reported spiritual needs of autistic people, and whether those needs are currently being met by religious organisations.
Project Outputs: A report/literature review AND ONE other output of the students' choice (i.e. a series of blogs, an academic article to submit to a journal, create your own website, etc.).