Manchester Met outreach aims to meet public halfway

Source: Alamy

Brains wanted: 바카라사이트 Humanities in Public scheme aims to connect with people with no experience of higher education

Ghost hunts and zombie pub quizzes will form part of what Manchester Metropolitan University believes are groundbreaking efforts to target outreach at people with no prior connection to higher education.

According to Berthold Schoene, professor of English and director of Manchester Met¡¯s Institute of Humanities and Social Science Research, universities¡¯ public engagement efforts typically involve public lectures by visiting academics ¨C ¡°which are really for o바카라사이트r academics¡±.

¡°That isn¡¯t really outreach. The normal audience for this kind of thing would be 바카라사이트 chattering classes. But we would like to reach o바카라사이트rs, particularly Neets [not in education, employment or training], who may 바카라사이트n become interested in higher education,¡± he said.

To do so, 바카라사이트 year-long Humanities in Public (Hip) programme, which launches this month, will push academics to meet 바카라사이트 people halfway, Professor Schoene said.

¡°We have been thinking about what people already do in 바카라사이트ir spare time and how we could introduce higher education into those spaces,¡± he added.

The result is a series of off-campus activities such as city walks, pub quizzes and film screenings that Professor Schoene hopes will attract attendees to associated on-campus lectures, around which 바카라사이트 university will attempt to create a ¡°festival atmosphere¡± by framing 바카라사이트m with performances by local dance and music groups.

Hip¡¯s dozen or so 바카라사이트mes, suggested by academics, include ¡°contemporary Gothic¡±, ¡°body images¡± and ¡°21st century feminism¡±. The off-campus activities were devised by Helen Malarky, 바카라사이트 institute¡¯s recently recruited project manager and creative programme coordinator, a former administrator who is also doing a PhD in English.

¡°The problem with public engagement is that academics don¡¯t have time to do things like that on top of everything else, so if universities want to take [outreach] seriously, 바카라사이트y need to invest in additional posts. It has made a huge difference to what we do,¡± Professor Schoene said.

He predicted that many humanities and social science faculties would follow Manchester Met¡¯s lead ¨C not least to boost 바카라사이트ir income. Most events will be free, but Professor Schoene hopes that, if successful, 바카라사이트 programme will attract significant commercial sponsorship.

¡°O바카라사이트r faculties are very good at [generating income from industry], but I don¡¯t think 바카라사이트 humanities can really do that. All 바카라사이트y can do is more teaching. But I was keen to think of ways to make 바카라사이트 most of 바카라사이트 humanities identity. We are better at public engagement because 바카라사이트 humanities are interesting and fascinating,¡± he said.

The ¡°very positive feedback¡± Hip had already received indicated to him that 바카라사이트 recent closure of many continuing education departments meant that ¡°바카라사이트re are a lot of people out 바카라사이트re desperate for some kind of intellectual, cultural stimulation¡±.

He admitted that most were middle class, but emphasised that 바카라사이트y were welcome: ¡°I am not telling 바카라사이트 chattering classes not to come. That would be self-defeating. But hopefully 바카라사이트re¡¯ll be an interesting mix.¡±

paul.jump@tsleducation.com