The Military and the University Roundtable

June 4th 2008, Newcastle University, Beehive 2.22, 11am - 4.15pm

In June 2007, Reed Elsevier, parent company of academic publishers Elsevier, bowed to pressure from academics and announced its withdrawal from the arms marketing industry. This debate around the campaign raised wider questions over links between the military and the university: what are the multiple interconnections between the military and the academy, and what ethical questions do these raise? This one-day roundtable is intended to provide space to address both of these questions. The format will be on short presentations, with plenty of opportunity for open discussion and debate.


10.15 - 11am Arrival, refreshments

11am - 1pm Session 1: Mapping the terrain
Introduction: Nick Megoran; Chair: Kyle Grayson

The purpose of this session is get a sense of the multiple ways in which the military and the academy are interconnected, and how and why these are changing. Talks will outline spaces of interaction, panellists addressing topics such as institutional links between universities and the military; security/defence research funding; military activities, sponsorship and recruitment amongst students; military training.

Panellists are: Dr Jocelyn Mawdsley (Newcastle), Dr Anna Stavrianakis (Sussex), and Dr Rachel Woodward (Newcastle).

1pm-2pm Lunch (provided)

2pm-4:15pm Session 2: Ethics of engagement
Chair: David Murakami Wood

Having established a picture of the military-academic complex, this session asks what ethical questions it raises. Should we be encouraging, opposing or seeking to modify some or all of these interactions? What, if any, is the legitimate role of the military in the society at large and the university in particular? In the light of these discussions, what practical steps should we consider to take this further?

Panellists are: Dr Paul Chatterton (Leeds), Professor Anthony Forster (Durham), Mr Tim Street (Co-author of 2007 report 'Study War No More: Military Involvement in UK Universities'), and Professor Matthew Uttley (Kings College London / Joint Services Command and Staff College, Shrivenham).

4.15 - 5 Refreshments

Follow up
Those who wish to pursue this further may adjourn to a local restaurant bar for further discussion/planning.

Organisation
This event is organised by the Territory, Culture, and Politics Research Cluster, School of GPS, Newcastle University, in conjunction with the Northern Network of Critical Global Scholars and Newcastle University's Global Urban Research Unit. It is part of a series of events in 2008 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Newcastle's geography department, which, fittingly, began operating in a post-World War 1 Nissen Hut.

Costs
The conference fee, including lunch and refreshments, is £10 (£5 for postgraduate students).

Registration
To register please visit http://www.ncl.ac.uk/niassh/Military/index.htm. For enquiries about registration and logistics, please email Melanie Kidd at military@ncl.ac.uk or telephone her on +44 (0) 191 222 5807 (Monday - Wednesday 8.30am - 4.30pm).

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On behalf of the organisers, Dr Kyle Grayson (kyle.grayson@ncl.ac.uk), Dr Jocelyn Mawdsley (jocelyn.mawdsley@ncl.ac.uk), Dr Nick Megoran (nick.megoran@ncl.ac.uk), Dr David Murakami Wood (d.j.wood@ncl.ac.uk), Dr Rachel Woodward (r.e.woodward@ncl.ac.uk), Newcastle University.