10th February 2022, 2-3pm

Diverse economies: anticapitalocentric, hopeful reading for better worlds

Pete North (University of Liverpool)

This seminar will examine methods for uncovering and developing better worlds, and thinking about more hopeful ontologies as developed by scholars associated with the work of J.K. Gibson-Graham. How can we uncover and develop better stories, visions practices about how we and others can live well in the Anthropocene, What methods are used by diverse economies scholars to build better worlds?

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17th February 2022, 2-3pm

Metaphors of menopause and how to analyse them

Pernille Bogø-Jørgensen (Lancaster University)

Metaphor is a slippery linguistic phenomenon and much discussion has gone into developing rules for how to identify it. A current practice is the well-tested procedure MIPVU (Steen et al, 2010), which is replicable across several languages (see Nacey et al. 2019). This replicability comes at the cost of restrictiveness as does any procedure that seeks to make qualitative data countable. However, in my research it functions as a starting point for a discussion about what metaphor is.

This talk will address how I have adapted MIPVU to my data as well as made it complement the metaphor scenarios theory proposed by Musolff (2006). Metaphor scenarios are ‘mini-narratives’ that set out possibilities, expectations and evaluations for actors and their actions. In my data, this relates to menopause as it is construed in Danish and US American medical websites and women’s magazines.

My aim is to contribute to a broader discussion about triangulation of methods to analyse metaphor in natural language.

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24th February 2022, 2-3pm

Using Agent-based Models to explore social phenomenon

J. Kasmire (University of Manchester)

Social science seeks to understand and predict patterns involving human behaviour, many of which are large-scale and complex. However, social science explanations or predictions can be difficult to test and refine because of the serious ethical and practical barriers to running experiments on the real world! For example, there are many possible explanations for the complex patterns of urban mobility, but when traffic calming measures fail to produce the desired results it can be difficult to identify why or how the situation can be improved.

One possible solution is to run social science experiments ‘in silico’ via an agent-based model (ABM) in which simulated actors have features, behaviours and actions informed by real world data. Such ABM experiments allow social scientists to test and refine their understanding of problems and possible solutions and to explore how emergent patterns might change under alternative conditions.

This free webinar, organised by the UK Data Service, is the first in a training series on how to use agent-based models combined with real world data to address social science questions. Specifically, this webinar:

• introduces important concepts like emergence, bottom-up processes, and more
• presents several agent-based model examples
• discusses the pros and cons of agent-based models
• presents software options

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3rd March 2022, 2-3pm

Psychoanalysis as Methodology

Moran Mandelbaum (Keele University)

Abstract Pending

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10th March 2022, 2-3pm

Researching recreational drug taking in the home using visual and object interview methods

Lisa Williams (University of Manchester)

The practice of recreational drug taking in private spaces is a relatively hidden activity. Moreover, no social science research has collected visual data in recreational drug takers homes. The present study aims to explore, using photography and object interview methods, the strategies drug takers use when storing drugs in the home to avoid detection from authorities and other people, and the nature and purpose of recreational drug taking in the home. The presentation will outline the research design, associated ethical dilemmas and practical issues encountered in the field.

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17th March 2022, 2-3pm

Synthesizing qualitative research

Julius Sim (School of Medicine, Keele University)

Different approaches to the synthesis of qualitative research will be explored, examining some of the methodological challenges involved.

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24th March 2022, 2-3pm

Stakeholder engagement in data science research

Ellen Schwaller & James Watson (University of Liverpool)

Abstract Pending

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31st March 2022, 2-3pm

Studying Violence: Concepts, Approaches and Challenges

Deana Heath (University of Liverpool)

What do we mean by the term ‘violence’ – does it include, for example, famine, social suffering, or the intergenerational effects of postcolonial trauma – and how do we theorise it? What are some of the ways, moreover, that we can go about studying it, and what sorts of challenges might we encounter when we do? This workshop will focus on some of the challenges of carrying out research on violence and suggest some potential ways to address these.

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7th April 2022, 2-3pm

Conceptual Analysis

Sorin Baiasu (Keele University)

Most research would involve the use of words and a written piece. Some of the words we use in our research are more important than others, for instance, they are central for the topic or occur more often in our written work. It becomes particularly important for a successful research, therefore, that these terms be defined sufficiently precisely, in order to avoid confusions, ambiguities and vagueness. This session explains these pitfalls and presents conceptual analysis as a method which helps us address them.

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14th April 2022, 2-3pm

Data discovery for secondary analysis projects – finding and accessing data from the UK Data Service and beyond

Alle Bloom (UK Data Service)

Abstract Pending

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21st April 2022, 2-3pm

Digital fieldwork: Ethnography and exploration in digital spaces

Carwyn Moris (University of Manchester)

Abstract Pending

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28th April 2022, 2-3pm

An integrative approach – A narrative orientated literature review, incorporating systematic practices

Sihui Wang (Keele University)

Abstract Pending

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