Thoughts and Ideas
This section is a space for me to consider issues within society and contemporary culture.
Here, I’ll introduce and further develop ideas I like to work with, explain and expand on issues that stem from previous projects, as well as consider immersive research and developing practices.
Study a PhD with Dr. Christopher R. Matthews
I specialise in conducting and supervising immersive research, but I’m keen to discuss various projects and research methods with prospective students as well.
Academic reading: Part three
Here I discuss some of the key ways you can tell if you’ve gone deep enough with your academic reading. The main goal here is to develop a confidence in your knowledge which I described as ‘unshakable’. This means knowing what you know and also knowing what you don’t yet know.
Academic reading: Part two
In this video I discuss the need for planning and strategy when you approach academic reading. While you might enjoy reading, academic reading is not reading for pleasure. You’re reading with a job in mind – you’re trying to get shit done.
Academic reading: Part one
In this video I discuss the type of deep or ‘proper’ reading which is necessary to develop academic thinking. I discuss how such reading is the basis for good academic writing and outline how challenging and draining it can be when done properly.
Exploring drugs and doping with Dr. Paul Dimeo
Paul is a Reader at the University of Stirling and he’s a leader in the field of drug use in sport. Here, we discuss a bunch of issues connected to drug use, doping regulations and various logical inconsistencies regarding the ‘war on drugs’. We explore a range of examples and compare how drug use and users were, and are treated in very different ways to what has become normalised in the world of elite, and now sub-elite sport.
Synthesising theory with Dr. Alex Channon
Dr. Alex Channon of the University of Brighton and I talk through key ideas in the sociology of deviancy in sport. The goal was to outline the importance of theoretical synthesis, or as I term it; ‘bringing academic ideas together’ in order to frame our understanding of complex social issues.
OPD interview with Joe Jeffrey and Austin Stout
This is a recording of my appearance on the OPD (Optimal Physique Development) podcast with Joe Jeffrey and Austin Stout. We discussed critical thinking, social science, subcultures, performance enhancing, strength sports and bodybuilding.
Structuring an analysis of complex problems
In this video I propose the idea of a complex of ideas, rather than complex ideas. This means we can bring together simple ways of thinking about a topic and structuring them in a way that helps us explain a complex issue.
In this regard, we’re talking about a complex (different things that are connected in some way) rather something being complex (confusing and hard to understand).
Getting immersed in football with Dr. Geoff Pearson
In this video I chat with Geoff Pearson from Manchester University about his ethnographic work in football. We cover a bunch of topics that will be useful if you’re considering doing similar work.
Starting to think about immersive research
In this video, I discuss some foundational issues that can help you get started thinking about immersive research.
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