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.
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.
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.
A different take on module development
I recorded this video after a week of external examining. It’s at this time of the academic year that colleagues will begin (hopefully after a break) thinking about next year's teaching. So I wanted to get a few thoughts recorded about how I encourage people to think about module development.
With most universities suggesting a move to a ‘hybrid’ between online and face-to-face teaching, now is a good time to start reconsidering some of the fundamentals of teaching and learning. This video focuses on a few of them rather than going into the specifics of moving courses online or whatnot.
Study skills with Dr. Alex Channon: The Importance of books, essay writing and engagement
This is the first study skills chat with my good friend Dr. Alex Channon from the University of Brighton. We talk about the importance of reading books (not simply papers), key elements of essay writing and the correlation between student success and engagement/attendance.
Starting to think about immersive research
In this video, I discuss some foundational issues that can help you get started thinking about immersive research.
Why do people explain learned behaviours using ideas connected to sex hormones?
This article is based on some extracts from one of my first academic papers. It uses key academic ideas to explain why people rely on often overly simplistic ideas about sex hormones as explanations for socially learned behaviours.
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