Hidden barriers and divisive architecture: the case of Belfast

Mr David Coyles, Prof Brandon Hamber and Dr Adrian Grant (Ulster) The “peace-walls” are particularly symbolic of the role that architecture plays in separating residential communities and a comprehensive scholarship continues to assess their effects. This presentation outlines original findings from a three-year multi-disciplinary academic research project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, … Read more

New evidence and new approaches for shared education

Prof Roger Austin (Ulster) and Prof Rhiannon Turner (QUB) This presentation focuses on how new research evidence can be used to make shared education more sustainable and more accessible for more children. Shared education has been adopted as policy by the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive. It is based on the hope that the sharing … Read more

Mapping Fuel Poverty Across Northern Ireland

Dr Paul McKenzie (Ulster) Fuel poverty is a significant issue across Europe and a particular problem within the UK and Ireland. Fuel poverty occurs when insufficient funds are available to pay for a warm and comfortable home. Households affected by fuel poverty are at risk of physical and mental health difficulties and are linked with … Read more

Protecting dignity, fighting poverty and promoting social inclusion in devolved social security

Dr Mark Simpson (Ulster) The protection of human dignity and poverty reduction are core functions of social security. Changes to working age benefits since 2010 have reduced claimants’ incomes, putting more people at risk of poverty and arguably reducing the ability of the system to support a dignified standard of living. Human rights law has … Read more

Government Policy & the Business of Sport in Northern Ireland

Dr Damian Gallagher (Ulster), Dr Ann Pegoraro (Laurentian University, Canada), Prof Audrey Gilmore (Ulster) and Mr Ryan Bell (Ulster) The principal aim of this presentation is to highlight a current gap in the government policy of Northern Ireland in relation to the business of sport.  It seeks to stimulate debate and aid understanding of how … Read more

Criminalising Revenge Porn in Northern Ireland: Laws and Lessons from England and Wales and other Common Law Jurisdictions

Dr Taiwo Oriola (Ulster) Revenge pornography encapsulates the act of online distribution or publication of sexually explicit private images or films of an ex-girlfriend, boyfriend, or partner, without their consent; with a view to humiliating or causing distress for a perceived wrong or slight. Whilst revenge pornography predates the Internet, the ubiquitous Internet, the social … Read more

Police Stop & Search Powers: Understanding Nature & Extent of Adversarial Contact Between PSNI and the Public

Dr John Topping (QUB) Governed primarily under the Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 (PACE), the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s (PSNI) use of stop and search powers have remained as a consistent – and growing – power over the past decade.  Analysis of most recent data shows the powers are used 68% … Read more

Litigants in person in the civil and family courts in Northern Ireland

Prof Gráinne McKeever, Dr Lucy Royal-Dawson, Dr John McCord and Dr Eleanor Kirk (Ulster) This presentation presents findings based on qualitative and quantitative research with personal litigants conducted from September 2016 to September 2017, in civil and family law proceedings in Northern Ireland.  Research provides an evidence-based analysis of the reasons why people self-represent and the characteristics … Read more

Interactive Technologies to Enhance Learning and Teaching in Higher Education

Prof Stephen McClean (Ulster) While funding for higher education has been reduced there remains an impetus on universities to provide a high quality and engaging student experience. With increasing class sizes and diversity of learner, research reveals digital technology can be used effectively to enhance digital skills and promote active and collaborative learning opportunities. This … Read more

Using GPS tracking devices to explore the geographies of young people

Dr Sally Cook, Dr Paul McKenzie and Dr Stephen Roulston (Ulster) This presentation highlights the communal divisions in one town in Northern Ireland, Coleraine, through the use of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) tracking. GPS can generate evidence to help us understand young people’s movements and geographies, particularly in a post-conflict context where notions of place, … Read more