Proposals for British Academy events

1. Public events communicating humanities and social sciences scholarship

Such events should seek to communicate new research and perspectives to non-specialist audiences, and to demonstrate the value of humanities and social sciences scholarship. Of particular interest are events that draw on more than one of the humanities and social sciences disciplines represented by the British Academy.

The principal vehicles are the Panel Discussion and the ‘In Conversation’ event.

Panel Discussions are an effective means of introducing the general public to exchanges of ideas and perspectives.
Character: presentations by up to five specialist speakers, followed by questions/discussion from the floor.
Timing: held in the evening (typically 6.30-8.00 pm).

‘In Conversation’ events provide an alternative format for exploring ideas or the work of individual scholars.
Character: a dialogue between two or three specialist contributors, followed by questions/discussion from the floor.
Timing: held in the evening, or possibly at lunchtime.

Events may be derived from any of the Academy’s disciplines, but events that draw on more than one are particularly welcome.

Each event should have an intended output. We would expect to record the event, and to make the recording available via the Academy’s website. Other possible outputs include an article in the British Academy Review.

The Academy welcomes preliminary proposals for Panel Discussions and ‘In Conversation’ events.

A preliminary proposal must contain the following:

1. Name and affiliation of proposer
2. Draft title of event
3. The purpose and significance of the event, indicating any particular timeliness and relevance
4. Preferred date (or range of dates)
5. Appropriate format – i.e. Panel Discussion, or ‘In Conversation’ event
6. The proposer’s own intended role(s) – i.e. convenor, chairman, panellist, discussant
7. Other principal participants – chairman, panellists, discussant(s)
8. Other key invitees – indicative list of others who might be invited so that they can participate ‘from the floor’
9. Name of any appropriate collaborating partner body, with an indication of the particular assistance they would be able to bring
10. Suggested output (beyond the audio recording)

Preliminary proposals should be emailed to James Rivington, Head of Publications and Events Development (j.rivington@britac.ac.uk).