In August 2012, terrorist group, Boko Haram, reportedly hacked into Nigeria’s secret service and acquired private data on current and former personnel. In April 2016, a group calling itself “Anonymous” was able to hack into the database of the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and steal sensitive data. More recently, a number of South African […] … learn more→
Blog Archives
Is cyberspace the latest conflict frontier on the African continent?
Universities: building understanding as hate speech proliferates
When an imam admits that he faces accusations of treachery from within his community simply for talking to a rabbi, you get some sense of just how dangerously divided our cities and countries are becoming. We face a real moment of crisis. Wherever we look, the growing tolerance of differences that we had for so […] … learn more→
Why children’s books that teach diversity are more important than ever
If you think back to your childhood, what sticks with you? For many people, it’s those cosy times when they were cuddled up with a parent or grandparent, being read a story. But bedtime stories aren’t just lovely endings to the day or a way to induce sleep, they are also a safe way to […] … learn more→
Body cameras: coming to a school near you soon
The use of body cameras by front line police and other uniformed enforcement agencies is increasing at an unstoppable rate both in the US and UK. In the UK, video cameras have been seen primarily as a way of supporting police officers to better enforce order or collect evidence. Whereas in the US, their use […] … learn more→
2017 isn’t ‘1984’ – it’s stranger than Orwell imagined
A week after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, George Orwell’s “1984” is the best-selling book on Amazon.com. The hearts of a thousand English teachers must be warmed as people flock to a novel published in 1949 for ways to think about their present moment. Orwell set his story in Oceania, one of three blocs or mega-states […] … learn more→
Far beyond crime-ridden depravity, darknets are key strongholds of freedom of expression online
The internet is much more than just the publicly available, Google-able web services most online users frequent – and that’s good for free expression. Companies frequently create private networks to enable employees to use secure corporate servers, for example. And free software allows individuals to create what are called “peer-to-peer” networks, connecting directly from one […] … learn more→
Seven academic books that helped to shape modern Britain
To celebrate the diversity, innovation and influence of academic books over the course of modern history, seven specialists share the book they believe has been most influential on modern British culture and society, as part of Academic Book Week. 1. The Law of the Constitution, by A.V Dicey Veronika Fikfak, lecturer and fellow in law, […] … learn more→
What’s missing in the teaching of Islam
There has been much misinformation about Islam. Reports in Western media tend to perpetuate stereotypes that Islam is a violent religion and Muslim women are oppressed. Popular films like “American Sniper” reduce places like Iraq to dusty war zones, devoid of any culture or history. Fears and anxiety manifest themselves in Islamophobic actions such as […] … learn more→
I may require shaming or even shunning: Twitter and the public discourse
Twitter has been central to a number of controversial cases that have tested the definitions and the limits of academic freedom. The brevity and compression of tweets means that they exist outside of any fixed context and they are therefore very frequently totally ambiguous. What seems very provocative or even outrageous to one reader may […] … learn more→
Anxiety and depression drive students to utilize mental health centers
College students are experiencing an increase in anxiety and depression rates, and this has created a lot of demand for experts offering solutions to mental health issues. Schools today are trying their best to offer students solutions to meet their demands to fight depression and anxiety. In 2016, a survey was conducted by the American […] … learn more→