The Moore Institute, along with other research institutes within NUI Galway, have come together to form COVID-19 Response Groups within their respective areas of research.  The purpose of these groups is to draw on colleagues’ expertise with regard to the impact of COVID-19 and to foster potential research and collaboration.

In leading the initiative from a humanities and social studies perspective, the Moore Institute is exploring the effect of this pandemic in relation to areas such as political culture and its influence on decision-making; social media and the virus; education; racism; historical precedents; the psychology of infectious disease; security; globalization.  Contributions, including Webinars and News and Opinions, from colleagues to-date are featured below.

If you are interested in being part of these conversations and would like to be involved with this group, please contact Dan Carey, Director of the Institute – daniel.carey@nuigalway.ie.

Update

Moore Institute COVID-19 Response Group Report

Since its formation, the Group has co-ordinated a significant number of events which have explored different dimensions of the crisis. The strategic impact of these events in the areas of Public Scholarship & Outreach, Developing & Sustaining Networks, and Fostering Interdisciplinarity, has been significant. The work has resulted in the development of new research areas and collaboration for many of the contributors, with a number of further initiatives already in the planning stages.

A full report on the Response Group’s activities has been compiled and is available at this link:  Moore Institute COVID Group Report

Outputs

View the list of relevant outputs produced by response group members.

 

Members

Activities

Webinars

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Moore Institute continues to host a series of webinars related to aspects of the COVID-19 crisis. These sessions feature both NUI Galway and external speakers, and are broadcast live using Zoom, Facebook Live, and on local radio by FlirtFM. The sessions are also recorded and published on the Moore Institute’s YouTube account.

1. Political and societal considerations in understanding the impact of Covid-19, April 2nd, 2020.

2. ‘Data, Ethics and the Covid-19 Crisis‘, April 23rd, 2020.

3. Education during Covid-19: precarity, privilege, purpose, April 30th, 2020.

4. Writing during the Covid-19 crisis: three Irish writers discuss the pandemic and its impact on their work, May 4th, 2020.

5. Slavery, Race and COVID-19, May 19th, 2020

6. Ireland, Borders, and Covid-19, May 28th, 2020

 

7. Art and Digital Technology in a Time of Crisis, June 3rd, 2020

8. Universities and the Covid-19 Crisis: Problems, Prospects and Pathways, June 11th, 2020.

9. Philosophy and the Pandemic: reasoning in unreasonable times, June 18th, 2020.

10. Sport and Covid-19, June 25th, 2020.

11. Language in a health crisis: navigating Covid-19 in a multilingual Ireland, July 2nd, 2020.

12. Covid-19: The Crisis in India, May 19 2021.

 

Webinar Audio Recordings

The webinars are also available as audio recordings on the Moore Institute’s SoundCloud account.

News & Opinions – Moore Institute Blog

The Moore Institute also continues to publish contributions from colleagues, in the form of blogs, on topics relating to the impact the crisis is currently having, how it compares to pandemics of the past, and what we think the future might look like as a result.

Outputs from Group Members

Publications

  • Byrne, A. (forthcoming, 2021) Teaching online in Covid-19. This is my story, ‘Remaking Social Futures through Biographical, Narrative Research: Story-making and Story-telling in Times of Crisis’, The Sociological Observer. [Accepted]
  • Byrne, A. (forthcoming, 2021) Moving on-line and into the sea: a short waterbiography, ‘Remaking Social Futures through Biographical, Narrative Research: Story-making and Story-telling in Times of Crisis’, The Sociological Observer. [Accepted]
  • Carey, D. (2020) ‘From Plague to Covid – What History Teaches Us about Pandemics’, Cois Coiribe, December 2020, 19-20, http://cois-coiribe.mdev.uk/
  • Cronin, N. & Morrissey, J. (2020) ‘Foundations for the Future: Towards a More Sustainable World’, Cois Coiribe, December 2020, 21-22, http://cois-coiribe.mdev.uk/
  • Connolly, C., Hall, T., Jones, S. & Procter R. (2020) ‘Research Informed Teaching in a Global Pandemic: Opening up Schools to Research’. In: Ferdig, R.E., Baumgartner, E., Hartshorne, R., Kaplan-Rakowski, R. & Mouza, C. (eds.) Teaching, Technology, and Teacher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Stories from the Field. Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. pp. 609-617, https://www.learntechlib.org/p/216903/
  • Crosson, S. & Free, M. (2021) ‘“This too shall pass”: Gaelic Games, Irish Media and the Covid-19 Lockdown in Ireland”. In: Krieger, J., Henning, A., Dimeo, P. & Parks Pieper, L. (eds.) Time Out: National Perspectives on Sport and the Covid-19 Lockdown. Champaign, IL: Common Ground. pp. 297-312
  • Crosson, S. & Free, M. (forthcoming, 2022) ‘“Celebrate this victory in a sensible manner”: Irish Media and the Restart of Gaelic games in Ireland’. In: Krieger, J., Henning, A., Dimeo, P. & Parks Pieper, L. (eds.) “Restart” Sport after the Covid-19 Lockdown. Champaign, IL: Common Ground
  • Ó Baoill, A. & Scifo, S. (forthcoming) ‘Community Media, Sustainability, and Crisis’. Rowman & Littlefield
  • Flynn, P. (2020) ‘DESIGN-ED: a pedagogical toolkit to support K-12 teachers’ emergency transition to remote online education’, Information and Learning Sciences, Vol. 121 (5/6): 331-339
  • Flynn, P. (2020) ‘Enhancing K-12 pre-service teachers digital pedagogical literacy lesson planning for teaching online’. In: Ferdig, R. E, Baumgartner, E., Hartshorne, R., Kaplan-Rakowski, R. & Mouza, Ch. (eds.) Teaching, Technology, and Teacher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Stories from the Field. USA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (ACCE)
  • Flynn, N., Keane, E., Davitt, E, McCauley, V., Heinz, M., & MacRuairc, G. (2020) Schooling at Home’ in Ireland during COVID 19: Perspectives and Experiences of Primary and Second-level Students and their Parents. School of Education, NUI Galway: Galway, Ireland, http://www.nuigalway.ie/colleges-and-schools/arts-social-sciences-and-celtic-studies/education/research/educationcultureandsociety/schoolingathome/#d.en.306508
  • Hall, T., Connolly, C., Ó Grádaigh, S., Burden, K., Kearney, M., Schuck, S., Bottema, J., Cazemier, G., Hustinx, W., Evens, M., Koenraad, T., Makridou, E., Kosmas, P. (2020) ‘Education in precarious times: a comparative study across six countries to identify design priorities for mobile learning in a pandemic’, Information and Learning Sciences, https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-04-2020-0089
  • Morrissey. J. (2021) ‘Planetary Precarity and ‘More-Than-Human Security’: The Securitization Challenge in the Aftermath of COVID-19’, Journal of Human Security (In Press)
  • Morrissey, J. (2020) ‘The Global Governance Challenge of Human Security’, Development Studies Association Ireland, https://www.dsaireland.org/covid-19-resources/the-global-governance-challenge-of-human-security
  • Morrissey, J. (2020) ‘COVID-19 and the Neoliberal House of Cards’, Transforming Society, http://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2020/06/19/covid-19-and-the-neoliberal-house-of-cards
  • Morrissey, J. (2020) ‘The COVID-19 Exposure’, ZNet, https://zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-covid-19-exposure
  • Murray, C., Heinz, M., Munday, I., Keane, E., Flynn, N., Connolly, C., Hall, T., MacRuairc, G. (2020) ‘Reconceptualising relatedness in education in ‘Distanced’ Times’, European Journal of Teacher Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2020.1806820
  • Ó Baoill, A. (2021) ‘Using The Crisis: Media Studies Pedagogy And The Pandemic’, Mediální studia / Media Studies (under review)
  • Ó Baoill, A. & Scifo, S. (forthcoming) Community Media, Sustainability, and Crisis. Rowman & Littlefield
  • Ó Baoill, A., Dolber, B. & Ceisel, C. (forthcoming) ‘Political economic perspectives on mobile privatisation and COVID-19
  • Ó Grádaigh, S., Connolly, C., Mac Mahon, B., Agnew, A., & Poole, W. (2021) ‘An investigation of emergency virtual observation (EVO) in initial teacher education, in Australia and Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic’, Irish Educational Studies, 10.1080/03323315.2021.1916561
  • O’Sullivan, K., O’Meara, N., Goos, M. & Conway, P. (2021) ‘How Covid-19 has reinforced the importance of a numerate society’, Irish Educational Studies, DOI: 10.1080/03323315.2021.1915844
  • Pusse, T.K. (2020) ‘Konserven für die Apocalypse’, Triëdere. Zeitschrift für Theorie, Literatur und Kunst. Gastrosophie, Vol. 20, 23-27
  • Putnam, E. (forthcoming, 2022) Livestreaming as Aesthetic Encounter, University of Minnesota Press (Forerunners series)
  • Walsh, J. (2020) ‘An phaindéim agus an stát aonteangach’, Comhar, Vol. 80: 6, 11-14, https://comhar.ie/iris/80/6/an-phaindeim-agus-an-stat-aonteangach/
  • Walsh, J. (2021) ‘“Real” language policy in a time of crisis: Covid-19, the state and the Irish Language’. In: Maher, E. & O’Brien, E. (eds.) Reimagining Irish Studies for the Twenty-First Century. Oxford: Peter Lang. pp. 229-246

Policy Contributions

Establishing New Networks

  • Cassie Smith-Christmas has developed a strong relation with the newly reinstated ELSTA (English Language Support Teachers Association of Ireland) as a result of her participation in a COVID-19 Response Seminar.  One of the external speakers from the webinar went on to become president of the group and they have continued to stay in touch to discuss many things.  From Cassie’s experience changes to language policy in particular, can be a slow and laborious processes, but that building up relations between academics and stakeholders is key to making those changes.

Media Contributions

RTÉ Brainstorm

Newspaper Articles

Radio Interviews

Blogs

Podcasts

  • Crosson, S. (2021) ‘Women in Sports and levelling the playing fields’, Cois Coiribe, 28 April 2021, https://bit.ly/3exFa8V

Webinars / Conference Papers / Presentations

  • Byrne, A. (2020) ‘Writing Obscure Lives?’, Biographical Perspective on European Societies’. A two-day interactive online event: “Biographical work in a time of social distancing: interview(s), analysis, interpretation”, European Sociological Association, Sociological Association of Ireland, ESRC Research Network, 25-26 September 2020
  • Byrne, A. (2020) ‘Creative Methods with Letters and Diaries’, Panel brief, Biographical Perspective on European Societies’. A two-day interactive online event: “Biographical work in a time of social distancing: interview(s), analysis, interpretation”, European Sociological Association, Sociological Association of Ireland, ESRC Research Network, 25-26 September 2020
  • Byrne, A. (2020) ‘Biographical Narrative and Life Course Research Group (IRL-UK): Learning from the Past?’, Reading Group Focus: Byrne, A. and O’Mahony, D. (2012) ‘Family and Community: Retelling Our Own Story’, Journal of Family Issues, Vol. 33:1. pp 52-75
  • Byrne, A., Kovacic, T. & Prieto Blanco, P. (2020) ‘Writing Obscure Lives: Victorijia’s Autograph Book’, WEBINAR Biographical Narrative and Life Course Research Group (IRL-UK), 30 November 2020
  • Cronin, N. (2021) Panellist at Global Irish Network Series: “Post Covid: A New Irish Studies?”, University of Notre Dame, 16 April 2021, https://irishstudies.nd.edu/events/2021/04/16/global-irish-network-series-post-covid-a-new-irish-studies/
  • Cronin, N. (2021) Co-organised the higher education and policy-oriented webinar series, Future Earth Ireland, ‘Building Forward Better’, Royal Irish Academy, Spring 2021, https://www.ria.ie/building-forward-better-webinar-series-teaching-and-learning
  • Crosson, S. (forthcoming, 2021) ‘”Gaelic Games, Irish Media and the Covid-19 Pandemic’s Exposing Force’ in Ireland”, The 15th Annual Conference of the Association for the Study of Sport and the European Union, 15-18 June 2021, University of Rijeka, Croatia, https://www.sportandeu.com/2021-conference
  • Murray, C. & Heinz, M. (2021) ‘Relatedness and Care in Teacher Education during a Pandemic and Beyond’, National Teacher Education and Teacher Educator Forum
  • Ó Baoill, A. & Scifo, S. (2020) ‘Global Dialogues 3 – Beyond the Noise in UK and Ireland’, Global Dialogues on Community Media in the Post-Pandemic World, organised by the UNESCO Chair on Community Media, Dr. Vinod Pavarala, June 2020, Hyderabad University (also providing an introduction to the session, as part of the publication of the Dialogues by UNESCO Press), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_ctzqRz__E
  • Schrage-Früh, M, invited presentation on “Dementia Narratives and Covid-19” in the webinar “Narratives of Dementia and Ageing during the Current Global Pandemic.” Organisers: Dr Sarah Falcus and Dr Raquel Medina (University of Huddersfield / University of Aston, UK, 21 July 2020)
  • Smith-Christmas, C. (2020) ‘Text of Talk delivered at ‘Language in a health crisis: navigating Covid-19 in a multilingual Ireland’’, Language, Families and Society, 31 July 2020, NUI Galway, Moore Institute’s COVID-19 Series https://languagefamiliessociety.wordpress.com/2020/07/31/text-of-talk-delivered-at-language-in-a-health-crisis-navigating-covid-19-in-a-multilingual-ireland/

 

Research Projects

  • Prof. Gerry Mac Ruairc and Prof. Pat Dolan
    • HRB/IRC funded “Crisis coping for marginalised youth: living and learning through COVID-19”
  • Dr Cornelia Connolly, School of Education, NUI Galway
    • Rethink Ireland funded “Bridging Worlds – New Learning Spaces for New Times”

 

Teaching Contributions

Andrew Ó Baoill

New module, MES4100 (Media for Social Change), has secured a grant from the NUIG OER Project (€1,250), to produce an Open Textbook on the NUIG Pressbook site. The funding from this comes from the Student Project Fund, and is designed to respond (in part) to the need for blended learning options (as well as responding to financial concerns among students) as a result of the pandemic. I would note that this project is in line with the responses I advocate in the pedagogy article under review (Ó Baoill, Andrew. Using The Crisis: Media Studies Pedagogy And The Pandemic. Under Review with: Mediální studia / Media Studies.).