Education: Expectation and the Unexpected

In this paper I consider the concept of expectation in Higher Education. To focus the discussion I begin by sketching out some examples of how this notion pervades a number of practices in the university, and how in particular, expectation drives the way that the university tutorial operates between tutors and students. In relating this to the tendency towards what has been identified as the marketization and consumerism of higher education, I draw on the distinction that Paul Standish identifies between and ‘economy of exchange’ and an ‘economy of excess’, and suggest how expectation and responsibility figure in these economies. In moving to think beyond narrow conceptions of expectation and responsibility, and beyond the literature on policy and management in higher education, I turn to the work of the Jewish philosophers, Martin Buber and Emmanuel Levinas to show how they have both given attention to richer ideas of relationship, responsibility and the other. I initially outline Buber’s central work on the distinction between I-It and I-Thou modes of relationship, and how the latter is characterised by a dialogic intersubjectivity. I contrast this with the work of Emmanuel Levinas and draw out the distinction between the mutuality at the heart of Buber’s work, and the relationship of asymmetry that mark’s Levinas’ conception of our responsibility to the other, which is ethics. Having drawn the distinction, I then show how there are lines of connection in their respective philosophical projects, specifically how speech or dialogue is central to the relationship with the other in both thinkers. I find in both Buber and Levinas that speech cannot be thought of solely as communication. This has significant implications for education: speech is not simply the communication of (curricular) content between tutor and student. Given this, teaching can be thought of as a space for encounter with the other through language. This has further implications for thinking about the place of the tutorial in a university education. At this point I return to the scene of the university tutorial and suggest that, rather than seeing it as a place only for the meeting of expectations (which would suggest a closed economy of exchange), it might be envisioned as a space for encounter with the unexpected. In considering the nature of the encounter in relation to an example from the film adaptation of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys, I argue that the tutorial opens up the possibility for a mutual encounter with otherness. This positions the tutorial as a space of educational otherness, - a Foucauldian heterotopia which rejects the expectation-bound economy of exchange, and which offers instead the possibility of an education marked instead by an economy of excess. <br/

Interaction of consumer preferences and climate policies in the global transition to low-carbon vehicles

Burgeoning demands for mobility and private vehicle ownership undermine global efforts to reduce energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. Advanced vehicles powered by low-carbon sources of electricity or hydrogen offer an alternative to conventional fossil-fuelled technologies. Yet, despite ambitious pledges and investments by governments and automakers, it is by no means clear that these vehicles will ultimately reach mass-market consumers. Here, we develop state-of-the-art representations of consumer preferences in multiple, global energy- economy models, specifically focusing on the non-financial preferences of individuals. We employ these enhanced model formulations to analyse the potential for a low-carbon vehicle revolution up to mid-century. Our analysis shows that a diverse set of measures targeting vehicle buyers is necessary for driving widespread adoption of clean technologies. Carbon pricing alone is insufficient for bringing low-carbon vehicles to mass market, though it can certainly play a supporting role in ensuring a decarbonised energy supply

Relating Neuronal to Behavioral Performance: Variability of Optomotor Responses in the Blowfly

Behavioral responses of an animal vary even when they are elicited by the same stimulus. This variability is due to stochastic processes within the nervous system and to the changing internal states of the animal. To what extent does the variability of neuronal responses account for the overall variability at the behavioral level? To address this question we evaluate the neuronal variability at the output stage of the blowfly's (Calliphora vicina) visual system by recording from motion-sensitive interneurons mediating head optomotor responses. By means of a simple modelling approach representing the sensory-motor transformation, we predict head movements on the basis of the recorded responses of motion-sensitive neurons and compare the variability of the predicted head movements with that of the observed ones. Large gain changes of optomotor head movements have previously been shown to go along with changes in the animals' activity state. Our modelling approach substantiates that these gain changes are imposed downstream of the motion-sensitive neurons of the visual system. Moreover, since predicted head movements are clearly more reliable than those actually observed, we conclude that substantial variability is introduced downstream of the visual system

A fast and flexible panoramic virtual reality system for behavioural and electrophysiological experiments

Ideally, neuronal functions would be studied by performing experiments with unconstrained animals whilst they behave in their natural environment. Although this is not feasible currently for most animal models, one can mimic the natural environment in the laboratory by using a virtual reality (VR) environment. Here we present a novel VR system based upon a spherical projection of computer generated images using a modified commercial data projector with an add-on fish-eye lens. This system provides equidistant visual stimulation with extensive coverage of the visual field, high spatio-temporal resolution and flexible stimulus generation using a standard computer. It also includes a track-ball system for closed-loop behavioural experiments with walking animals. We present a detailed description of the system and characterize it thoroughly. Finally, we demonstrate the VR system’s performance whilst operating in closed-loop conditions by showing the movement trajectories of the cockroaches during exploratory behaviour in a VR forest

Childhood adversity and psychosis: A literature review with clinical and societal implications

There is a substantial body of research indicating an association between childhood adversity and later psychosis. Cross-sectional, correlational studies have given way to large-scale, case-controlled studies which indicate a dose-response association indicative of a causal relationship. Several psychological and biological models have been proposed which offer credible accounts of the processes by which trauma may increase the risk of psychosis, including cognitive, psychodynamic, dissociation and attachment perspectives. Clinically it is imperative routinely to enquire about traumatic experiences, to respond appropriately and to offer psychosocial treatments to those who report traumatic life events in the context of psychotic experiences

From adversity to psychosis: pathways and mechanisms from specific adversities to specific symptoms

Purpose Although there is considerable evidence that adversities in childhood such as social deprivation, sexual abuse, separation from parents, neglect and exposure to deviant parental communication are associated with psychosis in later life, most studies have considered broad diagnoses as outcomes. In this review we consider evidence for pathways between specific types of adversity and specific symptoms of psychosis. Methods We present theoretical arguments for expecting some degree of specificity (although by no means perfect specificity) between different kinds of adversity and different symptoms of psychosis. We review studies that have investigated social–environmental risk factors for thought disorder, auditory–verbal hallucinations and paranoid delusions, and consider how these risk factors may impact on specific psychological and biological mechanisms. Results Communication deviance in parents has been implicated in the development of thought disorder in offspring, childhood sexual abuse has been particularly implicated in auditory–verbal hallucinations, and attachment-disrupting events (e.g. neglect, being brought up in an institution) may have particular potency for the development of paranoid symptoms. Current research on psychological mechanisms underlying these symptoms suggests a number of symptom-specific mechanisms that may explain these associations. Conclusions Few studies have considered symptoms, underlying mechanisms and different kinds of adversity at the same time. Future research along these lines will have the potential to elucidate the mechanisms that lead to severe mental illness, and may have considerable clinical implications