Simon J. James | Durham University (original) (raw)
Papers by Simon J. James
Arts Education Policy Review, Mar 25, 2021
This paper reports on the evaluation of the In2 music project in Darlington, England. The project... more This paper reports on the evaluation of the In2 music project in Darlington, England. The project ran for seven weeks from January-March 2020 and involved Year 6 pupils from four primary schools (n = 103) and Year 7 pupils from one secondary school (n = 90), working with Back Chat Brass, a professional brass ensemble. The aim of the In2 music project was to enable pupils to work with professional musicians to enjoy the benefits of group-based music, which include happiness and optimism. These emotions are strongly associated with social capital, which this study defines as the benefits that individuals and communities derive from positive interpersonal relationships. This evaluation asks if the In2 music project resulted in non-quantifiable changes that are associated with positive outcomes for pupil wellbeing and social capital. We explore our findings in relation to a policy climate of cuts to arts education, as shown by the stories in a special issue of Arts Education Policy Review. We argue that while political disregard threatens the development of social capital in economically deprived communities, funded interventions such as In2 can benefit some of the most vulnerable members of such communities.
Feminist Theory, 2016
George Du Maurier’s best-selling novel, Trilby (1894), is as important because of its defiance of... more George Du Maurier’s best-selling novel, Trilby (1894), is as important because of its defiance of social and cultural norms as it is for its apparent compliance with them. Trilby is a fiction that, like its eponymous heroine, attempts to negotiate the perilously fine line between the highbrow and the lowbrow, or to put it another way, between fine art and political commentary on one side, and pornography and sensationalism on the other. This article examines the way that Du Maurier engages his readership in this textual tease – his seduction of the reader – by suggesting the possibility of a peep show where everything that Victorian respectability abhors may be on display, and then his narratological dressing of the text, to ensure that where there is sexual non-conformity there is also moralism, and where there is social confrontation there is also historical distance. Understanding the textual appeal of Trilby as a character, the artist’s model who enchanted the fin-de-siècle read...
Arts Education Policy Review, 2021
This paper reports on the evaluation of the In2 music project in Darlington, England. The project... more This paper reports on the evaluation of the In2 music project in Darlington, England. The project ran for seven weeks from January-March 2020 and involved Year 6 pupils from four primary schools (n = 103) and Year 7 pupils from one secondary school (n = 90), working with Back Chat Brass, a professional brass ensemble. The aim of the In2 music project was to enable pupils to work with professional musicians to enjoy the benefits of group-based music, which include happiness and optimism. These emotions are strongly associated with social capital, which this study defines as the benefits that individuals and communities derive from positive interpersonal relationships. This evaluation asks if the In2 music project resulted in non-quantifiable changes that are associated with positive outcomes for pupil wellbeing and social capital. We explore our findings in relation to a policy climate of cuts to arts education, as shown by the stories in a special issue of Arts Education Policy Review. We argue that while political disregard threatens the development of social capital in economically deprived communities, funded interventions such as In2 can benefit some of the most vulnerable members of such communities.
Catalog of an exhibition at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library of the University of Illinois at... more Catalog of an exhibition at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, 21 September 2016 to 21 December 2016 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of H.G. Wells.Ope
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
The capacity to imagine, conceive, express, or make something that was not there before. Creative... more The capacity to imagine, conceive, express, or make something that was not there before. Creative thinking: A process through which knowledge, intuition and skills are applied to imagine, express or make something novel or individual in its contexts. Creative thinking is present in all areas of life. It may appear spontaneous, but it can be underpinned by perseverance, experimentation, critical thinking and collaboration. Teaching for creativity: Explicitly using pedagogies and practices that cultivate creativity in young people. DURHAM COMMISSION DEFINITIONS CONTENTS The Commissioners Foreword 1 The work of the Commission 2 The Durham Commission's recommendations 3 The value of creativity 3.1 Identity and community 3.2 Mobility 3.3 Wellbeing 4 Creativity in the education system 4.1 Creativity in preschool and early years environments 4.2 Creativity in schools in England-opportunities and challenges 4.3 The conditions for encouraging creativity in the classroom 4.4 How do we compare to other education systems? 4.5 Creativity in extra-curricular environments 5 Conclusion Appendix-Previous reports and initiatives to develop creativity in education References Creativity: The capacity to imagine, conceive, express, or make something that was not there before. Creative thinking: A process through which knowledge, intuition and skills are applied to imagine, express or make something novel or individual in its contexts. Creative thinking is present in all areas of life. It may appear spontaneous, but it can be underpinned by perseverance, experimentation, critical thinking and collaboration. Teaching for creativity: Explicitly using pedagogies and practices that cultivate creativity in young people.
Critical Quarterly, 2018
The genre of the detective story adheres a kind of literary realism, and thus represents facets o... more The genre of the detective story adheres a kind of literary realism, and thus represents facets of everyday life, such as eating or drinking. The diet of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson is represented within the canon of the Holmes stories, and food and drink also appear as clues which Holmes can 'read', as part of the inductive process which will solve the mystery.
Literature and Theology, 2012
Witnessing the End of the World: H. G. Wells's Educational Apocalypses Sim on J. Jam es When look... more Witnessing the End of the World: H. G. Wells's Educational Apocalypses Sim on J. Jam es When looking back on the religious elem ents of his upbringing in Experiment in A utobiography (1934), H. G. Wells associates 'Protestant piety' w ith his m other in particular. 1 H e id entifies Sarah Wells personally w ith Queen Victoria and m ore generally w ith the spirit of the nineteenth century at its m ost backw ard-looking. She is characterised as 'having been born in the d ays w hen King George IV w as king, and three years before the opening of the first steam railw ay' (I, 43); 'she follow ed the life of Victoria (…) w ith a passionate loyalty. The Queen, also a sm all w om an, w as in fact m y m other's com pensatory personality. In her latter years in a black bonnet and a black silk d ress she becam e curiously suggestive of the suprem e w id ow ' (I, 46). In a m uch-quoted passage from his novel The Soul of a Bishop (1917), Wells m akes Queen Victoria a sym bol of epistem ological resistance to the N ew Republic that his w orks are seeking to build :
Nature, Sep 7, 2016
Essay on H.G Wells SCIENCE JOURNALS The worlds of H. G. Wells Simon J. James looks back at the ri... more Essay on H.G Wells SCIENCE JOURNALS The worlds of H. G. Wells Simon J. James looks back at the richly varied contribution of the science-fiction writer and science populariser.
Nature, Sep 7, 2016
Essay on H.G Wells SCIENCE JOURNALS The worlds of H. G. Wells Simon J. James looks back at the ri... more Essay on H.G Wells SCIENCE JOURNALS The worlds of H. G. Wells Simon J. James looks back at the richly varied contribution of the science-fiction writer and science populariser.
Maps of UtopiaH. G. Wells, Modernity and the End of Culture, 2012
Maps of UtopiaH. G. Wells, Modernity and the End of Culture, 2012
Journal of Victorian Culture, 2013
Journal of Victorian Culture, 2013
Maps of UtopiaH. G. Wells, Modernity and the End of Culture, 2012
Science Fiction Film and Television, Jan 1, 2010
The Review of English Studies, Jan 1, 2007
... the great age of secular doubt, perhaps because, as Patrick O'Malley claims, our moderni... more ... the great age of secular doubt, perhaps because, as Patrick O'Malley claims, our modernity prevents us ... (The refocusing of discussion of Max Nordau from anti-Semitism to anti ... shadow cast by roadside crosses in Carmilla would not be identified as so specifically Catholic were it ...
Arts Education Policy Review, Mar 25, 2021
This paper reports on the evaluation of the In2 music project in Darlington, England. The project... more This paper reports on the evaluation of the In2 music project in Darlington, England. The project ran for seven weeks from January-March 2020 and involved Year 6 pupils from four primary schools (n = 103) and Year 7 pupils from one secondary school (n = 90), working with Back Chat Brass, a professional brass ensemble. The aim of the In2 music project was to enable pupils to work with professional musicians to enjoy the benefits of group-based music, which include happiness and optimism. These emotions are strongly associated with social capital, which this study defines as the benefits that individuals and communities derive from positive interpersonal relationships. This evaluation asks if the In2 music project resulted in non-quantifiable changes that are associated with positive outcomes for pupil wellbeing and social capital. We explore our findings in relation to a policy climate of cuts to arts education, as shown by the stories in a special issue of Arts Education Policy Review. We argue that while political disregard threatens the development of social capital in economically deprived communities, funded interventions such as In2 can benefit some of the most vulnerable members of such communities.
Feminist Theory, 2016
George Du Maurier’s best-selling novel, Trilby (1894), is as important because of its defiance of... more George Du Maurier’s best-selling novel, Trilby (1894), is as important because of its defiance of social and cultural norms as it is for its apparent compliance with them. Trilby is a fiction that, like its eponymous heroine, attempts to negotiate the perilously fine line between the highbrow and the lowbrow, or to put it another way, between fine art and political commentary on one side, and pornography and sensationalism on the other. This article examines the way that Du Maurier engages his readership in this textual tease – his seduction of the reader – by suggesting the possibility of a peep show where everything that Victorian respectability abhors may be on display, and then his narratological dressing of the text, to ensure that where there is sexual non-conformity there is also moralism, and where there is social confrontation there is also historical distance. Understanding the textual appeal of Trilby as a character, the artist’s model who enchanted the fin-de-siècle read...
Arts Education Policy Review, 2021
This paper reports on the evaluation of the In2 music project in Darlington, England. The project... more This paper reports on the evaluation of the In2 music project in Darlington, England. The project ran for seven weeks from January-March 2020 and involved Year 6 pupils from four primary schools (n = 103) and Year 7 pupils from one secondary school (n = 90), working with Back Chat Brass, a professional brass ensemble. The aim of the In2 music project was to enable pupils to work with professional musicians to enjoy the benefits of group-based music, which include happiness and optimism. These emotions are strongly associated with social capital, which this study defines as the benefits that individuals and communities derive from positive interpersonal relationships. This evaluation asks if the In2 music project resulted in non-quantifiable changes that are associated with positive outcomes for pupil wellbeing and social capital. We explore our findings in relation to a policy climate of cuts to arts education, as shown by the stories in a special issue of Arts Education Policy Review. We argue that while political disregard threatens the development of social capital in economically deprived communities, funded interventions such as In2 can benefit some of the most vulnerable members of such communities.
Catalog of an exhibition at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library of the University of Illinois at... more Catalog of an exhibition at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, 21 September 2016 to 21 December 2016 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of H.G. Wells.Ope
The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, ... more The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
The capacity to imagine, conceive, express, or make something that was not there before. Creative... more The capacity to imagine, conceive, express, or make something that was not there before. Creative thinking: A process through which knowledge, intuition and skills are applied to imagine, express or make something novel or individual in its contexts. Creative thinking is present in all areas of life. It may appear spontaneous, but it can be underpinned by perseverance, experimentation, critical thinking and collaboration. Teaching for creativity: Explicitly using pedagogies and practices that cultivate creativity in young people. DURHAM COMMISSION DEFINITIONS CONTENTS The Commissioners Foreword 1 The work of the Commission 2 The Durham Commission's recommendations 3 The value of creativity 3.1 Identity and community 3.2 Mobility 3.3 Wellbeing 4 Creativity in the education system 4.1 Creativity in preschool and early years environments 4.2 Creativity in schools in England-opportunities and challenges 4.3 The conditions for encouraging creativity in the classroom 4.4 How do we compare to other education systems? 4.5 Creativity in extra-curricular environments 5 Conclusion Appendix-Previous reports and initiatives to develop creativity in education References Creativity: The capacity to imagine, conceive, express, or make something that was not there before. Creative thinking: A process through which knowledge, intuition and skills are applied to imagine, express or make something novel or individual in its contexts. Creative thinking is present in all areas of life. It may appear spontaneous, but it can be underpinned by perseverance, experimentation, critical thinking and collaboration. Teaching for creativity: Explicitly using pedagogies and practices that cultivate creativity in young people.
Critical Quarterly, 2018
The genre of the detective story adheres a kind of literary realism, and thus represents facets o... more The genre of the detective story adheres a kind of literary realism, and thus represents facets of everyday life, such as eating or drinking. The diet of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson is represented within the canon of the Holmes stories, and food and drink also appear as clues which Holmes can 'read', as part of the inductive process which will solve the mystery.
Literature and Theology, 2012
Witnessing the End of the World: H. G. Wells's Educational Apocalypses Sim on J. Jam es When look... more Witnessing the End of the World: H. G. Wells's Educational Apocalypses Sim on J. Jam es When looking back on the religious elem ents of his upbringing in Experiment in A utobiography (1934), H. G. Wells associates 'Protestant piety' w ith his m other in particular. 1 H e id entifies Sarah Wells personally w ith Queen Victoria and m ore generally w ith the spirit of the nineteenth century at its m ost backw ard-looking. She is characterised as 'having been born in the d ays w hen King George IV w as king, and three years before the opening of the first steam railw ay' (I, 43); 'she follow ed the life of Victoria (…) w ith a passionate loyalty. The Queen, also a sm all w om an, w as in fact m y m other's com pensatory personality. In her latter years in a black bonnet and a black silk d ress she becam e curiously suggestive of the suprem e w id ow ' (I, 46). In a m uch-quoted passage from his novel The Soul of a Bishop (1917), Wells m akes Queen Victoria a sym bol of epistem ological resistance to the N ew Republic that his w orks are seeking to build :
Nature, Sep 7, 2016
Essay on H.G Wells SCIENCE JOURNALS The worlds of H. G. Wells Simon J. James looks back at the ri... more Essay on H.G Wells SCIENCE JOURNALS The worlds of H. G. Wells Simon J. James looks back at the richly varied contribution of the science-fiction writer and science populariser.
Nature, Sep 7, 2016
Essay on H.G Wells SCIENCE JOURNALS The worlds of H. G. Wells Simon J. James looks back at the ri... more Essay on H.G Wells SCIENCE JOURNALS The worlds of H. G. Wells Simon J. James looks back at the richly varied contribution of the science-fiction writer and science populariser.
Maps of UtopiaH. G. Wells, Modernity and the End of Culture, 2012
Maps of UtopiaH. G. Wells, Modernity and the End of Culture, 2012
Journal of Victorian Culture, 2013
Journal of Victorian Culture, 2013
Maps of UtopiaH. G. Wells, Modernity and the End of Culture, 2012
Science Fiction Film and Television, Jan 1, 2010
The Review of English Studies, Jan 1, 2007
... the great age of secular doubt, perhaps because, as Patrick O'Malley claims, our moderni... more ... the great age of secular doubt, perhaps because, as Patrick O'Malley claims, our modernity prevents us ... (The refocusing of discussion of Max Nordau from anti-Semitism to anti ... shadow cast by roadside crosses in Carmilla would not be identified as so specifically Catholic were it ...