Approach

I am a lecturer in sociology and criminology at the University of Gloucestershire. My approach is holistic, offering pastoral support and signposting to ensure that students are best able to engage with their learning. 

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In line with my PhD research on online news, I have an interest in technology. I previously created websites with additional resources for both the units on which I taught regularly (Political Concepts and Approaches).  These contain blogs, Youtube lectures, news articles, and more to provide students with different means of learning. In recognition of the fact that teaching is more than just content, these websites also have a dedicated page each for study skills (argument construction, writing) and numerous links to support mental health wellness, because healthy, happy students find it easier to learn. Whilst I am now at a different institution, these websites remain active in case they can be of use to anyone.

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The best way to navigate the impact of COVID19 upon our teaching is to pool our resources and share our knowledge. To this end, my working paper has been included on the Political Studies Association website: Jester, N. (2020) 'Using the Internet to Teach Politics', published on the PSA website. I also ran a PSA webinar on 10 June titled 'Replacement or Supplement: Asynchronous Teaching, Accessibility and Methods'. You can watch this on the PSA website. 

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Experience

I was nominated for the 2014/15, 2017/18 and 2019/20 University of Bristol Teaching Awards, and was the hourly-paid teacher representative in my department in 2015/16. In 2021, I was invited to give a keynote for the University of Highlands and Islands for International Women's day. In this talk, I drew upon my research to discuss the need for balanced and feminist curricula; you can watch this here.

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I have PhD students and have examined PhDs also.​

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At present, I am module leader for:

• Data Collection and Analysis (NS5402)

• Gender, Culture and Society (NS5404)

• NS6001 Professional Experience (subject lead)

• Injustice and Freedoms (NS6406)

• International Security (NS7516)

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I also teach or have taught some classes on the following modules, speaking to various elements of my research interests: Historical Dynamics in Global Politics (NS4341); Introduction to International Relations (NS4340); Global Challenges (NS4404); Visual Culture and the Information Society (NS6402); Politics, Risk and Change in a Global Age (NS6407); Examining Foreign Policy (NS5341); Social Identities (NS4402).

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As part of the NS6001 module, I occasionally accept interns. My student Lauren Davies wrote this blog post based on the work she did in this placement: The Stigma Behind Mental Health in the British Army.

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I have previously taught (University of Bristol, unless otherwise specified):

• Sustainable Development (UNIV10001), first-year, 2019-2020 

• Political Concepts (POLI11101), first-year, 2014/15 - 2020

• I was the first assessment marker for Dr Emma Brännlund's third-year Theories and Practices of Securitisation unit (UZQNJN-30-3) at the University of the West of England in 2017-2018

• Approaches to the Study of Political Science (POLI11104), first-year, 2013/14 - 2015/16

• Feminisms and International Relations, (POLIM11104), MSc, 2015/16

 

I was (2015 - 2017) also the unit owner for Gender and Social Research for the international HQRS programme as part of the award-winning Somali First initiative.

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Widening participation work

 

I am not just interested in the students I have now, but the ones that might come to university in future, and have a strong commitment to supporting widening participation activities. I authored a commissioned report for the NUS about taught masters students' experiences of finance (2012) and aided in the final stage of the Paired Peers project as a research assistant coding interviews using NVivo software (2013). In July 2014 and July 2015 I delivered a lecture on Marxism and the Hunger Games for the widening participation schools conference, and in October 2015 I participated in Access to Bristol on analysing gender in the media. More recently, our De-coding Gender in the Media workshop was funded by the faculty Widening Participation fund.