News archive 2019
Almost half of us mistakenly believe that common law marriage exists
Almost half of people in England and Wales mistakenly believe that unmarried couples who live together have a common law marriage and enjoy the same rights as couples that are legally married.
EU funding failed to win hearts and minds and prevent Brexit vote
People in one of the poorest parts of the UK voted for Brexit despite being given billions of pounds of EU cash because they don’t feel the funding improved their lives, according to a new report.
Million pound grant for researchers working to solve social and economic challenges
University of Exeter researchers have been given a £1.1m grant to help improve people’s lives by working in partnership to solve pressing social and economic challenges.
Students take part in a crisis simulation based on the board game Aftershock
Acting as the Government of Carana (based on Haiti), the Army, the UN and NGOs, teams worked together to respond to a natural disaster on the island.
Controversial science critics who turn into believers can sway others, research shows
People who experience their own “Road to Damascus” moment over hotly-debated scientific issues can then become key advocates on the subject, new research has shown.
Nobel Peace Prize winner shares inspirational story of bringing democracy to Tunisia
Nobel Prize winner and influential African businesswoman Ouided Bouchamaoui spoke about her extraordinary role bringing democracy to Tunisia during a visit to the University of Exeter.
Exeter subjects ranked amongst world’s best
The University of Exeter’s science and humanities subjects have been ranked amongst the very best in the world, according to the latest influential global league table.
Natural world and fantasy helps young children use sophisticated language, study shows
The natural world and fantasy helps young children use sophisticated words such as “slithering” and “abracadabra”, one of the largest studies to measure pupils’ language skills has found.
UK performers could face falling wages thanks to the gig economy, experts warn
The gig economy could drive down wages and de-professionalise the UK voice-over industry as jobs are increasingly advertised online, experts have warned.
University of Exeter students winners of national competition
A team of University of Exeter students has won a national competition which seeks new innovations for the insurance industry.
Autism brings qualities which help at home and at work, study shows
Autism enhances characteristics such as loyalty and focus which help those with the condition at work and in their relationships with others, experts have found.
Professor Richard Moorhead appointed as Exeter’s new Head of Law
The University of Exeter has appointed Professor Richard Moorhead as the new Head of Law starting in September 2019.
Social Sciences Alumni Return for Q&A and Networking with Exeter Scholars Students
A panel of alumni from the College of Social Sciences and International Studies attended an Exeter Scholars event, answering questions posed by Year 12 students on this prestigious programme, followed by a round table networking session.
Exeter Cohort 5 Pathways to Law Students Graduate
26 students from 14 state schools and colleges from across the South West region graduated from the Pathways to Law programme
Law in Cornwall team arrange exciting Grand Challenges activity for students on the Penryn Campus
Grand Challenges is a project week, from 10 to 14 June 2019, in which students work in interdisciplinary groups with other like-minded students to design innovative solutions to real-world challenges.
Michael Winter warns of the need to take care with the future of farming when designing new policies for post-Brexit rural land use
Government policies across the UK increasingly connect objectives for farming with the environment and broader natural capital approaches (e.g. 25 Year Environment Plan, Agriculture Bill). However, any discussion around natural capital and farming requires a farming system that improves or maintains natural capital against a backdrop of pressures such as environmental change, economic uncertainty and BREXIT.
Innovative degree helps future lawyers prepare for new technology and online courts
Students have the opportunity to study at a top university and global firm as part of a new course designed to prepare them for the growth in legal innovation and technology and how it will change the role of judges and lawyers as well as increase the potential for access to justice for litigants.
New electoral regulations must tackle “inequalities” caused by political advertising on Facebook
Regulators must find a way of monitoring and addressing the way political advertising on Facebook creates new types of inequalities for campaigners, experts have said.
Can listening instead of just looking change attitudes to how we experience a day out at the zoo?
What can we hear if we stop and listen to the zoo? Does this change our experience of the animals we visit? Which species and what aspects of their behaviour come to the fore and what do we learn as a result?
Guild Teaching Awards 2019
The College performed extremely well in the Guild Teaching Awards 2019.
The Search for Deliberative Democracy in Asia – Exeter Contribute to High Profile Conference
The University of Exeter was represented by Dr Catherine Owen, a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, whose research compares the production of active citizenship in Russia and China
New Directions in Agri-Environmental Governance - a workshop in Neuchâtel
On 28 and 29 May 2019, Professor Michael Winter OBE was one of the invited speakers at a workshop at the Institut d’Ethnologie in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
University of Exeter Law School Celebrates new Partnership with Wuhan University
In May 2019, the University of Exeter’s School of Law and Wuhan University finalised a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop closer ties between our institutions.
Leading social mobility expert awarded OBE
Britain’s first Professor of Social Mobility has been awarded OBE for his work helping schools and universities to improve the prospects of disadvantaged young people
New toolkit to provide guidance on international cyber law
International lawyers and cyber experts have worked together to give new guidance on how countries may respond to malicious cyber operations such as computer hacking aimed at interfering with foreign elections.
Short films animated by autistic artists provides insight into talent that autism can bring
Autistic adults have created beautiful animations as part of a project that highlights their creativity and different ways of thinking.
Market competition sets tone for lower cost of UK mobile phone contracts, research shows
Healthy and competitive markets – and not stringent regulations – help dial back the cost of mobile phone contacts, according to new research.
Energy price cap has "destroyed" competitive market for consumers, research shows
Introducing a price cap for energy bills has “destroyed” the UK’s competitive market for gas and electricity, new research warns.
Learn how to avoid fast fashion at Cornish events this month
Experts working to help find ways to stop Britain’s fast fashion addiction will share their findings at a new exhibition touring Cornwall this month.
Giving people a “digital identity” could leave them vulnerable to discrimination, experts warn
Global efforts to give millions of people missing key paper documents such as birth certificates a digital identity could leave them vulnerable to persecution or discrimination, a new study warns.
When should NHS contact patients over faulty genes?
The NHS and health services worldwide need to develop policies on when patients should be “re-contacted” about faulty genes, as the current lack of guidance creates a dilemma for health services, experts have warned.
Double success for Professor Sabina Leonelli
Professor Leonelli has been elected to the International Academy of Philosophy of Sciences and the European Philosophy of Science Association.
New research warns incentives to plead guilty can undermine the right to a fair trial
New research suggests that the right to a fair trial can be undermined by benefits associated with pleading guilty, and that such benefits are putting pressure on vulnerable defendants to admit to crimes they did not commit.
Students to offer free legal support for community as part of new degree course
University of Exeter students will provide free legal support for those in need in their community as part of a new law degree in Cornwall.
Voters expect much more from political parties who win decisive election victories
Voters expect much more from politicians when the media describes them as having won a decisive electoral victory, research shows.
Victims Commissioner launches pioneering football programme to tackle toxic locker room culture
Dame Vera Baird has praised a pioneering programme which trains football coaches to act as role models and intervene when they witness unacceptable locker room behaviour.
Exeter Law School in Cornwall officially opens
On Friday 20 September 2019 we officially launched our Exeter Law School in Cornwall (Skol an Lagha Karesk). The event was attended by our first cohort of students as well as staff, local solicitors, barristers and members of the Cornwall Law Society.
Professor Claire Dunlop conferred as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences
A University of Exeter expert has been made a fellow of the prestigious Academy of Social Sciences for her research on regulatory design and policy evaluation.
Religion now plays an “explicit and institutionalised” role in US foreign policy-making, new research shows
Faith is increasingly used to advance the interests and values of the United States around the world, according to a new book by Dr Gregorio Bettiza from the University of Exeter.
Britain’s laws are harming businesses operating in space, experts warn
Britain’s laws are harming hi-tech companies who want to operate in the burgeoning space industry, experts have warned.
Henry VIII’s marital troubles may have influenced other splits, newly-discovered documents show
Newly-discovered documents show Henry VIII’s legendary marital troubles may have led to other copy-cat splits around the country.
Non-Final Year Prize Celebration 2019
On 22nd October 2019, Exeter Law School held its inaugural Non-Final Year Prizes Celebration.
Both Remainers and Leavers willing to let MPs disrupt the constitution to get the Brexit they want, survey shows
With Brexit once again in limbo, new research shows that Remainers and Leavers are both willing to disrupt Britain’s unwritten constitution to get the Brexit outcome they want.
Professor Schmitt recognized internationally
Exeter Law School’s Professor Mike Schmitt has recently received a number of prestigious appointments.
Conservative Party divisions contributed to the failure of Brexit negotiations, new study shows
Divisions in the Conservative Party allowed the European Union to set the agenda during Brexit negotiations, a new study shows.
Higher earning “elite” political lobbyists overstate their own achievements, study shows
“Elite”, high-earning political lobbyists are more likely to overstate their achievements, a new study shows.
Social Sciences and the New Funding Landscape
Professor Alison Park CBE, FAcSS, Director of Research at ESRC, visits Social Sciences at Exeter.
Experts find first archaeological evidence of Christianity in Bahrain
Experts have found the first archaeological evidence showing Christianity was practised in Bahrain, a discovery which sheds light on a missing part of the country’s history.
Higher education staff support new legal duty for universities to prevent and respond effectively to sexual violence and harassment, study shows
Higher education staff are in favour of new legal duties for universities to prevent and respond effectively to sexual violence and harassment on campus, according to a new study.
Brexit positions drive voter attention at least as much as party loyalties, study shows
Voters find information from politicians more “interesting” if they have the same views on Brexit – even if they don’t represent the party they normally support, a study shows.
It could take a century to hit the latest official university access targets
The Higher Education Policy Institute has published a new report on access to higher education which shows that, at the current rate of progress, it will take 96 years to hit the Office for Students’s targets for access to highly-selective universities.
Professor Jane Elliott awarded CBE for services to social sciences
A University of Exeter sociologist who has had a leading role in managing longitudinal studies which give vital information about the wellbeing of the nation has been awarded CBE in the New Year’s Honours list.