A new two-year public engagement training programme for graduate students entitled ‘Communicating Ancient Greece and Rome’ (CAGR), run by the APGRD, has been awarded funds by the AHRC from its Collaborative Research Training Scheme.
20 doctoral students were selected from CRSN (Classical Reception Studies Network) institutions nationwide through competitive application to participate in the programme. The students travel to venues around the country to learn about and to practise public engagement techniques that enable them to communicate their research to the general public in innovative, exciting and accessible ways.
Sessions cover print, broadcast and digital media, as well as the fostering of partnerships with industries and institutions through public programmes. The participants have the opportunity to explore their ideas further through workshops and continued contact with a team of experts. Over the course of the two-year programme, participants devise and undertake their own public engagement programme with the help of our experts. In the final session, participants present their projects, their processes and results.
Sessions are as follows:
Introduction to print media
Creative non-fiction
The principles and processes of using primary research material in writing accessible scholarly literature for a general audience
Held in London, led by Daniel Rosenthal (writer, critic and journalist)
Popular journalism
The principles of research and writing concise, accessible articles for newspapers and popular journals, including interview techniques and understanding your audience
Held in London, led by Daniel Rosenthal (writer, critic and journalist)
Introduction of broadcast media
TV and radio: pitching, presenting and producing
The principles of creating a TV/radio programme for a public audience, including the role of the academic and the process of being interviewed
Held in Oxford, led by Beaty Rubens (BBC radio producer), Bettany Hughes (historian, author, broadcaster), and Alison Kahn (Director, Oxford Academy of Documentary Film)
Audio recording, oral history and digital preservation
The practicalities of independently recording and safeguarding your interviews, lectures, programmes or oral histories in order to make them widely available, including copyright issues, digital editing and an introduction to oral history projects in the community
Held in Nottingham, led by Cynthia Brown (Oral History Society accredited practitioner and trainer)
Introduction to digital media
Web 2.0: websites, podcasts, blogs, You Tube, Twitter
The practical and creative considerations involved in using a website and social-web applications to disseminate information and engage the public effectively with new research
Held in Oxford, led by Tom Wrobel (Website and database developer) and Elton Barker (lecturer in Classical Studies, Open University)
How to make your research live
An introduction to copyright, Open Access, and Creative Commons licensing; followed by a practical session on creating effective research posters
Held in Liverpool, led by Tom Wrobel (Website and database developer) and Sara Morgan (Wetherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford University)
Fostering Partnerships through Public Programmes
Working with museums, archives and the heritage sector
The role of the academic in archival and curatorial work, including curating a public exhibition and developing a public programme based around source material
Held in Derby, led by Simon McCormack (House & Collections Manager, Kedleston Hall, Derby)
Working with schools
The practical and creative considerations of working with schools and communicating effectively with young people
Held in Oxford, led by Bob Lister (Faculty of Education, Cambridge University)
Working with the creative industry/practitioners
The role of the academic consultant in producing creative work to engage the public with research
Held in Stratford-upon-Avon, led by Struan Leslie (Director, Movement Director and Choreographer), Oliver Taplin (APGRD Consultant Director), Helen Eastman (Director)


