ESRC sending millions of pounds to Sally Hines / Leeds Uni to research gender bollocks

Excellent idea, ref.
So unprofessional. Although... I've seen people flounce off social media before, claiming that they had been talking utter bollocks for "research purposes" when they realised they had made fools of themselves.

reflectant

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!

What the what????

Ash Sakar is another one that I can't believe is an actual academic.

Looking forward to the research, sounds like Ash Sarker's.

It would be amusing to drop a note to Leeds' research ethics people to say that one of their professors is engaged in data gathering from identifiable human subjects without informed prior consent. It is perfectly possible to get ethics approval for work involving trawling Twitter in the large. But when you're actively soliciting responses, and regard the responses as being from "participants", with no attempt at anonymisation, it would be a great deal trickier to argue you are a passive observer of a passing stream of public data...

Lost. The. Plot.

Lost. The. Plot.

Re: who reviewed the proposals.

Generally speaking, reviewers should have both substantive expertise as well as (though not always) methodological expertise in the research proposal area.

My guess is the pool of academic experts in the sociology of transgenderism (and related areas) is tiny (the reviewers normally will be established academics) and all will have a vested interest both professionally and personally in bigging up a proposal in their area.

So the polemics (rather than social science, which is falsifiable) that Hines produces is more likely to be graded sufficiently highly by fellow transcultists as their agenda of increased visability would cancel out any/most of the usual critique that happens when someone reviews your work.

It's a niche subject, that's for sure. The phenomenon of trans ideology certainly warrants research, but as a branch of social studies, I'd imagine transgenderism and gender identity only attracts people who are fully on board with trans ideology.

I've wondered this. Who reviewed SH's research proposals - other transgenderism experts, or a wider pool of reviewers?

It may well have to predominantly be people who identify as transgender and have lived experience.

Be interesting to see how much Stephen Whittle is involved for example.

I think its more likely that when you are an expert in a niche topic the anon. reviewers (other academics in different institutions) are from a smaller pool and potentially less competent. I would also expect them to be personally incentivised to rate the proposal highly as they too would gain from the enhanced profile of their niche topic.

I've wondered this. Who reviewed SH's research proposals - other transgenderism experts, or a wider pool of reviewers?

Wow...

4:23 PM - 14 Jan 2019
^twitter.com/sally_hines/status/1084969236890554368^

Just to clarify, Sally Hines has Californian time on her tweets. This means that she seems to post this kind of stuff after midnight. What could it be about her evening routine that means she seems to lose her head at that time of night?

I suppose it must be excessive tiredness after a day of very hard analysis.

ReflectentMonatomism
Do you read whole posts and sentences?

their agenda is very much to ensure the public gets value for money and benefits from the expenditure.

Since the summary of the research starts by quoting Miley Cyrus, you'll excuse my scepticism about the likelihood that this £700k will give value for money and public benefit. It reads like utter bollocks.

Do you think there's a correlation with which academics are skilled in gaining high value grants for research and also the influence of those bodies/individuals providing the grants with high value?

I think its more likely that when you are an expert in a niche topic the anon. reviewers (other academics in different institutions) are from a smaller pool and potentially less competent. I would also expect them to be personally incentivised to rate the proposal highly as they too would gain from the enhanced profile of their niche topic.

I doubt the ESRC has a vested interest in specific topics, their agenda is very much to ensure the public gets value for money and benefits from the expenditure.

Though there is often a pursuit of 'new' and 'cutting edge' research, which may have been misinterpreted as oddball woo in this case...

Yes. And perhaps the organisations that are then contracted to assist with that research?

2. The second type, who tend to reach the position of Professor much younger, tend to gain this position through job moves and aggressive negotiations when/if they obtain grant income (threatening to take it to another institution for instance). Sometimes they are true rising stars, sometimes they were just very very lucky and hoodwinked an under prepared panel/idiotic hiring team. Hines seems to have been 'lucky'. The academy is broken when people of her caliber are in the professoriate.

GCSocScientist
Do you think there's a correlation with which academics are skilled in gaining high value grants for research and also the influence of those bodies/individuals providing the grants with high value?

How does someone that dim become a professor?

Some institutions have fair and transparent promotions systems, most dont.
As I've aged in the academy, and in various Social Science Depts, including Depts of Sociology, I've noticed two groups of professors.

1. The first type, who were promoted to professorships in older age, had been plugging away for years and are true experts in their field. They were finally promoted by their institutions when it became too embarrassing not to, or when another institution tried to poach them for their highly regarded publications.
2. The second type, who tend to reach the position of Professor much younger, tend to gain this position through job moves and aggressive negotiations when/if they obtain grant income (threatening to take it to another institution for instance). Sometimes they are true rising stars, sometimes they were just very very lucky and hoodwinked an under prepared panel/idiotic hiring team. Hines seems to have been 'lucky'. The academy is broken when people of her caliber are in the professoriate.

FiLiA response to Professor Sally Hines by Dr Heather Brunskell-Evans (spokeswoman):

filia.org.uk/news/2018/12/17/a-reply-to-sally-hines-by-heather-brunskell-evans

thead
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3480710-A-Reply-to-Sally-Hines-by-Heather-Brunskell-Evans-FiLiA-Spokeswoman

How does someone that dim become a professor?

Sociology, though. It's not as though she needs to be able to construct a coherent argument, analyse facts, construct explanatory hypotheses or write clearly. It's basically "my feels say" with a defined benefits pension.

She genuinely doesn't understand the meaning of irony. You were being a bitch Sally. Face it. I'd have more respect.

Keep digging hun

She doesn’t understand what irony means AND she can’t spell shaggable. How does someone that dim become a professor?