Voice Magazine

The School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion launched Voice Magazine in December, a year-long pilot project facilitated to showcase original research, analysis, opinion and thought from academics, students and professional services colleagues initially across the College of Arts and Law.

The project coincides with a campaign from the United Nations that celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on 10th December 2023, focusing on increasing knowledge and awareness of the many human rights topics and today's pressing global issues.

The launch edition featured contributions from the Birmingham Poet Laureate, a solicitor specialising in public law, and students and academics on a variety of topics from the 2022 FIFA World Cup to free speech and politics. Since the first edition the magazine has also been referenced in a report as an example of the university’s engagement with the UN Global Compact and how the university delivers education on human rights topics.

You can access an electronic copy of the first issue of the magazine

The second edition will feature contributions from the UC Berkley School of Law in California as part of its global launch of the Berkley Protocol on Digital Open Source Investigations. Much closer to home, the next issue will cover the university’s commitment to democracy and rights, reducing society’s reliance on single use plastics, preventing harmful climate change, the right to strike, sustainability of plant-based meat substitutes, human dignity and the consequences of deglobulisation on foreign aid and its impact on democratisation of other countries, amongst others. The President of the Ukrainian Student Society will also be sharing their experiences of studying at the University of Birmingham and their reflections on the situation in Ukraine.

However, as the magazine develops its readership beyond the confines of the university, it is important to uphold integrity; we would therefore welcome any academics who are prepared to form an integrity panel with the aim of scrutinising a selection of articles before publication. The time commitment would be one or two hours in May 2023, forming a key part of the editing and review process. Furthermore, considering the great research output and strengths within CAL it would be fantastic if academics would like to contribute to the next edition (this can be original or the promotion of recent research); similarly, if any members of professional services staff have an idea for the magazine this would be similarly appreciated. This is an opportunity to have your work, ideas and research read by those from sunny California to Birmingham (and full copyright acknowledgements and links to any personal websites can be included).

Please email me at d.hill.4@bham.ac.uk if you wish to contribute to the next edition or be part of the scrutiny panel. Thank you for your time and consideration in advance.