Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
I joined UEA's School of Education and Lifelong Learning in 2013 in order to lead its expanding postgraduate studies suite and develop research in the area of sociology of educational and youth studies. Before coming to UEA, I held positions at Middlesex University (Lecturer and then Senior Lecturer), Birmingham City University (Visiting Lecturer), University of East London (research associate and then research fellow) and led two modules at UCL Institute of Education.
Before joining academia, I interned at the Ministry of Justice, London, taught at various independent primary and secondary schools in London and worked as a consultant for a German-based company offering evaluation, assessment and advice to multinational enterprises in the UK.
I have won a number of competitive awards of national (e.g. 1+3 ESRC-funded scholarship), international (e.g. Marie Curie fellowship, jointly funded by the EU and the Central European University) and cross-national distinction (e.g. fellowship sponsored by the Universities of Lecce, Italy, and Ioannina, Greece). I have designed and delivered workshops, developed resources and participated in international projects and events aiming to explore the role of critical education in educational and social change.
My current research interests focus on youth activism and social movements as well as educational inequalities in comparative perspective.
Key Responsibilities
- UEA Aurora lead for Culture: Diversity and Identity
- Course Director of the MA in Education: Learning, Pedagogy and Assessment
- Internationalisation Coordinator
- SeNSS Pathway Institutional Leader for Education
Teaching Interests
EDUE7030A-Pedagogies in Global Educational Contexts. Core module for the MA Learning, Pedagogy and Assessment.
EDUE7035- Critical Reading. Core module for the MA Education.
Key Research Interests
The research I conduct is interdisciplinary and multilingual (i.e. in English, Greek, Spanish and Portuguese). My expertise is in critical pedagogy/education, youth and social movements, social mobility/inequalities, Gypsy/Roma/Travellers and inclusion. My methodological expertise is in mixed methods, ethnography, participatory research and research (synthesis) evaluation. Some competitive research projects I have won or participated include:
- Synthesis evaluation of the Norwich and Ipswich Opportunity Areas, DfE. (£47,977). CO-PI with J. Craske and A. Balckett (2022).
- Building of an Inclusive and democratic Europe against the rise of fascism and xenophobia. Jean Monett (EU). PI J. J. R. Fernandez, Universidad de León (2020-22).
- Capacity building and internalisation: building sustainable partnership between UEA and UECE. British Council (£20,000). With C. N. Alencar, UECE, Brazil (PI). (2018).
- The role of financial support in widening participation; A systematic review. Widening Participation Committee, UEA (£50,000). Co-PI with Ming Cheng (2017-18).
- Exploring issues of financial hardship and potential food insecurity among HE students. The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC, currently Earlham Institute). (£10,500). CO-PI with Konidari, E. Angiolini (2015-16).
- Thematic Forum ‘Challenging deficit discourses in international education and development’. British Association for International and Comparative Education (BAICE). CO-I. UEA and University of Leeds. (2014).
- Curriculum-based innovations to improve learning outcomes for Roma children (part of UNESCO’s 2013/14 report ‘Education for All Global Monitoring: Teaching and learning: Achieving quality for all’). UNESCO. (€ 4,000). CO-PI with B. Foster. (2013).
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Doctor of Philosophy, University of London
Award Date: 1 Jan 2009
Master of Research, University of London
Award Date: 1 Jan 2005
Master of Science, University of Bristol
Award Date: 1 Jan 2002
Bachelor of Science, University of Ioannina
Award Date: 1 Jan 1999
Keywords
- Education (General)
- critical education
- critical pedagogy
- sociology of education
- Social Work & Sociology
- social class
- ethnicity
- inequalities
- minorities
- Social Sciences (General)
- youth movements
- social movements
- Higher Education
- comparative education
- international education
Network
Projects
- 2 Finished
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Scholarship to undertake educational research
Universities' Council for the Education of Teachers
1/08/14 → 31/12/14
Project: Research
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Colonialisms and Class
Themelis, S., 2022, Encyclopaedia of Marxism and Education. Maisuria, A. (ed.). Brill, p. 81-94 14 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
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Ipswich Opportunity Area Synthesis Evaluation
Craske, J., Themelis, S. & Blackett, A., 8 Aug 2022, Norwich: University of East Anglia. 57 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report
Open AccessFile4 Downloads (Pure) -
Norwich Opportunity Area Synthesis Evaluation
Craske, J., Themelis, S. & Blackett, A., 8 Aug 2022, Norwich: University of East Anglia. 66 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report
Open AccessFile6 Downloads (Pure) -
Democratizing politics and politicizing education: Critical pedagogy for active citizenship in the Taiwanese Sunflower Movement
Themelis, S. & Hsu, T-C., Jul 2021, In: Education, Citizenship and Social Justice. 16, 2, p. 180-194 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Citations (Scopus)20 Downloads (Pure) -
From alienation to solidarity: Educational perspectives and possibilities in Brazil and the UK
Mendes, E., Costa, E. R., Themelis, S. & de Carvalho, S. M. G., 2021, In: Beijing International Review of Education. 2, 4, p. 571-589 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Downloads (Pure)
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Norwich and Ipswich Opportunity Areas - Seminar
James Craske (Organiser), Spyros Themelis (Organiser) & Anna Blackett (Organiser)
27 Jun 2022Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in workshop or seminar
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Social Inclusion (Journal)
Spyros Themelis (Guest editor) & Angela Tuck (Guest editor)
May 2022Activity: Editorial work › Publication peer-review
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British Sociological Association Annual conference
Spyros Themelis (Keynote/plenary speaker), Iulius Rostas (Invited speaker), Gargi Bhattacharyya (Keynote/plenary speaker), Mariângela Graciano (Keynote/plenary speaker) & Susan Halford (Chair)
22 Apr 2022Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Invited talk
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Teaching in Higher Education (Journal)
Spyros Themelis (Editorial board member)
Mar 2022 → …Activity: Editorial work › Publication editorial role
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Opportunity Area Synthesis Evaluation (Norwich and Ipswich)
James Craske (Consultant), Spyros Themelis (Consultant) & Anna Blackett (Consultant)
1 Feb 2022 → 30 Jun 2022Activity: Consultancy