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Dr Simon Usherwood

Senior Lecturer / Deputy Head and Director of Learning & Teaching

Qualifications: PhD (LSE), DEEA/MA (College d'Europe, Bruges), BA (UCL), PGCAP (Surrey)

Email:
Phone: Work: 01483 68 9962
Room no: 18 AC 05

Further information

Biography

After study in the UK, Germany and Belgium and with a keen interest in embedding the study of Politics in a wider context, my work at Surrey since I joined in 2003 has been focused not only on my research on the EU, but also on enhancing the learning environment for students.  

My research on euroscepticism has built on the ideas in my doctoral work and has led me to co-found and organise an extensive network of colleagues across Europe, as well as working with practitioners in the EU, national government and other civil society groups.

The formation of the School in 2004 gave me the opportunity to bring in many new ideas in pedagogy, something that remains at the forefront of my work as Director of Learning & Teaching.  Working with counterparts across the University and in other institutions, and informed by my research, teaching quality enhancement has been a consistent theme of my activities.

Research Interests

  • Opposition to the European Union and Euroscepticism: The main thrust of my research falls into this area, looking at how oppositional groups organise, operate and impact on the European integration process.  In particular, I work on groups in the UK, France and operating at a European level, as well as an emerging strand of research on how the EU and national governments might engage with sceptical voices.  In addition to numerous publications on the subject, I am also coordinator of the UACES Collaborative Research Network on Euroscepticism, which has some 120 members and organises regular events.

 

  • European Politics: More generally, I have on-going research interests in the operation of the EU as a whole.  This is reflected in my work with John Pinder on "The European Union: A Very Short Introduction" (OUP) and on my regular blog postings at Politics@Surrey.

 

  • British Politics: focusing mainly on the relationship between the EU and the UK, I have also worked on more general questions in relation to the latter.

 

  • Negotiation-based teaching methods: My teaching at Surrey has allowed me to both try out various innovative pedagogies and to use them as a basis for research.  In addition to my publications in this field, I also regularly blog on the Active Learning in Political Science site, with colleagues from the US.

Research Collaborations

Current collaborations include:

Publications

Journal articles

  • Usherwood S. (2011) 'British Government and Politics: Balancing Europeanization and Independence'. WILEY-BLACKWELL JCMS- Journal of Common Market Studies, 49 (3), pp. 693-693.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1468-5965.2011.02172_11.x
  • Usherwood S. (2009) 'Enhancing student immersion in negotiation-based learning environments'. International Journal of Learning, 16 (7), pp. 607-614.
  • Usherwood S. (2009) 'Grounding simulations in reality: A case study from an undergraduate politics degree'. On the Horizon, 17 (4), pp. 296-302.
    Full text is available at: http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/235573/
  • Usherwood S. (2009) 'The Medial Profile of Anti-EU Groups in the UK'. Nova Science Publishers Current Politics and Economics of Europe, 19 (3/4), pp. 151-178.
  • Usherwood S. (2008) 'The dilemmas of a single-issue party: The UK Independence Party'. Taylor & Francis Representation, 44 (3), pp. 255-264.
    doi: 10.1080/00344890802237023
    Full text is available at: http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/235575/
  • Usherwood S. (2007) 'Proximate factors in the mobilisation of anti-EU groups in France and the UK: the European Union as first-order politics'. Journal of European Integration, 29 (1), pp. 3-21.
  • Usherwood S. (2005) 'Why is the British Left so poorly mobilised against the EU?'. The European Journal, 12 (4), pp. 10-13.
  • Usherwood S. (2005) 'Realists, sceptics and opponents: opposition to the EU's Constitutional Treaty'. Journal of Contemporary European Research, 1 (2), pp. 4-12.
  • Usherwood S. (2005) 'The Development of anti-EU Groups in the UK since the 1980s: an overview'. European Journal, 12 (3), pp. 7-9.
  • Usherwood S. (2005) 'The underdevelopment of British left-wing opposition to the EU'. The European Journal, 12 (4), pp. 10-13.
  • Usherwood S. (2004) 'Bruges as a lodestone of British opposition to the European Union'. Collegium, no. 29, pp. pp5-p16.
  • Usherwood S. (2002) 'Opposition to the European Union in the UK: The dilemma of public opinion and party management'. Government and Opposition, 37 (2), pp. 211-230.

Conference papers

  • Usherwood S. (2012) 'L'enfer, c'est les autres: Othering in Eurosceptic discourse'. Belfast, UK: Political Studies Association
  • Usherwood S, Startin N. (2011) 'Euroscepticism as a Persistent Phenomenon'. Cambridge, UK: University Association for Contemporary European Studies
  • Usherwood S, Startin N. (2011) 'Euroscepticism as a persistent phenomenon'. Guildford, UK: UACES Collaborative Research Network on Euroscepticism
  • Usherwood S. (2011) 'Enhancing Student Immersion in Negotiation-based Learning Environments'. Albuquerque, USA: American Political Studies Association Learning & Teaching Conference
  • Usherwood S. (2010) 'Negotiation-Based Learning: Objectives, Strategies, Challenges'. London, UK: C-SAP/JISC Conference on Open Educational Resources
  • Usherwood S. (2010) 'Constructing Effective Simulations of the European Union for Teaching: Realising the Potential'. Bruges, Belgium: University Association for Contemporary European Studies
  • Usherwood S. (2010) 'UKIP's Political Strategy: Opportunistic Idealism in a Fragmented Political Arena'. Bruges, Belgium: University Association for Contemporary European Studies
  • Usherwood S. (2009) 'Tactics or strategy? The debate on use of a referendum for British ratification of the Constitutional Treaty'. Angers, France: University Association for Contemporary European Studies
  • Usherwood S. (2009) 'Tactics or strategy? The debate on use of a referendum for British ratification of the Constitutional Treaty'. Angers, France: University Association for Contemporary European Studies 15th Research Conference
  • Usherwood S. (2009) 'Enhancing Student Immersion in Negotiation-based Learning Environments'. Leeds, UK: The Society for the Advancement of Games and Simulations in Education and Training (SAGSET) Annual Conference,
  • Usherwood S. (2009) 'Enhancing Student Immersion in Negotiation-Based Learning Environments'. Barcelona, SPain: 16th International Conference on Learning
  • Usherwood S. (2008) 'Using Sympodium within a simulation game'. University of Surrey: E-Learning Practitioners Network
  • Usherwood S. (2008) 'Grounding simulations in reality: a case study from an undergraduate politics degree'. Nottingham: The Society for the Advancement of Games and Simulations in Education and Training (SAGSET) Annual Conference
  • Usherwood S. (2008) 'Strange bedfellows: the sources of pressure for referenda on British ratification of EU treaties'. Edinburgh, Scotland: University Association for Contemporary European Studies 14th Research Conference
  • Usherwood S. (2004) 'Proximate factors in the mobilisation of anti-EU groups in France and the UK: the European Union as first-order politics'. Bologna : Politics: European Consortium of Political Research 2nd Pan-European Conference on European Union Politics
  • Usherwood S. (2004) 'Left-wing opposition to the European Union in the UK: explaining its underdevelopment'. Lincoln : Politics: Political Studies Association 54th Annual Conference
  • Usherwood S. (2003) 'The shifting focus of opposition to the European Union'. Newcastle : Politics: University Association for Contemporary European Studies 9th Research Conference
  • Usherwood S. (2002) 'Opposition to the EU in France: A challenge to French leadership?'. Belfast : Politics: University Association for Contemporary European Studies 8th Research Conference
  • Usherwood S. (2002) 'The European Union as an issue in french politics'. Bordeaux : Politics: European Consortium of Political Research 1st Pan-European Conference on European Union politics
  • Usherwood S. (2001) 'Opposition to the EU in the UK'. Manchester : Politics: Political Studies Association 51st Annual Conference
  • Usherwood S. (2001) 'Opposition to the EU in the UK: trends and developments since 1973'. University of Kent at Canterbury : Politics:
  • Usherwood S. (2001) 'Opposition to the EU in France and the UK'. Canterbury : Politics: European Consortium of Political Research 1st General Conference

Books

  • Usherwood S. (2011) European Union. Routledge, Abingdon
  • Guerrina R, Usherwood S. (2011) 21st Century Politics. London : Pearson

Book chapters

  • Usherwood S. (2007) 'Sceptical or Simply Opposed? Eurosceptics and the EU's Constitutional Treaty'. in Cohen A, Vauchez A (eds.) La Constitution européenne: Elites, mobilisations, votes Brussels, France : Editions de l'Université de Bruxelles Article number pp.167-180

Teaching

Current

Introduction to European Integration (HE1); Negotiating Politics (HE3); EU Policies (HE5).

Previous 

Introduction to Politics; Comparative Politics; The State and European Integration; Public Policy & Administration; British Politics; Terrorism & Counter-Terrorism; Integration of Europe; Political Economy of European Integration; German Politics.

Departmental Duties

  • Deputy Head of School since 2008
  • Director of Learning & Teaching since 2011
  • University Teaching Observer since 2007

 

  • Centre for Educational & Academic Development Faculty Scholar 2008-2011
  • Chair of E-Learning Technologies Advisory Group, 2008-10
  • Surrey Centre for Excellence in Professional Training and Education (SCEPTrE) Fellow 2007-8

Current or Recent Professional Activity

University Association for Contemporary European Studies (former committee member); University Association for Contemporary European Studies Student Forum (former Chairman); Political Studies Association; Higher Education Academy.