Dr Sinead O'Connor

BA (Hons) European Studies, PhD Human Geography, University College Cork

Dr Sinead O'Connor

Senior Lecturer

Department of Geography and Earth Sciences

Contact Details

Profile

I completed my PhD at University College Cork, Ireland in 2016. My work explores the geographies of encounter, the politics of difference, migration, and the internationalisation of Higher Education. I'm currently a lecturer in the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences here at Aberystwyth and I am the programme leader for our integrated foundation year schemes. 

Teaching

Module Coordinator
Coordinator

Research

My work investigates 'encounters' taking place between diverse social groups in different public and private spaces, examining the meaning of these interactions for individuals' sense of belonging or exclusion in the city and university.Through the experiences of international students, I also engage with the role of internationalisation in shaping the university itself and international students' experiences. I have a strong interest in issues of diversity, intersectionality, racism and prejudice, and how these are articulated in the everyday geographies of peoples’ lives. The consequences of internationalisation strategies are a particular aspect of my research, as student mobility becomes an increasingly significant feature in Higher Education. At the moment, I'm looking at the ways in which digital technology is shaping discourses around the body through an intersectional lens. 

Responsibilities

Foundation Year Programme Leader

Publications

O'Connor, S, Goodwin-Hawkins, B & Jones, RD 2020, 'Exchange and twinning in an age of borders: (inter)nationalism, mobility, encounter, and participation', RGS-IBG Annual Conference 2020, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 01 Sept 2020 - 04 Sept 2020.
O'Connor, S 2020, 'The intersectional geographies of international students in Ireland: Connecting spaces of encounter and belonging', Gender, Place and Culture, vol. 27, no. 10, pp. 1460-1480. 10.1080/0966369X.2019.1693342
O'Connor, S 2017, 'Problematising strategic internationalisation: Tensions and conflicts between international student recruitment and integration policy in Ireland', Globalisation, Societies and Education, no. 3 , pp. 339-352. 10.1080/14767724.2017.1413979
O'Connor, S 2016, Encounter, Interaction and the University: Producing Practices of Inclusion and Exclusion of International Students. in T Abebe, J Waters & T Skelton (eds), Labouring and Learning, Geographies of Children and Young People. vol. 10, Geographies of Children and Young People, vol. 10, Springer Nature, pp. 1-21. 10.1007/978-981-4585-97-2_14-1
More publications on the Research Portal