B.Sc., M.Sc. (Newcastle), MRTPI, FHEA
 |
Position
Principal Lecturer, Community Engagement & Governance
National Teaching Fellow
Contact
jderounian@glos.ac.uk
+44 (0)1242 714562 |
James Derounian is a practitioner-turned-academic. He has worked in community development for over thirty years. James was England’s first Rural Development Programme Officer, based in Northumberland. This involved helping communities to access funding for tourism, social welfare and regeneration projects.
He specialises in ‘blended’ learning approaches, using the internet, residential schools and local tutorials to deliver teaching materials. In particular James enables students to address practical issues in their communities whilst, at the same time, gaining academic credit by reflecting on these in assignments.
James has acted as an external examiner for the National University of Ireland, University of Bradford, Liverpool John Moores, the University of the Highlands and Islands plus London Metropolitan University.
James maintains strong connections with agencies involved in community engagement and localism; he is an active Board member of Cheltenham’s West End Regeneration Partnership. James undertakes action research and consultancies related to active learning, use of church land for affordable housing, and community regeneration. In 2007 he was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in recognition of his teaching excellence; similarly he was successfully put forward for a LifeChanger award by students.
Undergraduate Teaching
CEG102: Achieving Sustainable Communities
CEG105: Learning at Work
CEG202: Strengthening Sustainable Communities
CEG204: Community Projects
CEG301: Contemporary Governance
CEG333: Dissertation
CEG398: Independent Study
Recent Publications and Activity
2011 Plenary speaker: Reflection Seminar for National Teaching Fellows, Oxford Brookes University (June)
2010 - Core member of National Teaching Fellowship funded project: Rethinking Final Year Projects and Dissertations: Creative Honours and Capstone Projects Creative Honours Projects
2009 Radical and Mainstream Rural Community Development: what each can learn from the other, Irish Social Science Platform (ISSP), National University of Ireland (Galway) Summer School, June video clip
2009 Presentation to the Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence (ATLE) at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock USA; on the Pursuit of Teaching Excellence
2009 - Core member of National Teaching Fellowship funded financed project: Learner Empowerment through Active Public-Student Engagement (LEAPSE)
Derounian, J. (2011) Shall we dance? The importance of staff-student relationships to undergraduate dissertation preparation, Active Learning in Higher Education, Volume 12 Issue 2, pages 91 - 100
Derounian, J. (2011) Green national service – an idea whose time has come? Guardian online green national service
Derounian, J. (2011) How localism can kick start local action Guardian online local action
Derounian, J. (2011) Used and abused? Times Higher Education online THE
Derounian, J. (2010) At Your Service…..A National Service for Students? Learning Exchange, Westminster University: London, Volume 1 Number 1
Derounian, J.G. and Fishbourne, S. (2009) Skills & Knowledge Needed in the Near Future by English Rural Communities, ACRE & Carnegie UK Trust: Cirencester Knowledge needed in the near future by English rural communities
Bessant, T., Derounian, J., Dixon, A, Hedger, G., Hopkinson, J., Maizel-Long, J., Murray, A., Rossiter, J and Trahair, R. (2009) Faith in Affordable Housing: Using church land and property for affordable housing, Housing Justice: London FiAH Guide
Derounian, J.G. (2007) Graduate Contributions to Teaching & Learning: a case study in sustainable process & content in Roberts, C. and Roberts, J. Greener by Degrees: Exploring Sustainability through Higher Education Curricula, University of Gloucestershire: Cheltenham
Derounian, J.G. (2005) An Analysis of Oxfordshire Parish Plans, Oxfordshire Rural Community Council: Witney Analysis of Oxfordshire Parish Plans
Craig, G., Derounian, J.G. and Garbutt, R. (2005) Training for Rural Community Development Activists in the United Kingdom and Ireland, International Association for Community Development IACD published research