Bullying in the University Space

 

Facilitator: Dr Belinda du Plooy holds qualifications in Public Relations and Communication Studies (NDip: PR Management, PET) and in Literary Studies and Philosophy (BA, BA Hons cum laude, MA cum laude and DLitt et Phil, UNISA). Her Master’s dissertation is on the topic of pain and healing in the work of Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison. Her doctoral thesis is on the metanarrative of compassion in contemporary discourses. She has taught at undergraduate level across several universities in a variety of subjects in the Humanities, served as research supervisor for over 40 students across a variety of disciplines, presented over 40 conference papers, and has published over 30 articles and chapters in accredited journals and books, including those forthcoming in 2022, with others currently in review. She has worked in higher education for more than 25 years. She worked in the fields of public relations, media and rural community development before joining the higher education sector. Her areas of interest, academic specialisation, publication and supervision include literature, philosophy, popular culture, film studies, women’s studies, communication, media studies, academic engagement and higher education practice.

 

Background: The Transformation Office as part of its Equity Promotion and Social Inclusion Project, presents a training workshop on Bullying in the University Space. Bullying is a topic that has received much attention in the last couple of years. New forms of technology and media, changes in leadership characteristics of many high-profile individuals with much public exposure, and the generally increased pace and complexity of modern life have all contributed to the increase in forms of abuse that fall outside of the conventional formal definitions and are increasingly being called ‘bullying’. If you are interested in this phenomenon, work in an environment where bullying is prevalent, advise people who may experience bullying, or would like to learn about ways to deal with such situations, you should consider attending this workshop. Academia and the health professions, for example, are globally recognised as spaces in which there are especially high levels of bullying. Among other things, this workshop will explore why this is the case.

 

The workshop will focus on:

• What is bullying?
• What does workplace bullying look like?
• Role players and roles
• What to do if you are the target?
• How do we talk about bullying?
• An African metaphor for workplace bullying
• Why do people bully?
• Why are bullies attracted to leadership positions?
• The most common tactics used by bullies
• Why do passive bystanders keep quiet?
• Types of bullying
• Who gets bullied?
• Institutional policy and reporting mechanisms

 

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