Role
Dr Ricky Gee is an Associate Professor based in the Department of Social and Political Sciences. Ricky has many years experience in academia as a researcher, teacher and course leader. Ricky had a successful 3 year tenure as Course Leader of the BA Sociology degree between 2016 - 2019. During this period the course experienced unprecedented growth becoming the largest recruiter of Sociology in the country due to Ricky's innovative recruitment practices. The influence of Ricky's leadership saw a steep climb in league table position (21 positions) with the course being described as 'sector leading in Applied Sociology' by its external examiners. The course also saw a steady increase in employability during Ricky's tenure. Ricky is an expert in the fields of the sociology of work and career to inform 'critical employability' both as a scholar and researcher. His influence upon the Department of Social and Political Sciences, as co-lead of the Experiential and Employability Working Group, has seen a significant increase in GOS outcomes across undergraduate provision, whilst also contributing to an approach linked to subject discipline and gaining positive student feedback. Ricky currently teaches on BA Sociology, BA Psychology and Sociology, MA Sociology, as well as being a PhD supervisor, supervising 6 candidates and 1 completion.
Career overview
Ricky has over 15 years experience in Higher Education. Ricky is an outward facing academic that works collaboratively with a range of organisations to share his sociological expertise, whether this is with:
- De Paul University (Chicago); promotion of on-line 'global conversations',
- Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE) initiative looking into 'Good Work' in the Borough of Islington,
- Nottingham Citizens, projects exploring fair pay in Nottingham
- British Sociological Association Applied Sociology group; involved in the construction of an applied curriculum in sociology sent to every HE course leader in the country
- London Conference in Critical Thought - organising streams on critical approaches to work and career (2022 and 2023)
- Lead of the planning collective of the Midlands Conference in Critical Thought (to be delivered at NTU on 5th and 6th April 2024)
- Invited to contribute to the Gatsby Foundation's exploration into how Youth provision can aid career development
- Sheffield Hallam University, external examiner BA Sociology
- London Metropolitan University, external examiner BSc Sociology
Research areas
Ricky's main research focus explores trans-disciplinary perspectives of 'career'. Such explorations allow for research activities to span across academic disciplines as highlighted in publication section below:
Ricky is an active member of the following research groups at NTU:
Work futures - involved in the writing of an Impact Case Study for REF 2028 focusing on precarious work
Identity, Territory and Social Justice
Critical Criminology and Social Justice
Ricky worked with Lisa Wardle to submit written evidence to the Parliamentary Education Committee's inquiry into Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) provision in the UK - evidence.
Ricky continues to work in collaboration with Dr Chris Towers (Senior Lecturer in Social Policy) exploring how students can engage in innovative teaching methods – with the utilisation of role play - to promote their construction and sharing of knowledge in the class room. Papers on this activity have been published by the 'Groupwork' and 'Staff and Educational Development Association' Journals and has subsequently influenced the practice of colleagues within the School of Social Sciences here at NTU.
Ricky has an on-going research collaboration with Graham Ferris (reader in Law at NTU) exploring how sociological concepts – e.g. Goffman’s ‘moral career’ - can be introduced into the Law curriculum to influence the teaching of ethics. This was outlined in a paper at the Association of Law Teachers Annual conference where it won the Stan Marsh prize for best paper (2014).
Ricky has experience of conducting research with public bodies such as research engaging with career practitioner's views of the use of group work. This research was conducted in collaboration with a West Midlands Connexion service impacting upon future practice
Ricky is a named reviewer for the British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, Journal of Reflective Practice, International 'Groupwork' Journal. Critical Studies in Education (Journal of) and Reviewer of textbooks for Polity Press
External activity
Ricky is media trained and has appeared on the Simon Mayo Show (BBC Radio Five Live) where he discussed the role of the Careers Advisers to aid youth transitions.
During his time at the Career Service Ricky provided advice within his own Agony Uncle column in ‘Full On’ magazine, a DfES publications sent to all schools in England.
Sponsors and collaborators
Birmingham Connexions - Ricky investigated the use of Groupwork to aid young people's transitions.
Take 1 and Breaking Barriers Building Bridges to evaluate youth provision with Sharon Hutchings
Publications
Oldridge, L and Gee, R (2023) Special Edition: Trajectories of Researching and Navigating Careers in Academia. International Journal of Human Resource Development: Practice, Policy and Research, 7(2), 1-4.
Gee, R., Lundy, C., Oldridge, L., & Brown, S. D. (2023). Paradoxes of ‘career’and ‘progress’ in the neoliberal university: a self-critique and deconstruction. International Journal of Human Resource Development: Practice, Policy and Research, 7(2), 38-54.
Gee, R (2022) Co-constructing knowledge to inform our understanding of career – a social justice approach. Career Guidance for Social Justice. https://careerguidancesocialjustice.wordpress.com/2022/12/06/co-constructing-knowledge-to-inform-our-understanding-of-career-a-social-justice-approach/
Gee, R. (2022). Compelled by an Emotional Economy of Care: Explorations of the Youth Justice Student ‘Career.’ Youth Justice, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/14732254221136041
Gee, R (2022) ‘Critical ‘employability’ within the realms of sociology – a movement toward ‘social justice’ in the Sage Handbook of Graduate Employability. eds Hunt, E, Firth, M, Broadley, T, Neugebauer, J, Y, Cai. Sage: London pp. 359-372
Barnard, A. and Gee, R. (2022) Exploring The Practice Of Thesis Construction Via The Lens Of The Life Career And Paradox. Work Based Learning e-Journal, Vol. 11, No. 1. (2022)
Gee, R (2022) Technological progress and its implications for career education and guidance. Career Guidance for Social Justice https://careerguidancesocialjustice.wordpress.com/2022/07/25/technological-progress-and-its-implications-for-career-education-and-guidance/
Gee, R (2022) A critical exploration of the “agile career”: a means of exposing the politics and economy of precarity via the lens of dromology, British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, DOI: 10.1080/03069885.2022.2030859
Gee, R (2022) ‘Critical employability’ – a sociological exploration to move beyond the metric. Career Guidance for Social Justice https://careerguidancesocialjustice.wordpress.com/2022/02/16/critical-employability-a-sociological-exploration-to-move-beyond-the-metric/
Wright, E, Gee, R, Axler, M, Lundy, C, Hutchings, S, Vickers, T (2021) The future of working from home. Future of work, Issue 19 (6th August), Bristol University Press
Gee, R. (2020) Informal Education as a Derridean Gift: a Deconstructive Reading of the Principles Guiding Youth Work Practice Within Neoliberal Policy Regimes. Journal of Applied Youth Studies. JAYS 3, 103–113 (2020).
Mignot, P. and Gee, R. (2020) ‘Precarity as an existential phenomenon within a post-industrial labour market’. In M. Breeze and E. Scandrett (Eds) Public Sociology Education. Policy Press: The University of Bristol, pp. 239-252
Gee, R and Barnard, A (2020) Reflective practice via the lens of the life career and paradox: a contemplation of being and becoming a social worker. Journal of Reflective Practice. 21:2, 210-221,
Gee, R (2019) Exploring ‘career’ via the lens of paradox; a longitudinal study of the transitional experiences of a small group of graduates. Professional Doctorate Thesis, Document 5. Nottingham: Nottingham Trent University
Gee, R (2019) Document 6 - Personal explorations of ‘career’ and the strand of the Professional Doctorate. Document 6. Nottingham: Nottingham Trent University
Gee, R (2017) Contemplating ‘career’ across disciplines: reflexive explorations of ‘career’ in Barnard, A. (ed.) (2017) Developing Professional Practice in Health and Social Care. London: Routledge, pp. 180-198
Gee, R and Towers, C (2016) The place of group work practice within the lecture theatre: promoting self-directed learning, student reflection and orbital communication via the entwined endeavours of teaching, role play and facilitation. Group Work, 26 (2), pp. 9-33.
Gee, R (2016). Alternative Visions of Employability; The Role of Critical Pedagogy, School Guidance Handbook for the National Centre for Guidance in Education. ISSN 2009-6801, pp. 1-22
Towers, C and Gee, R (2012). Acting on the ‘knife edge’: Incorporating role-play within the curriculum, SEDA Issue 13.4 December 2012 ISSN 1469-3267, pp. 8-10
Gee, R. (2010). How does the intended use of groupwork by Connexions Personal Advisers’ (PAs), and their experiences of delivering groupwork, influence their practice in learning institutions? In the Division of Guidance, Youth Studies and Youth Justice Research review. Nottingham: Nottingham Trent University, pp. 6-15
Presentations
Gee, R (2023) Facilitating semi-structured interviews. Advanced Methods Series NTU, July 6
Gee, R (2023) 'During my bleaker moments I feel like a guard in a prison for prolonged youth' - exploring youth transition via critical career studies. Youth Research Mini Conference. NTU. July 5
Gee, R, Hutchings, S, Vickers, T, Nunn, K, Ozveri, B, Fountian, M, PetersTsang, T, Elderkin, A, Emad, T, Wright, H (2023) Working Whilst Learning – Student Experiences of a Highly Performative and Exploitative Labour Market. London Conference in Critical Thought. June 30 - July 1
Gee, R, Allen, A Barnard, B (2023) Decolonising career and employability within the realms of Higher Education – a focus on the field of Health and Social Care. School of Social Sciences Showcase. June 28
Gee, R (2023) Decolonising the myth of progress so central to the employability agenda – destabilising a dichotomous logic. Decolonising the University and Beyond. University of Winchester. February 9
Gee, R (2022) Decolonising career and employability within the realms of Higher Education – a break from binaristic logic. Decolonial Research Collaborative October 26
Gee, R, Nunn, K, Ozveri, B, Hutchings, S, Vickers, T (2022) Working Whilst Learning - academic work on the back burner, and the obliteration of any kind of social life. Social and Political Sciences research seminar series October 5
Gee, R (2022) Critical ‘employability’ within the realms of sociology – a movement toward ‘social justice’. Open University & NTU Employability Conference expanding the narrative for a rapidly changing world - continuing the conversation
Gee, R (2022) Critical ‘employability’ via dialogue: the inclusion of multiple perspectives and voices. London Conference in Critical Thought. July 9
Gee, R (2022) Looking out to understand within: Innovations in critical employability. School of Social Sciences Showcase. July 1
Gee, R (2022) Introducing Virilio and Dromology: a critical analysis of career and the propaganda of progress, Theory Aloud Seminar Series. March 14
Gee, R (2022) Employability beyond Graduate Outcomes: Critical Approaches. Open Lecture via Eventbrite, part of the Innovations in Employability series. February 23
Gee, R (2022) Researching longitudinal case studies – an illustration of philosophical architecture. Designing Research: Methodologies, Conceptual frameworks and “ologies” workshop series, for Professional Doctorial Students. Institute of Education, NTU, January 28
Gee, R, Lundy, C, Oldridge, L, Brown, S (2022) Being critical 'career' and 'progress': deconstructing 'career' and the undercurrent of progress within the neoliberal university. Social and Political Sciences research seminar series. January 19
Gee, R (2021) Critical ‘Employability’ Within the Realms of Sociology: a movement toward ‘social justice. Social and Political Sciences research seminar series. October 20
Gee, R (2021) Facilitating semi-structured interviews in the realms of career development. Advanced Methods Series NTU, June 30
Gee, R (2021) Researching change and continuity of the 'life-career'; the trials, tribulations, and benefits of doing longitudinal case study. School of Social Sciences Methods seminar series, NTU, March, 29
Gee, R (2021) "Graduate Outcomes" a fair race? Or do they reveal structural inequalities? TILT Coffee O’clock Series, NTU, March 16
Gee, R (2021) Post-Phenomenology. Designing Research: Methodologies, Conceptual frameworks and “ologies” workshop series, for Professional Doctorial Students. Institute of Education, NTU, January 29
Gee, R (2020) Informal Education as a Derridean Gift; a Deconstructive Reading of the Principles Guiding Youth Work Practice Within Neoliberal Policy Regimes. Social and Political Sciences Seminar Series, NTU, Nov 4
Gee, R (2019) Compelled by an emotional economy of care: exploring the ‘career’ of ‘widening participation’ graduates - London Conference of Critical Thought, London July 5-6
Gee, R (2019) Explorations of ‘Employability’: A Longitudinal Study Exploring the Transitional Experiences of Widening Participation Students. International Academic Forum on Education, London, UK July 19-21, 2019
Hutchings, S and Gee, R (2019) Service-Learning: reflections via the lens of career and lifewide learning. TILT Festival of Learning 2019, Lifelong learning: pedagogies for the future, NTU June 25
Towers, C, Burnett, T, Puntha, H, Gee, R, Wane, P (2019) Reaching out; innovative pedagogies for a diverse student group. TILT Festival of Learning 2019, Lifelong learning: pedagogies for the future, NTU June 25
Gee, R (2019) Embedding 'career' exploration within the curriculum; a sociological approach, TILT Employability and Workbased Learning Group Series, May 22
Burton, S and Gee, R (2019) Advocating a contemplation of ‘identity leisure’; a challenge to the metaphysics of presence essential to ‘identity work’ – BSA Annual Conference, Glasgow April 24-26
Lyons-Lewis, A and Gee, R (2018) What do public criminology or sociology paradigms add to service-learning?
- The IX National and I European Conference on Learning-Service in Higher Education, Madrid, September 20-22
Ferris, G and Gee, R (2018) Placing employability within the broader discourse of career development. TILT Festival of Learning 2018 - Scholarship, pedagogy and practice: innovating since 1843, June 26
Gee, R (2018) 'Evoking Paradox: Exploring Post-Graduate ‘Careers’ via Sociological, Political and Philosophical Notions of Duality' - BSA annual conference, Newcastle, April 10-12
Gee, R (2018) Exploring ‘career’ via Virilio’s paradigm of speed – dromology; a means of critiquing the career literature's’ rhetoric of agility and progress within the 21st Century, ICEGS 20th Anniversary Conference, Derby, May 23-24
Gee, R (2018) Exploring precarious ‘careers’ via Virilio’s paradigm of speed – dromology; a means of critiquing the career literature’s rhetoric of agility and progress within the 21st century. Social Sciences Research Cross Disciplinary Perspectives 2018, NTU, February 27-28
Gee, R (2017) Exploring ‘career’ via Virilio’s paradigm of speed – dromology; a means of exposing the politics and economy of speed and its relation to precarity. Department of Sociology Seminar Series, NTU, May 17
Gee, R (2017) 'Evoking Paradox; Exploring 'Career' Via Sociological, Political and Philosophical Notions of Duality' - BSA annual conference, Manchester, April 4-6
Gee, R (2017) Critiquing the science of subjective well-being; it’s dulling effect upon career development theory. School of Social Sciences Conference, NTU. March 1
Gee, R (2016) 'Exploring the subjectivities of pro-longed youth, focusing on anticipations of 'career' post-graduation' - NYRIS conference concentrating on the subject of YOUTH MOVES - Voices - Spaces – Subjectivities in Trollhättan, Sweden, June 15-17
Gee, R (2016) 'Evoking paradox; exploring 'career' via notions of duality' Alternative Futures Conference, School of Social Sciences, NTU, February 24
Gee, R and Ferris, G (2015) ‘Facilitating Better Career Judgement in a Context of Uncertainty’ - International Academic Forum on Education, Brighton, July 15-18
Gee, R (2014) 'Micro politics of career in a postmodern age; new opportunities or a cult of reproductive speed' - International Academic Forum Conference on the Social Sciences in Rhode Island, USA, September 11-14
Gee, R (2014) ‘Alternative visions of employability: the role of critical pedagogy’ - SRHE annual conference (Newport), December 9-12
Ferris, G and Gee, R, (2014). Adoption of professional identity as playing a role and entering a group, Association of Law Teachers 49th Annual Conference, Leeds, 13 April to 15 April 2014. Winner of the Stan Marsh prize for best paper.
Gee, R (2014) Alternative visions of employability: the role of critical pedagogy. Alternative Futures, School of Social Science, NTU, February 24
Gee, R and Mignot, P (2012) Alternative visions of employability-locating the discourse of employability within a wider career development narrative. Alternative Futures Conference, School of Social Science, NTU, February 22
Press expertise
- Sociology of work and career
- Sociology of education
- Career development
- Political dimensions of 'Career'
- Career education and guidance
- Youth transition
- Leisure and how it influences youth identity
- 'Race', Culture and Society