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Simon Sweeney

I lecture on International Political Economy (IPE) and international business. I joined TYMS full time in January 2011, moving from Sheffield Hallam University where I was Senior Lecturer in International Business and Governance. Before that I was Head of MA International Studies at York St John University. I’ve a long association with York, being a graduate (MA Linguistics and ELT, 1990) and working as an Associate Lecturer in three departments over several years.

In 2006 I won a National Teaching Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy. I have always had a multidisciplinary approach to my work, having taught politics and International Relations, management, teacher training, English Language Teaching, modern foreign languages, European studies, and educational studies.

In 2006 I was appointed as one of 15 UK Socrates Erasmus Bologna Experts sponsored by the European Commission and the British Council. This involved promoting reform in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). I am the author of Europe, the State and Globalisation (Longman, 2005) and numerous books in the field of English Language Teaching and Business Communication.

I am Director of Postgraduate Programmes in York Management School.

I occasionally run half marathons and like listening to the music of Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, and Radiohead.

Briferendum Aftermath Series

EU agencies: a Brexit loss nobody's talking about

Apr 14, 2017 02:45 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

Brexit doesnt only mean the UK leaving the European Union, the single European market, the European Economic Area, the customs union, the European Investment Bank and the European Atomic Energy Community. There are also...

The European Republic: a bold vision to save the union

Mar 20, 2017 14:37 pm UTC| Insights & Views

The outstanding successes of the European Union are its historic contribution to peace and reconciliation across the continent, its post-Cold War role in the ongoing transformation of 14 former dictatorships into...

Briferendum Aftermath Series

What the government's plans for a hard Brexit mean for the UK's universities

Jan 24, 2017 15:55 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy Business

Theresa Mays confirmation that Brexit means leaving the single market has been met with anxiety in many UK universities. The sector currently contributes 73 billion annually to the economy (2.8% of GDP), 757,000 jobs (2.7%...

Briferendum Aftermath Series

Frozen like a rabbit in G20 headlights: Britain struggles to deal with Brexit

Sep 07, 2016 11:18 am UTC| Insights & Views

So Brexit means Brexit according to the UKs new prime minister, who has repeated this rhetoric for the benefit of world leaders at the G20. But Theresa Mays government seems frozen like a rabbit in headlights, desperately...

Briferendum Series

What has the EU ever done for us?

Apr 08, 2016 07:58 am UTC| Insights & Views

Think labour protection, enhanced social welfare, smoke-free workplaces, equal pay legislation, holiday entitlement, and the right not to work more than a 48-hour week without overtime. Also consumer protection, product...

Economy

U.S.-Iran Ceasefire: Fragile Truce Raises Hopes for Strait of Hormuz Peace Deal

A temporary ceasefire between the United States, Iran, and Israel is holding but just barely. U.S. Vice President JD Vance described the two-week truce as fragile on Wednesday, warning that Iran appeared to be...

Gold Surges Near 3-Week High as Trump-Iran Ceasefire Eases Geopolitical Tensions

Gold prices climbed sharply on Wednesday, nearing a three-week high after President Donald Trump announced a temporary ceasefire with Iran, easing geopolitical tensions that had been gripping global markets. Spot gold...

Oil Prices Crash Nearly 15% After Trump-Iran Ceasefire Deal

Global oil markets experienced a dramatic selloff on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire agreement with Iran, easing fears of a major disruption to Middle East energy supplies. Brent...

U.S. Stock Futures Surge as Trump Announces Iran Ceasefire, Oil Prices Plunge

U.S. stock index futures posted sharp gains Wednesday after President Donald Trump announced a temporary ceasefire agreement with Iran, lifting market sentiment and triggering a dramatic drop in oil prices. The development...

U.S.-China Trade Talks: Trump and Xi Set for Summit Amid Rare Earths Focus

The United States and China are maintaining a stable trade relationship, and President Donald Trump intends to preserve that balance in an upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to U.S. Trade...

Politics

Trump Meets NATO Chief Rutte Amid Alliance Tensions Over Iran War

President Donald Trump welcomed NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to the White House on Wednesday for high-stakes talks as the ongoing conflict with Iran continues to strain transatlantic relations. The meeting comes at a...

UK PM Keir Starmer Heads to Middle East Amid Ceasefire Agreement

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is traveling to the Middle East for high-level diplomatic meetings with regional allies, following a landmark ceasefire agreement reached overnight. The visit marks a significant moment...

Trump Credits China for Brokering Iran-Israel-U.S. Ceasefire

U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Thursday that he believes China played a pivotal role in persuading Iran to agree to a ceasefire in its ongoing conflict with Israel and the United States. The statement, made to AFP,...

Xi Jinping Pushes Demand-Driven Strategy to Modernize China's Service Sector

Chinas President Xi Jinping has outlined a bold strategy to transform the countrys service industry, calling for a demand-led approach supported by structural reform and technological innovation. The directive was reported...

Trump Announces U.S. Military Presence in Strait of Hormuz Following Iran Ceasefire Deal

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the United States will actively support the flow of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the worlds most strategically critical waterways. Speaking publicly,...

Science

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

Technology

U.S. Disrupts Russian Military Hackers' Global DNS Hijacking Network

The U.S. Justice Department has successfully executed a court-authorized operation to dismantle a DNS hijacking network tied to Russian military intelligence. The network was run by GRU Military Unit 26165, a cyber unit...

Samsung Electronics Posts Eightfold Profit Surge Driven by AI Chip Demand

Samsung Electronics delivered a stunning financial turnaround in the first quarter of 2025, projecting operating profit of approximately 57.2 trillion won (roughly $38 billion) a more than eightfold increase compared to...

China's Push to Steal Taiwan's Chip Technology and Talent Raises Security Alarms

Taiwans National Security Bureau has raised serious concerns about Beijings escalating efforts to infiltrate the islands world-class semiconductor industry. According to a report submitted to Taiwanese lawmakers, China is...

Apple's Foldable iPhone Faces Engineering Setbacks, Mass Production Timeline at Risk

Apples highly anticipated foldable iPhone is running into significant engineering hurdles during its test phase, raising concerns about potential delays in both mass production and product shipments, according to a report...

Britain Courts Anthropic Amid US Defense Department Dispute

The United Kingdom is actively working to attract Anthropic, the company behind the popular Claude AI app, to expand its footprint in the country. This diplomatic push comes as Anthropic finds itself in the middle of a...