Graeme Moodie
Encyclopedia
Graeme Cochrane Moodie was the founding Professor in 1963 of the Department of Politics at the University of York
. He is most notable as principal author of The Moodie Report, which set out what is now the general model for student participation in the governance of modern British universities, and The Government of Great Britain (1961), regarded as a classic in its field and a standard textbook for students of British politics.
, the son of an ophthalmologist, and educated at Lathallan School in Fife
, Moodie contracted polio
at the age of nine (which left him with a lifelong limp) and was taught in hospital until 1936. His schooling was completed at Maiden Erlegh School near Reading, Berkshire
and he then studied economics
and political science
at St Andrews University. While studying at Queens College, Oxford, he was elected president of the Junior Common Room and the University Liberal Club. In 1946 he obtained a first-class honours degree
in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
.
and then returned to St Andrews University as a lecturer in political science. Between 1949 and 1951 he was a Commonwealth Fund
fellow at Princeton University
, and in 1953 returned to St Andrews as senior lecturer in politics, spending a further year (1962–1963) at Princeton. He pursued his interest in politics outside academia, standing as the Labour Party
candidate for Dumfriesshire
in the 1959 General Election
, and gathering 42% of the vote.
Moodie became the first professor of politics and head of department at the newly-founded University of York
in 1963, where he remained until his retirement in 1980. During this time, he helped to establish the University's Centre for South African Studies, and continued work in this field after his retirement, researching post-apartheid academia and particularly academic freedom. In 1991 he was a visiting professor at the University of the Witwatersrand
.
pamphlet The Universities: A Royal Commission?, which set out a framework for the governance of Britain's newest universities. As a former student, Haleh Afshar wrote,
His 1961 work, The Government of Great Britain, became a standard university textbook for students of politics.
Later works Opinions, Publics and Pressure Groups (1970) and Power and Authority in British Universities (1974) formed educational thinking in the 1970s and argued for less authoritarian structures, including student participation in university governance, which has now become the norm.
, the village adjacent to the University of York
and in which he lived.
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
. He is most notable as principal author of The Moodie Report, which set out what is now the general model for student participation in the governance of modern British universities, and The Government of Great Britain (1961), regarded as a classic in its field and a standard textbook for students of British politics.
Early life
Born in DundeeDundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
, the son of an ophthalmologist, and educated at Lathallan School in Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Moodie contracted polio
Poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute viral infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route...
at the age of nine (which left him with a lifelong limp) and was taught in hospital until 1936. His schooling was completed at Maiden Erlegh School near Reading, Berkshire
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
and he then studied economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at St Andrews University. While studying at Queens College, Oxford, he was elected president of the Junior Common Room and the University Liberal Club. In 1946 he obtained a first-class honours degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Philosophy, politics, and economics is a popular interdisciplinary undergraduate/graduate degree which combines study from the three disciplines...
.
Academic career
Moodie spent a year after graduating as an external tutor in politics at Keble College, OxfordKeble College, Oxford
Keble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to the south by Museum Road, and to the west by Blackhall...
and then returned to St Andrews University as a lecturer in political science. Between 1949 and 1951 he was a Commonwealth Fund
Commonwealth Fund
The Commonwealth Fund is a private U.S. foundation whose stated purpose is to promote a high-performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, especially for society's most vulnerable.-History:...
fellow at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, and in 1953 returned to St Andrews as senior lecturer in politics, spending a further year (1962–1963) at Princeton. He pursued his interest in politics outside academia, standing as the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate for Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries is a registration county of Scotland. The lieutenancy area of Dumfries has similar boundaries.Until 1975 it was a county. Its county town was Dumfries...
in the 1959 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1959
This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
, and gathering 42% of the vote.
Moodie became the first professor of politics and head of department at the newly-founded University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
in 1963, where he remained until his retirement in 1980. During this time, he helped to establish the University's Centre for South African Studies, and continued work in this field after his retirement, researching post-apartheid academia and particularly academic freedom. In 1991 he was a visiting professor at the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
.
Principal works
In 1959 Moodie wrote the influential FabianFabian Society
The Fabian Society is a British socialist movement, whose purpose is to advance the principles of democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist, rather than revolutionary, means. It is best known for its initial ground-breaking work beginning late in the 19th century and continuing up to World...
pamphlet The Universities: A Royal Commission?, which set out a framework for the governance of Britain's newest universities. As a former student, Haleh Afshar wrote,
His 1961 work, The Government of Great Britain, became a standard university textbook for students of politics.
Later works Opinions, Publics and Pressure Groups (1970) and Power and Authority in British Universities (1974) formed educational thinking in the 1970s and argued for less authoritarian structures, including student participation in university governance, which has now become the norm.
Other appointments
- Chairman & Vice-President, Political Studies Association of the UK
- Chairman of the Society for Research in Higher Education
- 1970- 1977, Provost, Langwith College, University of YorkUniversity of YorkThe University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
- 1986 & 1993, visiting Professor at University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
- 1981 - 84, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of York
Personal life
Graeme Moodie and Kate Cremin (d.1985) married in 1956, having a daughter (Herald), two sons (Dan and Mark) and a stepdaughter (Jenny); after a short-lived second marriage, he married Andréa Russell in 1997. He was also a keen photographer and chairman of the Village Trust for HeslingtonHeslington
Heslington is a suburban village and civil parish within the City of York, in North Yorkshire, England, south-east of the centre of York. Prior to 1974, it was a village in the Derwent Rural District, which was part of the East Riding of Yorkshire...
, the village adjacent to the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
and in which he lived.