Open lectures: Semester 2 - 2023-24
Every semester, the University organises free open lectures on a wide variety of topics and aimed at a general audience.
Most require tickets (available on individual event pages) but some do not. Where tickets are needed, this is also indicated in the publicity.
Upcoming events
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Past events
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PALaEoScot: Archaeo-ecological approaches to Scotland’s elusive Palaeolithic Past
Drinks reception and keynote speech for the Unravelling the Palaeolithic Conference, followed by exclusive out-of-hours access to the new Star Carr exhibition.
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Living with long waiting times: Approaches to prioritising patients
CHE presents its 2024 Policy Forum 'Living with long waiting times: approaches to prioritising patients'.
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Robotic technologies, health care, and ethics
Technologies may enhance health and autonomy, but Margrit Shildrick explores posthumanism, questioning human privilege and bioethical implications.
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POSTPONED - The impact of contested decarbonisation on peace
Join the IGDC for a talk on the preliminary results from a pilot study for the World Peace Foundation and US Institute of Peace.
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What holds us together? Photographing the unseen and unheard
Photographer Les Monaghan explores UK lives impacted by austerity, Brexit, and policies, amplifying marginalized voices.
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A Leader's Destiny
Are leaders born or made? What makes for a good leader? How do circumstances shape what type of leader emerges?
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What service should Police provide? Towards a minimum policing standard
Amid declining trust of the police, this seminar presents findings on the public expectations from police, highlighting a consensus on a 'minimum policing standard'.
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Weaving the Identities of Women and Warriors: Dress and identity in southern Italy in the 4th century BC
The Department of Archaeology and University of York welcomes everyone to our very first Summer Lecture.
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Peace Lab launch
Join us for the launch of the UK’s first Peace Lab at the University of York.
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Against Decolonisation: Taking African agency seriously
Join us for the keynote lecture of the Anticolonial Agendas workshop with Professor Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, who is visiting York for the first time.
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Political and legal reflections on the Israel-Palestine conflict
This session discusses the ongoing Gaza conflict, examining its broader context and legal implications.
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Land in hard places: How militarisation, conflict and political transition shape the politics of land
Three experts discuss how rights and access to land is shaped in the context of conflict, political transition and militarisation.
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Coming to our senses in a world of transformation
Join YESI in a journey of deep exploration of Christian Houge's evocative art.
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On getting the life you want: Psychoanalysis with pragmatism
Psychoanalyst Adam Phillips talks about how to get the life you want.
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An archaeology for future economies
Critical paleoeconomics (CPE) is a call to learn from the economies of the deep past to think differently about inequality, entrepreneurship and growth, with the aim of helping design a better future.
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Ripe for Dictatorship: Fearing the worst in American fiction and film of the 1930s
During the 1930s, Americans began to imagine what a homegrown fascism might look like...
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Rethinking Schizophrenia: Neuroscience, phenomenology, and finding ourselves in the gaze of madness
Dr Clara Humpston examines schizophrenia's symptoms, questioning their divergence from common reality experiences and challenging stigmas.
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Sorry somehow? Narrating accountability, responsibility and the complicity of the British state for historic forced adoption
Between 1949-1976, the UK forcibly adopted 185,000 children from unmarried mothers, prompting demands for accountability and apology.
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'Known almost the world over’ as ‘Backhouse’s’
Explore Backhouse Nursery's rise to global acclaim in the 1800s, its fading recognition, and Quaker family impact.
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The Englishman Abroad: The Medieval origins of an identity
Anthony Bale explores some late medieval English travellers' texts, focussing especially on a little-studied Middle English travel guide, sometimes known as Advice for a Journey to the Orient.
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AI: Environment and social good?
Join us in the beautiful Guildhall as we discuss the benefits of AI for the environment and for social good.
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Exploitation, cartels and trafficking: The secrets of UK’s drug world
Join the Drug Science Society for a fascinating discussion and learn more about the gears driving Britain's underground drug scene.
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Fit for the Gods: Chinese porcelain and collecting practices at the court of Ferrara
Giovanni Bellini's Feast of the Gods may reflect Este's porcelain collection, exploring material culture's metaphoric role.
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Toward procedural justice for racially minoritised young women reporting public sexual harassment to the police
The University of York's SHaRE IT! Project explores barriers to reporting public sexual harassment for minority women, aiming for improved police response.
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The crisis in youth mental health: Adapting to a changing world
Professor Bernadka Dubicka reflects on the key challenges affecting the mental health of children and young people in the 21st century.
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Shakespeare in words and pictures
An interactive event looking at the effect Shakespeare has had on art, both past and present.
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South Africa vs Israel in the International Court of Justice and the global legal battle to prevent genocide
Tayab Ali talks about the recent legal battle in the International Court of Justice.
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Ruderal Poetics: Epic, Empire and the tenacity of weeds
This lecture reflects on the growth in the cracks of the edifices of the past, and of imperial and national narratives.
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Pulsating stars as finely tuned instruments in the stellar symphony
Stars form galaxies, create elements, and fuel life; asteroseismology studies star interiors, aiding understanding of cosmic evolution.
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Follow the Money: How much does Britain cost?
Paul Johnson explores UK economy costs, government spending impact on welfare, education, health, and future prospects.
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20-year retrospective: Research ethics in the social sciences
Join us for a deep dive into the evolution of research ethics in social sciences over the past 20 years!
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British Pre-Raphaelites in Italy: Making an exhibition in 2024
This research seminar will explore the challenges, both intellectual and practical, of making a large exhibition of British art for an Italian museum organisation in the period post-Brexit and post-Covid.
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Indigenous land struggles: Transregional perspectives across Asia and Africa
Explore how indigenous people’s mobilizations for political recognition, electoral influence and social justice are entangled with struggles for land in various Asian and African countries
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Gilded decades: The progress of plasma since the 70s
Explore the evolution of plasma science and engineering over the last 50 years, since the very first Institute of Physics Plasma Conference that took place in 1974.
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Ferrybridge Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)
Experts discuss Ferrybridge - a 150MW / 300MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) project, based on the site of the former SSE-owned coal-fired power station. The plant was decommissioned by SSE in 2016.
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Exoplanets and alien atmospheres
Join Dr Sarah Casewell to explore exoplanets - planets orbiting stars other than our own Sun. Find out about current and future space missions and telescopes that allow us to discover these new worlds.
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From the lab to patients: What today’s nuclear physics contributes to tomorrow’s nuclear medicine
Nuclear medicine is crucial to both image processes within the human body and treat diseases such as cancer. Join us to find out what nuclear physics research can contribute and how we can increase the accessibility of nuclear medicines.
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Astrocampus 10th Anniversary
Explore our Solar System and beyond in this family-friendly exhibition. Discover the night sky in an inflatable planetarium, glimpse new worlds in virtual reality, tour the observatory - the Astrocampus, have fun with robots, and lots more!
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To infinity and beyond...
With live explosions and more, join us for a family-friendly, fun-filled look at space exploration. Discover how rockets launch, whether space can make your blood boil, and how astronauts train to use the toilet in space!
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The Inequality of Wealth, Why it Matters and How to Fix it
Join Kate Pickett, Professor of Epidemiology - University of York and Liam Byrne, Labour MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill, for a fascinating discussion about his new book.
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Algae made the earth habitable for humans; can they now help protect the planet from our impact?
In this talk Luke will take you on a journey from the atmosphere to the bottom of the oceans, from global warming to the nanoscale workings of these remarkable photosynthetic micro- organisms.
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STEP into Fusion
Fusion may be the solution to the climate crisis, but what are the physics and engineering challenges? Join us to find out about the prototype fusion energy plant STEP, the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production.
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"Creative encounters" exhibition launch event
Join us for the Creative Encounters exhibition launch, where you will have a chance to see the artwork up close and then hear from the artists themselves about the thinking behind their creations.
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The Great War and its aftermath in Iraq: Contemporary visual and textual perspectives
Analysing Mesopotamian Campaign artifacts reveals insights into Allied soldiers' perspectives and unique craft responses to colonial power.
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Psychedelics and the brain and The impact of psychoactive substances on society - Dual Talk
An insightful evening exploring the interdisciplinary field of psychedelics, from their neuroscience to how their use has shaped culture and philosophy.
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'How I miss the good times we have lost': Fourteenth-century longing for the past
This lecture will explore the nostalgia people felt in the fourteenth century and its expressions across Italy, France and England, across a range of media – from political petitions, to chronicles, lyric poetry, sermons and manuscript illuminations.
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Crip Camp - film screening
On the heels of Woodstock, a group of teen campers are inspired to join the fight for disability civil rights.
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The Unequal Pandemic - film screening and Q&A
A screening of The Unequal Pandemic and panel discussion featuring Debbie Abrahams MP, Prof Kate Pickett and the COVID Realities project.
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The Islamic fascination with domes
This lecture will seek to account for the popularity of domes in Islamic architecture.
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Experimental particle physics: What, why, and how?
Discover the key concepts of particle physics and find out about the big open questions that researchers are currently exploring in the second of a series of webinars for the Binding Blocks Nuclear Physics Masterclasses.
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On Giving Up
Psychoanalyst Adam Phillips explores sacrifice, choices, and change in his latest book, On Giving Up.
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Why history matters to medicine
In this talk Professor Fay Bound Alberti explores the history and practice of face transplants as a surgical approach to severe facial trauma.
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Naloxone: The emergency medication
Find out about Naloxone - what it is, its importance as an emergency medication for the use of reversing the effects of opioid overdose.
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The future of safe and responsible autonomous systems
Join us for the exciting launch of a new world-class initiative; the Centre for Assuring Autonomy.
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UKAEA Fusion Technology Facility
UKAEA leads fusion energy delivery, advancing technology at FTF in Rotherham for sustainable, low-carbon future.
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Food production and consumption: Sustainability panel discussion
Join a panel of experts in a conversation about responsible food production and consumption.
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The amazing world of nuclei... from the Hoyle state to nuclear molecules
Discover the nuclei of atoms like you've never seen them before in the first of a series of lectures for the Binding Blocks Nuclear Physics Masterclasses.
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Experiments in Life Writing: In Conversation with Francesca Bratton
Francesca Bratton will read from her debut Stronger than Death: Hart Crane’s Last Year in Mexico (John Murray Originals, 2023), and will discuss her approach to life writing with Dr Nicoletta Asciuto.
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Mental health and sentencing
This event will inform members of the public, criminal justice practitioners, and staff and students at the University of York about the role of mental health in sentencing and engage the audience in debate and discussion on this important topic.
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AI, policing, and the law
Angela Paul discusses her PhD research on the use of AI in policing from a socio-legal and human rights law perspective.
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Doing Queer History in the 2020s: A roundtable for LGBTQ+ History Month
The Department of History invites you to join them for an interdisciplinary roundtable for LGBTQ+ History Month.
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The “Canton Shawl” in Imperial Spain: From global commodity to national symbol
A discussion on Canton shawl's Spanish history, its role as a national symbol, and imperial implications.
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Water Poetics: In Conversation with Alycia Pirmohamed
Join Writers at York for a one-off Q&A with Alycia Pirmohamed in which we think about ‘What … it means to belong somewhere or to something’.
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Technology for the public good: Using physics and engineering to solve humanity's key challenges
Join us for the opening of the new School of Physics, Engineering and Technology.
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CANCELLED - Would you trust a robot? Exploring the impact robotics, autonomous systems and AI are having on our society
Join us to celebrate the official opening of the Institute for Safe Autonomy (ISA) at the University of York.
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Illusions of agency in anorexia
Anorexia Nervosa individuals show distorted beliefs, like perceiving self-starvation as an achievement; examining implications for illusory agency.
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Caring for the Grey in LGBTQ+
Supporting older LGBTQ+ individuals is vital due to lifelong discrimination; an expert panel discusses the challenges, inclusivity, and research during LGBT+ History Month.
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Materials and manufacturing in aerospace and defence: Past, present and future
Chris’s talk will cover: His career to date at Lotus Cars and Marshall Aerospace; Composites and materials in sports cars; Materials in aerospace; Future materials and Additive manufacture and material.
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Name 5 gay footballers: LGBTQ+ access to community team sport
This LGBTQ+ History Month we will take aim at the exclusion of LGBTQ+ people from the mental and physical health benefits of team sports.
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Burton's 'Anatomy of Melancholy'
Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy explores historical views on delusional thought, connecting ancient wisdom to modern philosophy and psychiatry.
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The fragility of civic space in South Sudan since independence
Whilst South Sudan readies for its first post-independence elections, human rights concerns persist, urging international support.
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Empty signifiers: New approaches to discourse analysis in infrastructure
What can critical discourse analysis, as both a method and conceptual approach, reveal in research into the development of connective infrastructures (roads, railways, ICT networks), past and present?