Working 9 – 5: Is this still the way to make a living?
Mrs Patience
Flexible working, or lack of it, has huge impacts on an individual’s work life balance as well as on societal issues such as the gender pay gap on family roles and childcare arrangements. But there are also links to productivity and wellbeing. My focus is on flexible working in the education sector – what the benefits and barriers are and how we can change the landscape for the better.
Climate Change
Mr O’Brien
We will look at the science of climate change (there will be graphs!) and why there is so much controversy over the issue, including a dissection of the main sceptics’ arguments.
The Last Emperor of Mexico
Dr Shawcross
In the 1860s, Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, intent upon curbing the rise of US power, persuaded a young Austrian aristocrat, Ferdinand Maximilian, and his wife, Carlota, a Belgian princess, to leave Europe and become Emperor and Empress of Mexico. They arrived in a Mexico ruled by terror, where revolutionary fervor was barely suppressed by French troops. When the United States, now clear of its own Civil War, aided the rebels in pushing back Maximilian’s imperial soldiers, the French army withdrew, abandoning the empire with disastrous consequences for the young couple.
The story of how a Habsburg archduke and a Belgian princess – two of the most famous aristocrats in all of Europe – came to rule Mexico is a strange one. It is not, however, merely the story of who would govern the Americas, but how they would be governed. Napoleon III embarked on one of the most shocking examples of regime change in the nineteenth century, replacing the US-backed Mexican republic of Benito Juárez with a European monarchy under Maximilian. In the 1860s, a monumental struggle for the future of the Americas played out, pitting emperors against presidents, monarchies against republics and Europe against the United States.
Training Artificial Intelligence to Recognise Higgs Bosons
Dr Rolfe
What do protein structures, forgotten 19th century composers, discriminatory credit card companies and – ahem – grooming products have in common with the Higgs boson? Dr Nicolas Rolfe explores how artificial intelligence is pervading every aspect of our lives.
Mount Everest
Mr Coulson
The world’s highest mountain has fascinated explorers, daredevils, scientists and monks for thousands of years. I want to take you on a journey up and around this mountain looking at its history, its significance to Nepalese and Tibetan cultures, its appeal to explorers and its dangers and fierce reputation. Come along!
How is World War II Memorialised?
Mr Coulson
World War Two is a conflict whose legacy still hangs over cultures, politicians and entire nations. I want to show you how different countries remember WW2 through statues and monuments. We will look at how Britain, France, Germany, Poland, Russia, USA, Israel, Japan, China and South Korea remember the conflict in very different ways.
Women of Surrealism (relevant to Literature, Art History, Art, Feminism, Politics)
Dr Mellor
The Surrealist movement, founded in Paris in 1924, was a multi-disciplinary movement uniting writers and artists interested in psychology and revolutionary politics. Although male dominated initially, it soon attracted immensely talented and charismatic women who made a huge contribution.
