The art of war: The Hundred Years' War in twenty objects
This lecture will examine one of the longest wars in history, fought between England and France from 1337 to 1453 by scrutinising twenty objects. The series of bloody battles, including famous events...
View ArticleSpeaking stories: the oral roots of poetry
We'll be looking at Beowulf and the epic as a way of passing on experience and history. See your own life as an epic! Where would you start? What would you leave out? Surprise yourself - and us!
View ArticleAnniversaries, feasts and commemoration in the Middle Ages
Ritual celebrations were at the heart of life in medieval communities. The passage of time was articulated by the cycle of the seasons, the exigencies of husbandry and of trade, all inextricably bound...
View ArticleSpotlight on Archaeology
Find out about how archaeologists uncover the past using a range of techniques, including excavation, survey and scientific analysis. We will also have the opportunity to discuss the programme of...
View ArticleA history of England in five and a half maps
There is a story behind every map. Generation after generation, we have imprinted ourselves on the land we live upon. Our depictions of that land, in maps, have recorded social attitudes and social...
View ArticleWho needs migrant workers? Controversies in international labour migration
The regulation of labour immigration is among the most important and controversial public policy issues in high-income countries. How many migrant workers should be admitted, how should they be...
View ArticleToo many words? An irreverent guide to screenwriting
Aristotle's 'Poetics' is regarded as the earliest surviving work of dramatic theory. How much notice do Goldman, Godard, Bertolucci or indeed Tarantino pay to his classic tenets of drama? Is a...
View ArticleWhat's so great about Austen? Isn't she just bonnets and balls?
Some film and tv adaptations of Jane Austen's novels might give the impression that the stories are little more than Mills and Boon-type romances in empire-line frocks. This talk will introduce...
View ArticleWhere's all the wildlife? Flooding and the importance of landscape conservation
The Oxfordshire floods of 2007, 2008 and 2012 caused enormous disruption to homes, agriculture and local businesses, but what were the consequences for wildlife? This presentation will unravel some of...
View ArticleWhy music matters in your life
Imagine a world without music. No music on the radio, no concerts, no musical instruments. No background music in films and television. No music at our weddings, funerals, religious worship or sporting...
View ArticleInternational education: the transformative effect of student migration
In this short lecture we will consider what the internationalisation of higher education means, and the global implications of international mobility - on the students, on their 'receiving' countries...
View ArticleSurprises - for you and for mathematics
In 1900, pure mathematics had the smug air of a finished product. We thought we knew what it was and we thought we knew how it was done. Then Bertrand Russell came along with an analysis that has the...
View ArticleGustav Klimt and secessionist Vienna
Vienna around 1900 witnessed a vital and anxious surge in art, design, literature and music. This creativity also inspired psychological investigations into the inner self and dreams, most famously by...
View ArticleFitzgerald beyond Gatsby
With the recent resurgence in interest in F. Scott Fitzgerald following Baz Luhrmann's imaginative film adaptation of Fitzgerald's 1925 novel The Great Gatsby have come the inevitable clichés of the...
View ArticlePhilosophy in 45 minutes!
Philosophy deals with the BIG questions of life: does God exist? How should we live? What is truth? What are numbers and do we need them? Does space come to an end or is it infinite? NO SOUND FOR FIRST...
View ArticleParty games: coalition government in British politics
This session will look at the history of coalition government in British politics over the past 200 years and discuss some of the constitutional implications of the current Conservative/Liberal...
View ArticleBritain's economic problems and prospects
At the time of the 2008 global credit crunch, I participated in Oxford's online debate on whether the economic crisis sounded the death knell for laissez faire capitalism. I argued it did, not because...
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