For Dr Kanade, good research derives from solving real-world problems and delivering useful results to society. As a roboticist, he participated in developing a wide range of computer-vision systems and autonomous robots, including human-face recognition, autonomously-driven cars, computer-assisted surgical robots, robot helicopters, biological live cell tracking through a microscope, and EyeVision, a system used for sports broadcast. Dr Kanade will share insights into his projects and discuss how his “Think like an amateur, do as an expert” maxim interacts with problems and people.

Dr Takeo Kanade is the 2016 Kyoto Prize Laureate for Advanced Technology.

Discovering Sikhism is an annual conference held by the University of Oxford Sikh Society and this year we invite to you to ‘Windows and Mirrors’ as we seek to reflect on the relationships within and around the Sikh Community.
We hope to provide this event as an opportunity to learn, debate and ask questions in the open and academically stimulating environment of Oxford. Topics discussed will include gender relations, caste, Gurdwara governance, religious expression and identity.

The second lecture in our ‘Arts of Leading’ series is given by Professor Sarah Williams, Professor in the History of Christianity at Regent College, Vancouver, who will speak on the life and leadership of feminist philosopher and social activist, Josephine Butler (1828-1906). Professor Williams is no stranger to Oxford, having previously held teaching posts at Harris Manchester College and Lincoln College. She specialises in the field of nineteenth- and twentieth-century social and cultural history.

From 1869 to 1885 feminist philosopher Josephine Butler brought the plight of the prostitute to the attention of Victorian society. She challenged contemporary sexual ethics and she renegotiated the place of women in the public sphere. But what motivated Butler’s critique of Victorian culture? This lecture will explore the relationship between Butler’s personal life and her political participation, offering an important perspective on questions of character, gender, and leadership.

After the lecture there will be time for discussion and questions considering how the example of Josephine Butler might inform contemporary practice of the arts of leading.

Abstract: What is the historical meaning of “ordinary means” to sustain human life? And what has been the understanding for over 500 years of Catholic moral analysis of the obligation to sustain life?
Is it, as Pope John Paul II insisted in an allocution to a meeting of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life in March, 2000 that food and water must always be provided for patients in a persistent vegetative condition (PVS). Artificial nutrition and fluids, he writes, are not medical measure, but “natural” and therefor are “ordinary means” that are always morally required.”
PVS is a state of permanent unconsciousness. The record for maintaining a patient in that condition is 37 years, 111 days.
Speaker: JOHN J. PARIS, S.J., PhD is the Michael P. Walsh Professor of Bioethics at Boston College. He has also been Professor of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA (1970-1990), Adjunct Professor of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA (1982-1994) and Clinical Professor of Family and Community Health, Tufts University, Boston, MA 1985-1998) and has been a visiting scholar at Yale Law School, The Kennedy Institute of Ethics, The University of Chicago Medical School, Georgetown University School of Medicine, The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and a visiting professor at the Center for Biomedical Ethics at Stanford University’s School of Medicine.
Fr. Paris served as consultant to the President’s Commission for the Study of Ethics in Medicine, the United States Senate Committee on Aging, and the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment. He has published over 190 articles on the area of law, medicine and ethics in publications as The New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, The Journal of Intensive Care Medicine, Pediatrics, Archives of Diseases of Childhood, The American Journal of Bioethics (AJOB), The Cambridge Quarterly of Health Care Ethics (CQ) and The Wall Street Journal. He is the Ethics Section Editor of The Journal of Perinatology.
Fr. Paris served as a consultant and expert witness in many of the landmark biomedical cases including Quinlan, Baby L, Brophy, Jobes, Baby K and Gilgunn.

Richard Rolle hoped that his translation of the Psalms and his commentary would, through its vocabulary and layout, help the readers to a knowledge of Latin as well as of the English language. The Lollard revisers of his work extended this linguistic interest to a degree and in ways that Rolle might have found surprising and pedantic.

The writer of the General Prologue to the Wycliffite Bible outlined in the final chapter a number of modifications made as part of revision from the Earlier to the Later version of the translation. A comparative scrutiny of the two texts, however, makes it plain that a very great number of alterations were made that are not covered by the medieval writer: one of the most important being a reconsideration of the suitable rendering of a wide range of Latin terms. The study of such changes can throw light on the milieu in which the revision was undertaken and how the academic nature of the translation enterprise was maintained beyond the initial impetus that produced the Earlier Version.

This event is in partnership with the Resolution Foundation

The accumulation and distribution of wealth across Britain has been a contentious issue since the dawn of economics. But while wealth inequality is traditionally viewed as being between rich and poor, a new divide is also emerging – the wealth gap between generations.

The failure of younger generations to accumulate wealth – through pensions, property and savings – will reduce their lifetime living standards, particularly once they reach retirement. This would have profound implications for both families and the state, so what can be done?

As part of its Intergenerational Commission, chaired by Lord Willetts, the Resolution Foundation will soon be publishing a series of papers analysing Britain’s wealth across generations. Ahead of this launch, the Oxford Martin School is hosting an event to explore these issues and the role of public policy in tackling Britain’s new wealth divides.

Experts from the Foundation will present some of the emerging findings from its work on intergenerational wealth inequality, while Professors John Muellbauer and Brian Nolan will discuss possible policy responses, before taking part in an audience Q&A.

Discussion and Reading from just-released Bright Mirror
Drinks and Nibble from 19:00

Among all the books of the Bible the psalms have provided a unique spur to human creativity. In the Christian tradition particularly this has not only involved musical settings but also illuminations and illustrations. In this lecture Roger Wagner will explore some of the reasons for this with particular reference to his own ongoing illustrated translation of the psalms.

N.B. This event is not yet confirmed; however we expect it to be very popular. Please register your interest and, once confirmed, your registration will be converted into an order.

In 2013, the Bank of Japan adopted quantitative and qualitative monetary easing; a policy of unprecedented large-scale monetary easing. Since then, the economic and price situation in Japan has greatly improved.

In this talk, Governor Kuroda will recount how he was strongly inspired about the importance of expectations in monetary policy by a lecture by Professor Hicks when he studied here at the University of Oxford. He will discuss the latest monetary policy measures in today’s banking as well as topics to help central banks to appropriately manage people’s inflation expectations and raise the effectiveness of monetary policy in a global low-growth, low-inflation environment.

The seminar will take place at Saïd Business School followed by a short networking drinks reception and is open for anyone to attend. Please remember that registration is required.

Saïd Business School is pleased to welcome Justin King CBE, former CEO of Sainsbury’s plc and Vice Chair of Terra Firma, to speak at the School on Monday 12 June as part of the Responsible Leadership Seminar series.

The Myth of Change: Business and responsibility in the 21st century

What are the responsibilities of business? What should business leaders hold themselves responsible for, and to whom? In his talk Justin King CBE will talk about the practices of business today, and the ways in which the changes that are being put in place by businesses are in many instances either ignoring or – even worse – recreating the problems of the past. He brings to the subject a serious perspective on what needs to change if business is to regain a position of trust, and insights into what you – as future leaders – need to consider.

Oxford India Speaker series and Saïd Business School presents:
Ajay G. Piramal in conversation with Dean Peter Tufano

The event will span a range of topics including entrepreneurship, the future of the Indian economy and business ethics.

Mr Ajay Piramal is one of India’s leading industrialists, philanthropists and social entrepreneurs. He is the Chairman of a business conglomerate, Piramal Group & Shriram Group (market cap: $7.5 billion; Revenue $3 billion), with activities in healthcare, financial services, real estate, information services, glass packaging and more.

The seminar is open for anyone to attend and will take place at Saïd Business School on Tuesday 13 June followed by a short networking drinks reception until around 7.30pm. Please remember that registration is required to attend this event.

Dr John Reader launches his new book, published by Palgrave Macmillan – Theology and New Materialism: Spaces of Faithful Dissent. A panel presentation will preface a wider debate following chapters in the book which include not only issues of human agency and transcendence, but also the search for a New Enlightenment and practical issues of politics, aesthetics and technology.

A one-off screening of recent documentary release Citizen Jane: Battle for the City. The film will be followed by a panel discussion featuring four local experts talking about how the themes in the documentary relate to issues for our own city — both past and present.

The panel is made up of four women who will discuss the issues raised in the film from four different perspectives — urban planning, architecture, local history and art.

Dr Sue Brownill, an urban policy expert at Oxford Brookes University, will chair the discussion and will be joined by: Dr Annie Skinner, local historian and author of ‘Cowley Road: a History’; Dr Igea Troiani, Senior Lecturer in Architecture at Oxford Brookes; and Rachel Barbaresi, an artist with interest the social aspects of urban space whose work is currently on show at Modern Art Oxford’s Future Knowledge exhibition.

Join us for the first in Blackwell’s free summer series of lunchtime events, where we will be joined by Greg Garrett author of ‘Living with the Living Dead’.
The zombie apocalypse is one of the most prominent narratives of the post 9/11 West, represented by popular movies, TV shows, games, apps, activities, and material culture. Greg explores why stories about the living dead serve a variety of functions for consumers and explains how representations of Death and the walking dead have appeared in other times of great stress and danger, including the Middle Ages and World War One.
Greg Garrett blogs on books, culture, religion, politics, travel, and food for The Huffington Post. He is the author or co-author of twenty books and one of America’s leading authorities on religion and culture.

Come along to the Graduate christian forum’s opening event to hear the Rev Dr Jonathan Brant (Chaplain of the Oxford Pastorate and Theology Research Fellow) give an engaging lecture on how studying leads to transformation using concepts from philosophy of film.

As the Portuguese’s entry opened up a turbulent time in the Indian Ocean, Muslim scribal elites across the region presented them within the image of idolatrous infidels. Writing in Arabic, the scribes from Malabar categorised this period as the Age of Fasad (social disorder) and advocated for ‘valour’ as the counter strategy. However, by transliterating sufis and prophets, vernacular scribes in Malabar insisted on the emotion of ‘piety’ for recreating the glory of the bygone Islamic past, as the fasad situation continued. This paper examines this textual/ lyrical transition- from Arabic valour texts to Arabi-Malayalam pietistic poetry- when a large number of Muslims began moving away from maritime towns to settle down in agrarian hinterland.

The Graduate Christian Forum is excited to host Dr. Rob Heimburger who conducted research on migration patterns in south america, in particular Colombia, and will be sharing his views on his research and faith.

This event begins with wine and nibbles at 19:00 and will finish after Q+A around 21:00 and is open to others as well as graduate students.

Discovering Sikhism is an annual conference held by the University of Oxford Sikh Society and this year we invite you to our conference with the theme ‘Sikhs and Gender’ as we seek to reflect on how gender relations shape Sikh and surrounding cultures.
We hope to provide this event as an opportunity to learn, debate and ask questions in the open and academically stimulating environment of Oxford. Topics discussed will include gender discrimination in Punjab, writing a gender history of the Sikh Empire, and how British Sikh masculinities were constructed with regard to the 2016 Anand Karaj protests in Leamington

Abstract: Exploring both debates about misrecognition and explorations of encounters, this article focuses on the experiences of ethnic and religious minority young people who are mistaken for being Muslim in Scotland. We explore experiences of encountering misrecognition, including young people’s understandings of, and responses to, such encounters. Recognizing how racism and religious discrimination operate to marginalize people—and how people manage and respond to this—is crucial in the struggle for social justice. Our focus is on young people from a diversity of ethnic and religious minority groups who are growing up in urban, suburban, and rural Scotland, 382 of whom participated in forty-five focus groups and 224 interviews. We found that young Sikhs, Hindus, and other south Asian young people as well as black and Caribbean young people were regularly mistaken for being Muslim. These encounters tended to take place at school, in taxis, at the airport, and in public spaces. Our analysis points to a dynamic set of interconnected issues shaping young people’s experiences of misrecognition across a range of mediatised, geopoliticised, and educational spaces. Geopolitical events and their representation in the media, the homogenization of the south “Asian” community, and the lack of visibility offered to non-Muslim ethnic and religious minority groups all worked to construct our participants as “Muslims.” Young people demonstrated agency and creativity in handling and responding to these encounters, including using humour, clarifying their religious affiliation, social withdrawal, and ignoring the situation. Redressing misrecognition requires institutional change to ensure parity of participation in society.

Peter Hopkins is Professor of Social Geography at Newcastle University. His main research interests focus upon: young people, place and identity; geographies of race, ethnicity and religion; and the intersections between masculinities and ethnicities.

Jean-Paul Sartre was one of the twentieth century’s most prominent atheists. But his philosophy was informed by theological writers and themes in ways that have not previously been acknowledged. In Sartre and Theology, Kirkpatrick examines Sartre’s philosophical formation and rarely discussed early work, demonstrating how, and which, theology shaped Sartre’s thinking. She also shows that Sartre’s philosophy – especially Being and Nothingness and Existentialism is A Humanism – contributed to several prominent twentieth-century theologies, examining Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, and Liberation theologians’ rebuttals and appropriations of Sartre.
Event is free to attend and includes a wine reception.

St Benet;s Hall are delighted to invite you to the launch of Catherine Pepinster’s new book: “The Keys and the Kingdom: The British and the Papacy from John Paul II to Francis” on Tuesday 14th November at 5pm, to be followed by a drinks reception.

The event will end at 6.30pm and will be followed by Vespers in the Hall’s Chapel (optional).

Catherine Pepinster is a journalist, author and broadcaster. She is the former editor of The Tablet and was a Visiting Scholar at Benet’s in 2014/15.

All are welcome!

Katharine Hayhoe has been named one of FORTUNE’s ‘World’s Greatest Leaders’, TIME’s ‘100 Most Influential People’ and Huffington Post’s ‘20 Climate Champions’, and has shared the stage with Barack Obama and Leonardo DiCaprio to talk about climate change.

She is a climate scientist and a Christian based in Texas and has pioneered a way of talking about climate change that truly engages people as human beings and reaches even the most resistant of audiences.

Katharine’s approach is patient and compassionate and modeled after conversations she had with her husband, a linguistics professor and pastor who once himself had doubts about climate change. She is a brilliant communicator who spends her time talking with all sorts of people, from oil field engineers to Christian college students. She believes that “each of us, exactly as we are, with the values we already have, has every reason we need to care about climate change.”

She will be coming to Oxford on Wednesday 15th November 2017 as a guest of Climate Outreach, in partnership with The University Church of St Mary. At this not-to-be-missed event, Katharine will be in conversation with Climate Outreach’s founder George Marshall about how we can use community values to get people on board with climate change, why social science is more effective than statistics, graphs and facts in engaging people, and why we all need to get talking, and keep talking, about climate change.

The event will take place at The University Church of St Mary in Oxford on 15 November. Doors will open at 7pm for a 7:30pm start, and the event will be followed by a drinks reception.

Tickets cost £3 but students can attend for free upon showing a valid student ID on the night, but please register your place online to reserve a space.
This event is wheelchair accessible.

Professor Sir Diarmaid MacCulloch is a Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford, TV presenter and author whose “History of Christainity: The First Three Thousand Years” won the 2010 Cundill Prize. His latest BBC2 series was “Sex and the Church” and he is currently writing a biography of Thomas Cromwell.

HOW we fund impact as important as what we fund?

What’s new in INNOVATIVE FINANCING using technology to allow investors to match their risk, return and impact preferences with specific investments and portfolios.

Oxford Impact Investments, together with Oxford Futurists & Oxford Women in Consulting are proud to present our speaker who’s come all the way from Cape Town, South Africa:

Ms. Aunnie Patton Power
Founder, Intelligent Impact
Associate Fellow, Oxford University Bertha Centre for Social Innovation

Intelligent Impact was founded to explore how to harness Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning to help solve one of the intractable problems in the social impact / impact finance fields: how to access information that is reliable and actionable. Aunnie has advised on Innovative Finance projects including developing a South African Impact Investing National Advisory Board, a Green Investment Bank, Social Impact Bonds / Development Impact Bonds, a Green Outcomes Funds and others.

Venue @Christ Church College Lecture Room 2

The Oxford constituency of the Spanish Researchers in the United Kingdom (SRUK) is holding a discussion panel entitled “Women in science and the glass ceiling” where three invited speakers will give a short talk about the topic, followed by a discussion where the attendees can actively participate.

The invited experts will highlight how the world of science needs to become accessible for everyone, women and girls. The discussion will cover the earlier stages of education, where children become interested in science, to the later stages of the scientific career, where excellent science and innovation require the talents of both women and men. We will evaluate why women’s progress in research is slow and why there are too few female scientists occupying top positions in scientific decision-making, limiting the important potential of highly skilled human capital.

The event will take place on the 18th of November at the The Jam Factory (Hollybush Row, Oxford, OX1 1HU) and it will start at 10:30AM.

This is a free event and open to the public, but registration is needed via Eventbrite.

All welcome, join us at 19:00 for a drink, talk begins at 19:30 followed by Q+A.

Revd Canon Michael Bourdeaux was an exchange student in 1959 to the USSR from Oxford University. In this evening of life lessons from a christian scholar, we will be hear more about his experiences in the Soviet Union and why he founded the Keston Institute: a “voice for the voiceless” communist country churches.

Bishop Libby Lane is Britain’s first woman bishop in the Church of England. In this talk Bishop Libby explores the pathway that brought her to this position and addresses an area of identity not always covered in diversity debates. A panel of prominent speakers joins her in discussing what it means to be a person of faith in Britain today and impacts on diversity.

On the panel:

Jas’ Elsner (Professor of Late Antique Art, Faculty of Classics, University of Oxford and project lead on Empires of Faith)

Shaista Aziz (freelance journalist and writer. Founder of The Everyday Bigotry Project)

This event will be chaired by Elleke Boehmer (Professor in World Literatures in English, University of Oxford)

Booking is essential. Please register here for your seat.

There will be a drinks reception following the discussion.

This event is part of the Humanities & Identities series.

For our opening talk this term we are very excited to be able to host Dr. Sabina Alkire who is a world leader on issues of poverty and equality measurement and analysis. A leader in her field she is now Director at the Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative and holds a professorship at George Washington University.

Everyone is very welcome to join, there will be refreshments from 7pm and the talk will be followed by discussion until 21:00.

Missionary Christianity in Kerala, contrary to the received notions in social sciences, offered a new language of internal deliberations to Dalits and provided them agency different from their position in the traditional caste society. The exclusive congregations of Dalits in fact worked as a ‘subaltern counter publics’ offering them new ideas and social practices. It was in this context that ideas of salvation and liberation became significant categories of thought to engage with the caste society and structures of oppression. In the proposed paper the speaker wishes to explore the myriad ways in which Dalits productively engaged with Christianity and transformed themselves. This enables a critique of the instrumentalist interpretation of the Dalit Christianity offered by a dominant section of the historians and social anthropologists writing on Dalits and Christianity in Kerala and India.

The naga is a deified serpent that is a major part of the belief system of many South and Southeast Asian cultures. It is a chthonic creature, and is very strongly associated with rain and water. In Southeast Asia it plays an important role in divinatory practices for activities such as house-building, travelling and marriage. This seminar will explore the variety of texts and images relating to the naga as found in Malay divination manuscripts from the late 18th – early 20th century.