A talk by Seán Donlon, the former Irish ambassador to the United States.

Come listen to a curator with the Smithsonian Institute, Dr. Ellen Feingold, talk about the ongoing fascinating ‘Money in Arica’ project at the British Museum, which aims to piece together African monetary history and its cultural and political impact. Dr. Feingold will also speak on her own focus of counterfeit currencies in colonial East and West Africa. The lecture will be held at the Ioannou (Classics) Centre on St. Giles.

This event should interest you if:

• you wish to know more about various numismatics research projects;
• you wish to know more about a unique and rare field of numismatics (African numismatics);
• you wish to know more about using numismatics as a source for research.

Speaker profile: http://americanhistory.si.edu/profile/1159
Abstract:

During the interwar period, international counterfeiting schemes originating in West Africa presented a new threat to British colonial and national currencies. The institutions responsible for the West African monetary system – the Colonial Office and West African Currency Board – believed these plots had the potential to generate high quality forged currency and thus considered them to present a greater risk than local counterfeiting practices. This paper argues that colonial officials were also alert to this illicit activity because the schemes presented a new challenge to British law enforcement in the colonies, set off disputes between national and imperial institutions in London, and required the British to collaborate with other nations to thwart. The emergence of these international counterfeiting schemes demonstrates that while the creation of a colonial monetary system for West Africa facilitated British imperial economic aims, it also created new and unanticipated challenges to British rule.

Please contact qaleeda.talib@some.ox.ac.uk for more information.

Free for members; a £2 fee applies for non-members. Please contact the Secretary at kim.zhang@wadh.ox.ac.uk if you wish to be a member and sign up to the mailing-list. Membership is free.

Mr Richard Guy, Mr Roel Hompes and Mr Bobby Bloemendaal from the Colorectal Department at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will be presenting: “Surgery for advanced rectal cancer – crossing the boundaries”.

In this Inaugural Gaza Lecture, Professor Karma Nabulsi, Assiociate Professor in Politics and International Relations from University of Oxford, will explore the politics, history and current predicaments faced by Palestinians in Gaza – particularly in the field of education.

In doing so, the lecture will illustrate the many extraordinary capacities and qualities of the Palestinian people that have come to the fore despite the extreme situation they are living in and how they have become an exemplar of democratic and universal values.

Gaza is commonly seen as a place of humanitarian catastrophe requiring emergency assistance, but Karma will instead show what the Palestinians of Gaza give to us.

o mark Inter Faith Week 2015 (15 – 21 November) and the 150th anniversary of Oxford Brookes University, the University Chaplaincy will host a panel discussion on the role of faith, belief, and non-belief in 21st century higher education.
This discussion between some of the university Chaplains will explore the importance of building good relationships and working partnerships between people of different faiths and beliefs and the cultural, social and educational implications.

Mansfield Lecture Series, Convener Baroness Helena Kennedy QC.Laurie Taylor is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of York and
Visiting Professor in Politics and Sociology at Birkbeck. He is the author of 14
books on crime, deviance, personal identity and the nature of contemporary
celebrity. He presents the weekly social science programme Thinking Allowed
on BBC Radio Four.

Sir David Tang will reflect on recent developments in Chinese society and on the UK’s changing relationship with the Asian super-power. As a pre-eminent figure in fashion, hospitality, media and the arts, in both the UK and across Asia, Sir David will share his unique insights on this complex and fascinating topic.
The evening will be hosted by Ken Hom OBE, chef, author and broadcaster and honorary graduate of Oxford Brookes University.

**OxPolicy and #periodpositive are ready to launch their report on the state of menstruation education in the United Kingdom!**

Join us on the evening of November 30th for a bloody good time (haw haw). We’ll be discussing our findings and making suggestions on how to improve the provision of menstruation education in UK schools, ways of teaching period positivity, and how to lessen menstrual stigma both for young people and generally. Featuring the wonderful Chella Quint – comedian and founder of #periodpositive!

Drinks to follow at the Lamb and Flag (St Giles) after the event.

For much of the last nearly 200 years, a huge amount of work has been undertaken to record, analyse and characterise gait – the patterns of movement when we walk. The common objectives were to enlighten clinical understanding and to improve the quality of life of many thousands of children, veterans and people challenged by disability.

An unintended consequence of this work has been its us in the entertainment sectors. Tom will take you on a visual journey into the world of blockbuster movies, music videos and advertisements populated by amazing creatures animated characters and imaginary environments.
He will describe the techniques used to capture human motion and how to place animated characters and objects into real backgrounds.

Ten years after the creation of the world’s first statutory-based national ombudsman service for higher education, Rob Behrens will mark his forthcoming departure from the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) with a frank appraisal of what has been achieved, how universities, student unions and complainants have reacted and what issues remain to be addressed.

He will explore the journey from ‘adjudicator’ to outward-facing ombudsman service and evaluate the OIA’s contribution to the current regulatory scene, assessing the impact of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 which brings private suppliers into the scheme on an equal footing with universities.

Members of AUA are very welcome to attend this event.

Rob Behrens is Independent Adjudicator and Chief Executive of the OIA, the ombudsman service for students in higher education in England and Wales. He is a member of the Regulatory Partnership Group for higher education.

He is also a non-executive member of the Bar Standards Board (BSB) in England and Wales, and Chair of the BSB Qualifications Committee.

The use of data capture and visualisation technologies has grown dramatically, embracing the needs of researchers, stakeholder communities, cultural resource managers, tourists and the general public. This paper previews the types of techniques being used by Australian archaeologists and collaborators in a range of study areas. The digital acquisition and visualisation of archaeological sites using photographic techniques (hardware and software), 3D reconstruction, laser scanning and other methods, along with novel methods for presentation provide us with opportunities not available even 5 years ago. The challenge for researchers is to maintain the theoretical impetus in the face of a plethora of new technologies and opportunities. Methods to enhance recording and to facilitate research methodologies are explored and the potentials for cultural resource managers and stakeholder communities to manage their heritage (e.g. with tourists in interpretive displays, websites and other virtual media) are highlighted.

Professor Alistair Paterson is an archaeologist at the University of Western Australia where he has been Head of the School of Social Sciences (2013-15) and Archaeology Discipline Chair (2010-2012). He is currently a visiting researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford. His research and teaching covers culture contact, historical archaeology in maritime and terrestrial settings, European colonization, historical rock art, digital scholarship, and archaeological and historical methodology. Much of his work is located in Western Australia and the Indian Ocean exploring the uses of coast and offshore islands in colonial and pre-colonial settings, and early colonial settlements across the state (in collaboration with the Western Australian Museum, iVec@UWA).

Henry Moseley’s work brought X-ray physics to bear on the chemists’ periodic table. Join us at the Museum to hear Professor Russ Egdell (Chemistry) and Professor Justin Wark (Physics) reveal both the history and rich contemporary legacy of Moseley’s scientific work.

Doors open at 18.30.

Part of the programme of events for ‘Dear Harry…, Henry Moseley: A Scientist Lost to War’, the special exhibition at the Museum of the History of Science.

“We all have something of each other’s lives in the palms of our hands” (Martinsen 2006).
The connected nature of caring relationships is well-established in nursing theory and indeed nurses in Oxfordshire have historically been at the forefront of much of this theory generation. More recently, nursing education in the UK has been criticised for losing its base essential values of caring, despite a strong person-centred discourse in healthcare policy and strategy.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) have responded with new standards and a code of practice, whilst school of nursing have felt increasingly ‘regulated’ with a focus on compliance

When the Fat Lady Sings: Leadership and Creativity in Opera

In the world of opera, many experts work together to create an amazing show: everyone from costume and lighting to singers and conductor need to align their creativity to make a final product that audiences love. There are many valuable lessons to be learned from these relationships that illustrate how leadership works.

Leadership involves coordinating different functions and communicating effectively both inside and outside an organisation. This talk will explore just that: how a system of shifting leadership works to pull together the creativity of the skilled experts in order to generate value for diverse stakeholders.

Expect practical demonstrations from a top-class singer!

Please arrive at 12.15pm for a prompt 12.30pm start. Lunch will then be provided and the lecture will commence at 1pm.

As researchers, we aim to develop knowledge that will improve the human condition. This goal is hampered, however, if research is not consumed, interrogated, and used by those implementing policy. How then does research enter the policy process in practice?

This panel brings together decades of experience working at the intersection of education research and policy and will attempt to answer this key question. Drawing from their considerable experience, the panellists will describe their view of how research informs policy, and share perspectives on how researchers can better communicate and interact with policy makers and what researchers typically miss when thinking about how policy is made.

Featuring:

Tom Mcbride
Head of Strategic Analysis, UK Department for Education

Alex Scharaschkin
Director of Research, AQA; Director, AQA Centre for Education Research and Practice

Ewart Keep
Director, Oxford University Centre on Skills, Knowledge & Organisational Performance (SKOPE)

Nothing is different but everything has changed

While the landscape of marketing is no doubt changing, the importance of cultivating and keeping diverse, creative talent remains as important today as it has been for centuries. This creative talent is at the heart of good marketing and no matter how the world shifts the consumption of media, creativity will remain key to making good ads.

FCB Worldwide CEO Carter Murray will discuss where he thinks the world of advertising is heading and how marketing is breaking new ground by sticking to the basics – awesome creative, great account management and a culture that allows it all to thrive.

The seminar will take place at Saïd Business School on 28 January 2016. Please arrive at the School from 5.15pm for a prompt 5.30pm start.

The talk will be followed by a short networking drinks reception until c19:30 hrs.

Driving Business Performance

Peter Tufano and Antony Jenkins will discuss how leadership and culture drives business performance, including the tools that leaders can deploy to improve performance. They will also examine how technology is profoundly affecting business and society, including how to win in a new and very different world.

The seminar will take place at Saïd Business School on 4 Febrauary 2016. Please arrive at the School from 5pm for a prompt 5.30pm start.

The talk will be followed by a short networking drinks reception until c19:30 hrs.

Millions of people worldwide are affected by natural hazards ranging from devastating but localised events such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis to the more subtle but global effects of climate change. It is therefore in our interests to be able to accurately predict these hazards, assess their risks and communicate this information quickly and effectively to those affected so that major loss of life can be avoided. Exactly how this should be done, and the extent to which certain natural hazards can even be predicted are key questions that need to be addressed. Less obvious but of equal importance are the roles that governments and charities should play in communication and prevention, and how different communities perceive the risks associated with natural hazards in the first place. These questions will be debated by a diverse panel of speakers from a variety of different backgrounds to be announced shortly. There will be a free drinks reception afterwards. So come on down, you might just learn something*!

*Or you can just come for the free wine

This is a free event, please register at the link below

Thirty years ago, an untapped potential in nature was revealed by an Oxford-based theoretical physicist called David Deutsch. He showed that if a computer could be built to harness the deepest features of quantum physics, then that machine could solve problems in ways no conventional supercomputer could match. Three decades later, the challenge of realising this possibility has become a worldwide field spanning multiple disciplines and involving both academia and industry. Last year the UK government committed over £200m to accelerate progress toward practical quantum technologies. Are we therefore on the verge of a new technology revolution? Professor Simon Benjamin, Principal Investigator on the Oxford Martin Programme on Bio-Inspired Quantum Technologies, looks at how far have we come and what remains to be achieved?

‘What’s aught but as ‘tis valued?’: Shakespeare’s value

This talk considers a number of different ways to value Shakespeare: personal, educational, economic, aesthetic – by focusing on the life stories of the first collected edition of his plays, the First Folio of 1623. This book was sold for 15 shillings on publication; copies now fetch millions of pounds. A book that often shows marks of casual use – wine-ring stains, doodling, even pet paw prints – is now treated as a relic.

The cultural geographer Tim Cresswell argues that ‘value is produced by the passage of things in and out of different regimes of value… objects have biographies that are formed as they pass through these regimes of value’. Tracing the biography of the book via its different regimes of value gives a new way to understand questions of Shakespeare, worth, and value.

The seminar will take place at Saïd Business School on 17 February 2016. Please arrive at the School from 12:15pm for a prompt 12.30pm start. Lunch will be provided and then the lecture will commence at 1pm.

The Oxford Children’s Rights Network invites you to join us for a lunch time seminar with Jonathan Herring, Professor of Law at the University of Oxford.

Abstract:
Those who argue that children should not have the same rights as adults typically emphasise the vulnerability of children. It is commonly argued that their vulnerability provides a powerful reason why children need to be protected from harms in ways adults do not. Supporters of the claim that children should have equal rights to adults typically respond by challenging the claim that children are especially vulnerable, arguing that children are far more autonomous than is commonly assumed. In this paper I will argue that a more convincing response is not that children are less vulnerable than is commonly assumed, but rather that adults are more vulnerable than is commonly assumed. In short, the case for equal rights for all people, is better premised on the claim we should treat adults like children, than on the claim we should treat children like adults.

Jonathan Herring has written extensively on criminal, family and medical law and has recently analyzed legal disputes over contact between children and parents and issues surrounding children’s rights.

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RSVP is kindly requested for catering purposes; please visit http://bit.ly/ocrnlunch to indicate your attendance and preferences. To guarantee lunch, please ensure you fill in this form no later than 12PM the day before (for Thursday seminars) or 12PM the Friday before (for Monday seminars).

How to create growth companies in a no growth world

Vernon Hill’s clarion call “Fans not Customers” stems from his belief that your competitive edge comes down to service. The better it is the more likely your customers are to become fans and promoters of the enterprise – and to create yet more fans. For those who have got tired of sloppy, slow, unfriendly and inefficient service, Vernon Hill’s business model is a huge breath of refreshing air – and a wake-up call for business.

You can register to attend the event here.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Main School Foyer from 17:15 on Thursday 18 February for a prompt 17:30 start.

The talk will be followed by a short networking drinks reception until c19:30 hrs.

Join the Oxford Children`s Rights Network, in association with the Refugee and Migration Law Discussion Group at Oxford, for a lunch time seminar with Jason Pobjoy, Barrister at Blackstone Chambers.

Abstract:
The Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the best interests principle codified in Article 3 in particular, is playing an increasingly significant role in decisions involving the admission or removal of a child from a host State. The talk will discuss the extent to which the best interests principle may provide an independent source of international protection. That protection may, for instance, proscribe the removal of a child from a host State notwithstanding that the child is ineligible for protection as a refugee or protection under the more traditional non-refoulement obligations in international human rights law.

Jason Pobjoy is a barrister at Blackstone Chambers and a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge, where his research explores the relationship between international refugee law and international law on the rights of the child. He is the founding Chair of the Cambridge Pro Bono Project. Jason is also an Australian qualified lawyer and practiced for several years as a litigation solicitor. Jason completed a Masters in Law at the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Civil Law at the University of Oxford, and he has also been a Research Associate at the Refugee Law Project at Makerere University in Kampala and a Hauser Visiting Doctoral Researcher at New York University School of Law.
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A sandwich lunch will be provided. RSVP is kindly requested, for catering purposes; please visit http://bit.ly/ocrnlunch to indicate your attendance and preferences. To guarantee lunch, please ensure you fill in this form no later than 12PM the day before (for Thursday seminars) or 12PM the Friday before (for Monday seminars).

This conference is intended to challenge the commonly held view of the prolonged gap in the progress of Western civilisation’s understanding of the natural world between the theories of the Ancient Greeks, led in particular by Aristotle and Plato, and the formation of the modern world view leading to the heliocentric theory of the Solar System and the theories of mechanics and gravity. These modern theories were in fact the result of centuries of empirical and theoretical work, which was conducted mainly in the universities of Europe and in particular at Oxford and which replaced in turn the Aristotelian world view of antiquity and then the literally biblical view of the Church. The conference will review the contributions of these medieval scholars working in Oxford and is intended to demonstrate the evolution of this activity from its theoretical, theological origins into the activity using mathematics and experimental observations which forms the basis of modern physics.

Registration to attend this conference is free, but must be confirmed using the Conference booking form by Monday 22nd February.

The Oxford Children’s Rights Network invites you to join us for a lunch time seminar with Laura Lundy, Professor of Education Law and Children’s Rights at Queen’s University Belfast.

Abstract:
Children’s right to participate in public-decision making is now well established in theory and in law. In practice, the right remains elusive with barriers to its realisation often linked to a lack of time or resources and/ or the capacity of both adults and children to engage meaningfully in participation processes. These challenges are magnified when the issues affect children on a global scale or pertain to an issue considered by many to be too complex for children to understand irrespective of its apparent impact on their lives. This paper will reflect on an attempt to meet these challenges and provide meaningful participation in the context of a study conducted with over 2000 children in 71 countries which adopted an explicit rights-based approach to the methods (Lundy and McEvoy, 2012). The research was commissioned to inform the Committee on the Rights of the Child’s forthcoming General Comment on Public Expenditure. The paper will offer some critical reflections on the process and outline the learning from it that is now being applied in subsequent global consultations.

Laura Lundy is a Professor of Education Law and Children’s Rights at Queen’s University, Belfast and a Barrister at Law. She is the Director of the Centre for Children’s Rights at Queen’s (www.qub.ac.uk/ccr), an interdisciplinary research collaboration on children’s rights. Her expertise is in law and children’s rights, with a particular focus on the implementation of the UNCRC, education rights, and children’s right to participate in decision-making. Her model for child rights-based participation is used widely and has been adopted by the Irish National Participation Strategy. The team at the Centre for Children’s Rights has recently completed a study on public expenditure and children’s rights involving over 2500 children in 71 countries globally funded by Plan International. With Professor Ursula Kilkelly of University College Cork, she is leading a two year study examining the role of NGO advocacy in advancing children’s rights funded by the Atlantic Philanthropies. She has provided advice and/or training on children’s rights to participate to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, Child Rights Connect, UNICEF, Eurochild and the Council of Europe.
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RSVP is kindly requested for catering purposes; please visit http://bit.ly/ocrnlunch to indicate your attendance and preferences. To guarantee lunch, please ensure you fill in this form no later than 12PM the day before (for Thursday seminars) or 12PM the Friday before (for Monday seminars).

An introductory talk of about twenty minutes, followed by Q&As, and an hour or so’s discussion. All welcome. No need to book.

In his talk, Kerry will explore the pressing practical problem of how hurricane activity will respond to global warming, and how hurricanes could in turn be influencing the atmosphere and ocean.

Gita Sahgal is the executive director of the Centre for Secular Space. She is also a writer and documentary film maker, and the co-editor of Refusing Holy Orders: Women and Fundamentalism in Britain. She has written on gender, fundamentalism, and human rights for the American Society of International Law, Women Living Under Muslim Laws, and openDemocracy, and has made documentary films on forced marriage and human rights violations during the Bangladeshi war of liberation.

She was a member of Southall Black Sisters and a founder of Women Against Fundamentalism and Awaaz: South Asia Watch. She was the inaugural Head of the Gender Unit at Amnesty International, leaving after ‘irreconcilable differences’ over its relationship with a salafi-jihadi defence group in the UK.

In this talk, Gita will be discussing cases such as the Rushdie affair in attempting to answer the question of whether secular space is indeed diverse or intolerant.

This event is part of Brookes’ One World Week which is dedicated to promoting cultural diversity and tolerance.

Global change in the 21st century: Time for a fresh look at the Past, Present and Future.

The world is changing: from dramatic changes in the distribution of global GDP to the US ‘pivot’ to Asia, from turbulence in the Middle East to disruption in Russia, from a new era of commodity prices to shocks to the financial system, the early 21st century seems unfamiliar, volatile and unpredictable.

As Peter argues in his new book The Silk Roads: A New History of the World, the world’s centre of gravity is shifting – and has been for the last hundred years. In fact, it is returning to where it lay for millennia – in the heart of Asia.

The seminar will take place at Saïd Business School on 9 March 2016. Please arrive at the School from 12:15pm for a prompt 12.30pm start. Lunch will be provided and then the lecture will commence at 1pm.