Some face-to-face events are returning. Check carefully for any requirements.

Jun
22
Sat
Building an organisation: all you need to know @ St Cross College
Jun 22 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

This one-day workshop with St Cross College Professional in Residence David Scrymgeour covers the steps towards building a successful organisation, from designing, starting, and growing, to managing, changing, fixing, and evolving. The workshop will be highly practical, and will help you to develop a model for thinking about an organisation and how to apply it in clear practical steps. During the course of the day, you will look at the ‘Three Pillars’ model of organisations: Sales, finance, and operations, and there will be case studies, question and answer sessions, and plenty of time for networking over a working lunch.

About David:

David Scrymgeour has worked as an entrepreneur, consultant, trouble-shooter and community advisor. He is currently Adjunct Professor and Executive-in-Residence at the Rotman School of Management.

Tickets are £5 which covers a working lunch.

Jun
24
Mon
No experience necessary: how to engage with your entrepreneurial spirit @ St Cross College
Jun 24 @ 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
No experience necessary: how to engage with your entrepreneurial spirit @ St Cross College

In this lecture, entrepreneur David Scrymgeour will talk about developing an entrepreneurial mindset, sharing best practice and words of wisdom gleaned from a career in business.

About David Scrymgeour:

David Scrymgeour has worked as an entrepreneur, consultant, trouble-shooter and community advisor. As Executive in Residence and Adjunct Professor with the Rotman Commerce Program at the University of Toronto he teaches, mentors and engages in philanthropic projects in partnership with business, not for profit, political, community and sustainable development organisations.

There will be a drinks reception after the talk.

Jul
8
Mon
Engaging with the Humanities – Rewriting the rules of the art industry: a datadriven transformation @ Saïd Business School
Jul 8 @ 5:45 pm – 6:45 pm

The art market is one of the most visible, yet least understood industries in the world. And it is in the midst of a digital transformation that is redefining what and how art is transacts every day.

During this talk, Sotheby’s Senior Vice President of Data & Strategy, Edouard Benveniste gives an introduction to the art market with a focus on how data and emerging technologies are shaking up an industry long known for its opacity.

Benveniste, has spent the past decade at the world’s leading auction houses in roles spanning sales and technology, will share lessons from the transformation of the art world that can apply to any industry at the time of disruptive innovation.

Schedule:
17:15 – Registration opens
17:45 – Event starts
18:45 – Drinks reception (optional)
19:45 – Event close
About the event

The seminar is open for anyone to attend
Spaces are limited and tickets are non-transferable so registration is essential so please use the Register button above to confirm your attendance
Please note once the main room is full you will be directed to an overflow room to watch the a livestream of the event, so please arrive early to avoid disappointment

Oct
2
Wed
Philosophy in the Theatre: Richard Dawkins in conversation with Nigel Warburton @ The Sheldonian Theatre
Oct 2 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Blackwell’s are delighted to present our monthly series of talks, Philosophy in the Bookshop. In a very special event, our programme moves across the street to the Sheldonian Theatre for one night only.

Do we need God in order to explain the existence of the universe? Do we need God in order to be good?

Join Richard Dawkins for a special evening at the Sheldonian Theatre where he will be introducing his book ‘Outgrowing God’, addressing some of the most profound questions human beings confront. Professor Dawkins will be interviewed by author Nigel Warburton.

Should we believe in God? In this new book written for a new generation, the brilliant science writer and author of the international bestseller, ‘The God Delusion’, explains why we shouldn’t.

Richard Dawkins was fifteen when he stopped believing in God. Deeply impressed by the beauty and complexity of living things, he’d felt certain they must have had a designer. Learning about evolution changed his mind. Now one of the world’s best and bestselling science communicators, Richard Dawkins has given readers, young and old, the same opportunity to rethink the big questions.

In ‘Outgrowing God’, Richard Dawkins marshals science, philosophy and comparative religion to interrogate the hypocrisies of all the religious systems and explains to readers of all ages how life emerged without a Creator, how evolution works and how our world came into being.

Richard Dawkins is author of ‘The Selfish Gene’, voted The Royal Society’s Most Inspiring Science Book of All Time, and also the bestsellers ‘The Blind Watchmaker’, ‘Climbing Mount Improbable’, ‘The Ancestor’s Tale’, ‘The God Delusion’, and two volumes of autobiography, ‘An Appetite for Wonder’ and ‘Brief Candle in the Dark’. He is a Fellow of New College, Oxford and both the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Literature. In 2013, Dawkins was voted the world’s top thinker in Prospect magazine’s poll of 10,000 readers from over 100 countries.

Nigel Warburton is a public philosopher and author. As well as being the host of the podcast ‘Philosophy Bites’ with David Edmonds, he is also the author of the bestselling ‘A Little History of Philosophy’, ‘Philosophy : The Classics’, ‘Free Speech: A Very Short Introduction’ and many others.

Tickets cost £10. Seating in the Sheldonian is unreserved and allocated on a first come, first served basis. Doors for entry will open at 6:15pm. For all enquiries please email events.oxford@blackwell.co.uk or call 01865 333623.

Oct
8
Tue
Kaja Odedra, Change.Org; author of Do Something: Activism for Everyone @ Simpkins Lee Theatre, Lady Margaret Hall
Oct 8 @ 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Kaja Odedra, Change.Org; author of Do Something: Activism for Everyone @ Simpkins Lee Theatre, Lady Margaret Hall

Kajal Odedra has always been passionate about helping other people affect change.
She is Executive Director of Change.Org and author of ‘Do Something: Activism for Everyone’. Change.org is the world’s largest petition platform with 15 million UK users and 200 million globally.

Oct
14
Mon
“The technology trap – capital, labour and power in the age of automation” with Carl Benedikt Frey @ Oxford Martin School
Oct 14 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

In this book talk the Author, Carl Benedikt Frey, will discuss how the Industrial Revolution was a defining moment in history, but how few grasped its enormous consequences at the time. Now that we are in the midst of another technological revolution how can the lessons of the past can help us to more effectively face the present?

This talk will be followed by a book sale, signing and drinks reception. All welcome.

Oct
18
Fri
Life Times: experiencing change through mind, body and place @ Weston Library
Oct 18 @ 12:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Life Times: experiencing change through mind, body and place @ Weston Library

How do our minds and bodies alter as we age? Can attitudes change from one generation to the next? How have the built and natural environments around us changed in the last 200 years? What are our hopes and fears for the future and how different will it be? Join researchers at the Bodleian’s Weston Library to look into the past, present and future. This event includes hands-on activities all day and a Living Library of researchers and talks in the evening.
The shop and cafe will be open until 9pm.

“Psychologically informed micro-targeted political campaigns: the use and abuse of data” with Dr Jens Koed Madsen @ Oxford Martin School
Oct 18 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Data-driven micro-targeted campaigns have become a main stable of political strategy. As personal and societal data becomes more accessible, we need to understand how it can be used and mis-used in political campaigns and whether it is relevant to regulate political candidates’ access to data.

This book talk will be followed by a drinks reception and book sale, all welcome

Oct
19
Sat
Letting go of the Letters (Professor Henrike Lähnemann) @ Greene's Institute
Oct 19 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Alongside our conference on 19th October, Greene’s Institute will be hosting our first public event: a special interactive keynote with Professor Henrike Lähnemann (University of Oxford). This event promises to be a fantastic exploration of one of the most important acts of translation in European history. All are welcome.

Oct
21
Mon
Clearing the Air @ Waterstones Bookshop
Oct 21 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Clearing the Air @ Waterstones Bookshop

Award-winning sustainability journalist Tim Smedley has travelled the world to major cities dealing with severe air pollution problems including Delhi, Beijing and Paris, interviewing scientists and politicians to discover the full story of air pollution. Join him to discover what air pollution is, where it’s coming from and, most importantly, what we can do about it.

IF Oxford is operating a Pay What You Decide (PWYD) ticketing system. This works by enabling you to pre-book events without paying for a ticket beforehand. Afterwards, you have the opportunity to pay what you decide you want to, or can afford. If you prefer, you can make a donation to IF Oxford when you book. All funds raised go towards next year’s Festival.

Oct
22
Tue
Joris Luyendijk In Conversation with Alan Rusbridger @ Monson Room, Lady Margaret Hall
Oct 22 @ 5:45 pm – 6:45 pm
Joris Luyendijk In Conversation with Alan Rusbridger @ Monson Room, Lady Margaret Hall

Joris Luyendijk was born in Amsterdam and studied in Kansas, Amsterdam, and Cairo. He is a writer, journalist and anthropologist. He has written about the Middle East, the banking crisis and Brexit.

Oct
25
Fri
Fe Fi Fo Fum: battle for the iron crown @ New Road Baptist Church
Oct 25 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Fe Fi Fo Fum: battle for the iron crown @ New Road Baptist Church

From the geological component of a life-supporting planet, to changing how we made tools or helping your body survive every day, iron plays an important part in being human. But which of iron’s roles is the most important? Join us for a fun evening where researchers from across the sciences and the humanities (Fe)rociously try to persuade you that their use of iron is the most important. Who wins this battle of the new iron age? You decide!

IF Oxford is operating a Pay What You Decide (PWYD) ticketing system. This works by enabling you to pre-book events without paying for a ticket beforehand. Afterwards, you have the opportunity to pay what you decide you want to, or can afford. If you prefer, you can make a donation to IF Oxford when you book. All funds raised go towards next year’s Festival.

Superheavy @ Waterstones Bookshop
Oct 25 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Superheavy @ Waterstones Bookshop

Marking the 150th anniversary of the periodic table, Kit Chapman reveals the incredible and often surprising stories behind the discovery of the superheavy elements; how they have shaped the world today and where they will take us in the future. Be introduced to the amazing people whose tireless quest to drive the periodic table forwards has led to scientists rewriting the laws of atomic structure.

IF Oxford is operating a Pay What You Decide (PWYD) ticketing system. This works by enabling you to pre-book events without paying for a ticket beforehand. Afterwards, you have the opportunity to pay what you decide you want to, or can afford. If you prefer, you can make a donation to IF Oxford when you book. All funds raised go towards next year’s Festival.

Nov
13
Wed
The Technical & Moral Singularity- a Conversation about Artificial Intelligence and Ethics @ Chakrabarti Lecture Theatre
Nov 13 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
The Technical & Moral Singularity- a Conversation about Artificial Intelligence and Ethics @ Chakrabarti Lecture Theatre

he Technical & Moral Singularity- a Conversation about Artificial Intelligence and Ethics

This event is a conversation between Prof Nigel Crook (Head of Computing and Communication Technologies (CCT) and Interim Head of Mechanical Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, Oxford Brookes) and Dr Steven Croft (Bishop of Oxford and member of House of Lords Select Committee on AI). You can read about Bishop Stevens encounter with Artie (in the picture above) here.

This event is free however as seating is limited please book a place. in Eventbrite There are pay and display spaces available on the campus from 16.30.

Nov
15
Fri
Faith in Translation: Edward Green Memorial Lecture @ Greene's Institute
Nov 15 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Faith in Translation: Edward Green Memorial Lecture @ Greene's Institute

In this lecture, in honour of Edward Greene, Donald Meek will describe the fascinating process of Gaelic Bible translation in Scotland and Ireland. Beginning with the standard Gaelic Bible, translated between 1767 and 1804, Donald will explain its creation, and its debts to the work of earlier translators and revisers, including the Rev. Robert Kirk of Aberfoyle (who produced ‘Kirk’s Bible in 1690), but pre-eminently to the foundational labours of the translators of the Bible into Classical Gaelic in Ireland in the earlier seventeenth century. Both the principal translators of that period – Bishop William Ó Dómhnaill and Bishop William Bedell – studied at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where they were trained in biblical languages by the first Master of Emmanuel, Lawrence Chadderton. By way of comparison and contrast, brief reference will be made to the somewhat different histories of Bible translation into Manx and Welsh. The lecture will conclude with some discussion of the profound influence of the Gaelic Bible on the development of modern Scottish Gaelic literature, and its enduring legacy

Nov
28
Thu
Battle of Ideas Satellite – The Rise of Toxic Politics – Can we be civil? @ Andrew Wiles Building
Nov 28 @ 6:00 pm – 7:15 pm
Battle of Ideas Satellite - The Rise of Toxic Politics - Can we be civil? @ Andrew Wiles Building

Are we witnessing a new, more toxic kind of politics around the world? If so, what is the alternative? Should we lament a supposedly lost civility, or is the emergence of more forthright and angry disagreements in fact a good thing? What is the line between passionate disagreement and toxic bile? Who gets to decide what are acceptable and unacceptable forms of discourse? Ultimately, how do we live together when we disagree profoundly on major issues?
Topic: Politics
Format: Debate and Q&A session

Dec
4
Wed
Leadership for diversity and inclusion – lessons from the UK civil service @ Saïd Business School
Dec 4 @ 5:45 pm – 6:45 pm
Leadership for diversity and inclusion - lessons from the UK civil service @ Saïd Business School

Inaugural event in our new events series focusing on responsible leadership: Driving Diversity and Inclusion Seminar Series.

Progress on diversity in the UK civil service and why it matters. How the dial only really shifted on gender, and why the focus is now on inclusion and addressing bullying and harassment. What the good leaders are doing?

Dame Sue Owen will give a talk followed by a Q&A with the audience moderated by Sue Dopson, Rhodes Trust Professor of Organisational Behaviour, Fellow of Green Templeton College, Deputy Dean of Saïd Business School.

Event Schedule:
17:15 – Registration opens
17:45 – Event starts
18:45 – Drinks reception
19:45 – Close

Dec
6
Fri
What makes the Ashmolean the perfect place for interdisciplinary work? What even is interdisciplinary work? @ Thatcher Business Education Centre,
Dec 6 @ 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
What makes the Ashmolean the perfect place for interdisciplinary work? What even is interdisciplinary work? @ Thatcher Business Education Centre,

Dr Jim Harris, Engaging with the Humanities at Oxford Saïd

A Good Mix: Krasis and the Ashmolean as an Interdisciplinary Forum.

What even is interdisciplinary work?

In this talk, art historian, broadcaster and Teaching Curator Dr Jim Harris will consider what makes the museum such a fertile context for interdisciplinary work, why early-career scholars from across the university are flocking to take up career development opportunities at the Ashmolean – and what possibilities the Ashmolean might present to students and researchers at the Saïd Business School.

Schedule
14:00 – Registration opens (with afternoon tea)
14:30 – Event starts
15:30 – Event close

Dec
14
Sat
Sir Simon Schama: Bomberg and Kitaj – Two Types of Jewish Agony in Paint @ Mathematical Institute, Oxford
Dec 14 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Sir Simon Schama: Bomberg and Kitaj – Two Types of Jewish Agony in Paint @ Mathematical Institute, Oxford

Bomberg and Kitaj – Two Types of Jewish Agony in Paint
With Sir Simon Schama, Art Historian, Author and BBC Presenter

Sat 14 Dec, 12–1pm
Mathematical Institute, Woodstock Road (Venue changed)

Tickets are FREE. Booking is essential:
ashmolean.org/event/beauforest-lecture-2019

Although separated by a generation, artists David Bomberg (b. 1890) and R. B. Kitaj (b.1932) shared a passionate intensity in their work that was marked by their response to the deeply troubled century in which they lived, and in particular, the rise of antisemitism. Learn how both painters expressed the power of art to mirror the darkness of the contemporary world.

This event is the 2019 Beauforest Lecture.
www.ashmolean.org/event/beauforest-lecture-2019

Jan
21
Tue
“A world without work: technology, automation and how we should respond” with Daniel Susskind @ Oxford Martin School
Jan 21 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

New technologies have always provoked panic about workers being replaced by machines.

In the past, such fears have been misplaced, and many economists maintain that they remain so today. Yet in A World Without Work, Daniel Susskind shows why this time really is different. Advances in artificial intelligence mean that all kinds of jobs are increasingly at risk.

Susskind will argue that machines no longer need to reason like us in order to outperform us. Increasingly, tasks that used to be beyond the capability of computers – from diagnosing illnesses to drafting legal contracts – are now within their reach. The threat of technological unemployment is real.

So how can we all thrive in a world with less work? Susskind will remind us that technological progress could bring about unprecedented prosperity, solving one of mankind’s oldest problems: making sure that everyone has enough to live on. The challenge will be to distribute this prosperity fairly, constrain the burgeoning power of Big Tech, and provide meaning in a world where work is no longer the centre of our lives.

This talk will be followed by a drinks reception, book sale and signing, all welcome.

Jan
22
Wed
Threads of change @ Saïd Business School
Jan 22 @ 5:45 pm – 6:45 pm
Threads of change @ Saïd Business School

Alice Kettle will discuss her works at the opening night of her exhibition at the Business School with Brandon Taylor, after which there will be a tour.

Our new exhibition showcases Alice Kettle’s unique practice; textile works which employ a combination of stitch techniques, bringing together the use of antique machines from early last century with hand stitch and contemporary digital technology.

Feb
1
Sat
Benedictine Day Lectures and Exhibition of the Rule of St Benedict MS. Hatton 48 @ The Weston Library, University of Oxford
Feb 1 @ 2:30 pm – 6:00 pm

St Benet’s Hall marks a special exhibition of The Rule of St Benedict MS. Hatton 48, fols. 14v-15r at the Weston Library, with a series of lectures on aspects of the mediaeval Benedictine contribution to scholarship, libraries and spirituality.

The lecture programme takes place at the Weston Library, Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3BG

14:30-15.30
Living the Rule of Saint Benedict in England, from the Middle Ages to the Reformation
Professor James Clark, Professor of History, University of Exeter

15.30-16.20
Benedictine Libraries in Medieval England: a Changing Perspective
Professor Richard Sharpe FBA, Hon. MRIA, Professor of Diplomatic, Wadham College, University of Oxford

16.30-17.20
The Rule as a Living Document
The Very Rev. Oswald McBride, OSB, Prior, St Benet’s Hall, University of Oxford

A drinks reception follows the final lecture, from 17:30 to 18:10.

Booking is essential, for each lecture.

Those attending the lectures are welcome to join Vespers at St Benet’s Hall, 38 St Giles, OX1 3LN at 6.30pm.

Feb
3
Mon
A vision for Oxford city centre @ Rewley House
Feb 3 @ 8:00 pm – 9:15 pm

Organised by Oxford Civic Society @oxcivicsoc. The Society’s Louise Thomas and Ian Green discuss the history of the city centre, emerging trends and their implications and present a vision which seizes opportunities and mitigates threats.. https://www.oxcivicsoc.org.uk/programme/

Feb
6
Thu
Think Human 2020 – Mind the gap: the jump from school to university @ Glasgow Room, Harcourt Hill Campus, Oxford Brookes University
Feb 6 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

A panel exploring how universities can best support new students as they transition to University

Feb
12
Wed
Gender diversity: How far have we got? @ Saïd Business School
Feb 12 @ 5:45 pm – 6:45 pm
Gender diversity: How far have we got? @ Saïd Business School

Sir Martin will review the theory and practice of genuine gender equality in the workforce, including personal experience of leadership challenges in implementing gender balance leadership.

Martin was appointed President of Boeing Europe and Managing Director of Boeing UK and Ireland in June 2019. He was permanent secretary at the Department for International Trade from 2016 to 2017, and before that he spent six years as permanent secretary at the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills.

Feb
19
Wed
DEBATE: This House believes gender should be abolished @ Oxford Town Hall
Feb 19 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

6 speakers from 6 countries debate the proposition – chaired by Sir Trevor McDonald. All welcome.

Feb
20
Thu
“Future options for making plastics more sustainable” with Prof Charlotte Williams @ Oxford Martin School
Feb 20 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

This lecture will describe research in chemistry and polymer materials carried out in the Williams research laboratories.

This research focusses on how to activate and transform non-petrochemical raw materials into polymers (plastics). For example, waste plants or agricultural by-products or even waste carbon dioxide can all be used as raw materials to make polymers, replacing petrochemicals derived from oil. The properties of polymers will be discussed and examples will given of possible end-user applications for these new renewable polymers. The lecture will introduce some concepts to consider when evaluating polymer sustainability and life cycles.

Part of the Oxford Martin School Lecture Series: ‘Shaping the future’

Compassion: how can it improve my life? @ Oxford Brookes University
Feb 20 @ 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Compassion: how can it improve my life? @ Oxford Brookes University

Compassion is a state of mind, a wish for beings to be free from suffering. When compassion is present in the heart there is no place for anger or hatred. In that moment a wish to harm simply cannot arise because compassion overpowers it. Although compassion may arise naturally towards those we love and who have cared for us, it can also be cultivated so that it arises even towards our enemies. To develop it fully, we begin by cultivating for ourselves, then extend it gradually to others. When linked with understanding, compassion brings both inner and outer peace.

This talk is delivered by Dr Dechen Rochard, Honorary Research Fellow, University of Bristol and Research Fellow, The Dalai Lama Centre for Compassion, Oxford.

Dechen Rochard studied for several years at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in India and then completed a PhD at the University of Cambridge. She translates Buddhist texts and is currently working on a project for His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Feb
25
Tue
Massada public address by Professors Daniel Staman and Ayman Agbaria @ Sultan Nazrin Shah Centre, Worcester College
Feb 25 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Professors Ayman Agbaria and Daniel Statman from the Shalom Hartman Institute and Haifa University, will be speaking about : “‘From the Wells’– A Jewish-Arab Educational Initiative Toward A Shared Society.
This programme aims to transform the study of traditions, civilizations, faiths and religions in the Israeli public education system, promoting equality for all — Jews and Arab-Palestinians, Muslims and Christians — through the joint study of foundational texts from the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish traditions in an intellectual environment that promotes critical yet empathetic engagement with the texts and among the participants.

Feb
27
Thu
Are Humans Spiritual? How could we deepen our health care? @ Oxford Brookes University
Feb 27 @ 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Are Humans Spiritual? How could we deepen our health care? @ Oxford Brookes University

Traditionally, healthcare and spirituality have been considered separate areas of human life. This talk will challenge the separation of healthcare and spirituality and ask if what we know about human spirituality can be used to deepen our healthcare for the benefit of both patients and practitioners.

Rev. Dr. Guy Harrison is the Head of Spiritual and Pastoral Care, Consultant in Staff Support and Director of the Oxford Centre for Spirituality & Wellbeing (OCSW) within an NHS trust covering five counties and employing 6,300 staff.