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 I was naive enough to think that laissez faire policies would be abandoned, but because they should be, and until and unless they are, a repeat of th…

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 Democrat government under David Cameron and Nick Clegg. Professor Angus Hawkins is Director of Public and International Programmes.…

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 3 MINUTES. In this 45 minute slot Marianne Talbot will take participants on a romp through the nature of philosophy for complete beginners. Philosop…

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 cliches of the 'lost generation' and the 'American dream'. But who was the writer of The Great Gatsby, and how does his most famous novel resonate with, or even again…

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 Sigmund Freud. The old Imperial city was transformed into a modern metropolis encircled by the cafes and cultural institutions of the new tree-lined …

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 feeling of a childhood paradox, and blew the smugness away, perhaps forever. In this short talk I shall describe the pre-Russell situation, and go thr…

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 and on their places of origin. In 2011 there were 4.3 million students pursuing university education outside of their home country. The majority of in…

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 events. Even to conceive of such a world requires an enormous leap of the imagination. Music is all around us, intimately woven into the fabric of o…

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 the key environmental impacts of summer flooding, explores the on-going ramifications for local wildlife and highlights the importance of a landscape…

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 fictions whose representations of the path to marriage is anything but starry-eyed and rosy-coloured, and an author who is anything but 'dear sweet Aunt Jan…

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 screenplay just a radio play with pictures? How do I make a career as a screenwriter? If they know so much why do authoritative writers on the subject of scr…

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 selected, and what rights should migrants be given after admission? Who are the winners and losers from opening our borders to more migrant workers from low…

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 change like no other source. This lecture will trace a very personal history of England through some of its most fascinating and beautiful maps, showing…

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 archaeology courses on offer here at the Department for Continuing Education. Dr Alison MacDonald is a Departmental Lecturer in Archaeology.…

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 up with religious holidays and anniversaries. Great households, religious houses, towns, and village communities fasted in season and looked forward …

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!بقلم Jenny Lewis

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 like Crecy and Agincourt, bridged the enormous cultural, intellectual and social developments that saw both nations move from the medieval world to th…

Professor Marcus du Sautoy - mathematician, footballer and amateur musician - shows how mathematicians have contributed to our understanding of the world around us for millennia. We are all taught how fundamental maths is to the world we live in. But did you know that Wayne Rooney solves a quadratic equation every time he connects with a cross to p…

Dr Martin Ruhs introduces the Department's expanding portfolio of economics courses, in the context of the on-going debate about where economics is headed, starting with the world economic downturn. What were the causes of the global financial crisis and why did most economists fail to predict it? How should we regulate the global flows of capital,…

Dr Elizabeth Gemmill introduces the most remarkable monarch, Henry II, whose dominions stretched from the south west of France to the north of Britain. His achievements have lasted until our own times, but his reign was marred by tragedy too. Henry II's dominions stretched from the south west of France to the north of Britain. His achievements (and…

Dr Tara Stubbs uses exciting new research findings to discuss the close links between Yeats's attendances at the Ghost Club during the 1910s-1920s, his (sometimes amusing) spiritualist experiments, and his poetic works. The London-based Ghost Club was an esoteric society with many high-profile members. My talk will use exciting new research finding…

In the nineteenth-century Paris was transformed into an alluring spectacle of cafés, department stores and exhibitions. Dr Claire O'Mahony looks at the inspiration of the modern city of light from Impressionist painters to the glamour of Art Deco. In the nineteenth-century Paris was transformed into an alluring spectacle of cafés, department stores…

Marianne Talbot takes participants on a romp through the nature of philosophy for complete beginners discussing some of the BIG questions of life: does God exist? How should we live? What is truth? Does space come to an end or is it infinite? Philosophy deals with the BIG questions of life: does God exist? How should we live? What is truth? What ar…

The 25 years up to the 2007-8 global credit crunch were ones of privatisation, deregulation, financialisation and, in the UK, demutualisation. Professor Jonathan Michie will discuss the causes and consequences of the global credit crunch. The 25 years up to the 2007-8 global credit crunch were ones of privatisation, deregulation, financialisation a…

The Dark Ages are traditionally seen as nasty, brutish and short - a cultural and intellectual waste land, with virtually nothing worthy of art historical consideration. But Janina argues this is far from the truth. The Dark Ages are traditionally seen as nasty, brutish and short - a cultural and intellectual waste land, with virtually nothing wort…