Accessibility statement

Learn about something new

Posted on 30 September 2016

Our new season of free Open Lectures is starting.

Every term, the University organises free Open Lectures on a wide variety of topics aimed at a general audience.  

Studying Maths but interested in ideas about democracy? Studying English Literature but want to find out more about the environment? The lectures are the perfect opportunity to take time out and find out about subjects outside your course.

Events are free but you may need to book your place.

Open Lectures in week 2

The criminal brain: Implications for prevention, protection and punishment
Thursday 6 October 2016, 6.30pm
Speaker: Professor Adrian Raine, University of Pennsylvania

Neuroscience is documenting that brain impairments raise the odds of some children growing up to become psychopaths and violent criminals. Should we change their brains to prevent future crime and chaos? Can we use brain scans to better predict future violence in order to maintain a more orderly society? And if offenders are not responsible for their brain abnormalities, should we punish them as harshly as we do? These are the thorny ethical questions that society can no longer ignore as science increasingly dissects the biological roots of crime.

Fusion Energy – promises, progress and prospects
Tuesday 4 October 2016, 7.00pm

Critical Emotional Reflexivity in Social Activism
Wednesday 5 October 2016, 3.00pm to 4pm

Defending Human Rights Defenders: Shrinking space for human rights and civil society
Wednesday 5 October 2016, 6.30pm

Paintings and photographs
Thursday 6 October 2016, 6.30pm

The application of evolutionary computation to the diagnosis and monitoring of Parkinson's disease
Thursday 6 October 2016, 7.30pm

Want to plan further ahead? 

For our full events listing for this term, see www.york.ac.uk/publiclectures

Interested in music performances?  Have a look at York Concerts.