Public Lectures at Canterbury Christ Church University

In this Professorial Beacon Lecture, Professor Hazel Bryan shares the views of over seven hundred young people talking about Britishness, nationhood, and belonging. 
From Empire Days to counter-terrorism narratives, via bunting, bake-offs and metropolitan bombings, young people have been taught ‘British values’ for over a decade. Against a global backdrop of rising populism, nationalism, an arguable fault line in liberal democracy and a perceived failure of multiculturalism, the teaching of ‘British values’ was conceived as a positive narrative to counter radicalisation, extremism and to engender allegiance to a British way of life

Ben Brown is a well-known accomplished journalist and probably best known as a BBC anchor news presenter. In this fascinating public lecture, Ben talks about his extensive career at the BBC and his views about topical global politics.

Drawing on research from neuroimaging, psychophysics, and psychopharmacology, this Professorial Beacon lecture by Professor Sukh Shergill examines how perception and imagination interact in the formation of beliefs, including phenomena such as “seeing voices” and strongly held delusional experiences. The lecture offers valuable insight into how the mind actively constructs, rather than simply records, reality.

Professor David Bates, Professor of Contemporary Political Thought and Director of Research and Enterprise at CCCU,  delivers the third lecture in the Professorial Beacon Lectures series, exploring the decline of liberal democracy and the rise of new political-economic dynamics. He highlights how national populism and authoritarian capitalism — led by powerful figures allied with wealthy elites — exploit public discontent while acting against the interests of those they claim to represent. Bates warns of a bleak future, particularly for the Global South and all but the wealthiest in the Global North, and while he offers some ideas for resisting these forces, his outlook remains cautious and somber.
 

The Professorial Beacon Lectures showcase the expertise of the University’s professors through thought-provoking public talks. This lecture examines whether sport can genuinely contribute to combating climate change, exploring its potential to influence consumer behaviour and promote sustainability, while questioning whether the sports industry is committed to addressing its own environmental impact.

Sir Anthony is a bestselling contemporary political historian. He served as honorary historian of Number 10 Downing Street, chair of the National Archives Trust, and has interviewed most of the senior figures who have worked in Number 10 in the last fifty years. 

Sarah is the founder and CEO of InspiredMinds (a global community of 220,000 high level experts in AI and emerging technology), an advisor to the UN and the EU AI Council, the previous chairperson of Women in AI, and founded ADA-AI; a not for profit focusing on the democratization of tech. In 2017, Sarah lobbied on behalf of the all-girl Afghan Robotics team vs the Trump travel ban. She founded the first STEM school for girls in Kabul and is now working to build an online school for girls still in Afghanistan. Sarah gave us an overview of current state of AI and explored what that means for our future.

Robin Ince is best known as the host of Radio 4's The Infinite Monkey Cage with Professor Brian Cox. Since writing his book I'm a Joke and So Are You, Robin has become increasingly engaged with trying to understand the disparity between how we project ourselves to the outside world and who we are on the inside. Weapons of Empathy explored neuroscience, psychology and how books can lead us into the minds of others and help us understand their world. It also contained jokes, impressions and poetry.

Steve Backshall is a BAFTA-winning naturalist, explorer and TV presenter, who recently graduated from Canterbury Christ Church University with a MSc by Research in Bioscience. Steve gave a special careers talk for our students discussing routes into ‘Careers in Wildlife Media’ - sharing his unique experiences and advice, and taking questions from the audience.

Jo Brand is a hugely popular comedian, writer and actor. Since making her start on the alternative comedy scene in the 80's, Jo is now best known for regular TV appearances on QI, Have I Got News for You and Would I Lie to You?, as well as hosting The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice. Jo talked about making more of a fuss, getting decent care, some proper respect and irritating people – with a few jokes too.